TRACING A CRIMINAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7756, 7 March 1905, Page 3

TRACING A CRIMINAL.

THE FINGER PRINT SYSTEM IN USE. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, March 6. The first case in New Zealand in which the prosecution depends solely upon finger print evidence was heard tos-day in the City Police Court betfore Dr McArthur, S.M. John Clancy was charged with breaking and entering and robbery. The story of the crime before the Court is briefly that the house of Mrs Williams, Wellington' Terrace, was broken into during the absence of the occupants between 4 and 5.15 o'clock on the evening' of the 23rd of last month. The bedroom of Mrs Williams was ransacked and two gold rings and a pair of gold brooches stolen. Entrance was effected through one of the front windows, the upper pane of which was broken by the offender near the catch. The following morning a detective found fingerrpnints on the broken pane of glass, near where the breaker had evidently caught hold of tne sash to pull the window down. Pieces of glass where prints showed were cut out and submitted to the finger print branch of the police force for examination, and the result was that one of the finger marks was found to correspond with the ini- | print of the third finger of the, right ihand of John Clancy, the impressions of whose fingers had been tn|kon a considerable time ago by the police. This was reported, and Clancy was arrested next day. Experts found twenty-one characteristics between the imprint on the glass and Clancy's finger print, and the opinion of the experts is that the chances against the marks on the glass having; l>een made by any other linger than Clancy's are over a thousand billion to one. Clancy was .committed for trial.