4/1/10 (USA):
Jack The Ripper Too Early For Fingerprint Evidence
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Jack the Ripper might have been prosecuted had fingerprint evidence been available at the time. But what was the first known criminal case in history to use fingerprints in court?
Although Scotland Yard had adopted the use of fingerprints in 1901, no court had ever allowed them as evidence until the Stratton Brothers murder trial in May of 1905.
Melvin Macnaughten, Scotland Yard's Assistant Commissioner, was the first investigator to notice fingerprints later used in court.
The victims, Mr.and Mrs. Farrow, owners of a paint shop, both found in pools of blood. Mr. Farrow was pronounced dead, but Ms. Farrow was alive and rushed to the hospital, unconscious and later died.
The police discovered the cash box for the business was empty. The police could find no clues in the robbery.
MacNaughten noticed there was a greasy smudge on the inside of the cashbox. He felt it was a fingerprint left by the murderer.
The box wrapped in paper and brought to Mr. Collins, head of fingerprinting for Scotland Yard. The print was compared to the prints of the Farrows. It didn't belong to either of them.
Collins compared the print to 80,000 fingerprints on file at Scotland Yard and found no match.
Collins knew if they could find the person who left the fingerprint, they would have their killer.
MacNaughten had one witness who recognized one man leaving the crime scene as Alfred Stratton. He had no criminal record, but he was known by police as a vagabond who associated with known criminals. He had a younger brother, Albert, and both men fit the description given by witnesses.
Collins knew the print on the cash box was a thumbprint. He compared the fingerprints of the Strattons, and concluded the fingerprint matched the right thumbprint of Alfred Stratton exactly. The Strattons were arrested and trial set to begin May 5, 1905.
The Stratton's trial could make or break fingerprinting used as evidence in a trial.
Richard Muir, the prosecutor, faced a daunting task. The defense had an all star cast of witnesses to discredit the fingerprint evidence. Henry Faulds, the first man to recommend fingerprints be used in criminal investigations, would be called as a defense witness. Why would the "Father of Fingerprinting" testify against the use of fingerprinting in court.
Faulds worried because the police only had one fingerprint. He didn't want his life's work used to convict innocent men. He didn't believe the Strattons innocent. He didn't want a single fingerprint to send them to the gallows. Faulds believed that no two people had the same ten fingerprints, but the prosecution did not have ten fingerprints. They had only one.
The defense also had Collins' mentor Dr. John Garson lined up to testify.
Attending the landmark trial as an observer was Edward Henry, the man who devised a system of fingerprint classification that is still used today. Everyone was interested in the outcome of this trial.
Muir's strategy was to establish that the Stratton's were in the vicinity of the crime at the time of the murders, had the tools to break into the paint shop and they had more money than they could account for the next day. He would put Collins on the stand to show that the fingerprint was positive identification of the killer.
Three witnesses saw two "unknown" men leaving the paint store. Muir had one witness who identified Albert Straton being at the scene. A powerful witness was Alfred's girlfriend. She told the jury that two nights before the murder, they did not have money for food. The next morning, Alfred came home with money and couldn't explain where he got it.
The key witness was Collins who established his expertise in fingerprinting. Collins explained to the jury the science of fingerprinting.
Collins showed the jury the fingerprint found on the cash box. He showed the print he had taken from Alfred Stratton's right thumb. Muir asked him how sure he was that the print on the cash box was Alfred Stratton's. Collins said he was100 per cent sure.
The defense called Dr. Garson, who had once been Collins' teacher in fingerprinting. The defense felt if they established that Garson was more of an expert, his testimony would descredit Collins.
Muir was ready for Garson on cross examination. The prosecutor introduced into evidence two letters written by Dr. Garson, one letter to Muir and the other to the defense counsel.
Each letter said that Garson would testify for either, depending on which side paid the most. This discredited any testimony from Garson.
It was up to the first 12 jurors to ever hear fingerprint evidence to decide if they accepted fingerprint evidence as valid. If they didn't, the Strattons would go free.
After only two hours of deliberation, the jury found both brothers guilty and sentenced them to death. They were hanged on Tuesday, May 23, 1905, sent to their deaths by a greasy smudge left behind on a cash box. Jack the Ripper might have met the same fate if born later.
With thanks, © The Examiner
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