CAUGHT BY HIS FINGER TIPS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10300, 7 March 1905, Page 4

CAUGHT BY HIS FINGER TIPS.

(Pci* Press Association.) ] WELLINGTON, last night. The first case ia New Zealand m which the prosecution depend solely upon finger prints evidence was beard m the city Police Court before- 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 four and five o'clock on the evenng of the 23rd of last month. The bedroom of Mrs Williams was ransacked, and two gold riigs 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 foundl finger prints on the broken pane of glass near where the breaker had evidently caught hold of the sash to pull the window down. Pieces of glass where the prints showed were cut out and submitted to the finger print branch of the police for examination. The result way that one of the finger marks was found to correspond with the imprint of the third finger of the right kind of John Clancy, the impression of whose fingers had heen taken a considerable time ago by the police. Tin's was reported', and Clancy was- arrested next duy. Experts found 21 characteristics between the imprints on the glass and Clancy's finger prints, and the opinion of the experts is that the chances against the marks on the glass having been made by any other finger tlian Clancy's are over two thousand billion to one. Clancy was committed for trial.