100 Years Ago This Week: Nov. 15-23

From The Indianapolis Star, Sunday, November 16, 1913:  The finger-print identification system is now in actual use by the Indianapolis Police Department. An accurate and thorough finger-print filing system is now complete and compares favorably with any in the country. Albert G. Perrott, Bertillon operator, is able to positively identify and obtain the record of any criminal whose fingers have been “taken” since the system was inaugurated two years ago. Hereafter, every person charged with a felony, in addition to being “mugged” and measured by the Bertillon system will be “finger printed,” and the record filed away for possible future reference. Despite a person’s physical changes over time, it is now possible with the finger-print system to tell within five minutes or less whether a man charged with a crime has been arrested before.