The Syracuse Journal, Volume 29, Number 41, Syracuse, Kosciusko County, 11 February 1937 — Page 5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1937

Girl Reporter Becomes Indiana's "Public Enemy" No. 1 For A Day

Interviews D: F Stiver Public Safety Official At State Crime Bureau By EVELYN H. CONN, Journal Staff Writer -yr- can testify that crime does not pay, for I was Indiana’s Public Enemy Number One for a day. I felt the steel net of the law tighten around me as I was fingerprinted, “mugged,”) numbered and subjected to the lie-detector. Swiftly, efficiently, cooly, the police of Indiana ran me through the gauntlet of crime-detection and slowly but surely my resistance began to weaken and 1 was ready to give up. • 4 I did give up. I gave up to the fact that a career of crime leads only to life imprisonment or a trip through the little green door to the execution chamber. Mastery with a gun and quick-ly-acquired wealth become just so many words when stacked against the bitter reality of sleepless nights, days spent in slinking to new hide-outs, the fear of getting caught, society’s doors, the cold, firm finger of the law reaching out —waiting, watching, acting—ready to pluck me from within myself and set me down before a jury of my peers. Guest Os Donald F. Stiver. I was in the headquarters of the Indiana State Police located in the Capitol at Indianapolis, waiting to meet Mr. Donald F. Stiver. Chief of the Bureau of Public Safety, who had Very kindly consented to conduct me through the Crime Laboratory and show me the procedure followed in dealing with criminal suspects. , ) Inspects Safety Charts. While waiting for Mr. Stiver, I examined the contents of jthe glass cases lined up one side of the wall. In one case are photographs of actual automobile accidents, showing the totally)demolished machines and in some instances, thebodies of the unfortunate victims. Brutally realistic pictures alongside of charts showing the decrease in the Indiana Automobile Massacre for the past year, are vivid testimony to the fine work done) by Mr. Stiver and his Department. Sees Gunmen’s Weapons. In the next case are some of the hand-made weapons u)sed by criminals in their unsuccessful fling outside the law. Cleverly improvised knives made of razor blades, wooden gbns darkly stained to give the impression of black metal, deadly blackjacks, brass knuckles, the necessary equipment for safecracking and lock-picking—all used by convicted criminals in an attempt to. gain thier lawless ends, but not quite powerful enough to smash the police ring which closed in on them. «i Miniature of Police Radio Station. One case contained a miniature of the Indiana State Police Radio Station W. P. H. E., the nerve center of the police organism which has facilities for instant communication with evjery officer on duty. In times of public peril, the antennae of the five broadcasters in Indiana crackle with the swift orders of the headquarters dispatcher, drawing a dragnet around some escaping robber or speeding a car to the assistance of an ..accidentstricken motorist. These stations are manned night and davi by shifts of 25 trained operators and supervised by a staff of radio engineers from headquarters. ) Views Pictures of Dillinger. I saw photographs of the bullet-riddled bodies of “Baby Face” Nelson, John Dillinger, and various of their henchrpen who were brought down by the swift, accurate shots of the police. Gruesome, horrible pictures which in themselves tell a far more powerful story than words can express. I saw different makes of revolvers, special machine guns. Thompson sub-machine guns and tear gas many of which had beep used in capturing murderers and robbers whose dastardly crimes had shocked and terrorized the country. Interviews Donald F. 3 Stiver. Then I was told that Mr. Stiver would see me in his office and I was ushered into a good-sized, simply furnished room knd Mr. Stiver, upon my entrance, came toward me with outstretched hand. He is a slight, dark gentleman, with a quiet alertness that catches every move. When I expressed my desire to be “behind the scenes,” he summoned Supervising Lieutenant Don L. Kooken, and with a twinkle in his eye, said, " Put Through Routine. “This young lady wishes to see how we work in this department, but we’ll do better than that. We’ll put her through the regular routine. Treat her as if she were just another criminal suspect, and when she talks subject her tol the lie-detector to see if she’s really telling the truth.” To say that I was excited would be/puttmg it mildly—l fairly jumped out of my chair. And so, vefy much thrilled with | INTERVIEWS-CHIEF

Bl 1 I WkMaMBBBBge fl • Ik. ■ fl |k Iml ■ al Miss Conn is* shown here with Donald F. Stiver, Director ol Public Safety. It was through the courtesy of Mr. Stiver thai Miss Conn was allowed to become Indiana’s Public Enemy foi a Day.

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A marked woman is Miss Evelyn H. Conn, Journal’s girl reporter, as far as the State Police at Indianapolis are concerned. During a recent visit to the State Capitol, Miss Conn

the entire prospect, I followed Lieutenant Kooken, an unobtrusive, mild-mannered gentleman, into the next room where he told me I was to be “mugged.” That means, in police terms, having your picture taken with a designated number which swings on a small board from a stand on the side of the chair. The photography room is rather small, practically sound-proof, with the walls completely covered from ceiling to floor with dark green drapes. First they took a full-face shot with my number 1-354-in full view across my chest. Very matter-of-fact-ly, the photographer told me to look squarely into the lens which was in the center of two large, dazzling lights. “Look straight into the camera lens. Miss, because these lights are blinding.” Feels Heart Pound. I could feel my heart pound as I did as he directed. I tried, just to be different, to have a pleasant look on my face, but from the pictures it’s easy to see that just the prospect of being “mugged” seemed to give rhea guilty expression. Then my chair was turned sideways and the profile was taken. 1 After the films had been developed and they were shown to me, I knew that I could no longer stay in Indianapolis. Finger Printed. And then for the fingerprints! Miss Marie Grott, Director of the Criminal Bureau of Identification, placed my fingers on an ink slab and the imprint of the tip of each finger and of the full fingers of each hand was placed on a large card. This card was then taken into the fingerprint classification room where several fingerprint experts are kept busy classifying, filing and comparing the fingerprints submitted to headquarters. Miss Grott, a pleasant, calm and very efficient young lady, told me that more than 162,000 sets of finger-prints are filed in the bureau, and that a civil fingerprint file is maintained to aid in identification of burned, killed, drowned or demented persons. Every police department in the state cooperates in furnishing prints to /this central agency. A copy [of these prints is added, also, to the national files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Jn Washington, D. C., beinif available to stdte or local authorities at any time.

THE SYRACUSE JOURNAL

A MARKED WOMAN

Sees Evidence. In this department are kept bits of physical evidence gathered in the fight on crime, which are submitted to analysis from scientific instruments capable of reyealing almost incredible facts with unerring accuracy. Blood tests, bullet comparisons, moulage reproductions of dead faces and of tire or heel prints, “black light” detection of fraudulent document altercations —all can be accomplished in this laboratory. Death Masks. 1 was a little terrified when I saw the death mask of the hands and face of the Hicks killer, of Singer who was responsible for the brutal slayings of three people, of Thomas who killed a filling station attendant when he protested against being robbed. These masks are so strikingly real that it sent shivers up my spine just to look at them. Every feature, every line, even the slightest imperfection in the skin is reproduced on the moulage, life-sized mask. Admires Police. There were several State Policemen in the office, fine, clean-cut, upstanding specimens of young manhood, and I asked Lieutenant Kooken about them, their education, requirements, etc. He told me that each Trooper had gone through a regular police training course, and that the temptations and occasional hardships besettingpolice duty require men of the highest caliber to withstand them. Only the best men available are desired. Only the most desirable are chosen. Kooken Well Known. Lieutenant Kooken himself is a widely experienced investiator and a life-long student of scientific crime detection. His work on difficult, baffling criminal cases is well known to every police department and crime laboratory of the Middle West. Tries to Beat Machine. Theri the Lieutenant introduced me to Mr. F. S. Fosler, Detective of the Indiana State Police, who fold me that I was to be subjected to the lie-de-tector. Resolutely I sat in the chair while he placed a rubber tubing across my chest and the cloth wrappings around my arm to record mjr pulse wave and blood pressure, and then the detector, an oblong machine with various gadgets and a graph for the recordings, was turned

I was finger-printed and had Rogue’s Gallery pictures made. These records will remain permanently on file at Indianapolis.

on for action. I picked one card, fixed it securely in my mind, returned it among the five offered and then, upon the instruction of Detective Fosler, was prepared to answer “no” to every question he put to me. All this time I resolved to be very self-possessed, showing no emotion in my voice or manner, for aftei all, I thought it was a very simple matter to just answer in the negative when he called off each card. “Is it the three of diamonds?” he asked. “No,” said I, very calmly. “Is it the ten of spades?” “No,” I answered, tremendously pleased with the even tenor of my voice. “Is it the five of clubs?” That was it. That was the card I was to remember. “No.”. I answered. “Is it the six of hearts?” “No.” “Is it the queen of diamonds?” “No.” ■ -x “Is it the five of clubs?” Tries Lie Detector. I didn’t expect that and although I tried desperately to show no change in my voice, I could feel my heart beat a little faster and my voice quiver a trifle as I replied again in the negative.

BEING FINGER-PRINTED

JP I 1 y r*ll fl Evelyn H. Conn, Journal’s girl reporter, dianapolis, being finger-printed by Miss Marie is shown* in State Police Headquarters at In- Grott, as Lieutenant Don Kooken looks on.

4 Declares Crime Doesn't Pay After Being Police "Suspect” For A Day

Detective Fosler shut off the machine, handed me my graph and showed me where the two even lines recording my pulse beat and blood pressure had run along very evenly and then suddenly dropped. And at the point where he had named my card the second time, the lines were very jagged. “I give up, Detective. It was the five of clubs.” “You don’t have to tell me. Miss Conn. This machine shows it very accurately. “But, Detective,” I asked, Vhow can you judge reactions accurately-when the person subjected would naturally be upset;, I should imagine just the prospect of being examined like that would make a difference in the respiration and blood count. Explains Instrument. Then he explained that the machine does not record nervousness, nor can it be used on a person who is mentally unbalanced. In order to first record the normal count, the subject is asked five or six ordinary questions such as, “Have you ever been in this room before? Did you eat breakfast this morning? Do you live in this city?” Then when the subject’s .record runs along evenly, the important question is asked him and the graph records whatever difference there might be in the respiratory and blood pressure. The repetition of the important question is to further check on the initial finding.' Detective Fosler then proceeded to tell me that the lie-detector is the invention of three men: W. M. Marston, John A. Larson and Leonarde Keeler, the latter a professor in the Scientific Qime Detection Laboratory of Northwestern University in Chicago. He said there are only 17 lie-detectors in use and that the operators are given an intensive, 18-month training courss. Detective Fosler and lieutenant Kooken both studied under Professor Keeler and are considered among the ablest operators in the country. _ , “The most important feature of the lie-detector, explained the detective, “is not so much the placing of guilt as it is the detection of the innocent. I personally have conducted examinations wherein df two persons subjected, the one whom we had reason to believe guilty has been recorded as innocent and the one whom we felt was entirely guiltless of the crime, was found to be the culpable party. Obj’ect of Test. “That is the main objective of the lie-detector test. | very important feature, of course, is the voluntary confession of the offender. We do not, in any of our police work, force confessions. However, we do find that in approximately 40 pei cent of the cases where the lie-detector has been used, a voluntary confession is encouraged.” I asked why, Since the machine is so nearly accurate, the findings could not be used as court evidence. He explained that the machine was hot yet 100 per cent accurate and until such ' time as it was a perfect device, the findings could not, in fairness to the suspect, be held against him. - “There is also; a matter of Constitutional, rights, he explained. “According to law, a suspect has a right to be protected from unwillingly testifying against himself, and as long as that ruling stands, the lie-detector cannot be introduced as j valid evidence.’’ Jhanks Fosler. I thanked Detective Fosler for his very interesting information and just as I Was about to return to Mr. Stiver’s office, a State Trooper came in with a young lad handcuffed to his wrist. The bureau was tense with excitement. They had just brought in the suspected slhyer of William H. Bright, Indianapolis pharI macist whose body' was found in a creek along a state highway. Sees Criminal “Mugged.” This young boy, barely 19, dirty, disheveled, but surprisingly ) calm, was taken into the photography studio, seated in the same ' chair that I had just vacated, given the number 1-355, and “mugged.” Then Jie was finger-printed by Miss Grptt, questioned and led awgy. | . Very soon afterwards, a second boy was brought m who was the accomplice of Hugh Marshall, No. 1-355. This chap a typical farm boy of 21 whose name is Vurtis Neal, was put through the same routine. I was amazed, just before the photographer took his picture, to hear this boy nonchalantly ask “how he should j hold his hands.” i Hears Confession. As a very special favor, Lieutenant Kooken graciously consented to run off the record so that I might hear the confession of Hugh Marshall.) I shall never forget those few moments. I shall never forget the chill I got while this young boy, without a trace of emotion, calmly related how his accomplice had fired I four shots into the body of the frightened, unresisting druggist; how he and Vurtis Neal had tied the body and then dumped it into a creek; how, with no seeming twinge of conscience, they Continued to Page Eight. \

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