1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast that serves up a 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: fresh slice of history every day. Today is May five. 5 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: The day was May five, nineteen o five, the Stratton 6 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: brothers trial for the murder of Thomas Farrow began. The 7 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: Stratton's case marked the first time anyone was convicted for 8 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: murder in Britain based on fingerprint evidence. The study of 9 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: fingerprints and their use in identification picked up considerably in 10 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: nineteenth century Europe. That said, the history of fingerprinting is 11 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: inextricably linked with colonialism and racism. In eighteen fifty eight, 12 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: William James Herschel, an english Man, became an officer in 13 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: the Indian Civil Service. He was posted to present day 14 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: john Kie Poor in India. That year, he had a 15 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: local man placed his handprint on a contract in lieu 16 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: of a signature. Herschel's goal was to keep the man 17 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: from being able to deny his signature at a later time. 18 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: Herschel continued to require handprints from locals on contracts, eventually 19 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: realizing that he only needed prints from the index and 20 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: middle finger. He was convinced that fingerprints were unique and permanent, 21 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: and believed they could be used to prove someone's identity. 22 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: Other Europeans also focused on the potential for fingerprints use 23 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:36,119 Speaker 1: and identifying suspects and solving crimes. Building on others work, 24 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: eugenicist and polly math Sir Francis Galton identified patterns and 25 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: fingerprints and published a classification system for them. The use 26 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: of fingerprints and forensics didn't really take off until the 27 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: turn of the twentieth century. Asi's Old Hawk in him 28 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: Chandra Bows are credited with creating the Henry classification system 29 00:01:55,840 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: for fingerprinting. By nineteen o one, Scotland Yard also known 30 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: as the London Metropolitan Police, established a new fingerprint bureau. 31 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: The next year, the first recorded trial in England that 32 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 1: relied on fingerprint evidence took place. In the trial, Harry 33 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: Jackson was sentenced to several years in prison for a 34 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: burglary in London after his fingerprint was presented as evidence 35 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: in court. Just two years later, the first murder trial 36 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:26,519 Speaker 1: in England in which fingerprints were used as evidence began. 37 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: Thomas Farrow was found dead after a robbery and his 38 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: wife Anne died a few days later. An empty cash 39 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: box was found in the apartment, as well as two 40 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: black masks. A fingerprint was found in the cash box 41 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,799 Speaker 1: and Inspector Charles Collins from Scotland Yards Fingerprinting Bureau examined it, 42 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: but the print didn't match the pharaoh's, the officers or 43 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: anybody in the bureau's file. But witnesses reported seeing two 44 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 1: men in the area on the morning of the crime, 45 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,079 Speaker 1: and police tracked down and arrested Albert and Alfred's drag in. 46 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: Their prints were taken and Alfred's right thumb print matched 47 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: the print on the cash box. The brother's child began 48 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: on May five five. The fingerprint was the strongest evidence 49 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: linking them to the crime scene, and using fingerprints as 50 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: evidence was still a relatively new technique, but Collins explained 51 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: the classification of fingerprints to the jury and how he 52 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: had never found two prints that had more than three 53 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: characteristics in common. In this case, Alfred's print and the 54 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 1: cash box print had multiple similarities. The Stratton brothers were 55 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by hanging. 56 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 1: Fingerprint evidence has been used in criminal investigations in cases 57 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: ever since, though techniques and technology in the field have 58 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: changed significantly. I'm Eve Jeff Cote and hopefully you know 59 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 60 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: And if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, you 61 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: can send them to us at this day at i 62 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. You can also follow us on 63 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: social media at t D I h C podcast. Thanks 64 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: again for listening to the show and we'll see you tomorrow. 65 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart 66 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 67 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: favorite shows.