SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 1925.
THIS PLASTER CAST OF THE HOOF PRINT OF A HORSE. LED TO THE DETECTION (AND, ULTIMATE CONVICTION DE A MALICIOUS
MINDED STOCKMAN WHO SET FIRE TO ONE OF THE CALIFORNIA FORESTS.
THE CHINA MAIL.
SLEUTHS of the FOREST
Men Who Trail The Firebugs Of The Woods
Ingenuity In Reading Footprints
A Work Of Thrills.
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(BY MANUEL JACKSON,Į
How good are you on a aleuth of the farve Hew.much can you tell from an examination of the hoof-prints of a horn in the depths of the woods?
Can you tell at a glance the difference between tracks which were made by day and three which represent midnight' travel?
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If you are able to read the hoof-prints you înze an important qisitilleation for The work of the forest-fire delective. Success in this highly specialized branch of crime-detection calls for many "talents unknown to the experts of the city police force.
Renting the firebugs of the forest is distimet profession, and one which monies with it a type of romunes and tasrition found no other line of activity. The successful sleuth in this work employs methods of hír own. His „thrills and adventures are in a class by themaeives. His achievements are stranger than fiction.
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ke To many of us the prevalence of orson in connection with forest fires is little known. We read of the destruction of life and timber in the devastating Ares, and deplore their frequency, but we have stunt knowledge of their causes. To the forester the anuse is a vital factor: He wants to know how the flames were started and how to prévent their repetition.
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Trailing The Causes Of Fires. Herein lies the work of the sleuth of the womls. On hini fulla the dúty of tracing the fire to its source of deter mining whether it resulted from the mishap of chance or from the deliberate
intent of the re bug.
Perlaps the detective will and his clue in the trait of a horse near the spat at which the Are had its beginning... With this discovery it is important to know the age of the trail-to determine whether the trucks have been there for days or for a mere matter of hours. If
they are fresh they may have active bearing on the cause of the fire.
Fixing the age of these tracks is comparatively simple.when you know how! If the impression is sharply out- lined the sleath has good reason 10 believe that the trail is fresh. Added prauf of newness is found in the absence of litter. If no leaves have fallen into the trucks, for example, or if no trash or other foreign substance has lodged trail is but a few hours old, and thut
therein, it is safe to assume that the
it deserves attention. "The speed at which the horse was tiden is another factor of importance, The man who is on a criminal errand is little given to the waste of time. The mature of his work prompts him to be the end that he may up and waving xeck safety in distance. For this reason the sleath of the forest wants to know. the speed of the horse which made the hoof-prints.
With this in mind he hates the extent
to which the hoof has slid in coming into contact with the floor of the forest. Swift progress results in a longer slide than that which is made by a horse, moving at leisure. The greater the speed may have been, the deeper will be the impress of the edges of heel and toe, and the wider will be the space between hoof-prints.
They Can Tell Night Riding. Night riding is easily distinguished. The trail made during the bours of darkness la less direct than that of
THE
FOREST DETECTIVES TRAIL MANY CRIMINALS AND NEGLIGENT SPORTSMEN. TOUR. 1STS AND CAMPERS TO THEIR HOMES BY MEANS OF AUTO MODILE TIRE TRACKS. THEY HAVE "BECOME SO EXPERT THAT THEY CAN TELL THE DIRECTION THE CAR WAS GOING, THE APPROXIMATE. SPEED AND THE TYPE OF CAR BY BXAMIN. ING THESE TRACKS.
Establishing the identity of the horse is a matter of studying the hoof-prints. Horac tracks are as individual na those of human beings. Peculiarities of shape or of shoeing may lead the detective ta the stable for which he seaks.
THE PECULIAR IM PRESSIONS MADE IN THE MUD OR DUST NEAR THE SCENE OF CONFLAGRA TION BY SPECIAL KINDS OF HOBNAILS OR RUB- BER HEELS OFTEN LEAD TO THE FINAL IDENTI- FICATION OF THE
OFFENDER.
AN EXAMPLE OF EXCELLENT DETECTIVE WORK THE HENRY
In these days of fivvers and gas CLAY CASE PICTURE NO. 1
Wagons, forest is by no means confined to the pedestrian or the horseman. The SHOWS THE TRACKERS FINDING
trail uncovered by the forest sleuth may THE "PLANT; IN AN INCENDIARY NUMBERS 2 AND 3 ARE FIRE.
be that of a cord tire—and we all know that tires have VIEWS OF THE BURNED "PLANT""
their individual If the trail is to have court value for characteristics. ITSELF. NOTE THE WIRE SUP.
It may be that the PORTING THE LENS AND THE
purposes of prosecution its peculiar track was that of the only motor car characteristics must be preserved for in the neighbourhood having a porti PARTLY BURNED MATCHES, PİC. TURE NO. 4 IS A RECONSTRUCplish this the sleath reduces important the tire may be revealed by a distinc- presentation us evidence. To accom-cular type of tread; or the identity of
SENTENCED TO FOUR MONTHS' TION OF THE PLANT. CLAY WAS
IN PRISON.
the daytime: At night a rider will bump into obstacles and stumble over stones and logs casily avoided by day light,
If a horse carried a rider the forest sleuth knows it from the circumstances that the trail avoids the overhanging branches of trees at a height interfering with the man on horseback.
On the
other hand, a trail which passes under these low branches was obviously made by horse that was being led--end the trdlier wants to know the why of these things. He seeks to dotermine who brought the horse vinte the vicinity of the fire, why he hurried, why he was there at night, why he was leading the animal at this particular spot and what he was doing here anyway.
hoof-prints to plaster-of-paris-casts. This is a matter of moments. Plaster poured over a hoof-park will soon harden, and the impression thus obtain- ed may be used, when needed. More than one incendiary of the timber owes his detection and conviction to evidence of this character.
Foot: Prints Of Men:
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Human foot-prints are given similar attention. In these cases the evidence may take the form of a heel worn down in peculiar fashion or a shoe of especi- ally individual shape. The imprint of hob-nails may prove as convincing as an actual autograph left by a visitor. If the fire bug has warn shoes bearing defnite morkings of this or any other nature he is in grave danger of detec- tion. The imprint of a rubber heel often tells its own story with indispat. able eloquenee.
tive petch. Whatever peculiarities the tires may have had are disclosed by the Impressions left in the surface of the earth.
The expert can even tell in which direction the car travelled. This is done by observing the imprint of the tire pattern. The designs are mare clearly marked at the rear than in front. Loone stones which may have been pushed forward by the tires are also part of the story. The stone leaves a path in its wake, showing the direction in which it moved; and in front of the stone to accumulate Just ahead. there is an impact which causes earth Another factor is the circumstance that when a wheel drops into a depression the deeper track is made on the forward side of the hole. Direction is also indicated by the location and position of lumps of mud scattered by the moving car.
Speed Of An Auto.
The scattering of earth or other misterial by the wheels is also inter. preted as evidence of speed. ' A car
moving rapidly will throw this material to greater distances than is done by a car moving at low speed. This factor has the same value in motor-trailing that attaches to the spocil at which a trall was made by a horse-and for the
same reason.
Not all the evidence is preserved in. the form of plaster casts. In many caso it is not possible to make im- pressions of this character. This londa to the use of the camera. Photography has played an important part in the detection of forest fire bugs. By exercising care to have the camera in exact position a picture without" dia- torted perspective may be obtained. Enlarged to the size of the original; us In the case of a "foot-pelit, this plekura may be thei- Bnal proof of guilt.
Folks Who Start Fires.
Who are the fire bugs of the forest.7- 'Many of them are the people who in- dulge themselves in criminal cureless- ness with utter absence of criminal intent These persons atacs diastrous blazes by disregarding the conuren' principles of caution. In one case it may bon mismanaged camp fire. In another it may be the match with which a careless tourist hus lighted his pipe or cigarette. Other fire bugs are malicious. Somėtimes they aro`herds-. then who have been caught trespassing To some of those the starting of a fire seems to appeal as an easily accom- plished form of revenge for the griev ance arising from Government discipline for violation of grazing regulation.
Whatever the cause, a forest fire brings disaster. The national loss in timber through these fires is appalling and all too frequently the fames cause. loss of life to humans and to liva stock, to say nothing of the native game animals of the woodland regions. Through its forest rangers the United States Government wages persistent carelessness as well as the incendiary. warfare against the arg beg of criminal
of criminal intent.
Ingenious methoda' of starting fres are often revealed by the foresters in their roles of detectives. Among the meat striking of there was the use of the burning glass shown in one of the illustrations. This glass was the vital part of an ingenious contrivance for causing a fire to start when no person was near at hand. The ginas was so
arranged as to focos the rays of the sun on matches in the midst of dried in such fashion that the sun would not twigs. The incendiary set his "trap"
after a lapse of almost 24 hours. In reach the burning glass effectively until this way he was able to place what he self and the fire before the outbreak. considered a safe distance between him-
By this means several fires were Detection of started in a single day. the cause, and the ultimate trailing and conviction of the criminal, form one of the most striking. examples of the excellent work carried on by the men of the forest service in trailing the fire bugs of the forest.
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