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(The following is an account of the events which prompted the first higher court ruling on fingerprints in the US. This historical note was first published in the July/August issue of The Print, the official publication of the Southern California Association of Fingerprint Officers, and is reprinted here with permission.)
In order to understand the modern day importance of fingerprint evidence in the United States legal system, one must be familiar with important early legal cases. One such case is People v. Jennings (1911).
On the night of September 19, 1910, Clarence B. Hiller, his wife and four children were fast asleep when Mrs. Hiller had awoken and noticed the gas light that they always kept on at night was not on. She alerted Mr. Hiller to this fact and he went to investigate the situation. At the head of the stairway he encountered an intruder and a struggle ensued. Both fell to the foot of the stairway and Mr. Hiller was shot twice. He died moments later. Mrs. Hiller screamed and the intruder fled.
At the scene of the crime, three undischarged cartridges and two lead slugs were found. Additionally, particles of sand...