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A
boyhood friend of mine, and lifelong friend, was Chauncey DePue. His
father had worked for the prison and at one time he operated the San
Quentin to Greenbrae Stage Line.
One
day in winter on a very cold day, Chauncey and I went out in a boat
to hunt ducks. Chauncey had worn a heavy full length woolen overcoat
that belonged to his older brother, Frank. It was of course much too
large for him. In moving to the stern of the boat he slipped and fell
overboard. He could not possibly swim in that heavy overcoat, but I
rushed over and grabbed him by the nap of the neck and hauled him
back into the boat. We headed for home, and when we got to his house,
his father was there. Mr. DePue quickly sized up the situation and
realized that his son had a close call. He realized more than we did
that Chauncey's chances of survival in that cold water in a heavy
water soaked overcoat, were not good. He told me that I had saved his
son's life. We did not think much of it at the time but in after
years Chauncey's father held me in high regard. The DePues were our
valued friends.
Incidentally,
Frank H. DePue, the father of my boyhood pal, made a very
significant contribution to criminology. He studied the fingerprint
system of human identification and became an expert. He succeeded in
convincing the authorities at Sacramento and the State Legislature
that a criminal identification bureau should be established. The
whorls on the fingers of all people differ and by recording them by
imprinting them with ink, a positive identification can be made.
DePue had also studied the so-called Bretillion System of
Identification, which dealt primarily with the measurement of bones,
and the recording of scars or identifying marks as well as the color
and type of hair and skin, and of the use of photography. The
Legislature accepted the recommendations made by DePue and the Bureau
of Identification was established with Frank H. DePue at its head.
Author:
William J. Duffy, Jr.