Shopkeepers Thomas and Ann Farrow were bludgeoned to death, and their neighbors found them. On this date in 1905, this crime was solved using fingerprint evidence–the first time this had ever been used. The Stratton brothers were captured and fingerprinted. One of the brother’s right thumb was a perfect match to the print on the cash box. This was the prosecution’s only evidence. The defense tried to attack the validity of this evidence, but it was unsuccessful. The brothers were convicted and hanged on May 23, 1905.
For more info:
http://washingtonexaminer.com/crime-history-fingerprint-evidence-used-for-first-time-in-murder-trial/article/107252
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fingerprint-evidence-is-used-to-solve-a-british-murder-case
http://famousdaily.com/history/fingerprints-used-as-evidence-in-trials.html
