Current Date: 31 Oct, 2025
{{entry.title}}

Will & William Wests: The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related

These are the mugshots of Will West and William West, and they are not related. They were both sent to Leavenworth Prison at the same time, in 1903, and after some confusion, the staff understood they had two different prisoners with the nearly same name, who looked exactly alike. They are part of the reason fingerprints are now used as identification.

The story of Will (William) and William West, two prisoners at Leavenworth Penitentiary shortly after the turn of the 19th century, should be known by very few people working in the identification field.

After some confusion, the records clerk realized they had two different prisoners with the exact same name and similar appearances who were both transferred to Leavenworth Prison at the same time. They contribute to the current use of fingerprints for identification.

The Strange Story Of Will & William Wests:

“The Tale of Will West & William West” has been repeatedly told for more than a century, occasionally as a fable and occasionally as reality. As a result, the story has been altered and rewritten multiple times, with more or less specificity. Nonetheless, the story describes the same incident in its most basic version, which is as follows:

The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related is known as Will William Wests 2
In 1903, Will West arrived at Leavenworth Penitentiary in Kansas, where the records clerk was certain that he’d seen him before.
The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related is known as Will William Wests 3
The records clerk of the prison pulled out this file photo of William West, who looked almost identical to Will West.

Both the man in the position above and the man in the position below, both named West, were given prison terms in Leavenworth Prison in Kansas over a century ago.

Will West’s arrival in 1903 prompted the records keeper, M.W. McClaughry was very confused at the prison because he thought he had processed him two years earlier.

Will West denied having spent time there previously when questioned, but Mr. McClaughry nevertheless subjected him to the Bertillon devices. He was aware of criminals’ unwillingness to acknowledge prior misdeeds.

Indeed, Mr. McClaughry found the file of a William West, whose measurements were nearly identical and whose photograph appeared to be that of the new prisoner, when he used the formula obtained from West’s Bertillon measurements.

Will West, though, was open about a prior trip to Leavenworth. That’s my image, but I don’t know where you got it, because I know I have never been here before, Will said to McClaughry.

As Mr. McClaughry examined William West’s record card, he discovered that it belonged to a prisoner who had already been there for two years, serving a life sentence for murder.

The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related is known as Will William Wests 4
Will & William Wests’ fingerprints were totally different from each other

Then, the impressions and comparisons of Will West’s and William West’s fingerprints were made. To Mr. McClaughry’s surprise, the patterns had nothing in common and were completely distinct from one another.

The Will & William Wests Case Inspired the Usage of Fingerprints for Identification in the Following Ways:

Since the “West Brothers Case” exposed the shortcomings of the Bertillon method, US authorities quickly shifted to fingerprinting.

Sgt. John K. Ferrier from Scotland Yard, who was guarding the Crown Jewels while they were on tour, first saw McClaughry at the St. Louis World Fair in 1904.

He explained to the American prison guard how accurate fingerprinting had been used by Scotland Yard for the previous three years.

The recommendation made by McClaughry was approved. The Attorney General sanctioned the implementation of the new system on November 2, 1904, but Sgt. Ferrier had already visited the Leavenworth Prison in October 1904 and had provided training on the fingerprint method.

The authorities in Leavenworth don’t seem to have known about fingerprint identification until far later than Will West’s arrival. Mr. McClaughry brought the approach to the Leavenworth Prison after receiving training in it. Soon after, the United States’ first national fingerprint database was created.

Fingerprints’ original purpose:

The puzzling situation of two inmates who are identical but not related is known as Will William Wests 5
William Herschel’s fingerprints, taken in 1859 or 1860

Since Sir William James Herschel, Chief Magistrate of the Hooghly district in West Bengal, India, asked villagers to stamp their business contracts with their palms, the use of fingerprints has been around since 1858. He didn’t do it because he understood the science, but rather because he had an intuition that it would be a reliable method of identifying someone.

Similar Stories
What exactly was the US's 'Ghost Army' during WWII?

What exactly was the US's 'Ghost Army' during WWII?

During WW2, there was a special unit of men dubbed the ‘Ghost Army’. The unit was made of artists, creative and engineers and their job was to create deception about the enemy. From inflatable tanks to phony convoys to scripted conversations in bars intended to spread disinformation, they used all possible tricks to fool the enemy.

The Arabia Steamboat: Unearthing a 19th Century Time Capsule from the Missouri River

The Arabia Steamboat: Unearthing a 19th Century Time Capsule from the Missouri River

The Arabia was a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856. Over time, the river shifted 800 meters to the east, eventually turning the site of the sinking into a field. The steamboat remained under 45 feet of slit and topsoil until 1988, when it was excavated. The mud, as it turned out, was such a great preserver that most of the artifacts on board were found to be intact. They even found jars of preserved apples that were still edible!

What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?

What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?

Wrigley's was originally a soap company that gifted baking powder with their soap. The baking powder became more popular than the soap so they switched to selling baking powder with chewing gum as a gift. The gum became more popular than the baking powder so the company switched to selling gum.

Did Gil Pérez Really Teleport from Manila to Mexico Overnight? The 1593 Mystery

Did Gil Pérez Really Teleport from Manila to Mexico Overnight? The 1593 Mystery

On October 24, 1593, while performing his guard duties at Manila's Governor's Palace in the Philippines, Gil Perez stopped to lean against a wall and sleep for a while. He opened his eyes to find himself in an unusual environment. Gil was in the Plaza Mayor in Mexico City. They imprisoned Perez, but the authorities in Mexico City decided to release him and return him home.

8 Interesting Facts About The Unsinkable Ship, TITANIC

8 Interesting Facts About The Unsinkable Ship, TITANIC

If you ask your friends what's the most famous ship in history the answer in most cases will be the same, of course the legendary Titanic. Its history is full of mysteries, at first it was a source of hope and national pride as well as proof of the triumphs of mankind but it soon became a source of nostalgia and pain, the extent of which cannot be described in words.

The Forgotten Story of Semipalatinsk and the Soviet Nuclear Experiments

The Forgotten Story of Semipalatinsk and the Soviet Nuclear Experiments

Between 1949 and 1989, the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan became the primary location for Soviet nuclear weapons tests, exposing millions of unsuspecting villagers to radioactive fallout. Known as the “Polygon of Suffering,” this remote desert witnessed 456 nuclear detonations that caused widespread health crises, birth defects, and generational genetic damage. This article narrates the chilling legacy of Semipalatinsk, unveiling the human cost of Cold War arms development and the ongoing struggle for healing and recognition in Kazakhstan.

Why Comedians Failed to Make Sober Sue Laugh in the Early 1900s

Why Comedians Failed to Make Sober Sue Laugh in the Early 1900s

In the bustling vaudeville scene of early 20th century New York, a mysterious performer known as "Sober Sue" captured public imagination not for jokes or songs, but for her unshakable stoicism—she never smiled or laughed. A local theater even offered a tempting reward of $1,000 to anyone who could make her laugh, drawing crowds and famous comedians eager to claim the prize. Despite countless hilarious attempts, Sue remained expressionless, a mystery that baffled performers and audiences until it was revealed that she suffered from facial paralysis, explaining her unchanging demeanor.

Nathan's Famous Doctor Stunt

Nathan's Famous Doctor Stunt

When Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs first opened in 1916, the owner hired people to dress as doctors and eat hot dogs outside his shop, to convince people his hot dogs were healthy.