The Curious Case of Will and William West

    By Deep Mehta

    The Curious Case of Will and William West cover image

    23 Jul, 2024

    a group of men in uniform standing in front of a brick building with a window behind them and a brick wall behind them, Cristache Gheorghiu, serial art, a colorized photo, promotional image

    As a guard, every day was a challenge. But today seemed particularly unusual. Two new inmates arrived, both named West.

    a man in a uniform standing in front of a brick building with a mustache and a police hat on, Cristache Gheorghiu, arts and crafts movement, a character portrait, promotional image

    The first to arrive was Will West. His face looked familiar, but in a prison, faces started to blend together.

    a group of men in uniform standing next to each other in a room with a man in a tie, Clark Voorhees, institutional critique, a colorized photo, tom of finland

    Later that afternoon, the other West arrived. William West. The resemblance between him and Will was uncanny.

    a man in a uniform standing in a hallway with other men in uniform behind him and a mirror behind him, Edward Otho Cresap Ord, II, antipodeans, a poster, promotional image

    Confusion ensued as the guard struggled to differentiate between the two Wests. The prison's identification system was clearly flawed.

    a man in a military uniform is reading a book in a library of filing cabinets with many drawers on each side, Charles Mahoney, private press, a colorized photo, promotional image

    The guard decided to delve into the prison records. Maybe there was something about the Wests that could help him differentiate.

    three men in uniform standing in a room full of mail boxes with mustaches on their heads and mustaches on their mouths, Edward Otho Cresap Ord, II, serial art, a colorized photo, promotional image

    But all he found were more similarities. Same height, same eye color, even the same crooked smile. This was a real pickle.

    a man in a uniform standing in a street with brick buildings in the background and a man with a mustache, Edward Otho Cresap Ord, II, dau-al-set, a colorized photo, tom of finland

    Days passed and the guard grew desperate. But then, an idea struck him - fingerprints. Could they be the solution?

    a man in uniform standing in front of a group of men in uniform with mustaches and moustaches, Cristache Gheorghiu, viennese actionism, a colorized photo, vfx

    Fingerprinting was a new science, not yet fully trusted. But the guard had no other options. He decided to give it a go.

    a man in a police uniform standing in front of a computer desk with monitors and people in the background, Edward Otho Cresap Ord, II, les automatistes, a colorized photo, tom of finland

    Will and William were summoned to the lab. Their fingerprints were taken, processed, and compared. Finally, the results were in.

    three men in uniform standing in a room with a brick wall and a ceiling light above them, and a man in a moustachel, David Budd, institutional critique, a tilt shift photo, promotional image

    They were different! The guard breathed a sigh of relief. The Wests might look the same, but their fingerprints told another story.

    a group of police officers standing around a computer screen in a room full of people in uniform and looking at the screen, Cristache Gheorghiu, institutional critique, a colorized photo, movie still

    Fingerprinting became a standard procedure at Leavenworth. It was an effective tool to differentiate inmates, even those as identical as the Wests.

    a man with a mustache and a suit on is wearing a suit and tie with a mustache on his head, Edward Otho Cresap Ord, II, photorealism, a character portrait, j. c. leyendecker 8 k

    This curious case marked a turning point in criminal identification. A legacy left behind by Will and William West, the identical inmates.

    The Curious Case of Will and William West

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