The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-11-01
DETECTING F0RGERIES.
AN EXPERT TELLS now FORGEItS
OVEKREACU TIIEAISELyES.
An Intcrcsiing L. tcrvicw Rct,yccu u Rc-
porter md u Detective in which the
Latter Expinins the Means of Detcctlop.

"Beyond cases in court an expert is
no doubt often called in by business
men i'll instances of doubt about sigma
. turc, ! suppose ?" asked reporter of
Detective Ames of Boston.
eyes, many times. I was lately sent
for by bank cashier and informed that
my services were needed. I arrived ut
the bank just rs he was leaving. He
took me into his office, however, and
took from drawer about forty different
checks, which he handed to me and
told me to look them over whilo he was
gone, to see If there was anything the
matter with them. I at once settled
ing them through my hands rapidly the
which [ had the least suspicion. Con-
SIGNATURES of the same person so exactly
alike that I was convinced there was
something wrong"
"Why should that circumstance be
suspicious ?"
because man never writes his name
twice exactly alike. I felt sure that
these names were forged, and that the
forgery was done by tracing over the
original signature and then retracing
these two. I held them to the light,
and on placing one over the other found
that they conceded exactly, the size and
form of the letters, length of the sigma
lures and everything common to them
being exactly alike. I was certain then
that they were f0rgeries and were tho
ones suspected. When the cashier re-
turned I handed him the two checks
and said
"'Here are your two forged creeks
"He looked at me in wonder and ad-
mitted that they were. It seems that
the only cause he had for suspicion was
that one of them over'lrew the amount
the party had in the bank and couldn't
be cashcd. The first one was cashcd
without suspicion"
ga very interesting casc," Mr.. Amcs
continued, occurred n few years ago,
involving the amount received by n
farmer for the sale of his farm. The
farmer claimed that only $500 had been
received, but the purchaser claimed that
$4,000 moro had been paid by him, and
on looking ut the bond kept by the
farmer it was seen that the words
'cighty-three hundred dollars did up.
dear"
"How could that happen?" the repor
ter inquired.
cit seems that upon writing the re.
ccipt for three hundred dollars n space
was left in front to put in the figures.
The farmer neglected to do this and,
passing it to the other, requested him
to add the figures. which he pretended
to do. and, after folding the bond, re-
turned it, and it was laid away without
being opened. 1t was my duty to sec
if the word eighty was written Mt the
same time rs the rest of the receipt.
NJ examination convinced me that it
was not. The pen pressure was not the
same; it was also written above the base
line of the rest of the writing and the
general indications were that it was
written by different hand and at q
different time from the rest"
GLOW did the case come OFF," asked
the reporter.
cat the first trial there were eleven
for guilty and one for acquittal, and on
the second his counsel, waiving the
question of his making the writing,
claimed that the Indictment should be
for fraud. He was consequently ac-
quilted of forgery in this way"
"Where do You find the greatest diff
iiculty in detecting forgery? ?"
"Probably the most difficulty is in the
case of n skillfully executed signature.
Often these forgerics are made by per-
sons as skillful as the expert. In many
cases it is well nigh impossible for the
most skillful expert to determine beyond
grave doubts rs to the genuincness of
the writing. Yet it is rare that ever q
skillful forger will not overlook some
point or habit in the genuine. When n
number of pages are written you will
always End that as You read further and
further yon find the writer forgetting
himself and allowing his own pecuiari-
ties Of penmanship to creep in as he be-
comes absorbed more in the composition
and less in the hand writing. You will
find the first part a clever imitation.
Turn over to tie last page and you will
notice IA vast difference. His own per.
Bonality has crept i'll and betrayed him. ,