Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-21
CHARACTERISTIC HANDWRITING.
Identification by signature-Iho Experi
cnces Of Bank-Tcilers,

A good handwriting Is getting to he
one OF the lost arts. The fathers and
grandlnthcrs Of the present gen ration,
ny IA general thing, wrote handsoin, +
and more legibe hand than do their
! children and grandchildren. There
is one point in penmanship to which
have just been giving some attention.
IL relates to the testimony of hand
writing Not long ago man was
hanged In New England by hand.
writing experts. AS II class, such ex-
perts ought not to have influence
enough to hang cat. And now
IL Is claimed that some Brussels
murderers have been run down by
tell-tale tricks of their penmanship.
The readers of this little note may be
assured that the writer of it knows in
dividuals who can write other peoples
names 80 cunningly that these other
people can not decide whether the
signatures are their own or not. |
have actual eases in mind where this
puzzle has been tried. One notable
instance ] must mention. The state
OF Massachusetts, not may years since
had two OF its bonds presented for re-
denton which seemed precisely alike.
One was n forged bond throughout.
The officers whose names APP
ponred upon these bonds
could not tell (Which was
which, But this is nothing. have
u man near me who can write your
signature and mine. or the signature
OF any person that may be placed be-
fore him rs $ study, so cunningiy that
neither you nor | can tell which. 1t
IL lucky that he Is an honest man,
or he might do dangerous work win
your name on II big check or note.
Bankers in the United States place
little reliance upon signatures IA n
means OF Identification in payment of
checks, etc. Tho person who pre-
sents check To Boston bank
for payment must be pos
itively identified before the
money will bepaid To him. 1t IL in vain
for him to offer as evidence that he is
the right man any handwriting testi-
mony.. And IL does not makeany differ
ence whether the check Is payable ia
bearer or order lndentiiication in
both cases IL demanded. In England
one finds II most marked difference
from this way of doing business. The
paying teller Of London bank tries
To assure himself That the face of a
check ~ all right, both In point of sig
nature OF drawer and M regards the
drawers balance, md then slaps out
the money to whoever presents the
check. IL matters not whether
the check Ia payable To order or to
bearer. He demands no Identification
in either case He only looks on the
back OF the order check 10 see ii ii has
the name endorsed. This checli-pay-
ing custom did not prevail IN England
Al one time the English practice in
these premises was the same M ours is
now. AT that time we copied our
custom from them. They have since
progressed out OF It. We remain tied
to their old style We shall get out of
this rut some of these days. The
great bankers of London long ago
found they could never get through
their business IL the Identification
responsibility was To remain upon
them They pressed the matter
upon the attention OF parliament. Par
lament came 10 their relief. 1t snid
pay checks to whoever presents them,
aud your whole duty is done. II ! TO-
day drop my check in London, made
payable 10 order of W. II. Morrill,, the
first rascal that picks IL up IN the
street and puts w. H. Morrilis name
20 the hack may collect that check
and get Imprisoned for life Tor so do.
Ing. II IL, of course, the imperative
duty OF any person who has lost a
check 60 have the payment stopped at
once.