Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-08-31
Detecting Forged Writing.

Octcct4uS EUTSSu w I1tluS.
AN EXPERT TELLS HOW THE RASCALS
TEMPTING TOO MUCH.
'Beyond cases in court an expert is no
doubt often called in by business men in
instances of doubt about signature,
suppose ?" Intercepted the reporter.
"Yes. many times. I was lately sent
for by bank cashier and informed that
my services were needed. I arrived at the
bank just as he was leaving. He took me
into his Office, however, and tsok from
drawer about forty different checks, which
he handed to me and told me to look them
over while he was gone, to see if there
was anything the matter with them. at
once settled down to study of them, and
on passing them through my hands rapid
ly the first time picked out about fifteen
about which hal the least SUSPICION
Combining myself to these l found two
with signatures of the same person 80 ex-
actly alike that was convinced that there
was something wrong"
'Why should that circumstance be sus.
plciousp"
because man never writes his name
twice exactly alike. / felt sure that these
names were forged, and that the forgery
was done by tracing over the original sig
nature 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 signatures and everything
common to them being exactly alike. I
was certain then that they were forgeries
and were the ones suspected. When the
cashier returned 1 handed him the two
checks and said Here are your two forg-
ed checks He looked at me in wonder
and admitted that they were. 1t seems
the only cause he had for suspicion was
because one of them overdrew the amount
the party had in bank and couldn't be
cashed. The first one had been cashed
without suspicion"
ga very interesting case," Mr.. Ames
continued, occurred few years ago. in
volving the amount received by farmer
for the sale of his farm. The farmer claim
ed that only $500 had been received. but
the purchaser claimed that $4,000 more
had been paid by him, and on looking at
the bond kept by the farmer it was seen
that the words 'eighty-three hundred dol
lars did appear"
How could that happen ?' the reporter
inquired.
lit seems that upon writing the receipt
for three hundred dollars space was left
in trout 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 fold
ing the bond returned it, and it was laid
away without being opened. It was my
duty to see if the word eighty was writ
ten at the same time as the rest OF the re-
ceipt. My 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 writ
time from the rest.''
::'How did the case come off ?''
cat the first trial there we're eleven for
guilty and enc for acquittal. and on the
second his counsel, waving the ques-
ton of bis making the writing, claimed
that the indictment should be for fraud.
He was consequently acquitted of forgery
in this way"
"You were engaged in the celebrated
Cadet Whitaker case, were you not, Mr..
Ames ?"
Yes. That was an interesting case in
some respects. And there seems no doubt
that Whitaker wrote the note which he
exhibited, warning him that he would be
fixed. All the cadets were assembled and
ordered to write the same words. These
were numbered, and after the names had
been cut off. were given to the experts.
| Over sixty were required to cut out a page
! from their exercise books which were also
| handed to the experts. Although Whita-
ker wrote the words given him in a hand
that was evidently disguised, yet picked
out bis writing on the slip and on the page
| of his exercise book as the writing of the
! person who had sent the note of warn
ing"
"Was this the only evidence that Whit
aker had written the notep"
''No; letter that he had written to his
mother the day before was presented and
studied IN connection with the note One
| thing noticed in particular, that in the
note there we're five different styles of
small as used in certain proportion,
| and on counting the as on the first page
of the letter the same proportion was
found Of exactly the same kind of letters.
A forger could not have consciously
adopted the habit which Whitaker had
unconsciously fallen into. Of course there
we're many other little circumstances
which had to be considered before l ar
rived at my conclusion. "-Interuieso .cith
| Expert Amcs in Washington Post
NEVER let your zeal outrun your chart
ty. The former is human, the latter is