The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-05-29

plant. witness said he did not kno'
the name but he had suggested tina
a Young man in the office write tn
complaint if DIR. Stoddard had not tn
time.
Re-examined-I paid no such after
ton to the writing of the young MAJ
Schutlze, as to be able to distinguls
it from the writing of DIR. Stoddard.
W. ]. oLIPHANT,
corresponding clerk Of the CONF
troller's Office, was severely testt
as to his ability as an expert in tn
comparison gone through with b
Mr., Workman. He detected the sam
lack of similarity between the frs
appearance of the name, g. Il. Stod
dard, in the complaint against Leader
and the signature, ami III the hand
| writing in the words, "3lst March,
mentioned in Mr.. Wortham's test
mony. He thought the writing o
the name w. Y. Leader, and tn
| other writing with the exception
above referred to, on the first page o
the complaint in evidence, to be bJ
the same party who wrote the name
| G, d. Stoddard, on the first page.
Being shown the letter signed
Twenty Woodmen, "and the eIYc.- pt
containing it, witness, upon an 1nspec
ton of it and the signature OF Z. Is
Stoddard, in the complaint, said tina
at glance there did not appear mucf
similarity. The writing in the note
was back-hand, while the signature
was not. The letters which form the
signature are scattered throughout
the letter, and in almost every in
stance where written in back
hand, the rs in the letter
closely reSembled those in the sigma
ture in the complaint. The other let
tiers, as written, did not in his opinion,
resemble those in the signature. He
thought the party who wrote the let
ter addressed the envelope. 1t was his
opinion, on the whole, from a close
scanning of the signature of G. B.
Stoddard to the complaint that the
same party who wrote it had written
the first page Of the complaint, with
the exception of the first four lines.
CROSS EXAMINED.
Witness being cross examined testi-
fled as to many dissimilaritieS.
RE-EXAMINED.
Thought there was an attempt at
disguise in the handwriting in the
letter. Thought that the party who
wrote it had spent some time at it,
from the character of the stroke and
formation of the letters. Considered the
writing In Leaders copy of the letter
more of a running hand than that of
the signature of G. B. Stoddard.
EXAMINED BY COMMISSIONER.
Did not consider himself an expert
in baud writing; had only gen eral
with the subject as he
had before stated.
Question-From your examination
of the signature used as basis of
and the original note
signed twenty woodmen, and the en-
velope in evidence, shown you; would
you, as an expert, undertake to say
that both were written by the same
hand?
Answer-Confning the comparison
to the signature alone / would not.
The court of inquiry then adjourn
ed till o'clock this morning, when
the testimony of experts will be re-
At nine o'clock yesterday morning
the court of inquiry resumed its sit
ting, and the further testimony of the
witnesses heard.
MIR. WORKMAN,
chief clerk of the state treasurer's
office, was recalled to the stand.
Cross-examination by Mr.. Hill, for
the defense:
Question. Do you not find in the
letter ST." in the signature "Stoddard,"
O peculiar termination in the finishing
y yoke?
A usWer. Yes; it is a very abrupt
.hanp'e. The peculiar way of making
he .r" ,>xists, in my Judgment, to a
considers, Ne extent, but the finishing
troke is not so similar.
O. Are they not strikingly dissimi-
ar in this. that the one is finished
With a curve. VIII lie the other (that in
he signature) is fl .1ished with an alb
upt stroke, Making an acute engie
With the downward sl-eoke III Tic leu
Or?
A. Yes; that is where the dl1ier-
nee exists.
@. Look at the note and POINT
'ut the letter which, in your
pinion, is the most peculiarly
ormed letter in it?
A. think the letter "r" most pecu-
lar. It's popularity exists in the many
different kinds of the letter used.
O. How many kinds do you find In
he signature "Stoddard"?
A. Only one "r" in Stoddard.
@. Is there anything andif so what
n the letter "r" in the signature indi-
ating that the writer used or was in
he habit of using different kinds of
he letter "r"?
A. Too hard for me.
q. Look at the copy of the letter
Y. L." attached to w. \.
leaders, testimony and examine the
etter ''f'' in first line in word "for" and
tate what, If any, popularity
,ou find therein?
A.-There is this popularity. The
lp-stroke of the lower part of ''f' Is
brought to the left of the down-stroke
II the stem of the letter.
Q.-Compare that letter "f" with
he same letter in "for" in the last line
II the original, letter, signed "2O
and state what similarity,
f any, you findp
A.-The upward stroke is brought
to the left of the down stroke. Same
in both.
Q.-Is not. the popularity in these
two letters more marked than the Pc
in any other two letters in the
Two papers?
Ayes, as far as / can see.
Q-Compare again the letter ct" in
The signature 'Stoddard," and in the
original 30 Woodmen" letter. Then
compare the two letters "f, " formed by
throwing the up-stroke to left OF
down stroke, and state whether the
'r's" are more alike in their peculiari-
ties than the two letters "f" in the
0thers?
AIN my Judgment, the similarity
between the letters ST" in the original
20 Woodman" letter, and that in sig
nature, "Stoddard," is greater than is
the similarity between the two It s
compared?
Q.-Point out the similarity in the
letter in the letter and in the sig
nature.
A.-The most striking similarity is
in the formation of the letter in the
word "are," and in the signature
Q.-Can you describe the similarity ?
Am the first strokes, composing
two-thirds of the letter they are very
similar. The balance, making the
last or up-stroke is dissimilar.
Q.-Do you profess to be an expert
in comparison of hand writings to an
extent enabling you to take the sigma
ture of q person whose hand writing
is unknown to you, and comparing
the same with other writing submit
tod 80 vo,, to COW vhathpr or not Such