St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-01
COLON ASSIGNMENT
The State Endeavors to Get
1t Into the Case as
Evidence.
The Defense Makes a Hard
Fight Against the Move
ment.
Judge Hooker Will Decide the
Knotty Question This
Morning.
City Treasurer Moulton will
Take the Stand for the
State.

y
entered into an explanation of the rea-
sons why he thought the disputed sig
nature was not written by the same
person who wrote the signatures
admitted to be those of Mr.. Blais-
dell. In doing this he placed the
different letters and parts of letters to
which he wished to call attention under
the double compound microscope, and
they were there solemnly examined by
the different members of the jury and
the counsel. In one instance Judge
Hooker descended from the bench and
took squint through tie lens as 1t
stood at the reporters table, and Mr..
CarvalhO. the leading expert for the de-
Tense, also gaZed at it with interest.
Mr.. HaZen dwelt at length on the
terminal rs, the heavy pressure of the
pen in the down strokes in the admitted
genuine signatures. He referred also
to the rotating motion, as.he claimed 1t
was manifested in the alleged forged
signature, and gave it as his opinion
that it was characteristic of Mr.. Col
lOm'S writing.
Mr.. Hagen was then turned over to
the defense, and Mr.. Wilson proceeded
to crOSS-eXamine HIM.
The witness having said that he was
an expert chemist. and had some knoWl-
edge of medicine, Mr.. Wilson inquired:
Are you the proprietor OF 'Hagan's
Bloom of Youth"
"No, sir; graciously responded the
witness, while the audience smiled and
the bailiff pounded on his desk.
81 thought you might be, from your
Youthful appearance" responded Mr..
Wilson, to which compliment the wit
ness merely bowed an acknowledge
ment.
Mr.. Wilson then submitted number
of exhibits containing Mr.. BlalSdelPS
signatures, to see if he could not dis
cover some of what he claimed were
the distinguishing characteristics OF the
alleged forged signatures; but while
MIR. Hagen admitted that in some par
ticulars they departed from the admit
ted standards, yet in the main they
agreed with the latter In many essen
tial particulars.
The expert said that he fancied the
simulated signature had been traced
save where there was a stamp on the
back of the note which interfered with
the work of the operator. These gaps
being filled in by the copies of the gen.
uine signature.
"Well, then, you don't altogether
agree with the other experts, do your
Queried MIR. wilson.
II do not remember what they said;
am giving my individual opinion"
"That'S right, sir" said Mr.. Wilson,
somewhat patrOniZingly, and after
few more unimportant but familiar
questions the court took its usual re-
cess.
At Q o'clock Mr.. Hagen aga'n as
cended the witness throne and Mr..
Jamison took up the cudgel OF redirect
examination.
Exhibit A As was shown witness in
order that he might demonstrate that in
writing his signature on the back OF it
Mr.. Blaisdell used such heavy pen
pressure as to force the pen through the
paper at the bottom of the d.
It was placed in microscope with a
magnifying power of 125 diameters,
where it was subjected to a critical eX-
animation by the jury and counsel. On
eross-examinatiOn the witness admitted
the Orifice was very small and might
have been in the paper originally, but
he thought not.
The alleged rotating movement in the
disputed signature was also taken up,
and the witness adhered to his state
ment that he thought the writer of it
used it habitually in all of his writing.
At the request of Mr.. Wilson the wit
ness took pen and illustrated what he
meant by a ROTATING notion" After
he had done so Mr.. Wilson inquired:
"NoW, Mr.. Hagen. do you think that
man of steady nerves would adopt such
a habit as that?"
"Yes," replied the witness, ~ think
it probable"
"Why do you think it probable?'
because l see it demonstrated in the
signature in Exhibit A. am confident
he used it there. and [ see no reason to
doubt that he did it from habit"
"You said yesterday that the adj
mItted genuine signatures you saw evil
dences of a tussle between the finger
of the writer"
mo, sir; 1 did not use the word
'tussIe,' but it is perhaps a good word
with which to express my meaning"
''Can you tell which finger came out
best in that tussle?"
"No, sir, cannot; because did not
see it,
"Can't tell even with the microscope,
can you, Mr.. HaganT
mo, sir, cannot"
"YOu say that in the disputed sigma
ture there are evidences that the writer
was careless at the end of the sigma
ture?"
"Yes, sir; that is my experience, that
they are usually that way. They gem
orally leave something at the tail which
disclOses the forgery"
"You are not speaking from personal
experience, trust?"
mo, sir; from the results of observa-
ton. They leave an unfinished tail that
gives the whole thing away; that is.
they usually do"
Nov, Mr.. Hagan, will you point out
to the jury the letters of the disputed
signature which you think were not
traced?''
81 do not know that l can do it.
think that l can point out portions of
| letters which were not traced"
"Please do So"
Here the witness placed the disputed
signature against pane of glass in the
window near the jury and proceeded to
| point out the portions of it which, in his
| opinion, could not have been traced be-
cause of the fact that there was print
ing under them on the face of the note
which would prevent him from doing
so, as the paper would not be transpar-
ent at those points.
The witness was then released and
| stepped down.
t n OCy WIS buC Ddi1C
called, in answer to which a muscular
looking young man with self-posessed
air, stepped up, took the usual oath and
seated himself in the witness stand. In
| answer to the usual inquiries by the
county attorney, Mr.. Seymour said that
he was the cashier of the Merchants
National bank, of ST. Paul; that he had
| served in that capacity for nearly seven
| years; that prior to that time he was for
five years cashier of the First National
| Bank of Saltwater; had also been teller
| of the last named bank, and had been
nineteen years in the banking bust
ness: that he had had much experience
! in examining signatures; had never
been sworn in court, but had been
twice before grand juries as an expert
in penmanship, but did not consider
himself to be a scientific expert. On
crosS-examination he said that ne vas