St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-31
Judge Shaw Not a Success
as q Blackboard De-
lineatOr.
The Prosecution May Rest Its
Case Before Adjourn
ment To-Day.


in the office of Frank F. Davis on the
morning of Aug. 6, and that you exam
ined two more at the Security bank in
the afternoon of that day. Did you pro-
nounce them all to be forgeries at one
time?''
mo, sir. 1 pronounced two Of them to
be forgeries in the forenoon, and later
in the day l said the remaining four
were not Mr.. Blaisdells signatures"
Ibid you not tell Mr.. Chamberlain,
cashier of the Security bank. that a
part of the disputed signatures were
genuine?'
mo, sir, l did not"
Mr.. Jamison here interposed an OBJ
| lection. He said that if it were allowed
| to go on and other disputed signatures
were drawn into the case besides eX-
| hibit A there could be no end to the
| collateral and outside issues that might
| be raised.
Judge Hooker said that the defense
must contine its questions to the sigma
| ture in dispute and the standards that
were admitted in evidence.
"Who employed you to examine these
| noteS?" resumed Mr.. Wilson.
mir. Davis sent me word that he
wanted to see me on important buSl-
ness, so | went to the Office, and he
there told me what the nature of the
business was"
THAT was Monday, Aug. 5, 1892"
"TeS, sir"
"Did you make your examinations OF
the signatures with microscopic"
Not at that time, but l have since
done So"
"You say that Mr.. Blaisdell wrote
wit a
termine that fact?"
"By the burrows in the paper over
which the pen has passed in making
the signature"
Those burrows are deeper in the
genuine than in the disputed signature,
are they not?"
Eyes. SIR"
Snow. Mr.. Curtiss, what were the
reasons that led you to conclude that ex-
hibit A is forgery"
Here Mr. CurtiSS turned to the black
board and went over mainly the same
reasons that had been given by MeSsrs.
TOlman and Ames, although he dis
claimed being scientific microscopic.
He dwelt particularly upon the heavy
downward strokes i'll Mr.. BlalSdelPs
admitted genuine signatures: the fact
that he ended his signatures with a
of his pen squarely on the paper with a
firm grip, while he claimed that the
writer of the disputed signatures wrote
with much lighter andsmOre practiced
hand; that one of the nibs of the pen
bore harder on the paper than did the
other, because it was held to one side
instead of squarely, as Mr.. BlalSdeIl
held his pen.
The witness also went into the tremOr
or SpaSm theory to some extent, and
pointed out where these spaSmS Oc-
Cured with comparative regularity in
Mr. BlaisdelPs signatures, while in the
disputed signature he claimed that there
was marked irregularity in their mani
feStatiOnS.
"WelI, then, Mr.. Curtiss." said Mr..
Wilson in sharp tone of voice, you
seem to think there is very wide diff
ference between the admitted genuine
and the disputed SignatureS''
''Yes, sir, there is, in my opinion"
''What purpose do you think man
would have in making such an exagger-
ated and bungling attempt at forging as
you seem to deem thiS?"
81 did not say that it was bungling.
In its main characteristics to the naked
eye it closely resembles the genuine.
1t is only by close and critical exam
inati0n, and the application of phOtOg-
raphy and microscopy, that these differ
ences can be detected. As to the ire
mors the cOpyist noted their existence in
the original, and in attempting to copy
them he exaggerated them"
I'm other words he out-purposed him
self?'
POSSIBLY So"
That is the deduction you make, is
it not?''
well, it may be yours"
''But is it not yours, also?' demanded
Mr.. Wilson.
The witness vouchsafed NO reply.
"Mr. Curtiss," said Mr.. Wilson, ''the
first difference you noticed between the
admitted genuine signatures and this
disputed one was in the terminal |, was
it note"
Yes, sir"
Have you ever seen any of Mr..
Blaisdelfs signatures i'll which this
terminal is blunt?''
Eyes. sir; but not in such a pro-
nounced manner Is in the disputed sig
nature"
"HaYe you seen any so blunt as
thiS?''
"Yes, sir; one."
well. then. would it be possible that
Mr.. BIdlSQeIl maze GlIS ODe!'
because it differs from his genuine
signature in so many other and PROM
inent peculiarities, as l have pointed
out"
"The tremors are not the same, sup
pose?'
mo, sir; they are not"
"Oh.. yes! The spaSm theory seems
to cover multitude of SINS" remarked
MIR. Wilson.
Mr.. Wilson then returned to the pen
nibS question, and asked MI. CurtisS If
a man turned his hand to the left which
nib of the pen would he bear the hard
est upon.
Mr. Curtiss answered, THE right
niD."
In this respect he differs somewhat
from experts who have preceded him
upon tue stand.
Judge Shaw now took up the work Of
cross-examinIng Mr.. Curtiss, and entered
upon the subject Of blind loops.
Mr.. Curtiss claimed that Mr.. PlaiSdell
did not make these loops in writing his
signature, and pointed out what he
claimed was the existence of several in
the disputed signature. During tine
questioning Judge Shaw drew ID on
the board and demanded Of the witness,
''What letter is that?"
Mr. Curtss surveyed it critically for
moment and then gave 1T up.
This seemed to tire the defense, and
the witness was handed over to the
state where he again went through the
SpaSm, -tremOT, waver and blind-loop
theory until Il O'Clock, when the court
adjourned until p. N.
In the afternoon Mr.. CGrtiss again re-
mounted the witness stand. and Judge
Shaw returned again TO the contest.
This time the subject of discussion
was vanishing lines. Mfr. Curtiss
claimed that MIR. Blaisde!l always ended
his signature with this sort of line.
Judge Shaw submitted large num-
Der of admitted genuine signatures of
Mr.. Blaisdell which are in the case to
the witness, and he claimed that they
all contained the final vanishing line.