The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-02
Nj1III ,5siigle
EXPERTS ON WRITING
GENUINENESS OF LETTERS AND
SIGNATURES AS A STUDY.

Eases in Which the Testimony of These
Men Was Important-Times When One
Has COMPOUNDED AnOther-SOme Re-
markabIe Suits About Chirography.
The handwriting expert is a conspicuous
witness in all lawsuits where the authen-
ITCHY of signatures, or other writing, is
questioned. He knows all about inks and
the effect of age on them; about the quail
ties of papers, and the appearance of sur
faces. He tells how erasures are made by
decomposing inks, or by scraping. He
points out where the paper is thin. He
illustrates, by demonstration, how altera-
tions might be made. He describes styles
and peculiarities of handwriting, strokes
and curves of the pen, the slants, and
heights. and spreads, and spaces OF writ
ing. He has enlarged Photographic copies
OF the questioned writing, and makes COM
parisons or contrasts. He has a vocabu-
larry of technical terms about writing, and
he delivers the most emphatic opinions for
the side that employs him. Two hand
writing experts are frequently opposed to
each other.
Handwriting experts testified for many
hours in the celebrated case of the colored
cadet Whitaker at West Point to prove
that Whitaker did and did not write GER
tain letters Several years ago, in trial
in this city, the genuineness of signature
of the assistant treasurer Of the United
States, Mr.. Cisco, was questioned. An eX-
pert on the witness stand profeSsed to be
able to pick ont Mr.. Cisco's signature. To
test him papers were handed to him bear
ing the writing of Mr.. Cisco's name. The
witness picked out one that he was positive
was the signature of Mr.. Cisco, but the
proof was overwhelming that Mr.. Cisco
did not write that one, and that it was
written by clerk in court while the wit
ness was on the stand.
FAMOUS SUIT.
A famous libel suit was tried in Plym-
outh. n. II. The defendant was Mrs. j. A.
Dodge, widow of the late president of the
Boston, Concord and Montreal railroad.
The charge was that she had slandered
Henry Raymond, the former confidential
secretary of her husband. Raymond was
a member of the church in high standing,
a prominent Free Mason and knight Tenn
plar. He had been the trusted secretary of
Mr.. Dodge for many years, and he was re-
lated to the family by marriage. The sis
ter of Raymond's wife got $4,000 by the
will, and Raymond and other relatives
were benefciaries. 1t appeared that almost
while Mr.. Dodge was in the agonies of
death Raymond got a check for &, 500, pur
porting to be signed by Dodge, cashed at
tho Plymouth National bank, and imme-
diately after the death of Mr.. Dodge, Ray
mond presented to the widow for payment
a note purporting TO have been given to
Raymond by Dodge for Sc, 600.
The main point was that the widow had
charged that the check for s., 500 and the
note for $1,000 were forgeries. Raymond
not only sued for libel, but also for the face
of the note, and chose TO try the libel suit
first. Counsel for the widow took the bold
ground that what the widow said was true,
and they had most thorough examination
OF the handwriting of a number of docu-
soeuts in the case.
At the close of the testimony of the ex-
pert even the counsel for Raymond were
satisfied that the note and check were for
geres, and they consented that verdict
should be rendered acquitting the widow,
and Raymond was subsequently held to bail
for forgery Curiously enough, the COM
plainent had several experts ready, but the
demonstration of the forgeries was too per-
feet for contradiction. The fact that some
Of TIE documents relied on to sustain the
iorgeries were themselves forgeries was
mainly proved by showing that some of
the words we're absolutely identical with
the writing Of the same words in other
documents OF urqUestionable authenticity.
This was considered demonstration that
the writing was traced.
INGENUITY OF AN EXPERT.
curious illustration of the ingenuity Of
an expert was shown in the case of Redfeld
against Redfeld, tried at Syracuse several