The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-04-10
YOUR SIGNATURE.

Almost every one, if asked what con-
stitutes signature" would answer,
"The full name of person written by
his or her own hand" And that, as a
rule, would be a good and true definition.
Yet there are many other things that
may constitute signatures, and these may
be as binding in business, in morals and
law as the complete name written by the
hand of the signer. As this is not known
to everybody, and as there has recently
been before our State Supreme Court
suit involving the question. 1t is worth
while, says the Philadelphia Ledger, to
go into brief popular exposition of the
subject.
The case arose in Allegheny county,
Pa, where an estimable lady, in view of
approaching death, wrote out an express
sion of her wishes as to the custody and
disposal of her property after her death.
This paper was in the form of letter,
but, though believed to be intended for
the writer's mother, it was addressed to
nobody, and was simply signed "Har-
riet.n
The writer had her own reasons for
pursuing this course with regard to a pa
per that was to operate as a last will and
testament-sOme of which reasons were
not disclosed, while others of them were
known. Among these latter were differ
ences with her husband; an aversion to
his name; the avoidance of its use in her
correspondence, and direction to pre-
vent his name from being put upon her
tombstone.
Under proof of these circumstances,
and that the single name Harriet was
the signature she was accustomed to use,
and that she did actually write and sign
it at the end of the paper in question as
attesting her testamentary wishes in re-
gard to the disposal of her property after
death, that written name Harriet" was
decided by both the Orphans court Of
Allegheny county and by the Supreme
Court of Pennsylvania to be valid COM
pliance with our State law requiring that
will shall be signed at the end there
of if the testator is able.
1t has been decided in this and i'll 9th
er cases that the form which a man GUS
tomarily used to indentify and bind him
self in writing is his signature; but, what
after all shall constitute his signature in
any particular case must be determined
by the circumstances of that case. So
far as the signature to a will is concerned,
the chief thing is the Identification of the
testator. 1t must be said, however, that
good practice and prudence-for the
avoidance of dispute or trouble-requlre
that the full name, as known in the fam
| lily, among neighbors and associates,
should be written in the customary
| form.
But as q matter of fact an abbreviation
of name whether it be the last name ol
a part of it, or middle name, or parts
of all of them, down to a bare initial, OF
a nickname, or the title of a mans
residence or estate, or of the district OF
country in which he resides, or of any
rank he may hold or be addressed by
civil or military-sO that he is known by
that name or designation, or that he il
known to use it i'll his correspondence OF
transactions or affairs-the written Of
printed sign for thatappellation or desig
nation, whatever it may be, will consti
tute his signature and be valid in law fol
all purposes, and so of every woman
signature-if proved
We all know that in the case of the dis
abling illness of testator his signature
may be written in his presence and b!
his express request or direction, and tina
it will stand; and that an y mark prop
erly witnessed and vOuched, will answe
for signature; and that it has beel
customary to use seals and pictoria
marks-but this matter of what may b.
written as a name and stand as a valit
signature is not known so well. Tn
purpose and requirement are identified
ton of the writer or the testator; an'
this may be accomplished whether tn
signature be Victoria Reginia, as tn
British queen writes hers, 'Or "Con
naught," as one of her sons writes his
: or III. Wa" as the gentle fisher, lzaal
Walton, wrote his; or with the form o
5 a snake, as the Indian chief, King Tama
r mend, marked his: or the plain B. Frank
lin, as the illustrious philosopher am
1 statesman signed his name; or as Charlie
S Carroll of Carrollton signed his to tn
4 Declaration of Independence, so that al
men might know which Carroll that Can
: roll was; and as Dan of st. Thoma
/, Jenifer" underworld his upon the scro
S that bore the first Constitution of tn
United States, so that there might be n
e doubt as to the particular tribe of Dan
to which he belonged.