The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-28

wilson 3 last question, the witness SAID tldI
Miss Polard's manner had indicated graft
hcation when the Colonel had promised 10
marry her.
The redirect question from Mr. Shelby
whether If Colonel Breckenridge said that
Miss Pollard bore him two children he
would have made note Of 1t, was over
ruled, as was a question as TO when he
first became aware that the plalnt1H
the defendant. This ended the second APP
pearance of Major Moore.
EXPERTS IN CHIROGRAPHY.
Major" Hay was called, but no one rec
ognized by that title Z. Il. Hay. the chief
secretary of the national order of Elks,
and well-known local attorney and after
dinner speaker.
Major Hay failing to appear, Dr. E. NJ.
Schaeffer a deputy coroner of the District
of Columbia, a tall, slender. bearded, spec
tacled man, was called as an expert upon
handwriting After stating his qualifca-
tons and his experience Mr.. Butterworth
was about TO hand him the letter disclaimed
by Miss Pollard, when Mr.. Wilson coolly
remarked well, l don't think he is an
expert at ALL" which stirred laugh. Mr..
Wilson proceeded to put more questions TO
ascertain the claims of the witness To ex-
pert knowledge. Microscopic and chemical
analysis had been made a study by the
Doctor for seventeen years IN the govern
ment medical museum Continuing, he eX-
planned that he had been brought writings
OF various sorts by doctors, several wills
among them to detect forgeries to deter
mine the quality and character of the ink
and the age of the writing. The examina-
ton was protracted, and at its close Judge
Wilson objected that DR.. Schaeffer did not
show the qualifications of an expert on
handwriting but Mr.. Butterworth retorted
that he could not conceive of any possible
qualification lacking.
Judge Bradley decided that the Doctor
had made good claims to expert experience,
and the jury could decide what weight
should be given his testimony Thereupon
three bundles of letters admitted TO have
been written by Miss Pollard handed
up to the expert, who asserted that he had
studied them carefully the day before. The
black-bordered letter denied by Miss Pol
lard was given him for comparison. He
and Major Butterworth put their heads to-
gether for a few minutes, and finally, in
answer to a direct question Doctor Schaef-
fer declared that he felt certain the black
bordered letter had been written by the
same person who penned the others in evil
dence.
The Christmas card said to have been
pressed for nine years in the volume of
Washington Irving found in the Norwood
convent, and which bore the words OF
by the expert, who averred that from the
appearance of the ink the inscription had
not been on it more than three four
years. Il assume in my answer" he eX-
planned, that IL had been subjected to the
conditions which have been described. Had
it been exposed to the air, would say that
the inscription had been made still more re-
Gently He proceeded to describe the eff
feet of exposure to air and of handling
upon the condition and appearance of ink.
The quality of paper affected the ink.
A LOW-PRICED EXPERT.
what are your charges per day as an
expert?" was the first question of Judge
Wilson in cross-examination, a question
which the Doctor was disposed to parry.
stating that it depended on the character
of the work. He remarked that he had
never seen a case like this when asked
what were his charges for such a case,
and he finally asserted that he had charged
s. day for similar services. Washington
is not a commercial city, he explained, so
that he was not called upon as often as
he would be elsewhere. He had testified
in perhaps fifty cases.
Col Phil Thompson and Major Butter
worth proffered objections to the line of
questioning, to which Judge Wilson re-
piled that ii was q test OF the value of
and in this he was sustained by the court.
Detailing his past work, the Doctor
showed that his charges in different cases
had ranged from - to $40. The papers had
been brought to his house Sunday by Col.
Breckenridge, who was accompanied by two
men who remained outside, and he had
kept them over night, bringing them Mon
day TO the attorneys room In the court
house, where he had spent the day exam
of the Christmas card other than an ocular
one. His statement regarding the writing
ing that the writing had been made under
ordinary circumstances with ordinary ink,
and that no chemist had made a special
ink to deceive experts. There was some
fine fencing between the expert and the
lawyer over minute distinctions of terms,
and particularly as TO mathematical ex>
actness in handwriting
II feel much more certain" resumed the
Doctor. that Madeline Pollard wrote that
the handwriting on the Christmas card" p
Suppose" began Mr. Wilson. that IT
testimony NY could fix it, that this card ' had
been shut UP for nine years"
Then / would say that some one must
have taken it out three or four years ago
and written on It,"
THAT fact. if established as fact would
not shake your belief"
Not unless some one could convince me
that the writing had come there by spirit
ual agencies"
Dr. Schaeffer's cross-examination was
protracted well into the afternoon. Mr..
Wilson obtained from him the admission
that sometimes forgeries were SO skillfuly
done TO deceive experts While he had
not been told what the defense wanted to
prove by him, Dr. Schaeffer concluded, he
had inferred. He would not have permitted
10 testify to any particular thing.
After brief redirect examination of
DR.. Schaeffer, Edwin 3. Hay was put upon
the stand. He had for twenty-five years
made a special study of handwriting, and
had been a witness in a number of noted
suits, among them the one brought by
Mrs Oliver against the late Simon Cam
eron for breach of promise. He was GER
tain the letter exhibited and the one adj
dressed to "Wessie' Brown were written
by the same person. After some sparTing
over Mr.. Hays declaration that no person
could successfully initiate another'S hand
writing through long letter, the court ad-
journed for the day.
Brecl<inridge's Name May he Dropped
CHICAGO March 27-The Union League
Club. the most influential social organization
of Chicago, is, ii is said, seriously considering
the question of expeling Congressman
Breckenridge from honorary member
ship. There but three names on
| the clubs list OF honorary members-eX-
| President Harrison. Chauncey NJ. Depew
| and the Kentucky Congressman.
II don't think there is any place in the
| Union League Club for Breckenridge" said
director Harry c. Sefridge this afternoon.
THE board will meet shortly and the name
will just be quietly dropped l presume"
GOOn WADK Al XANEEpC