The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-05-03
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1895.
VANDERSLIOE VS.. SNYDER,
A New Trial Refused by Judge Rice.-0pin-
ion Of the Court.

ION OI Ine IOuTt'
In disposing of this rule we shall
first consider the reasons alleging
errors in the admission and rejection
of testimony.
FIRST.
As we understood the question
raised by the offer, it was whether
composite photograph of several
genuine signatures might be put in
evidence for purposes of comparison
with the disputed signature. In his
valuable work, A Manual of the Study
of Documents, DIR. Persifor Frazer
says: Composite photography is a
method of obtaining the essence Of a
number of objects, and lin SO far as
those objects are typical of similar
phenomena) of recording the relations
of things to each other, and the effects
produced by certain force or certain
forces on matter" p. I25. In an
earlier part of the same work Up. IID
the learned author says: " If it be
conceded that the result of an effort
made by living being to repeat an
action it has become habituated to
make it is within certain limits uni
form, then the way is clear to study
these results and TO obtain from their
average the ideal which each Of these
actions or series of actions has tended,
probably without complete success, to
produce. If we could divide such an
ideal into three component parts, A,
B. and c., and If we found that out
OF thirty efforts A has remained con,
slant in twenty five, B in twenty five,
and c in twenty five; while A, B and
{ have only appeared together in
fifteen cases out of thirty, we are
justified in concluding that these
fifteen cases though they represent
but half the whole number of results
constitute in reality the ideal which
the agent has always intended to pro
duce." The purpose then of making
a composite photograph of numbe
of genuine signatures is to show the
salient elements of the various sigma
lures, and the result is claimed to bt
the ideal signature, or near it, which
the writer tried to make and had it
his mind, but at no one time ever sue
ceeded to make perfectly. This /
more fully explained in the testimon
of DR.. Frazer, from which we quote
The Court Then in examining a
to the genuineness Of the signature yo
by this method obtain what you cor
slider a standard !? A. An idea
The Court: An ideal with whic
you compare the disputed signature
A. Not I, but--Q. If you were
determine the question yourself? 4
If were permitted TO determine tn
question it would aid me greatly
determining what were the characte
istic points and what were the acc
dental variations in what part of th
signatures given to me for examin
ton there were accidental variation
and in what paris there were con
paritive agreements with signatul
in dispute. The only object Of sue
standard, as your Honor proper
calls it, is to enable somebody, VIII
ever has the power of judging,
compare that ideal with the signatu
in dispute" We have not stated
all fully the principles of compost
photography, much less the details
their application in cases of dispute
handwriting, yet we think we ha
fairly stated the purpose Of the col
poslte as evidence. The questi
thus presented does not, in our opi
ion, require discussion of the arg
ments for and against the reliabil
and value in jury trial of such e
dence as it might if the law upon t
subject of the comparison Of han
writing were not so well settled
Pennsylvania, that () the comparis
is to be made by the jury between t
disputed paper and other well auth,
ticated writings of the same part
(2) the test documents to be compar
should be established by the NJ
satisfactory evidence before be
admitted to the jury. Travis
Brown, 43 Pa, 9. Even letter pr
copy has been held not admissible
the purpose. Cohen VS.. Teller,
Pa, I23. After careful reconside
tion of the question our opinion t
the admission of the testimony wo
be departure from well settled ru
remains unchanged.
SECOND.
Prior to the execution of the
lease Agnes Vanderslce would h
been incompetent to testify agai
the defendant as to any matter
curing prior to the death of NJ
Snyder, for the reason that as a
tributee of the estate of Mary
Vanderslice, her mother, she had
interest adverse to the right repres,