Evening star., 1896-06-17
WHO SENT THE WILL2
Expert Hagan Thinks He Has
Solved the Mystery
BY TEE WRITING ON TEE WALL
He is Satisfied tho Holt Will is
Genuine.
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

This was the twenty-second Gay of the
long-draw-out Holt will case. but even so.
the interest shown by the public in all the
details as they come out has not tagged
in the least, and the court room was well
filled with spectators
Expert testimony occupied the attention
OF the court during the morning hour. The
first witness called by the attorneys for
the caveetees was Mr.. VIM. E. Hagan, an
elderly gentleman from Troy. NY, who
cn the stand this morning gave his occu-
patton as that Of examii er of disputed
handwritings. He said that he has been a
witness In many Of the famous will cases
in the legal history Of this country. For
the last fifteen years he has made a spe-
cialty Of the study and comparison Of
handwritings. He is also familiar with the
manufacture of inks. and for years past
has also studied to make himself an au-
thority on the subject of the age of dis
puted documents.
The witness said that he made a thor
cugh examination Of the alleged Holt will
CT the 22d Of last January and again yes
terday. When he first saw the document
he was satisfied that the line of severance
between tie upper and lower portions Of
the paper was not complete. and there was
no doubt in his mind that the alleged will
ard the signatures were originally writ
ten upon one complete sheet Of paper.
II neasurements which Expert Frazer sub
Initted when he on the stand show
ing the results of his examination Of Judge
Holt's handwriting with refere-.ee to the
ratios Of slopes and distances. The wit
ress said that in his opinion that was
thoroughly unreliable system. and one that
he had abandoned years ago Of not the
slightest value.
Mr.. Hogan said that in his opinion Judge
Holt wrote with a combination of the
forearm and finger movements, the same
conditions existing in both the alleged will
and the letters which are in evidence
admittedly in the handwriting of Judge
Holt. He said that he had been unable to
note any evidence of greater freedom of
writing in the alleged will than in the let
ters. here. as in number of other de-
tails. disagreeing entirely with the opinions
expressed by Experts Frazer and Carvalho.
Calls 1t Guesswork.
Mr.. Hagan said that in the matter of the
crossing of the IT'S" the will agreed ia
vorably with some of the epistles which
had been submitted. In other details, as
WELL he could see TO important df-
ferences between the disputed and the ad-
mittediy genuine papers In his opinion.
the name of Josephine Holt Throckmorton
was written so precisely like the balance
of the writing in the alleged will that it
was the merest guessWork to say that 1t
had been interpoated after the rest of the
will had been written. The alignment in
the will varied no more than it did in the
letters that Judge Holt wrote to his kinS-
men, so that. all in all, he was satisfied
that the whole Of the disputed paper was
written at one sitting for the nervous con-
dition of the writer, as shown in the PEN
ma nShlp, remained the same throughout
The witness went at length into the Club
like appearance Of the letter ~ in the
signature. going so far as to express an
opinion as to the muscular development Of
Judge Holt's index firger, as shown by the
Shading of this letter
In answer to direct question from Mr..
Darlington the witness said that he was
certain that the alleged will was written
by the same hand that wrote the letters
He based his opinion the fact that the
manner of holding the pen was the same
throughout; that in the admittedly genuine
letters and in the disputed will there was
the same use Of both the forearm and
finger movements. and various other
points Of similarity to which he called at
tention
Mr.. Hagan said that there was no evi-
dcnce of imitation in the alleged Will. and
there were number Of characteristics in
it which would not appear in simulated
writing. 1t was written readily. at times
rapidly, and there was nothing to show
that the writer ever STEPPED or slowed up
for the purpose of copying. Neither was
1t traced writing; an examination with
the microscope proved that.
The signature, Ellen B. E. Sherman, he
said, was not written by the same hand
that wrote the balance OF the paper. 1t is
true that in the will there are slopes that
correspond with that in her signature but
the angularity in the hody of the paper is
variable. While that in her signature is
constant. Mrs. Sherman's writing, he
said. resembles nuch more closely the Or
dinary 'col y book style than does that of
Judge Holt.
The witness said that he had also made
an examination Of Mr.Devlin's writing, and
had compared 1t with that in the will, and
this comparison had satisfied him thai
they were written by two entirely different
persons. There was absolutely nothing to
show that the same hand could ever have
written both.
Thinks Strothers Sent 1t.
It will be remembered that some time
ago the fact was developed that since
Judge Hollis death his colored coach
man. Chas. Strothers, has acted as care
taker Of the judges house on New Jersey
avenue and has decorated the stable with
big sign to the effect that he was re-
tail dealer in coal, wood and ice. During
the latter years of Judge Hollis life
Strcthers frequently acted as his aman-
uensis.
Mr.. Hagan, while on the stand this
morning, testified that he had made a
the sign Of a number of printed words in
the letters that Strothers wrote for Judge
Holt and had compared them with the
printed words on the envelope in which the
alleged will was sent to the registers Of
flee last summer.
In reply to a question from Mr.. Dar-
lington the witness said that in his opin-
ion they were all written by one and the
same person.
At the suggestion of counsel he pointed
characteristics which appeared in Stroth-
erS' handwriting, and which. in his Opin-