The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-06-13
EXPERTS IN WRITING
THE SPECIAL METHODS USED BY Elk
PERTS IN HANDWRITING.

umRnTS A
Authors of Anonymous Letters - How
These Experts start In the Business.
1t is doubtful if any Chicago expert
in handwriting is more widely known
among the members of the legal pro-
fession than Marshall d. Ewell, who
is a fellow of the Royal MicroscoplcaI
society of England, doctor OF law
and of medicine and the author OF sew
eral legal textbooks He figured as an
expert witness in the famous Davis Will
case in Montana, the not less celebrated
contest of the alleged will OF Senator
Joseph E. Mcdonald of Indiana and the
Jerome will case tried III the probate
court of Cook county.
"Many of the most unique and anus
ing demands, said Mr., Ewell recent
", (which are made upon the fraternl-
ty of experts never reach the public.
They are settled outside of the court
room and are not of record. Only a few
weeks ago l was called upon by ii very
dignifed and scholarly gentleman, and
was not surprised to learn that he be-
longed to the faculty of one of Chicago $
most prominent educational lnstltu-
tions. But OIL the occasion of his call
he was as angry as he was cultured. No
expert testimony was needed to estab-
lish that fact in the mind of any per
son who saw him rs he entered my Of
flee and warmed to the subject which
mad inspired him to call for my profes-
sional services.
"As he drew from his pocket a man
uscript he said:
"'I have been made the object, sir,
of base, malicious and scurrilnus at
tack on the part of some mischievous
student, and propose to hunt down its
author, cost what it may.
"'Is it in poetry l asked, thinking
to mollify his excitement little by that
playful remark.
emo, sir, was his spirited answer
It isn't 1t only. assumes to be-
He then handed me the manuscript
IA formidable array of verse-and
closely watched the expression Of my
face as 1 read it. Byron, in his Eng
lish Bards and Scotch Reviewers, did
not give the critics of that day any
sharper thrusts in smooth rhyme than
the anonymous author of this metrical
epistle dealt the .dignified professor. 1t
was really very creditable perform
ance as a caustio composition. Of course
my client had his suspicious regarding
the probable author of the communica-
ton and produced specimens of hand
writing by the suspected persons. l
made thorough and judicial eXamina-
ton of the submitted documents and
was compelled to inform the professor
that believed no two of the submitted
specimens had been executed by the
same person. TWAS bitter disappoint-
ment to him, as he was burning with
righteous Indignation, and, if l may
judge from superficial appearances,
would have paid more than his fee for
the privilege of laying a beechen rod
upon the author of the verse, to the
time of a cut for every line.
Sometimes the consequences of an
investigation in this line of work lead
where we least expect. This is partic-
ularly true regarding anonymous com
munications and their authors A ply
stefan living i'll western town sent me
disgraceful letter which had been re-
5Gfv u 5 f5= - tic nails nv a member
of his family. Accompanying it were
several letters and documents, the au-
thOrs of which were presumably open
to the suspicion of having written the
offensive epistle. l subjected the speci-
mems to the usual comparisons and mi
crOscopical examinations and fixed upon
one of them as being the work Of the
person whose disguised handwriting
constituted the principal letter.
My report brought an immediate re-
ply in which the physician protested
that my conclusion could not by any
possibility be correct, as the writer OF
the specimen which had selected was
his own professional associate, in whose
character he had the utmost confidence.
He confessed that he had added his part
ner's letter to those written by the per
SOhS NhOh hS AOet1Iy SuSp6GI6u Vi bu6
offense i'll question only to test my pow
ers of discrimination and to give ju-
dicially impartial flavor to the entire
investigation.
In my reply to him | pointed out in
detail the reasons which had led up tc
my decision, placing particular stress
upon the fact that the formation of the
propositions participates and other small
words was, despite the attempt at vari.
alton, too nearly identical in the two
specimens for any mistake as to their
common authorship. This reasoning SC
impressed the startled physician that he
determined to confront his professional
partner with the accusation. This he
did, with the result that the accused
man confessed his guilt. / was not sur.
prised, for the person who is cowardly
enough to write an Objectionable and
unsigned communication will seldom
have the courage to deny his guilt when
boldly charged with it.
"We are quite frequently called tc
pass upon Matchmaking letters and
sometimes to determine if certain
checks have been forged. However, the
latter demand is of rare occurrence, as
most of the bank tellers and cashiers
are practical experts upon signatures.
Tho ma ipritv Of Orr ,,rofocSiOnai 40 l.