The times., 1899-10-01

The testimony given by handwriting ex-
perts win be put to a severe test when the
case Of Roland 3. Molineux, accused o
sending a package containing poison TO
Harry Cornish. comes to trial IN the
Inquest the spectacle of six handwriting
experts coming forward and, on the
strength Of comparisons of handwriting
alone. declaring that Molineux was the
guilty man was witnessed. These six ex-
perts are expected to go on the stanl aga
and reiterate their statements. The result
Of the Molineux trial viii do much TO de-
termine The value of evidence of this char
acter.
Some very complicated cases have been
unraveled during the last fifteen years by
handwriting experts. One Of the most IA
nous cases OF this kind was the Dodge
libel suit, tried at Plymouth. n. H. IN
1885. J. 4. Dodge was the President OF the
Boston. Concord, and Montreal Railroad,
and man Of considerable wealth He had
rs confidential man and secretary oae Hen
~ RAYMOND a man of excellent reputa-
tion, who was superintendent OF the local
Sunday school and highly esteemed cit
izen OF Plymouth In 1882 Mr.. Dodge went
to California for his health. He returned
G few months later and in August OF the
same year died. 4 few hours before his
death a check for s.. 500, signed by him,
was presented al a local bank by Ray
mond, and cashed without question. The
check was dated a few days before Mr..
Dodge died.
Immediately after the funeral Raymoni
presented a note for $4,000, signed by
Dodge, TO the widow, requesting immediate
payment He explained that Mr.. Dodge
had given him the check and the note, as
a reward for his lifelong devotion TO his
interests. Mrs. Dodge. who enjoyed her
husbands full confidence, denounced him
Rs q forger and a fraud 1t was very
strange, she said, that her husband had
never spoken to her about the matter, and
she declined TO honor the note. The mat
ter got into the newspapers, and there
were expressions Of sympathy with Ray
mond. Mrs. Dodge was accused OF trying
TO defraud him out OF the reward her hus-
band had planned for him. She replied by
denouncing Raymond as a swindler. Then
RAYMOND made his first mistake. He be-
gan an action for libel, placing damages At
s. COO and a second action TO recover the
amount of the note alleged TO have been
given TO him by Mr.. Dodge
For the first few days Of the trial of the
libel suit j, looked as though Mrs. Dodge
was hoDelessly beaten. Witness after wit
uess,s ali men who were familiar with Mr.
Dodge's handwriting. went on the stand
and declared that the signatures on the
check and the note were genuine Mrs
Dodge's friends advised her TO give up,
but she refused to. In open court she
again denounced Raymond and declared
that she would prove her allegation before
she got through When the plaintiff finally
f,aI mt STR
Mrs. Dodge made little headway against
him al first She had engaged Daniel
Anes, Of this city, as an expert, and the
turning point was reached when he was
nut on the stand. After an examination
OF the exhibits in the case Mr.. Ames came
TO the conclusion that both check and note
were forgeries. He produced enlarged pho
graphs Of Mr.. Dodges signature TO his VIII
and OF the signatures 10 the check and
note. He pointed out differences that
would never be noticed by a layman and
illustrated them on q blackboard in court
He produced a letter written by Mr. Dodge
In California to Mr.. Raymond and showed
beyond question that the figures 20 and
the word Raymond" in the note were
made by holding the note, which was on
thin paper. over the letter and tracing
them He also showed on the blackboard
twenty-eight capital Ds. made in letters,
notes and checks written by Mr. Dodge
and compared them with the DNin the slg-
nature 10 the note presented TO the widow
by RAYMOND. The expert convinced the
Jury and the spectators in the court room
in five minutes that Mr. Dodge did not
write the D in the signature 10 the note.
the distinctions made by the expert
were based almost entirely on inhnitesi-
NAL differences in shadings and loops In
the matter Of the letter d the expert
brought out his strongest evidence. he
showed tnaI every ID written by MI Dodge
fn notes and letters, the genuineness OF
which was not questioned, could be ezacliy
boxed In an exact square, with some por-
tion Of the letter touching the sides and
che ton and bottom The DIS in the note
and check would not fit in a square; in
fact n took all kinds of angles to make a
hox for the DIS which would allow OF some
norton of the letters touching each side
and the top and bottom. Yet before they
were boxed the letters we're so much alike
that no difference could be discerned by
the inexpert eye. There was complete
change az sentiment among the people o
Plymouth after Mr.. Ames' testimony was
in The very people who had been abusing
Mrs Dodge ran to congratulate her, anc
RAYMOND found himself without friend
His attorneys threw up the case and sur
rendered the forged note TO Mrs. Dodge
RAYMOND was arrested al once, charget
with forgery and only escaped the peni-
tentiary BY jumping his bail
An even more interesting case which wa.
solved by Mr. Ames involved the viii o
the miser Paine in this city in 1856. Herr
q deliberate attempt 10 get away witt
something life half q million dollars wa
made When quite young man James II
Blaine was a clerk in a Boston business
house He inherited lot OF money an'
came 10 this city, where all trace OF hin
was lost. He speculated with the none.
and everything he touched turned to gold
He soon became very wealthy man. Thel
he became a miser. he went around tn
streets In rags, lodged in a garnet with
French family on the west side who tool
aim in out OF pure charity. and lived ol
he leayings which restaurant keepers CAV
aim There was only one thing that b.
would spend money on; that was music
ge was passioDateiy fond OF music and 70
-ears Was z familiar figure in the lobby 0
he Academy OF Music during the oper
season He would 90 there early in III
evening and beg people 10 pay his way in
II he didn't find q philanthropist he woul
puy a ticket himself, but he never CAV
up hope until he knew that the curtain
had risen.
Finally Paine was run over by cab II
Broadway. He was taken TO a hospital
but made such a fuss about staying iher
that be was finally removed 10 his garre
hame. He died there In a few days. The
man came forward with power OF at
torney which he said Paine gave him II
1885 and which authorized him TO TAX
charge OF Paine's interest IN the estate O
his brother Robert Treat Paine. The clos
ing paragraph empowered him TO attend I
of h-eFpeec eud IN n