New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-22
PRICE THREE CENTS.
JUROR CAN'T SEE LIKENESS
SIGNIFICANT REMARK OF FOREMAN
MARTIN IN MOLINEUN TRIAL.

MARTIN IN MOLINEUS TRIAL.
MR. WEEKS CONTINUES THE cRoss-Ex
ANIMATION OF MR. TYRRELL. TIE
HANDWRITING EXPERT. AND GETS
SOME IMPORTANT ADMIs- =
sIoNs FROM HIM.
Just as a straw shows the direction OF the
wind. a casual remark made yesterday by tne
foreman OF the jury that is trying Roland IS.
Molineux somewhat significant In that IL
pointed to the fact that. despite all the scientinc
dsquisitions Of the two handwriting experts
Messrs. Kinsley and Tyrrell, the twelve men
in the box" can yet see no resemblance between
Molineuxs writing and that Of the Barnet and
Cornish" letters. The pertinent remark which
Foreman Martin made-that he could see no
likeness between the admitted and disputed
writngs-was brought about in this way: Dur
ing his cross examination, John F. Tyrrell, the
expert from Milwaukee. gave it as his opinion
that the writing OF the Barnet and Cornish"
letters was simulated. inferring that Molineux
in those letters had copied the style or some
other person. But despite his efforts at simula-
tion the witness contended, the defendant hah
been unable TO conceal his characteristic pen
habits. Before the witness left the stand AT the
close OF his examination Mr. Martin, who hao
kept this particular piece Of testimony In minos
asked II il was possible for one person 10
simulate successfully another's handwriting IN
a series Of letters written at long intervals
apart Mr. Tyrrell replied that such a thing
was not only possible. but that In Molineuxs
case the sustained stimulation was proof in 1t
self because the defendants pen habit was con-
sistently betrayed in all the letters.
In what way does the defendants pen habit
show in these etters?" Mr.. Martin continued
He uses the same form Of expression the
witness replied.
you take the ground, then. that the Cor
nish' and Barnet letters are in the DEFENDANTS
natural handwriting. but disguised?'
Yes: but 1t has been impossible for him to
conceal his identity"
Thereupon Mr.. Martin said he had asked TO
have these points explained because 1 cannot
see any resemblance in the two series OF writ
ings"
HARD BLOWS FROM WEEKS
Although Mr. Tyrrell proved himself to he a
particularly adrot witness under cross exam
ination, Barlow s. Weeks succeeded i'm dealing
some severely hard blows TO the hand capacity
and mental conception" theories Of the young
and self-confdent expert from the West The
which Mr. Tyrrell based his expressed convic-
ton that Moneux wrote the address upon the
poison wrapper was upon the wrist movement
displayed in the exhibits Mr.. Tyrrell stated that
a man writing with wrist movement could
write only a certain distance without being COM
peed to raise his wrist. which acted pivot,
and start afresh. This distance he called the
range Of the hand. BY means Of compass and
rule Mr.. Tyrrell demonstrated with crayon and
paper on Wednesday that the range or hand
capacity Of the writer Of the Molineux and Bar
net" and "Cornshpp letters AMI poison nscrip-
ton measured exactly alike. Upon that result
mainly he stated his conviction, not opinion"
as did the more modest Kinsley-that the hand
which penned the Molineux letters wrote all
the rest. The measured range or pendulum on
all the exhibits he said. was IA inches An
swering Mr.. Weeks yesterday. the witness ac-
knowledged that writer's who used the wrist
movement style were not uncommon and he
conceded also that in these cases the hand ca
pacity was necessarily limited, that the scope
depended upon the size of the hand. upon the
size Of the pen. how far up the holder OF the
pen was grasped in what direction the pen was
held and that even with all these considera-
tions to take into account the differences In
range were only an infnitesmal proportion Of an
inch. So as the expert admitted 10 MI weeks
attributing to the defendant the authorship OF
all the writings in evidence upon the range
finding process was eminently a process Of
splitting hairs Mr. Weeks forced the expert to
grant that there was no unusual divergence be-
tween the defendants hand capacity OF IL.
inches and the average hand capacity Of writer's
OF the wrist movement style
Again. when it came to applying Mr.. Tyrrell's
contentious to the address upon the poison pack
age Mr. Weeks won a distinct advantage The
Milwaukee expert had declared in his direct
animation that the pen range Of the different
lines on the wrapper was identical in measure
ment with the pendulums of the letters Having
first ascertained that in order to get all these
similar hand capacities the wrist must have a
fixed pivot, Mr.. Weeks asked the witness II. in
his opinion the address upon the wrapper had
been made before or after the package had been
made up "Afterward" Mr.. Tyrrell replied. and
then, in a fash counsel for the defence wanted
10 know how the hand capacity Of particularly
the last two lines Of the address could agree with
the other exhibits. inasmuch the surface OF
the package would afford space upon which
the wrist could work upon a fixed pivot. The
witness was obviously taken by surprise. and
after hesitating some seconds said he had not
given the matter consideration and was there
fore unable to give an opinion.
DEPENDENT ON DISPUTED LETTERS.
Mr. Weeks also elected from the expert that
there was some difference OF hand capacity be-
tween the admitted letters and the disputed
writing and finally ne acknowledged like Mr..
Kinsey, that he had been Obliged to resort to
the Barnet" and Cornish letters before he
could trace any connection between the de-
fendant's handwriting and that upon the
package.
Before Mr.. Tyrrell resumed the stand yester-
day morning Mr. Kinsley was recalled 10 de-