New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-28
WRITING EXPERTS FINISH.
REGULAR COURSE OF TESTIMONY TO BE-
GIN IN MOLINEUX TRIAL TO-DAY.
DANIEL T. AMEs DECLARES THAT THE AD-
DRESS on THE POISON WRAPPER WAS
A DISGUISE. NOT AN IMITATION


The promise that the prosecution in the
Mollneux trial would bring the testimony OF its
handwriting experts to a close before recess
yesterday morning and that the afternoon would
see the beginning of the regular order of proof
not fulfilled
on Tuesday Assistant District Attorney Os-
borne intimated that Daniel T. Ames would be
the last OF the handwriting experts he would
call Yet when that expert completed his evil
dence yesterday Mr.. Osborne was not yet salts
fled with nearly months wearisome and vou
bic dissertations on and demonstrations Of SINH
lar characteristics which the experts have pro-
fessed TO have found in the admitted and dis
puted writings, and proceeded to recall Mr. Tyr
ren. the young and self-confident expert from
Milwaukee. Mr. Osborne informed the Court
that he merely wished to show by means of the
witness that the vertical writing on the poison
package and in the Barnet letters was a dis
guise adopted by the prisoner. The demonstra-
ton would take only a short time. but once
the stand Mr.. Osborne kept him there until
the hour for adjournment came. despite the fact
that II had already been testified that the verti
cally written exhibits had been penned in
disguised and not in natural hand
However. Mr. Osborne gave his assurance
last night that Drs. Coffin and Phillips would
be called this morning and after them Pro-
fessor Witthaus, so that at last there is
definite prospect that the jury will have evil
dence before II that such woman as Mrs.
Katherine j. Adams did die in December last
in the Eighty-sixth-st. fiat and that her death
was caused 10y poison
ANALYSIS OF THE POISON ADDRESS
Continuing his evidence yesterday morning
Mr.. Ames proceeded with his analysis Of the
address the poison wrapper. and. taking let
ter by letter in IL he compared them TO letters
Of similar formation which. he contended. APP
peared in the admitted writings. The witness
went on to say that IT was preposterous for any
to say that the handwriting Of Exhibit a.
the poison address. was simulated. He said:
II has been intimated that the address on the
wrapper had been written hy some one who was
trying to simulate the handwriting ~ somebody
else. That is absurd. for the simple reason that
any person I'm trying to simulate another's writ
effect. An imitation would certainly not change
the slant Of the genuine writing There Is no
actual pictorial resemblance between the poison
address and The writing ~ the defendant, and
II any person had tried TO initiate the defend
ants handwriting he would certainly have tried
for that pictorial effect This writing on the
poison package Is disguised not simulated. Sci
entihc examination bears out that theory
In beginning HIS cro-s-examination Mr.
Weeks sought to attack the crcdmnIty Of the
Witness by showing 'h"' no WAS 'he au'ho' o'
athcstic publications.. Asccrtainlng first that
Mr. Ames had written book entitled Biblical
Myths" counsel reading from the work asked
him II he was the authT Of this passage;
Again. ignorance and fear tremhe and are
rrnetrafo Tof~rc solr soeetnr, cunning and fraud
according 10 the firm of Moses. Jehovah & Co:
unlimited because re-cstabshcd. articles " CO.
renitaI ,ndnito some rcoIn,s terrestrial and ce.
Ieetjai and Moses its general nnancIer and
vS,'S' ,roaS,-er anu '''''' ''' 81
Immediately Nr Osborne Jumped 10 his feet
and angrilv objected. and was sustained by the
t,.ra o ,bo ,,-o,,,,d TIM, tho t,y, did M, ra-
~
quire any rehgiouS test MI "'ehS c'",'hu'" .'
that he should he allowed 20 test the credibility
~ the witness by means OF these "blasphemous
,,,,oro,c,s" h,,, y.as irterrunted nv Mr. Os
borne. and II was only after An excited wrangle
that the Recorder managed 70 dispose Of the
-.
SEARCHING TIE witness > HEO'i'D'
MT weeks proplhg next '"'o 'he "l'n'''
'e'''u asN'r vas ~, Ia,
80 .I,., -. oor,ot,
''s ,..., -, ,ho,
- sio,at,,ro No. u,rii,cr a year after the
death OF the man 10 whom the witness
attributed II. Mr.. Amcs said he had no
recollection Of IT, lie denied that hc had ever
made the blunder Of tcstifying In Brooklyn In
1881 that signature submitted to him was a
forgery. when IN reality It was a lithograph
Referring 10 the Becker forgery case IN san
Francisco Mr. Weeks asked the expert II IL had
not been proved that he had made an error IN
that case. but Mr.. Osborne objected and the
question was not allowed Mr. Weeks went on
10 name several other cases "ntr''n @ rnc w
had hppeatsu, anu III I"n. mn ~ W., in' H boI roade
quilted. or / had turned out that ne had made
''IsraheH, t, ,,, ,.,, ,t. s,ord tobp = TvrrolI
was recalled for the purpose Of showing: Mr
Barnet" letters and poison package were as
guised The method ne adop,eu I'D ILL., VI" e'",, n0