New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-27
AMES TAKES THE STAND.
VETERAN HANDWRITING EXPERT ALSO
ACCUSES MOLINEUX.
PROSECUTIONS HANDWRITING TESTIMONY
EXPECTED TO BE FINISHED TO-DAY
COMMENT ON THE COST
OF THE TRIAL.
OF THE TRIAL.


Another day was given up TO the handwriting
experts yesterday when the trial of Roland B.
Molineux entered its seventh week. The cross
examination OF Henry L. Tolman was ended IN
the morning. and then Daniel T. Ames. the
dean Of handwriting experts" he is called.
who came all the way from San Francisco to
testify was put on the stand. In the opinion OF
most people in court who have followed the trial
from the beginning the day wasted one,
and was productive Of not one single point or ad-
vantage to the prosecution save the mere erect
OF corroboration Practically the two witnesses
did nothing more than traverse again the same
ground which was covered by the experts VINO
preceded them. This much was expressed by
Recorder Goff himself who broke In upon MT
Tolman at point when the expert was going
into long and detailed descriptions OF similar-
ties Of loops which he professed to have found
ir the admitted and disputed writings. The Re
corder pointed out to Assistant District Attorney
Osborne that such details were unnecessary ana
that it would suffice il the corroborating experts
would confine themselves to concise statement
OF general characteristics
The prosecution however, paid little heed 10
the Recorders suggestion. and Mr.. Tolman
and later Mr.. Ames were permitted TO occupy
as much time as they pleased in drawing curves,
strokes, circles ana loops uppH tiiC N"'Oi N "
explaining how one particular part Of letter
IN the disputed writing bore likeness to part
Of another letter In the handwriting Admittedly
Molineux's instead Of being confined to gem
eral expression of opinion and the really
fundamental reasons upon which that opinion
was formed
AS IT was the intermlnable process Of taking
letter by letter and identifying 1t with some
other character in the disputed handwritings
was wearing in the extreme, and only tended the
more to confuse the jury, unless their minus are
much more receptive than the minds OF other
Law individuals who have listened for three
weeks TO the technicalities and theories OF the
experts.
END OF THE EXPERTS TO-DAY.
However. to-day is likely to see the end or
the ordeal The examination Of Mr.. Ames VIII
probably be closed before recess. and although
the prosecution has in the person OF MT nay
OF Washington, another expert VINO Is PREPARED
to testify that Molineux wrote all the exhioits
!, tho ease II is not likely that he will be
called.
The attention which The Tribune has drawn
70 the enormous ard unprecedented cost Oh the
NoIineux trial has served to arouse great uea'
~ public comment. Until the facts were pup
Iished people generally had no idea OF the vast
expenditure which the State would oe caiieu
,ror 70 make for the trial. People qualified
TO express an opinion do not hesitate 10 say 'hal
there has been an extravagant outlay both IN
nreparlng and in conducting the case Mr. IyrrelI'
the voung expert from Milwaukee, although ne
was told at first that he might return nome
ofter testifvinR was instructed to remain IN
tho cIty He was in court yesterday, as were
the other experts no have already given their
evidence Already their bills foot up many thou-
sends of dollars and for each day that they are
Kent in attendance they will charge the state
$40 and incidentally their hotel expenses "hat
This will mean IL the case lasts another TWO
months. as it Is expected to do. can reaoiIy
be computed
Whom Mr. Tolman was recalled to the stand
Yesterday morning, he continued MS minute
connarisons Of the writing on the poison pack
age and Of the other exhibits In the case lie
pointed ont TO the jury the sameress or the
yerara1 characteristics which he had traced
throughout all the writings. He dwet chlehy
upon what he called the triangular effect" that
was observable in all the exhibits and showing
that in his handwriting Molineux was strong in
muscle but weak in viii power. He had habit
the witness theorized. of beginning his words
with large capital letters, too heavy Tor the
rest Of the word causing waste Of energy
,,btcb exhausted the writer at the end of about
tbrea words causing him thereby to begin
arresb The initial impulse and subsequent loss
NJ energy were responsible for what Mr.. Tolman
called the triangular effect" In the writings Oh
the exhibits The witness went on to state that
no man could thoroughly disguise MS hand"rlt-
ing because II an inevitable rule that
man somewhere in his efforts to simulate anOth-
ers writing would betray himself by un-
consciously allowing his own pen habits to
manifest themselves.
Az great length and in technical language he
exnIained with the aid Of crayon and paper the
similar characteristics which he had found In
Molneux's letters and the Barnet ana cor
nish" letters and the address on the poison
package. 1t was apparent that tne chlrosra- Iqai.
nhist's deductions and disquisitions were recelV-
inc hut little attention from the jury. 1t is
true that they listened patiently, but they did
not follow Mr. Tolmans evidence with the same
attention that they displayed In the early stages
OF the handwriting testimony. when they re-
ferred continuously to their Photographic album
Of the exhibits in order to satisfy themselves
whether or not the reasonings of the experts
| were we'll founded. Before Mr.. Tomans direct
/ examination was ended he declared that the
/ constant repetition Of the peculiarites which he
! mad nointed out in the various exhibits in the
/ case led him 10 believe that the defendant
wrote the Barnet and Cornish letters as
/ we'll as the address on the poison package.
MR. WEEKs's CROSS s-EXAMINATION.
Mr.. Weeks's cross-examinaton was mainly
devoted to showing that the witness was by no
means an infallible expert, and that Juries and
other experts had frequently disagreed with
/ him He admitted at the outset that after de-
voting only about eight hours to studying all
the specimens Of handwriting submitted to him
/ by the police, he was able to go before the
! Coroner's fury and testify as to the Identity OF
/ the writings The witness acknowledged that
/ he had testified in cases where some OF the ex-
/ nerts with whom he now agreed in the Molineux
( case had differed with him. He conceded that
he might have been wrong at times, but said he
,yaa unable TO recall a certain case in Wisconsin
where he had testified that the signature OF
~. rhtob nenned the body of the document
and a, that n was afterward proved that the same
hand wrote both. -.,. -, !.
Replying to Mr.: Weeks the witness SAID ne
,,as 70 receive $50 a day and expenses. includ-