New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-18
AUTOGRAPHS AS EVIDENCE.
WHAT A COLLECTION OF NOTED NAMES
DOES AND DOES NOT SHOW.

WHAT A COLLECTION OF NOTED NAMES
DOES AND DOES NOT SHOW
The Molineux trial and the large part which
expert evidence on handwriting played in IT,
are likely 10 give to collections OF autographs
at this time general interest which such things
ordinarily possess only for the special class Of
autograph hunters and students Of history A
collection Of 33S scraps Of paper bearing the
writing Of persons all more less known
fame is to be seen at the auction rooms OF
Bangs & Co. in Fifth-aver and the non-expert
may there try to convince himself either one
way the other as 70 the value Of expert tesJi-
mony.
Thus, for example, a couple OF sheets Of fine
caligraphy, dated "Buma Park, May. 1894" and
signed by Eugene Field may very well seem TO
some more characteristic Of that poet by the
thoughts expressed, and the illusions than by
the caugraphy itself Fields writing was Of
unusual kind, but 1t certainly seems that aim So
any one with a moderate command Of penmau-
ship could initiate it. on the other hand, page
of q rough draft Of play by Wukie Collins,
presenting a caIlgraphcai mess Jtac must have
made printers profane with its endless and
bewildering e-asures and additions. shows
formation OF letters that could only be initiated
after long and patient STUDY Wukie Collins
would have been I'll advised 10 address poison
package TO any oae. Wordsworyh's writing
judging by the Specimen in this collection, must
have been the writing Of hundreds of men u ms
own class ana tine. That OF Robert + Lee, a
Specimen written when ne was Lieuuenant-Coi'-
mel q the q United States Cavalry, is neat and
to the n0a-ezrarI. entirely commonplace, and
much The same may be said Of the Jefferson
Davis autograph Sherman's is not remarkably
individual or Sheridan's. the specimen shown
and rr-1r n =
signature IS likely 10 become .nt-FIdual-zed even
when his general writing is not,
The lesson OF d large number II great men
autographs Ike these. seems 20 be that hand
writing which cannot be- easily initiated = more
common among the thinkers than among The
rneu Of action. Nelson and BrDnte" is one el-
ception gut as rule the fighting men appear
TO aim at something which they regarded a
suitable for regulation hand The poets and
other authors evidently think less Of the shapes
Of their letters than 81 their thoughts and
phrases. Field the enthusiastic amateur Of Old
manuscripts. being one striking exception Rus
kin Of whom there is no example here, did not
seem 10 keep up 70 che end Of has life his youth
f1li neataess and precision Of caUgrapny.
The more generally attractive side Of the
study Of handwriting. the attempt TO Judge
character by that means would find delight
fui field in the comparison OF, say, Specimen
30 an order OF the notorious Confederate prison
keeper Henry Wiz 70 bring in somebody dead
or alive" with the character of an unpublished
stanza by Thomas Bailey Aldrich with
Grants writing IN official letters 20 HaIeck
or with Lees or Charles Dick=ns's 4 school q
"chirographology" ought u be- provided with a
large collection OF facsimile reproductions o.
writings b. men OF more or less known cha-ac-
ter. the originals WOULD De 700 costly for use in
everyday study