The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-23

brought to me to examine in order to
find whether any of the peculiarities in
the type Of the original letter could be
duplicated.
in the end the machine was found. the
operator who took the dictation located.
and both parties decided to call the affair
a drawn battle and not to take things
into the courts.
IAN extraordinary case OF expert work
came to me one day through New York
savings bank. They had an account which
had been on their books for fifty years
originally an ordinary $50 deposit, but one
which in the course OF the elapsed time
had footed up by compound interest to a
little fortune. Like all banks with ac-
counts of this kind. this particular bank
was very anxious to get rid Of the money,
but did not know where to find the owner
or his heirs.
Finally. one Amos Williams was locat-
ed In Washington, D. g. The man was
then rs years old and in straitened cir
cumstances. But he was honest enough
to. admit that he knew nothing. of ever
having made a de9osit at the bank. But
fifty years ago, he said, he went to New
York on a spree. He had the spree all
right, and when he aWoke he was out all
the monev. Now, whether he deposited
the money while intoxicated he could not
say. Then some one decided to give the
matter to handwriting experts.
''The bank had the original signature OF
the depositor of fifty years ago and 1t, was
decided to compare 1t with the signature
OF old Amos Williams. The bank sigma
ture was not altogether steady, and It
looked as if 1t might have been made by
a man at least 2artly under the influence
of liquor, but when the two signatures
were compared all doubt was dispelled.
Throughout all those years the man had
preserved In a remarkable degree all the
little characteristics of his handwriting
while young. AS a rule this Is not the
case mans age and habits influencing
the characteristics and the little lido
syncrasies of his earlier handwriting. Yet
the two signatures agreed in this case.
That fifty years was, think, the longest
span / have ever been asked to bridge
over In the course of my career. r
''In Norfolk, Va, we had a queer case
): very long ago.. There were two whole
lie clothing merchants in that city, Sex
stein and Goldschmitt, and between them
they sold to all the retail clothing. estab-
lishmeIlts in the vicinity In an evil mo-
ment It occurred to Goldschmitt that he
could get all Of the trade OF his rival If he
could only manage to shut off the sources
tlat shipped the goods to the merchant.
Accordingly he sent several scores OF let
tiers in various handwritingss and signed
with various names to manufacturers
WdIullS luSu ulidI lLShStOih 49,
to fail. That prevented Eckstein from re-
plenishing his stock, and Golaschm1tt for
a while was in high glee. - =
Before long, Of courst, Eckste1n found
out the trick and all the letters were COL
lected anG given into the hands OF e1-
perts to decide whether they had been
written bv one man, and whether they
correspcnded to the hand OF the suspect
Goldschnaitt In time the case was taken
to court and damage verdict OF $2,ooo
was awarded to Eckstein -..--'a 80. =.
among the extraordinary cases that
come TO US are many professional men
who try to heat the civil service exam1na-
tons or the various boards OF public ex-
aminers Doctors and dentists, for ex-
ample, frequently give us work. An ap-
plicant for a degree or license may be
perfectly fit from his standpoint of pro-
fessional knowledge, but he. may realize
that he could not pass the regents exam
nation. His knowledge of medicine or
OF teeth may be all that is required, but
it is so long since he has studied history
or geography or grammar that he knows
he'd funk if re tried to pass. There
fore, he gets some one else to take the
examination for him and unless it is no
ticed that there is a discrepancy in the
handwriting Of the two men who have
taken the test man is ant to slip
through by that means. We are frequent
ly asked to decide as to the handwriting
in examination papers of this kind"