Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-07-14

EXPERT HERE
Continued from page 1.

own hand; in the second place, they
think they can leave them all out.
But since many, if not large
majority, of the peculiarities of a
mans handwriting is unknown to
him, he cannot for this reason omit
them. In other words, a man will
not step around a hole he does not see.
Use Of Typewriters in Forgeries.
"Forgers are becoming more and
more educated. Some of them attain
wonderful skill ineXecuting forgeries
and covering up their tack and the
expert finds it necessary to put forth
his best efforts to keep pace with them.
"Snce the advent of the modern
| typewriter and its supposed freedom
from characteristics, such as a hand
writing might have, it has been
employed instead both in cases where
the identity of the writer was desired
to be kept concealed and in documents
where the age of the document was a
consideration.
How Possible Bias is Avoided.
"No, there are no established
schools where men may study the
pecuiarities of handwritings. 1t is
largely acquired by close study of the
| individualisms found in different
handwritings, / have had the privi-
lege of knowing many handwriting
experts and sharing in their expert
ence and this, of course, has been of
great assistance in the cases with
which | have been connected.
81 always insist upon being told
nothing concerning the issues in a
given case until [ have given my
testimony in court, if am retained.
For instance, did not know the facts
in the Hunt case before [ came here
to testify. This is the custom of all
reputable handwriting experts.
| The Famous Molineaux Case.
"Amoug the cases in which | have
been retained as an expert witness
are, the People of New York VS..
Roland MolineauX and the People of
| New York VS.. Albert T. Patrick
'Tne MOlineauX case was one
where Molineaux poisoned his friend,
Barnet, because he stole his sweet
heart and finding the means Of getting
rid of him would have been eminently
successful, he started out to get even
with a man named Cornish by the
same means: sending him poison
through the mails. Instead of killing
Cornish, he killed Mrs. Adams, Cor
nIsh'S aunt, and for this latter murder
he was brought to trial. He was
convicted on the first trial, for which
it required coroner's jury and three
grand juries, and sentenced to be
executed, The court Of appeals, how
ever, granted him new trial, and he
was finally acquitted, because Il large
! part of the discriminating evidence
was excluded 10y the trial judge.
"MolineauX'S scheme in brief was as
follows: In the city Of New York
there are a large number of places
where the government permits private
letter boxes where people may 60 and
get their mail and have it sent with
out any outsider being the wiser
MolineauX rented letter box in the
name Of his victim and wrote fol-
certain proprietary drugs, signing tt
the letter the name of the person
, supposed to have rented the box
Then he sent some harmless substance
such as an headache medicine, ir
which a quantity of cyanide Of
mercury had been mixed, evidently or
the theory that the death of the
person should be attributed tC
unnatural causes, the natural SUPPOSE
tiOn being that he had taken some
thing received in the mails and that
it had killed him. If the letter DO,
feature should be discovered-wh ii
was the victim that rented it.
"Before the purpose of connecting
MolineauX with this murder, through
the means of his handwriting, there
were about twenty pages of letters tt
which he had signed either the name
Barnet or Cornish, the Disgusting
in both cases simply being the use O
a broad pointed pen vertical, instead
of a slant style.
"In addition to the experts engaged
by the state, there were about dozel
: bank cashiers and tellerS, all of whom
expressed the opinion that the defend
ant had written the address on Thu
poisoned package and those letter
signed, Barnet.
The trial lasted nearly three months
} 1t took ten days to get jury ant
$40 men were examined before the
succeeded. The cost to the state wa
r over $4,000
81 studied the document sent me
for,one week, preceding the trial, be
fore the grand jury, took place; thel
about eleven months before the fina
trial. In all | had sixty-fve of Moli
neaux's letters and twenty of th,
disguised.
The Patrick Murder Case.
This is the case where the defend
, ant conspired with Jones, the valet O.
old millionaire Rice, TO murder hin
and hold Of tla aCtoto