Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-10-19
per; for twenty-three years grand jury
expert of New York city.
CarvalhoS Report

CafValnO hep0rt.
Office and Laboratory, 2G5 Broadway,
New York City, October 10, 1904. To
his Excellcncy, Hon. ID. G.. Howard
Governor of South CarUliua-Sir: | have
the honor to submit herewith my report
in re examination of certain handwriting
exhibits used in the trial of the capital
case of the State of South Carolina VS..
Hoyt Hayes. In this report ! deem it
necessary in my effort to put you coinci-
dentally in complete touch and accord
with my methods aud the operations of
my mind; to discuss somewhat certain
phases OF general subject of handwriting
in its relationship to the particular eXh-
bitiOn now before me. If | have over
steppcd the bounds OF Couv ltiOnal com
parisons of handwritings it is because
of what ! believe to be the praseworthy
object and underlying motives which
prompted you to send me the disputed
note. in your desire TO reach definite
conclusion respecting the identity of its
writer.
If succeed by a demonstration Of real
facts in establishing this identity to your
satisfaction, aS | have done to my own,
the weary and painstaking study which
has been devoted to this matter will
yield me an abundant harvest in the re-
suits to follow, not ouly in the elevation
of my peculiar profos sion, but in the
happy belief which comes to me of what
your future action will be in this special
case. An experience of thirty years per
mits mo to observe how prone we all are
to be Affected by a corresponding likeness
to DO found as between correctly made
single letters. Surely If we consider the
fact of hundred persons being taught the
same syStem of writing, and by the same
master, is at all strange if, when making
the same letters correctly, they will ap.
proach closely the ideal forms and look
as if made by one hand? If we carry
our analogy to its logical sequence by AS
suming that through life they were able
to continue to write just as they left
school, does it not follow that they would
all write alike and any one could be
charged with having written the other
ninety-nine?
Fortunately such an assumption cannot
exist, as environment, mental and physi-
cal causes affect ono's handwriting in
thousand different ways and produces in
its ramitcations series of departures
from the ideal forms. These departures
in their diiferentiatious in the handwrit-
ing of the different individuals consti-
tuto and make up what is commonly
termed characteristics of ones handwrit-
ing. If it were possible to dclincate
these departures in chart form, in a case
of questioned writing it would almost
seem unnecessary to bring together the
known and unknown writing. The indi-
Gated departures in a chart of each when
the two charts are brought together,
would determine, Il they agreed, the
writing is by one hand; if not, per con
ira. Such plan, if time permitted,
would reduce the comparison of hand
writings to almost Il mathematical GER
tainty.
In our case, however, we do not need
to 90 to such extremes. We have ample
to supply the information VIC
seek when we have learned the idiosyI-
cracicS of the several handwritingS; al !
ways keeping before us the known fact:
Whom one is writing without thinking
of writing they write natural hand, /
but when one is thinking of writing they
are drawing from rccOllcCtionS of ideal,
back toward school master
times. The constant diversity Indicated
in the handwrtings OF single ndi- /
vidual made different periods guaran
tee the truthfulncss of this statement
We are taught conventional forms. No
variety is allowed the small letters, cx-
ccpt in the II" and "R,' which can be
made i'm two ways. In the making of
capital letters their variety becomes
more extended, and hence it is
not remarkable to find that ca
price governs them more han in
the matter of small letters Illus
trativc OF some of these established
truths take the l. V c. exhibit, tcsti
fed To as having been written in 1857,
and the letter dated October, 1902 both
written by the same person. .
The difference in time means one is five
years nearer to the school master
Observe in the 1897 one the small "t'
employed as final letter aud compare it
with final 1T, y in the 1902 letter Does
not the earlier one more closely approach
the ideal than the latter?
Examine the capital letters in both cx-
hihits and note their caprcious variety |
even their Implication OF the same forms /
SO much for identitications by single let /.
tors. As handwriting becomes moro and
more sc,r'Hd, due largely to the cduCa |.
tiOn the hand is receiving, so is its work /.
being Affected by environment and physi /.
cal causes. The hand, not like ma /
chine, Ona fixed track. often changes its .
course and performs curious things; these .
are termed "pccuiariticS, and while .
they do not indicate their presence al /.
ways in the same relative position, dc |
serve much consideration The other
and regular work it acCOmplishcS ConSti /
tutcs the "habit' of hand, and this habit |
i it is found to be fairly fixed, becomes |
the most important OF all for considers .
ton Included in 'habit' is to be found /
anglo, pen pressure, relationship of bot .
toms of letters to a base line, use of ini- /
tial strokes, length of final strokes, .
crossing of tS, mechanical layout .
of writing, spacing between words .
of letters and many more 7
things unnecessary to mention at this
time. Their value is to be estimated in .
about the same order in which they have /
been given and their application could be I
made more apparent if the exhibits had
been writtcn in ink instead of lead pencil. /.
For the purpose 0f adG,ussiug your at /
tcntiun to specific things, have marked /,
mo SnYnrnl exhibits In hlnc nrnCil md I'm |