The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-14
FAMOUS FORGERY CASES,
CRIMES PROVED ~ WORK or
HANDW RITING EXPERTS.

NNAN " vi NhAAllAA AhitNff
Crossed ~" IA n Codlcll ~ Evidence
'Forgery,s said Chabot, the great hand
writing expeft. ia one OF the most unsatis-
factory crimes man can commit nova
days. IL can be 80 easily discovered.
That was not always the case. says An
sHeTs. There was once nothing easier
than initiating handwriting 30 Success
fully that the fraud could not be dis
covered. and the skilful forger was one q
the leasL often detected and most Success
full scoundrels in the criminal world. How
common and how successful he was eX-
perts who have had ancient documents
put before them well know. II Is wonderful
how many OF these, the commences OF which
has never been suspected, the expert Is
alba, by the aid Of modern science, unhes-
itatingly TO pronounce forgeries.
by nature and habit individuals contract
a system Of forming letters which gives
character 20 their writing "a distinct as
that Of the human face declared Neither
cliff, the first recognized handwriting ex-
pert. Il seems perhaps, a startling say
ing, but It IL true, a. thousands OF Grim
inals have found TO their cost
Neil Cream, the mysterious poisoner Of
women in the south Of London in 1892
found a certain peculiarly in his hand
writing Of material assistance to the police
in dragging him to the fate on the scafold
he so well deserved. It was Creams prao-
tise to poison a woman and then to send
blackmaihng letter, generally TO a doctor
Neil was himself an American Nj. Ode
manding money, under threat OF the re-
cipient being charged with the deed. These
letters were, Of course in a disguised hand
writing, and Neil had devised an ingenious
method Of battling detection. 1t was not
good enough, however, and when the let
tens were collected and compared with
others admittedly written by Neil there
we're remarkable similarities in each which
made it clear that they were al the produo-
ton Of the same man.
Recognized specialists in the examining
and comparison Of handwriting appear TO
have been unknown in England till a
photographer, Joseph Netherclift, came be-
fore the public as an expert. A Mr.. James
Wood, n draper and banker OF gloucester
died, leaving fortune OF 81 100000. WOOD
was an eccentric character, with a Iarualty
10 making wills and hiding them in the most
absurd places in his house, where he lived
solitary existence.
After his decease will after viii and
codicl after codicil were discovered hidden
Y
IN secret draws. The relative who rejoioed
to-day. under a codicil making him rich,
was in few days time thrown into despair
by the discovery Of some dirty piece OF
paper, perhaps found projecting. from
rat hole in an attic. which proved 70 be q
later document executed by James Wood,
leaving him nothing. We're these wills
and codicils true or falsef IL was ques-
ton in which a handwriting. expert was
decidedly necessary. Netherclift, the lithog-
rapher, was called In, and from the assist,
encs he was able TO render the puzzled
investigators in the case he became famous.
From that time he was kept busy.
In not one case out Of ten in which ne
n consulted does the expert In handwriting
appear In court. The others are compro-
missed or hushed up. The most common
occasions on which he Is consulted are mat
Timonial matters, hbelous letters, abusive
and threatening eptstles, suspected sigma
lures to wills, ensures in documents, val
entines. The valentine crop has, however,
been enormously reduced Of late years. Not
many years ago the offensive and anony-
nous valentine that found its way TO the
handwriting experts table was very com
mon,
The forger Of signatures works either by
copying the real signature by simply writ
ing an Imitation Of IL as IL lies before him,
by tracing IT, placing the original signature
with the document to which the forgery Is
20 be attached on, say, a window pane,
going over the signature in pencil and then
covering the mark with ink or by tracing
e straight OF with ink. AL these methods
are easily distinguishable by the expert,
One Of the most sensational pieces OF ex-
pert work performed by handwriting
specialist was in connection with the tTlal
Of Christiana Edmunds OF Brighton for
poisoning a child. Having bought some
sweets, Edmunds impregnated them with
etryChnine, and then, walking out dlstrb-
uted them to various children she met.
One child died and others had narrow
escapes.
Al the inquest on the Victim II oame
out In evidence that a certain lady, who
had not been identified, had bought strych-
nine at local chemists and had signed
the name Wood in his register OF sales
Of poisOns. Christiana Edmunds, learning
that importance was attached TO this sig
nature, actually wrote a letter to the chem
ist, which she signed with the Coroner's
name, and despatched Il TO the shop by
a boy. requesting him TO hand the bearer
the register book for examination.
The book was unsuspeCtingly handed 20
the boy, who carried Il to Edmunds, who
tore out what she believed was the entry,
and then returned the volume by her
messenger.
Al the trial Il appeared that Edmunds
had In her terror and confusion, distracted
an entry signed by another customer
named Wood.
The signature, the letter forged In the
Coroner,s name and letters avowediy
written by the same person, and the trick
was discovered. Edmunds was sentenced
10 death, but the capital punishment was
afterward oommuted to penal servitude for
life, upon the suspicion that the wretched
woman was insane.
In the famous Great Matlock will case
the crossing Of the It in the word to
settled the question whether the codicls
OF will were genuine OF false In the will,
which was In the dead mans handwriting,
the It was increased 81 times, wholly
crossed times. but half crossed never.
In so OF the dead mans letters the - in
stos was unCrossed l3i times, wholly
crossed IA times, but never half creased.
In the disputed codicils the 81 was always
half crossed.
The jury decided that the codicils were
not genuine.
The number OF anonymous letters sub
mitted TO the expert in a year Is very large
Sometimes these letters are written by the
recipients themselves for certain purposes.
An American expert tells an amusing story
Of such case The minister Of certain
church one day produced a letter he had,
he alleged. received from another congre-
CATION. offering him a larger salary II he
would transfer his ministTations TO them.
To retain him the con aggregation raised his
aftva,A hn ID call