The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1909-12-11

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Handwriting Experts Testimony
in Russell Case Points Plainly
to Forgery. Simpson Gets
New Evidence Admitted.
The Boston Traveller Of December has
this to say of the Russell case:
The climax in the hearing of the petit
tion of Daniel Blake Russell of North
Dakota for recognition as a joint heir;
under the will of the lste Daniel Russell
of Melrose. came today. when d.. Albert
H. Hamilton. the United States postal
department expert in hand writing,
chemistry and microscopical analysis.
declared on the stand, before Judge Law
rtpn in the Middlesex probate court that
the hand that wrote the petition for the
probate of the Russell will and the petit
tion for receiverstor the estate was the
! same hand that wrote the famous
Rousseau" letters by which the atter-
neys for william Russell. the elder bro
ther. hope: to prove that the claimant is
/, an impostor. .-...
d.. Hamilton has been on the stand for
four days and at the close Of his direct
examination hysAtty. Simpson Of North
Dakota, representing the claimant, the
most important question of the trial was
asked. ~
Atty. Thomas Proctor, representing the
estate. fought for over an hour and
half to get the answer to the question
excluded, but without success.
Dr.. Hamilton said that the writing in
the body of the two petitions and the
writing of the man who signed both
petitions was identical with that shown
in the Rousseau letters which he de-
clared were palpable forgeries.
The witness further testified in support
of his previous opinion that certain por-
tions of one of the two petitions which
were recorded in the Middlesex probate
court by the attorney for the Russell
estatesnow in the name Of William c:
Russell. had been forged. The witness
said that passages and words had been
erased by powerful chemical and
other matter substituted.
These direct charges Of forgery caused
a sensation in the courtroom and for
over an hour Dr.. Hamilton explained to
Judge Lawton the scientific. means used
BY him to make his allefed discoveries.
The two documents of record to which
the expert had referred were before Judge
Lawton on the bench, and when Dr..
Hamilton pointed to the signature at the
bottom of each and said, Your Honor,
the same man who wrote that signature
wrote nearly all of the letters introduced
here by the defense as having been in
the handwriting of James Rousseau,
the sensation was pronounced.
On the End of December. two days later.
o. at the conclusion of the sixth day of
Dr.. Hamilton's testimony. the following
dispatch was sent to the Daily News of
Fargo:
Dr. Hamilton said that he had exam
ined the edge of some of the envelopes
which had contained the letters alleged
to have been forged and from which the
postage stamps had been removed. He
said that he regarded the cutting of these
stamps from the envelopes as significant
and thought it had been done recently.
He said that the absence of back can
collation. stamp on one of the envelopes
was suspicious. This envelope was ad-
dressed to one of the members of the
Rousseau family at Helena, N. 7.
There was no Helena cancellation stamp
mark on it. 4
OF another envelope the doctor said
although the cancellation stamp is q
genuine one the address ON the envelope
overlaps the stamp"
The doctor added that through the use of
a microscope he found that there had
been writing in lead pencil on the enve-
lope. but that it had been erased.
Attorneys Simpson and Proctor became
involved in controversy over certain
questions which the latter was asking.
Proctor smilingly said:
Don't you worry, Mr.. Simpson.
Quick as flash Attorney Simpson
replied:
''Mr. Proctor, have passed the
worrying stage you are worrying now. y
The foraoine evidence looks good for
Senator L. A. Simpsons side. Parties
in Dickinson who have been following
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