Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-10-25
ARE YOU A GOOD. RISK?
ny rrederIc !. rraskIn


New York, oct 2s.---ff you want 10
make a favorable impression upon a
bonding company. be fat, profane.
married. and have bad penmanshlp
| All Of these characteristics. usually
looked upon as handicsps by the gen.
eral public. are regarded rs highly
desirable by tho big New York bond
/ Ing companies which underwrjte
thousands Of embezziement risks every
year.
II is estimated that the large total
Of si00000.o00 IL annually enlbezzled
In this country. The total number Of
known efnbezzlers whose defalcations
are discovered is around 5000. These
startling figures explain why the
bonding companies have found IL ne,e
essary 10 make an elaborate study
of character, environment and psy.
lchology In underwriting ernbezzlement
risks. After many years Of such study
and experience. they have been able
definitely TO label some human traits
good risks and others had.
According 10 william ". Joyce
president Of the National Surety Com
pany Of this city. the man who cusses
a lot is good risk, not because he Is
profs~e, but because he Is essentialI,,
human. His mind" says Mr.. Joyce
has q safety valve through which he
lpours his excess emotions. He is far
safer than the quiet, suppressed in
ldividual who stiles his natural inn
pulses"
Mr.. Joyce has been studying the
characteristics Of embezzfers Tor more
than 20 years. during which time ne
mas formulated the following guides
for underwriters
1T is always the trusted ernplove
who gets away with the most money
There is no age at which ernbezzie-
lment ceases.
Young and Uniformed characters
lare the chief offenders.
"Margin speculation leads 10 more
embezzlement than cards or dice
betting on the ponies ranks close
second.
''Ex-convicts are the poorest risk,
Of all.
Since prohibition, many ennbezzle.
ments have been caused By the high
cost Of bootleg liquor"
Fat people are considered better
risks than lean ones. because IN,
obese are on the whole more placlt
land content with their lot. and los,
inclined to morbid recklessness. Mar
red risks are preferred to single risks
as tame horses are preferred to vii,
lones. Cranks Of every kind, moreover
are readily accepted by the stiret,
companies for the same reason tba
profane men are favored. In othe
words, people who flaunt their idio
syneracies sufficiently to be terrne,
"cranks" at least get the poison o1
OF their system.
Good Penmsn often Bad.
Perfect penmanship is regarded viii
the deepest distrust fS most bondip,
companies. a. r. Cole. inspector d
the American Surety Company here
who in the last 20 years has accunnu.
lated handwriting specimens II hun,
ldreds Of embezzIers. says he believe,
that superior penmanship Is an. ttp.
failing characteristic Of embazzlers
lie does not deny that many an hon.
est man writes tidy hand. but n i,
extremely rare TO find a defaulter who
writes poorly.
Ny opportunities for studying such
handwriting follow the opening OF
each new embezzlement case" saws
Mr.. Cole, FOR the first procedure is
to study the application which the
accused man filled out with his per
before being employed in a position
of responsibility. And I'm not speak.
ing only of bookkeepers, bank tellers
ana other men in positions recurring
a good hand. for we are called upon
to bond office boys, salesgirIs. railroad
conductors. restaurant cashiers, and
others required to handle money with
out any tall feats of penmanship.
In looking over our files of business
criminals, comprising examples from
every kind Of trade everywhere. ]
come across few specimens Of poor
handwriting--not more than one "a
every fifteen that are above the aver
age OF excellence. In other words
about 90 per cent Of the defaulters in
our files have been frst-class. penmen
And l have examined thousands OF
applications of men who afterwart
went wrong"
Rlcnard NJ. McKenna Of the do.
tective division of the New York DO.
lice department. who has made a
special study Of handwriting in con.
nection with criminal investigation
supports Mr.. Coles interesting oh,
servatiOn.
From my study of the handwritine
OF crooks" he says. Il believe tba,
vainly and the desire to deceive have
n great deal to do with the cultivation
Of certain type Of very fine uenmar.
snip. The normal man in forming his
handwriting has the ideal Of writing
freely, legibly and speedily. but tn,
man with the makings Of a crook h
him has the ideal Of showing OFF hi,
cIeverness. winning adairation, and
concealing his own true character
with false appearance of highly
ornamented perfection. That's the
feeling I seem to read in crook hand.
writing, and I believe I could dis
tnguish it eight times out Of ten"