The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-08-15

II was not 80 much that It vas error TO
admit the check in evidence Il am IN
formed there was no objection to It's In
troduction) but the awful mistake tho
defense made was not 10 have Demon
strated to the jury-as easily coulo
have been done-that Grimm was In
com petent to write either the body OF
tho check or the signature OF Stephen
Golchek.
At the herring before Governor Nor
gan, Mr.. Wilkin laid this check on the
table and told the Governor that they
had proved in the Grimm trial that
Grimm had written the check and
forged the signature. The awful Sig
nidcance OF this testimony is that the
forEer Of = check Is in the same posi-
ton with the person who negotiates the
check. that the maher Of counterfeit
money 70 In With the man who circu-
lates or uuers the counterfeit money.
In both Cases there is division OF
whatever proceeds are derived from tho
uttering Of the counterfeit money or the
check. This jury was convinced there
by that Grimm. as we'll as the ondricks.
had n motive for tho murder Of Col
chok, to-wit q division Of the five
thousand dollars II IT had been OBJ
tanned.
Fortunately, had seen the genuine
handwriting of Grimm. and demon
suated to the Governor and satisfied
him that the uody Of the check and the
signature were both written in an edu-
cnted hand, and that Grimm wrote the
unfor illitcrate hand Of child or
seven or eight years. or OF man who
had but a very slight educa ton. and
who could Gn rely write.
He agreed with me as TO the educated
hand appearing on tho check. and that
one who wrote the initeratc hand that
Hobart Grimm wrote, could not have
written such a checi. II Hobart Grimm
were given thirty days to prepare fac
smile OF the check introduced in the
Grimm trial. and for such work was to
receive a million dollars. he would have
10 give up the job. When forgeries are
attempted. only the mPSt expert pen
men can do Il In other words. II re-
quires 1 Jim the Penman" The expert
who writes an educated hand can i'm
tate 4 hand. educated or il!itcraie. but
the illiterate penman can only write
one hand.
The genuine handwriting Of Hobart
Grimm, l was informed was in the nlea
Of the Pardon Attorney. at Charleston.
and l think ! am Tree 10 say tn8l inc
Governor was absolutely convinced thai
Hobart Grimm not only did not but
could not write either the check or the
forged signature.
II was within the power Of counsel
for the defense-and ! hate TO say this
to have made the same demonstration
to the jury that | made 10 the Governor
and ono Of the most discriminating
pieces of evidence against this boy
would have worked In his favor. as /.
would not only have shown the desper-
ate straits the state was driven to. but
II would have tended to strengthen the
belief of the inry- in the falsity OF the
States position in the other Two ma =
ter:al pieces OF evidence, Yet no at
tempt was made by counsel for the de-
Tense 10 show this
have shown that hfke Ondrick never
left Follansbee that day or night. and
the blood on tho rug and on the wall
show he did not. forgot to say that
J.frrcys testified for Grimm. and his
testimony and Grimm's. Is that they
never saw Golchek until they saw him
lying on the floor in Ondrick's house.
Bearing in mind the State had TO
prove these material facts beyond
every reasonable doubt 10 moral Ger
tainty-where arc We in this remarkable
case?
II thess indisputabie facts had been