Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-10-07

Handwriting Is Explained-Chemis-
try and Photography Employed in
the Detection Of the Work OF the
cleverest Forgers.
The amending combat between Grim
inals and the defenders Of society has
in recent years become Il real scien
titic war. New discoveries are as
simulated with amazing rapidly By the
up-to-date criminal, and the policeman
must keep lat the page" OF confess
himself lmpotent To protect or uVense.
In most countries there are more or
less serious attempts 10 help The po-
lice to outdistance In knowledge and
weapons the experts in crime. In
France. especially. police laboratories
and schools are taken seriously. Of
all the establishments Of this sort with
which the country is endowed the most
famous and probably the most efficient
is that of Lyons, where the brilliant
Doctor Locard Is in charge. Though
still comparatively young, he is al
ready we'll advanced in his life's am
bitiOn-to lay the bases for Co-ordi-
mated and complete science Of crime
detection. Many Of the extraordinary
interesting methods he uses are known
to criminologists, but few Of them
are quite recent and may even be news
TO the expert Among them his work
OH the fascinating and difficult ques-
ton Of "graphology." a matter which
has been IN the public eye much of
late owing 10 series of sensational
crimes which turned largely Oh the
Identification OF handwriting.
May Become Exact Science.
| am able 10 give sketch of the
main heads of what is likely in the
near futurc-at any rate il the hopes
Of Doctor Locard he fuliilled-to be-
come an exact science for the positive
and unqueSiionablc identification Of
handwriting. no matter how cleverly
disguised. says Paris correspondent
vf the New York World. Ii may be
recalled In this connection that il was
Doctor Locard, By his expert eXami-
nation of the anonymous letters of
Tulle In the Tiger Eye Case" who
finally solved the mystery. which had
already caused death and madness.
and brought the odously clever and
perverted young woman responsible 10
justice.
The principal classes of cases which
the handwriting expert is called Oh 10
solve are:
!. Erasion. or scratching.
2. Surcharge.
g. Forgery by tracing.
A. Freehand forgery.
g. Disguised writing.
The first Two catcgories are now.
adays largely matters of chemistry.
Doctor Locard's principal work has
been done on the last-claSs five.
Alteration by Erasion.
When a document has been tam.
pered with. either BY indiarubber or
with penknife, the fact is revealed
easily, either in looking through the
page held up to the light on by soak.
ing il IN benzine. Benzine spreads In
circular manner in an untouched doc.
ument, but when 1t arrives III point
where the paper iibers are broken ana
the size" injured its progress be-
comes irregular both in speed and in
direction. This extremely simple
means shows the spots which have
been lnterfered with. II is then "A
matter OF restoring the primitive text.
In the ease OF pencil writing ii is
almost always possible 10 find out
what was rubbed out by photograph.
Ing the back Of the page in oblidue
light. The point OF a pencil produces
groove which no rubbing can entire
ly efface.
In the case of ink It is more difficult.
There are three systems. Bertilon'S
system. which he called carhurati0n,
consists of making the paper very hot
In an oven. This often works. but
nearly always incompletely, and al the
same time the document (often a
precious piece of evidencc) Is ruined.
In case at Annecy-an affair OF
postal frauds-the expert, in using
this method. entirely destroyed the
only proof of the innocence of the
accused.
Chemistry and Photography.
Another method more up To date,
consists IN the use of chemical means.
This operation. however, demands a
foreknowladge Of the chemical nature
OF the ink used often n difficult mat
ter Analysis OF the Ink OF the con
rext must first be done--a most dif-
ficult and delicate operation The
only technique eXtant Of this operation
Is that (faultyl Of Professor Fraser,
which only applies 10 black inks. one
~ the greatest unsolved problems in
the field of crime detection is that OF
proper and satisfactory method Of
analyzng inks.
The third method is by photography.
This Is called Fogel'S method. and was
invented by the Berlin scientist over
nifty years ago In the following cir
cumstanccs: 4 lady Went Ia he pho
tographcd While the plates We're he
ing developed II was discovered that
many obscure hlotches and spots coy.
cred the face. As the customer had
perfectly beautiful complexion the pho