Evening star., 1935-01-16


A. More times wrong than right.
O. Sometimes In the request writ
ing you found the same word spelled
in the same ways. didn't you?
A. Yes. it was misspelied more time,
than spelled right
O. Was that misspelled as an at
tempt to disguise the handwriting?
A. Well, sir. not necessarily. A lot
Of people make mistakes. know
on words similar to that. ! sometimes
spell them right and sometimes wrong
1 thought the writer would be like
Id be in Germany. I'd have to keep
a book right close to me-
@. Considering that the word "be"
was misspelled. doesn't 1t seem odd
that the writer had the intelligence
to even look up, even II he did, the
word "hazardouS?"
A. Well, he might have
@. Do you think a handwriting
might have been copied on the ran
som notes?
A. If very expert imitator tried. he
might be able to copy some. but gee
Whiz. Mr.. Fisher, IA wordsl That,
too many.
Fisher pressed away to have the
expert agree that a clever penman
with specimen of Hauptmann's writ
ing and miSspelling, could initiate it
The witness insisted 1t would bt
virtually impossible to produce the
ransom notes in that way.
Experts Replies
Bring Laughter in Court.
Fisher then wanted to know If ons
handwriting specimen wouldn't b<
ample for q clever penman to worl
on
One well will make a river if it..
big enough" drawled the witness.
The court rocked with laughter.
Q. Were you present when the de.
fendant made these request writings!
A. I wasn't present when Washing.
ton crossed the Delaware. but 60,
a pretty good idea he got over to thu
Jersey side.
More laughter echoed In the cour
room.
You don't know" Fisher asked
how Hauptmann wrote the request
writings. whether or not words wera
dictated to him miSspelled?"
A. I have to 60 on faith. I don
;hink all those officers would do tricl
like that
The defense counsel did not relin.
quish the point.
@. You don't know. do you. If sucf
things were done in the request writ.
ings?
A. If you can prove it. it certainly
will help your case. Mr.. Fisher.
Cassidy's drawing answer again
brought burst of laughter.
Cassidy was excused without redi.
rect.
Wilmer Souder, q member of the
Federal Bureau Of Standards. Depart.
ment Of Commerce, at Washington
was then called.
He said that for nine years he hac
served his bureau in the capacity ol
document examiner.
Lanigan was questioning him.
@. When were you first assigned
to this case?
n. Vii hPIh IL iSCS.
@. Tell about 1t. please.
A. I was called from Toledo Ohio
to the home of Col. Lindbergh. where
was asked to examine them and
give such advice as I could.
He identified all the ransom notes
@. You've examined all of them?
A. Yes. sir.
@. When did you examine them?
A. First in April, 1882, and then
again in December, 1892.
O. show you the genuine writing
Of Hauptmann, the automobile IL
cenSe. Have you examined them?
A. Yes. l. have.
Souder Says Same
Person Wrote All Three Sets.
Q. AS result Of your examina
ton of these three sets of documents
the request writings. the licenses and
the ransom notes, what is your con-
clusion?
A. The same person wrote all three
sets
III Mr.. Hauptmann wrote the re-
quest writings and the admitted writ
ings." the mild-mannered Federal ex-
pert said. he also wrote the ransom
documents"
@. All of them?
A. All of them.
Charts were passed among the
jurors.
Q. Now. Mr.. Souder, 60 ahead.
He held a chart for the court to see
A. These contain parts of the ram
som notes and of the known writings.
In some cases I call your attention to
certain departures from the normal
or acquired handwriting character
istics.
In the first rectangle at the upper
left there are four 'D's.'
They are all written admittedly by
the same person. There Is another
d above the line.
That d looks different.
But to me they are all alike.
1 have never seen q letter so pecu-
liar"
Souder Spoke With
Conviction and Precision.
Souder, who appeared to be In his
late 30s, spoke with conviction and
precision.
His testimony, cold, sharp. appar.
emily authoritative, contrasted sharply
with that Of the Virginia boy who pre-
ceded him. There was no suggestion
of humor or doubt in this mans testi-
mony.
Crisply, Souders finished up with
the first chart, giving q short discus
sion on each of the peculiarities and
characteristics which led him to link
Hauptmann to the ransom note writer,
Hauptmann looked duly at the wit
ness. Another chart was produced.
Copies were passed among the jurors.
This is prepared like the preceding
chart" he explained.
He took the words ''m-o-n-y."
"h-t-e" and those that had been re-
viewed previously by other experts.
Q. That completes the charts, Doc
tor.
A. Yes.
Take the witness" said Lanigan.
Frederick A. Pope started to cross
examine, but the jury wished to retire
and a 5-minute recess was called at
1l:05 am