The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-01-25


+ ingly innocent trivialities as
L failure TO dot an Z" cross Z,
the slant of a letter, n byphen, may
prove a deciding factor in sending
man to the electric chair convicted Of
the crime of numbering little Charles
Lindbergh, son of the famous aviator.
Those tiny, individual characteristics.
which handwriting experts assert are
ineradicable in each persons writing,
are being fought over point by point.
curve by curve, as the state introduces
what some observers calm is strong
mann. Bronx ex-carpenter, was author
of the notes which resulted in payment
Of the $4,000 ransom money by DR..
]. F. "Jafsie" Condor.
Huge photostatic engagements of
certain words and letters from the
ransom letters and from Hauptmann's
admitted writings have been hung in
the courtroom for the Information of
the jury. The sheets, each 6 feet in
height and feet in width have been
tackled to the wall behind the witness
chair where the kidnaper's ladder had
rested earlier in the trial. The adj
mitted writings and rhe disputed writ
ings are shown in parallel columns
marked 'Hauptmann writing" and
ransom notes.
Albert S. Osborn, seventy-six years
old and silvery-haired, testified in a
clear, resonant voice that it was his
opinion the ransom notes were all writ
ten by the writer of tie various papers
signed by Richard Hauptmann, and that
all fourteen of the ransom notes were
written by the same writer.
Osborn was positive in his statement
that Hauptmann penned the notes.
The expert proved good witness, de-
spite his deafness which forced attor-
neys TO speak very loudly when ad-
dressing him. He identified himself
as an expert in SO states and in Can
ada and England, and is the author
Of two books on the subject OF hand
writing. In several verbal exchanges
with defense attorneys he proved him
self more than a match.
In explaining his comparison, Osborn
gave an exposition on the general basis
for comparison of handwritings. Char
acteristics in handwriting. he said are
the same as the characteristics of any
thing else. There are many things by
which handwriting might be identified
exactly as a man, ,r an automobile
or horse is identified, by general de-
scription, and then by Individual marks
and scars and by characteristics which
in combination make it apparent that
they are not the result of accident,
he continued.
When pupils learn the same system
of writing, If they learn to write per-
fectly. one writing cannot be distin
guished from another, but that does
not occur. Osborn pointed out. Writ
ing, he said. begins as an acquired
qualification. If is an acquired habit
first initiating the forms. and then the
forms become more easily made, until
finally writing becomes succession of
habitual motions. Certain identical
habitual motions were To be seen in
both the writing on The ransom notes
and the accepted writing done by
Hauptmann. Osborn declared.
The letter *" was painted out at the
start. Mr.. Osborn snowe-c that it was
a clear, open *" looking more like
zee" and that ii wasn't an *" at all
The Il" he testified. showed decided
German characteristics, a. did the let
tiers 81" and ga" Hauptmann had a
peculiar habit Of finishing words in an
awkward way with strokes that are
too long, Osborn said, and also used
a hyphen between the two words in
New York" In the ransom notes. he
said. he found only three of the 391
It's" were crossed. and the same was
true of "very large number" of the
samples Hauptmann wrote for the po-
lice. Only seven of the small is in
the ransom notes were dotted. and the
same proportion held true in Haupt-
mannis admitted writing, Osborn con-
tinued. and several sheets did not have
dotted .i'' at all.
Another instance of similarity which