Evening star., 1935-10-27
BY WILLIAM A RELL- IR

BY WILLIAM A. BELL, JR.
Bert c. Farrar, modern Sherlock
Holmes, who has helped solve mys-
teries ranging from the Lindbergh
kidnapping to the lost secret of fra
ternity grip, is going out Of business:
going to take a trip around the world
and take a load off the minds of
people who put things in writing that
they shouldn't.
At a testimonial luncheon yester-
day, Farrar. retiring as Treasury ex-
amlner of questioned documents, after
a years in the Government service.
figuratively doffed the cap and gown
of a scientist for cap and bells Bid
ding him farewell, his associates put
on his head huge, checkered "Sher-
lock Holmes" hat; in his mouth ?
monster pipe, and in his hands a
magnified magnifying glass.
In everyday life, exclusive of testi-
monial luncheon mummery. Farrar
has worked in a modest little office
on the fourth floor of the Treasury
Building which he leaves next Thurs
day for good. When not there he
runs around the country unraveling
big and little question marks.
Found Lindbergh Note Clue.
1t was Farrar who looked at the
first Lindbergh ransom note and de-
clared the writer was German and
a man determined to carry out his
cruel plan regardless of the conse-
quences to himself and others. And
it was Farrar who testified for the
prosecution in the Rockville, Md,
murder conspiracy trial of Anne
Lyddane that the famous "Googy"
CARMEL note was written on the same
kind of paper and on the same type
writer which the blond defendant
used in her bank Office
Joining the Government during the
administration of President Harrison
who had appointed his father, Gen
Bernard G. Farrar, subtreasurer al
St. Louis, Farrar has saved the Treas
ury millions of dollars by revealing at
tempted frauds, and outside the Gov
eminent realm has solved mysteries
which would battle the best minds
among detective fiction heroes.
1t was in the COS, Farrar recalled,
that he handled his first famous case
involving Identification of writing A
prominent st. Louis business man had
typewriter anonymous letters con-
tanning vile language and accusa-
.tions" to member Of another prom
inent family. TypeWriters were rare
in those days, so it was comparative
ly easy, Farrar said, to track down the
machine upon which the letters had
been written. Every machine has pc
culiar characteristics and every writer
has habits of touch by which he may
be identified Farrar said The sus-
pect in this case blew out his brains
after Farrar identified him as the
author of the notes.
Aided st. Louis Suit.
A St. Louis man once sued street
car company there for $1,000 after
being put off one of its cars when he
offered as fare a nickel so smooth
that the conductor refused to accept
1t as legal currency. Farrar, who
knows as much about coins as he
does about handwriting, was sum-
moned by the plaintiff to testify on
his behalf. He rubbed the nickel with
his fingers and brought out its outline
sufficiently to convince the court that
it was legal tender and that the
plaintiff was entitled to judgment.
A fake dental house in Chicago
tried some time ago to defraud the
Government by shaving gold coins,
melting the chips and collecting on
the bulk residue. Farrar discovered
that the company" was buying $40
gold pieces to make dental filings"
and cutting 50 worth of gold out Of
each so that it actually was get
ting $22 for $40.
Phi Beta Kappa, national honorary
scholastic fraternity, had been in a
quandry over the proper method of
giving the fraternity grip until Far
rar was called in three months ago
to examine a document describing
the official handshake as it was estab-
lished at William and Mary College
in 1776, the date of the fraternity's
founding. Students had scratched
out the description to hide it from
invading British who were romping
around the neighborhood at that
time. Farrar found it extremely diff
ficult to decipher and tried several
methods of micro-photography. He
finally succeeded by using infra-red
rays. So now Phi Beta Kappas every
where can twist their fingers in the
proper gesture.
Termed Note Writer German.
In the Lindbergh case, Farrar told
Col Lindbergh the kidnaper OF his
child was stubborn German, who
had arranged the crime far in ad-
vance and was intent upon carrying
1t through-come what might. The
sngularity of the letters in the bed
side note" its t's, the use of Ian
guage, all proved conclusively that
the writer was a German, Farrar said
Farrar displayed two photographs
of a will recently contested in
Southern Maryland case. The paper
was burned almost to a crisp-prob-
ably had been burned willfully, Far