The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-02-01
WOMAN SCRIPT EXPERT WAITS TO TESTIFY FOR t4AUPT
MENTAL GIANT
WROTE NOTES,
MAN ASSERTS
BY KENNETH T. DOWNS

BY KENNETH T. DOWNS
PENNINGTON, N. j., Feb. l
U.N.S0. Bruno Hauptmann
could not have written the ransom
notes." John M. Trendley, of st.
Louis, told International News
Service as he prepared to resume
the stand today, first Of the hand
= writing experts whose testimony
may save Hauptmann from the
chair.
'ImpOssible!"
Mr.. Trendley, a gaunt, gray
man who has studied chirography
for 40 years and testified in nearly
400 American court cases, so de-
clared.
Qualified as an expert witness
after the bittereSt of attacks by
State counsel, Mr.. Trendley was
ready to mount the witness stand
today to erect one more bulwark
between the accused and the
death house.
Whose Writing, Then?
Is the writing that Of Isador
Fisch, the great mystery man in
"the crime Of the century,? Mr..
Trendley'S answer was:
~ wouldn't say that. I have
examined FiSch's handwriting
but not enough Of it to make a
yes or no answer"
Is it the handwriting Of some
one who was trying to initiate the
script of Bruno Richard Haupt-
mann? His answer:
II won't discuss that before
testify"
BY his own admission, by his
own record in previous cases, read
by Deputy Attorney General
Joseph Lanigan who sought to
rule him out as an expert wit
ness, Mr.. Trendley is one of
Americas dcftest when it comes
to duplicating the writing Of an.
other person.
You can hand him a card with
your signature and, after pass.
ing glance, he will hand you an
other card bearing a facsimile Of
your hand.
Experts Question
But, of the writing in the IA
ransom notes which led to the
payment of Col. Charles A. Lind
bergh'S $4,000 ransom, he said:
II couldn't forge the hand
writing on those notes. 1t is
the most difficult specimen /
have ever seen. / couldn't forge
1t. The lines are different
their shading and their slant"
And then Mr.. Trendley, whose
beSpectacled eyes squint from
porting over disputed documents,
posed the question:
"HOw could a German car.
penter, doing hand labor with
hammer and saw, change his
handwriting sufficiently to turn
out IA unique writings like
these?"
It would require the versatility
Of a master penman, Mr.. Trend
ley contends, and the mentality
Of very learned man.
wan OF GrhmCe
Machine-gunner Hauptmann is
a man of granite, if you watch
him in the little Pennington
court room, but no one has ever
accused him of being a mental
giant.
There have been suggestions
that the ransom notes were writ
ten by normally right-handed
person who used his left hand
for the purposes of disguise. Mr..
Trendley said this is not so. He
said:
ut is the output of a right
hand"
Mr.. Trendler is the first of
four photographers gathered here
to testify on behalf of the de-
tendant.. Another waiting to fol-
low him is Mrs. Hilda Braeun-
Itch Jaenglein of Germany, presi-
dent Of the Association of Euro
pean examiners of questioned
documents.
Expert Qualified
The st. Louis man has had one
sore spot in his long career and
the State made much of it in the
end, Justice Trenchard ruled:
II find no cause to diSqualify
Mr.. Trendley. 1t appears that he
was mistaken in q case in St.
Louis but he rectified his error
rs soon as he discovered it. The
defense may proceed"
Mr.. Trendley'S error occurred in
the ThomasSon will case, cause
celeber of a bygone day. He rem.
dered an opinion on the signature
to Thomasson's will after a hasty,
curSory examination.
Putting the testament under mi.
croScopie examination, he came to
an opinion Numerically opposed
to his first and going into court
next day confessed as much.
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