Evening star., 1948-02-03
I More Support
Defense Letters
InLaugh|inCase
Testimony Completed
After ; Government
Experts Are Barred


the District Court abortion trial of
Attorney James j. Laughlin and DR..
Henry L. Peckham, jr., after two
more handwriting experts testified
that the disputed Esther letters"
are genuine.
To counter this testimony, the
Government presented three ex-
perts, but their testimony was not
admitted. Counsel this afternoon
gave arguments over instructions
to be given the jury.
i. The final arguments to the jury
will be given tomorrow and it is
expected the jurors will begin their
deliberations on Thursday.
The two witnesses who said the
letters were genuine were called by
Mr. Laughlin (who is conducting
his own defense). They were Louis
A. Waters of Syracuse, N. Y, anG
Henry Evans Cassidy of Richmond,
Va.
Fourth Week of Testimony.
Both testified that after compar-
ing the signatures on the two let
terss in question with admitted sig
natures of Mrs. Esther Hobbs, %,
chief Government witness, they
could come to no other conclusion
than that the signatures were in
Mrs. Hobbs handwriting.
Mr.. Cassidy, questioned by Mr.
Laughlin about the similarity of
the two signatures, said:
IF anybody in Washington can
do that kind of forgery everybody
had better get their money out of
the bank"
The two experts took the stand
as the case entered its fourth week
and testimony was drawing to a
close. Mr.. Laughlin and DR.. Peck
ham are charged with illegal opera
tions ION or about" last March 20
and % on Mrs. Hobbs, the former
Miss Esther Pickard, who prior to
her marriage was engaged to Mr..
Laughlin.
Specifically, DR. Peckham is
charged with performing two op-
erations on Mrs. Hobbs and Mr..
Laughlin is accused as an acces-
sorry. Both have denied the accusa-
tions.
Witness in 200 Cases.
The two letters, signed Esther,
are dated March 20 and May 16. In
the March 20 letter the writer told
of plans to leave for home imme-
diately and bade Mr.. Laughlin good
by. Mrs. Hobbs home is in North
Carolina.
The May Is letter absolved Mr..
Laughlin of any connection with an
illegal operation.
Mr.. Waters, who testified he is
on the staff of the district attorney
at Syracuse as a consultant on
questioned documents and is di-
rector of the Syracuse Police De-
partment laboratory, said he has
testified in more than 200 cases.
Mr.. Cassidy testified he has
studied handwriting for 80 years,
has written several pamphlets on
the subject and has testified in the
the courts of four States and the
District y
Government Witness Barred.
Under cross examination by
Charles B. Murray. assistant United
States attorney, Mr. Cassidy said
the two questioned signatures looked
more alike than any two of Mrs.
Hobbs admitted signatures. He
placed one of the questioned letters
over the other with an electric light
behind them and said that, while
they conform very closely, they do
not conform sufficiently to indicate
any tracing.
The Government then presented
Charles M. Beall, special agent of
the FBI; DR.. Fred NJ Miller, 1901
Argonne place NV, an FBI expert
on disputed documents, and Alwyn
Cole. an examiner of questioned
documents for the Treasury.
The Government was not per-
mitted, however, to bring out any
opinions these witnesses might have
had concerning the signatures. T.
Emmett Mckenzie, who is assisting
Mr.. Laughlin in his defense, OBJ
jected on the ground that their
comparisons had been made with
writings which had not already
been introduced in evidence and
which were made after the trial
started. He was sustained by Chief
JilStjpe Poljtbo I Laws