Evening star., 1950-09-12
Ex-FBI Expert
Backs Girl in
Letter DeniaIs
Takes Stond Again
Today in Heuring for
WiIliums' RetriuI

- ASA AA4SA AAStAANW4 4V444S CARC1G
the F'BI today was to resume his
testimony in Municipal Court,
backing up the denial of Miss
Evangeline Williams that she
wrote two anonymous letters
"confessing" to morals crime for
which her father has been con-
victed.
Charles A. Appel, jr., who set
up, and for many years directed,
the FBI handwriting analysis lab
oratory, yesterday told Municipal
Court Judge Aubrey B. Fennell
the handwriting of the 18-year-
old girl definitely was not SINH
lar to that on the anonymous
letters.
Mr.. Appel, who took the stand
shortly before court recessed for
the day, was the second hand
writing expert produced by attor-
neys for Robert Snead Williams,
jr., to refute the fiat assertion Of
the police handwriting expert, Ira
N. Gullickson. that Miss Williams
authored the notes.
The question of the identity Of
the anonymous letter-writer has
complicated recent hearings on a
motion by Williams for a new trial.
He was convicted last April on ex-
posing himself in the presence Of
two teen-age girls near American
University.
Constantly referring to huge
reproductions of one of the anony-
nous letters and samples of Miss
Williams writing, Mr.. Appel said
the spacing of the letters, the
slant of the writing and the ma
turity of the writing was totally
different in the two exhibits.
Handwriting Expert Harry r,
Cassidy OF Hanover County, Va,
also testified the writing of Miss
Williams was not similar to that
in the anonymous notes.
He said he doubted if she could
have written the three-page note
in disguised hand, without some
traits of her natural handwriting
making their appearance.
Assistant Corporation Counsel
Clark F. King told reporters he
planned to put three Government
handwriting experts on the stand
in rebuttal to the defense wit
nesSes.
Mr.. Cassidy and Mr.. Appel fol-
lowed Miss Williams to the stand.
The girl repeatedly denied to
Judge Fennell that she wrote the
letters or had any knowledge Of
who wrote them.
Appearing to be close to tears
several times, she insisted, over
and over, II didn't do it. sfgjust
didn't do it. I"
Miss Williams. who is plan
ming to leave Sunday To- enter
|ECllege. was asked by hII King
to write down his dictation Of the
first paragraph of one Of the let
ters. He then asked her to write
the same paragraph with the let
tiers slanted in reverse to her nor.
NAL way of writing.
She insisted several times she
could not write that way. Judge
Fennell sharply ordered her to do
the best she could.
Mr.. King then ordered her to
write the passage with her left
hand. She complained she was
unable to write left-handed and
again was ordered to try by the
judge.
After she awkwardly and labor
iously wrote the paragraph, she
was questioned by Judge Fennell
as to the meaning of several words
which appeared in the anonymous
letters.
The Governments handwriting
expert, Mr.. GullickSon, pointed
out that the word counsel" as
in corporation counsel, was spelled
council" in both confession let
ters received by Mr.. King as well
as in the sample of Miss Will
liams' handwriting.
At the conclusion of the hear
ing, Williams. trustee of the All
Souls Unitarian Church and a
former District school teacher,
asked reporters to print an appeal
to the letter-writer to come in
and identify himself.
II have no bitterness against
this person." he said. Wont he
please come forward and admit
it. to help my young daughter, not
to help me?"
At the time the letters were re-
ceived last June, Mr.. King public.
ly promised immunity to the let
ter-writer if he would identify
himself. No one appeared, al
though defense attornies ran ads
in the Washington papers, asking
the writer to make himself