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THE CHINA MAIL; · SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 1938..

1

EXPERT UNDER FIRE

The Professor falls

into the love letter trap

their contents; denies the may feel that this last question signature.

The defence, however...

T is a commonplace in our courts of Jaw that there is hardly any evidence so unreliable as that of handwriting experts. This class of witness can usually be got to answer on either side, in equal numbers, and with equal confidence. Experts of all classes give evidence singularly preseient--has come only as to opinion, but those who decide on handwriting believe in their pred for this even infallibility.

I make haste to add that none of the foregoing state- ment is my own.

The first was made by Craigie Altchison (after- wards Lord Aitchison), Anest Scottish advocate within living memory; the second by Mr Dickson, nuthor of a classical text book upon evidence; the third by Lord Brampton (formerly Henry Hawkins), an outstandingly illustrious figure of English Bench and

Bar.

I do not say that I agree with them. But I certainly would not venture directly to disagree with three such legal Tuminaries-practical and scholastic whose wealth of experience so far outstrips mine,

-

able

"Are all those three loftere in the same welling?” siked the District Attorney. "Yes” · repled. Professor Amos.

EDGAR LUSTGARTEN

spotlights the’drámár

in court when conart!

and axport clash . «

"I don't want to weary, you-- of the District Attorney's cor- but. just ono more if you tains an element of unfair would be good enough." deception. I cannot roncur. A third letter, similarly dxed; The question may be self-similar question, similar in-

weil confalnext a

Intro terval, similar reply. ductors, and will trap no one of

honest Independent and

"Is it then your dependablo

opinion," the District Attorney judgment,

asks, "that those three letters

Professor tunity.

Ames present; Procesor Ames--the expert, the authority, on hand vrlling Professbe Ames, who 1 On the other hand it may are all in the same writing?" has closely studied the disputed conduce to reveal the want of letters and compared them with both....

admitted spreimen of the lady's writing. The professor'd "Would you mind taking conclusion?

District Attorney They, are by one this?" The and the same hand.

passeg the

"Yes, sir. it is,"

}

Tho. District Attomey' sipa back, relaxed, Teller 25 witness a letter conjurers do when the trick-

the audience /though

doesn't with the signature folded back know it--has already been per- Profesor Amer-who is really and fastened down. Compere very widely known and whose it with the others and tell us foes and they can afford a

mild indulgence in panache. appearance crentes a consider is it the same wriling?" able sensation duly repeate thai Just

the For several minutes--literally wiintas stand, An experiencext minutes Professor Amca performer, he dow it in high sports the letter closely: doubt style, "The obliqully of the less paying particular attention upstroke": "the perpendicularity to obliquity, perpendicularity, of the downstroke", "a peculiar and places where the pen has formation-yOUT Honour will surprisingly been raised. observe that there

pen,

At last he trsucs his decree, surprisingly, has been raised"-

assertion

a good many such remarks gamish his opinion, and a good many charis ond gestures garnish his remarks,

In

"It is the same,” he says. The District Attorney bows acknowledgment,

"Is it not a fact, Professor, that the same Individual may write a variety of hands upon occasions and with different pens?"

"Oh, ys, sir," Professor

When the demonstration ende, the defender is smiling bunnily and fingering his bundle of letters with fresh real. Professor different pulse; soldom set (Mr Ellison, the defendant) Ames has surely proved that tongues wagging under because of the latter's atten- they

written by Mrs modish hats: seldom pene- tions to his daughter (Mrs Nome, and now he can hardly

wait to unload their dynamite. trate the gossip of exclu- Noeme). sive clubs."

were

Just a few.

Ames agreeS.

"Would you kindly compare that with the others that you hayo?"

He bows

Would you please unfold the Arat letter and road the signature aloud."

The professor does jo-within quiet air of triumph.

"Lila Iniones.

Necme," he solemnly

"And now the second?"

The professor's air of triumph fades. He

at the second signature, -puzzled, hesitant.

"Yes?" says the District Attorney in an encouraging tone.

the pro-.. William Henriques," fessor reads.

"And the third?”

The third must be a knock- out, for the professor takes the is metaphorically helped up, sponged, and dusted down, before he can bring him- self to utter what be soes.

"Frank Ellison," he feebly gives forih.D

And that is the last we ever hear about the letteraand, for all, know, about Professor Amer

'Unreliablo'

Ho la compelled, though. The District Attorney, passes Certainly the record does

himself him a second letter, folded and count: Ho Society found itself a temporarily to possess not, upon examination, ap. The assault, however, place in court: Romance did in patience while the District fastened exactly like the dis pear to confute Lord Aitchl with which Ellison was not. The trial almost a Attorney asks a few questions, son at least. On the con- charged arose in unusual private battle-was Con- trary, his stamp of "unrell- circumstances end from an tested tooth and nail. Mrs "Professor Ames, as I under- able" interpreting that unusual source.

Noeme, well as Mr 'stood you, you were given only.

sample of the lady's word in its non-pejorative

It was no climax to a Henriques, gave evidence on

genuine handwriting, and you sense gains confirmation at the very highest level of navy's shindy; no part of a for the State evidence that base your opinion upon that?" honesty and skill in hand-backstreet brawl or a bar in no way spared her over-

unfailingly, courteous, "But room Saturday night. Some cager suitor. The defence, Sir." The professor 19. writing expertise.

of the parties involved were countered-gloves off equni was quite a long letter and No greater name I was considered Society by the by producing letters afforded me great opportunity tempted to say no name so world; others were at least purporting to be from her for comparison." great has flourished in considered Society by them to Ellison-letters which to Wouldn't it assist. If you this field than that of selves. And the moral and say no more, cast doubt were given a number of her Thomas Henry Gurrin. In emotional issue underlying upon her sworn verbal ac- letters with which to make a little lower.

comparison?" the last years of the 19th the case conferred on it a count of their relationship. century and the first years semblance of conventional

"Oh, Jes," comes the pro- of the 20th, Mr. Gurrin sat Romance. A father (Mr But Mrs Noeme flatly fessor's inevitable reply. as securely on the throne of Henriques) had forbidden denies that she wrote those Looking back subsequently handwriting as did the his house to a younger man letters, denies knowledge of over reigning monarch on the

throne of England. Yet how **------

did Mr Gurrin, from his! exalted eminence, make a lasting impact history?

on forensic!

~~~~~ Once when, upon oath-in court, he pracialined himself "perfectly satisfied" that certain incriminating docu- ments were written by Adolf Feck who afterwards served a long term of penal servitude before his unques- Honable innocence was sign- alised by a Free Pardon and a compensation grant..

And once when he nd- vised my Lords Commiss- ioners of the Admiralty that Archer-Shoe find young forged the endorsement to fa postal order--an allegn- tion that only ended, under the nation's eyes, with the Crown case lying in irrepar- able ruin, and an abject, un- reserved exculpatory with- drawal.

It may be said that both instances are British, and therefore possibly not of universal application. But! such errors of judgment by handwriting experts are not indigenous to these islands, but endemic to their craft. They could be duplicated, in varying form and degree, tho whole world over, wherover reading, writing, and organised courts exist.

the top

One notable example and one where the expert alip stood at the top of his profession occurred three or four generations back; at the trial of Frank Elitson in the United States.

Trials for simple assault seldom quicken the fashion-

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the whole picture, some

THERE IT

COMES WHAT CAN WE POT

HORRING-JUST

HOLD TIGHT],

All becquzo the District Attorney, noticing somo similarity in the hands, shrewd-

As—oney And—calin as if at his own study, the home-in- professor carries out Bnother meticulous inspection.

"Yes, sir, it is a variety of ly used it to expose the overz blown pretensions of one who the same penmanship."

may well have ranked, in good The District Attorney bows a falih, among his ownL biggest

dupes.

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