THEconsiderationoftheeffectoftheuseofinkuponcivilizationfromprimitivetimestothepresent,aswehaveseen,offersamostsuggestivefieldandcertifiestotheimportanceofthemanufactureofhonestinksasnecessarytothefutureenlightenmentofsociety。Thatithasnotbeenfullyunderstoodorevenappreciatedgoeswithoutsaying;apropergeneralizationbecomespossibleonlyinthelightofcorroborativedataandtheexperiencesofthemany。
Historyhasnotgivenusthenamesofancientinkmakers;butwecanbelievetheremusthavebeenduringaperiodofthousandsofyearsagreatmany,andthatthekindsandvarietiesofinkswerewithoutnumber。ThoseinkswhichremaintousaretobefoundonlyaswrittenwithonancientMSS。;theyareofbutfewkinds,andincompositionandappearancepreserveaphenomenalidentity,thoughbelongingtocountriesandepochswidelyseparated。Thisidentityleadstothefurtherconclusionthatinkmakingmusthavebeenanindustryatcertainperiods,overlookedbycarefulcompounderswhodistributedtheirwaresoveravastterritory。
“Gall“inkand“linen“paperasalreadystatedareAsiaticinventions。BothofthemseemtohaveenteredEuropebywayofArabia,“handinhand“attheveryendoftheeleventhorbeginningofthetwelfthcenturiesandforthenexttwohundredyears,notwithstandingthefactthatchemistrywasalmostanunknownscienceandthesecretsofthealchemistsknownonlytothefew,thiscombinationgraduallycameintogeneralvogue。
Inthefourteenthcenturywefindoneorbothofthemmoreorlesssubstitutedfor“Indian“ink,parchment,vellumand“cotton“paper。Itwas,however,themonksandscribeswhomanufacturedfortheirownandassistants’use“gall“ink,justastheyhadbeeninthehabitofpreparing“Indian“inkwhenrequired,whichsofarasknownwasnotalwaysacommodity。
AsanindustryitcanbesaidtohavedefinitelybegunwhentheFrenchgovernmentrecognizedthenecessityforone,A。D。1625,bygivingacontractfor“agreatquantityof’gallink’toGuyot。”whoforthisreasonseemstooccupytheuniquepositionofthefatherofthemoderninkindustry。
Inkmanufactureasagrowingindustryheretoforeandtoalargeextentatpresent,occupiesapeculiarlyanomaloussituation。Otherindustriesfollowthelawofevolutionwhichmayperhapsbearcriticism;buttheinkindustryfollowsnone,nordoesitevenpretendtopossessany。
Thousandsareengagedinitspursuit,fewofwhomunderstandeitherinkchemistryorinkphenomena。
Theconsumerknowsstillless,andwithblindconfidenceplacidlyacceptsnondescriptcompoundslabeled“Ink。”whetherpurchasedatdepotsorfrom“combined“
itinerantmanufacturingpeddlersandwiththemwriteorsigndocumentswhichsomedaymaydisturbmillionsofproperty。Andyetinacomparativesenseithasoutpacedallotherindustries。
WiththecommencementoftheeighteenthcenturywefindtheindustrysettlinginDresden,Chemnitz,Amsterdam,Berlin,ElberfieldandCologne。StilllaterinLondon,Vienna,Paris,EdinburghandDublin,andinthefirsthalfofthenineteenthcenturyintheUnitedStates,ithadbeguntomakeconsiderableprogress。
Amongthefirstpioneersofthelatermoderninkindustryabroad,maybementionedthenamesofStephens,Arnold,Blackwood,Ribaucourt,Stark,Lewis,Runge,Leonhardi,Gafford,Bottger,Lipowitz,Geissler,Jahn,VanMoos,Ure,Schmidt,Haenle,Elsner,Bossin,Kindt,Trialle,Morrell,Cochrane,Antoine,Faber,Waterlous,Tarling,Hyde,Thacker,Mordan,Featherstone,Maurin,TriestandDraper。
Intheperiodcoveredbythenineteenthcenturyathome,thelegitimateindustryincludedover300
inkmakers。ThosebestknownareDavids,MaynardandNoyes,Carter,Underwood,Stafford,Moore,Davis,Thomas,Sanford,Barnes,Morrell,Walkden,Lyons,Freeman,Murray,Todd,Bonney,Pomeroy,Worthington,Joy,Blair,Cross,Dunlap,Higgins,Paul,Anderson,Woodmansee,Delang,Allen,Stearns,Gobel,Wallach,Bartram,FordandHarrison。
Theinkphenomenaincludedinthepasteightyyearshasdemonstratedacontinuingretrogressionininkmanufactureandaconsequentdeteriorationofnecessaryinkqualities。Whentheattentionofsomeinkmakersareaddressedtothesesadfacts,theyattributethem,eithertothedemandofthepublicforanagreeablecolorandafreeflowingink,ortoaninabilitytocompetewithinferiorsubstitutes,whichhavefloodedthemarketsincethediscoveryofthecoaltarcolors;theyhavebeencompelledtodepartfromoldandtriedformulas,intheextravagantusemisuseoftheso-called“added“color。
Anexceptionalfewoftheolderfirmscontinuetocatalogueunadulterated“gall“inks;butthedemandforthemexceptinlocalitieswherethelawCOMPELStheiremployment,isonlylittle。
Interestingdeductionscanbemadefromtheaccompanyingbriefsketchesoftheleadinginkmanufacturersoftheworld。
The“Arnold“brandofinkspossessesaworldwidereputation,althoughnotalwaysknownbythatname,beginningA。D。1724underthestyleofR。
Ford,andcontinuinguntil1772,whenthefirmnamewaschangedtoWilliamGreen&Co。In1809itbecameJ。&J。Arnold,whoweresucceededin1814byPichardandJohnArnold,thefirmnamebywhichitisknownatthepresentday。Thislastnamedconcernlocatedat59Barbican,onthesiteoftheoldCityHallinLondon,andlatermovedtotheirpresentaddress,No。155Aldersgatestreet。Theinksmadebythe“fathers“ofthefirmwere“gall“inksWITHOUT
“added“color。Atthecommencementofthenineteenthcenturywefindthemmakingtanno-gallateofironinkstowhichwereaddedextractivematterfromlogwoodandothermaterialstoformthickfluidsforshipmenttoBrazil,Indiaandthecountrieswherebrushesorreedswereusedaswritinginstruments。
Forthemorecivilizedportionsoftheworldsimilarinksbutofanincreasedfluidityweresupplied,thatthequillpensmightbeemployed。Thedemandsforstillmorefluidinkswhichwouldpermittheuseofsteelpens,resultedinthemodernblue-blackchemicalwritingfluid,the“added“blueportionbeingindigoinsomeform。Itwasfirstputonthemarketin1830。Theymanufactureoverthirtyvarietiesofink,butonlyonereal“gall“inkwithout“added“color。
IntheearlypartofMay,1824,ThaddeusDavidsstartedhisinkfactoryatNo。222Williamstreet,NewYorkCity。Hisfirstandbesteffortwasastrictlypuretanno-gallateofironink,whichheplacedonthemarketin1827underthenameof“SteelPenInk。”guaranteedtowriteblackandtopossess“record“qualities。In1833hemadeinnovationsfollowingthelineslaiddownbyArnoldandalsocommencedthemanufactureofachemicalwritingfluid,withindigofor“added“color。Manymore“added“colorswereemployedatdifferentperiods,likelogwoodandfustic,withtheincorporationofsugar,glucose,etc。IntheearlyfiftiesthecheapgradesoflogwoodinkaftertheformulaofRunge1848andwhichcostaboutfourcentspergallonwasmarketed,principallyforschoolpurposes;
itwasneversatisfactory,becomingthickand“colorfading。”Mr。Davidsmademanyexperimentswith“alizarin“inksintheearlysixtiesbutdidnotconsiderthemvaluableenoughtoputonthemarket。
In1875thefirmintroducedvioletinkmadefromtheanilinecolorofthatname。Experimentationsin1878
withtheinsolubleanilineblacksandvanadiumwereunsuccessful;butthesolubleanilineblackblue-
blackknownasnigrosinetheyusedandstilluseinvariouscombinations。Duringthislongperiodtheirestablishmentshavebeenindifferentlocations。FromNo。222WilliamstreetitwaschangedtoEighthstreet,withtheofficeatNo。26Cliffstreet。In1854
theworkswereremovedtoNewRochelle,Westchestercounty,N。Y。In1856thefirmnamewasThaddeusDavidsandCo。,Mr。GeorgeDavidshavingbeenadmittedasapartnerandtheirwarehouseandofficesatthistimewerelocatedatNos。127and129
Williamstreet,whereabusinessofenormousproportions,whichincludesthemanufactureofthirty-threeinksandotherproducts,isstillcarriedonatthepresentdayunderthenameandstyleof“ThaddeusDavids,Co。”Theold“Davids’SteelPenInk“continuestobemanufacturedfromtheoriginalformulaandistheonlytanno-gallateofironinktheymake,WITHOUT“added“color。
TheParishouseof“Antoine“asmanufacturersofwritinginksdatesfrom1840。TheyarebestknownasthemakersoftheFrenchcopyingink,ofaviolet-
blackcolor,madefromlogwood,whichwasfirstputonthemarketin1853underthenameofEncresJaponaise。In1860anagencywasestablishedinNewYorkCity。Theymakealargevarietyofwritinginksbutdonotofferforsaleatanno-gallateofironinkwithout“added“color。
“Carter’s“inkscameintonotorietyin1861,bytheintroductionofa“combinedwritingandcopyingink。”ofthegallandirontypeandincluded“added“
color。Itwasthefirstinnovationofthischaracter。
AttheendoftheCivilWar,JohnW。CarterofBoston,whohadbeenanofficeroftheregulararmy,purchasedaninterestinthebusiness,associatingwithhimselfMr。J。P。DinsmoreofNewYork,thefirmbeingknownasCarter,Dinsmore&Co。,Boston,Mass。
In1895Mr。CarterdiedandMr。Dinsmoreretiredfromthebusiness。Thefirmwasthenincorporatedunderthestyleof“TheCarter’sInkCo。”Theydoanimmensebusinessandmakeallkindsofink。Ofthelogwoods,“RavenBlack“isbestknown。WhenthestateofMassachusettsin1894decidedthatrecordingofficersmustusea“gall“inkmadeafteranofficialformula,theycompetedwithothermanufacturersfortheprivilegeofsupplyingsuchaninkandwonit。Theydonotofferforsale,however,“gall“
inkWITHOUTaddedcolor。Theirlaboratoriesaremagnificentlyequipped;thewriterhashadthepleasureofcollaboratingwithseveraloftheirexpertchemists。
The“Fabers。”whodatebacktotheyear1761,areknownallovertheworldasleadpencilmakers。Theyalsomanufacturemanyinksandhavedonesosince1881,whentheybuiltnowfactoriesatNoisy-le-Sac,nearParis。Blue-blackandviolet-blackwritingandcopyinginksoftheclassmadebythe“Antoines“
aretheprincipalkinds。Theydonotofferforsale,tanno-gallateofironinkwithout“added“color。A
branchhouseinNewYorkCityhasremainedsince1843。
“Stafford’s“violetcombinedwritingandcopyinginkwasfirstplacedontheNewYorkmarketin1869,thoughitwasin1858thatMr。S。S。Stafford,thefounderofthehouse,beganthemanufactureofinks,whichhehascontinuedtodotothepresentday。Hischemicalwritingfluidsareverypopular,buthedoesnotmakeatanno-gallateofironinkwithout“added“color,forthetrade。
CharlesM。HigginsofBrooklyn,N。Y。,in1880
commencedthemanufactureof“carbon“inksforengrossing,architecturalandengineeringpurposes,andhassucceededinproducinganexcellentliquid“Indian“ink,whichwillnotloseitsconsistencyifkeptfromtheair。Itcanalsobeusedasawritingink,ifthinneddownwithwater。Hedoesnotmakeatanno-gallateofironinkwithout“added“
color。
MaynardandNoyes,whoseinksweremuchesteemedinthissectionforoverfiftyyears,isnolongerinbusiness,asisthecasewithmanyotherswellknownduringthefirsthalfofthenineteenthcentury。
Theenormousquantitiesofinkofeverycolor,qualityanddescriptionmadeintheUnitedStatesalmostsurpassesbelief。Itissaidthattheoutputforhomeconsumptionaloneexceedstwelvemillionsofgallonsperannum,andforexportthreethousandgallonsperannum。
Itisverysafetoaffirmthatlessthan1/50of1percentofthisquantityrepresentsatanno-gallateofironinkWITHOUT“added“color。Mostcoloredinksand“gall“oneswhichpossess“added“colorifplacedonpaperunderordinaryconditionswillnotbevisibleahundredyearshence。
Thisstatementofminemightbeconsideredaltogetherparadoxicalwereitnotforassociatedevidentialfacts,whichbyprovingthemselveshaveestablisheditscorrectnessandtruth。TorepeatoneofthemistorefertothereportofProfessorsBairdandMarkoe,whoexaminedforthestateofMassachusettsallthecommercialinksonthemarketatthattime。
“Asaconclusion,sincethegreatmassofinksonthemarketarenotsuitableforrecords,becauseoftheirlackofbodyandbecauseofthequantityofunstablecolorwhichtheycontain,andbecausethefewwhosecoloringmattersarenotobjectionablearedeficientingallandironorboth,wewouldstronglyrecommendthattheStatesetitsownstandardforthecompositionofinkstobeusedinitsofficesandforitsrecords。”
AnofficialinkmodelledsomewhataftertheformulaemployedbythegovernmentofGreatBritainwascontractedforbythestateofMassachusetts。Itreadasfollows:
“Takeofpure,drytannicacid,23。4partsbyweight。
ofcrystalgallicacid,7。7parts。
offerroussulphate,30。0parts。
ofgumarabic,10。0parts。
ofdilutedhydrochloricacid,25。0parts。
ofcarbolicacid,1。0part。
ofwater,sufficienttomakeupthemixtureatthetemperatureof60degreesF。
tothevolumeof1,000partsbyweightofwater。”
Suchaninkpreparedafterthisreceiptwouldbeastrictlypuretanno-gallateofironinkWITHOUTany“added“colorwhatever。
Theestimationinwhichsuchaninkisheldbythemajorityoftheinkmanufacturersisbestillustratedbyquotingfromtwoofthemostprominentones,andthusenablethereadertodrawhisownconclusions。
“Wedonotmakeatanno-gallateofironinkwithoutaddedcolor,andsofarasweknow,thereisnosuchinkonthemarket,asitwouldbepracticallycolorlessandillegible。”
*******
“Thereisnosuchinkatanno-gallateofironinkwithoutaddedcolormanufacturedbyanyink-
makerasfarasIknow。Itisobsolete。”
Thecommercialnamesbestowedonthemultitudeofdifferentinksplacedonthemarketbymanufacturersduringthelastcenturyareinthethousands。
Afewofthemarecitedasindicativeoftheirvariety,someofwhicharestillsoldunderthesenames。
KosmianSafetyFluid,BablahInk,UniversalJetBlack,TreasuryLedgerFluid,EverlastingBlackInk,Raven-BlackInk,Nut-gallInk,PernambucoInk,BluePostOfficeInk,UnchangeableBlack,DocumentSafetyInk,BirminghamCopyingInk,CommercialWritingFluid,GermaniaInk,HorticulturalInk,ExchequerInk,ChesnutInk,CarbonSafetyInk,VanadiumInk,AsiaticInk,Terra-cottaInk,JuglandinInk,PersianCopying,Sambucin,ChromeInk,SloeInk,SteelPenInk,JapaneseInk,EnglishOfficeInk,CatechuInk,ChineseBlueInk,AlizarinInk,SchoolInk,BerlinInk,ResinInk,Water-glassInk,ParisianInk,ImmutableInk,GraphiteInk,NigrilinInk,MunichInk,Electro-Chemical,EgyptianBlack,“Koal“BlackInk,EbonyBlackInk,ZuluBlack,CobaltBlack,MaroonBlack,AeilytonCopying,Dichroic,CongressRecord,Registration,“OldEnglish。”etc。
Thelistofover200names,whichfollow,includesthoseofmanufacturersofthebestknownforeignanddomestic“black“inksand“chemicalwritingfluids“
inuseduringthepastcentury,aswellasthoseofthepresenttime。
AdrianaAllfieldAndersonAntoineArnaudonArnoldArtusBalladeBallandeBarnesBartBartramBeaurBehrensBelmondiBerzeliusBizangerBlackwoodBlairBolleyBonneyBossinBoswellBottgerBoutenguyBraconnotBrandeBufeuBuftonBureCarterCawCellierChampionChaptalChevallierClarkeCloseCochraneCollinCookeCoupierandCollinsCoxeCrockCrossDarcetDavidsDavisDelunelDelarveDelangDerheimsDizeDraperDruckDuhaldeDumasDumovlenDunandDunlapEllisEisnerFaberFaucherFauxFeatherstoneFesneauFontenelleFordFourmentinFreemanFuchsGaffardGastaldiGeisslerGeoffroyGebelGooldGoupeirGrasseGreenGuesnevilleGullierGuyonGuyotHaenlesHagerHaldatHanleHareHarrisonHausmanHeerenHenryHerepathHevrantHigginsHogyHuntHydeJahnJamesJoyKarmarschKasleteyerKindtKlaprothKloenKnafflKnechtLanauxLanetLarenaudiereLemancyLenormandLeonhardiLewisLeyKaufLinkLipowitzLormeLuhringLyonsMacCulloghMackensicMathieuMaurinMaynardandNoyesMelvilleMendesMeremeeMergetMinetMollerMooreMordanMoserMorrellMozardMurrayNashNissenOhmeOttPaulPayenPerryPeltzPetibeauPlatzerPlisseyPomeroyPonceletProlliusProustPusherRappReadeRedwoodReidRemigiReinmannRheinfeldRibaucourtRickerRoderRuhrRungeSanfordSchaffgotochSchleckumSchmidtSchoffernScottSeldrakeSelmiSimonSouberinSouirsseanStaffordStarkSteinStephensStevensSyuckerbuykSwanTabuyTarlingThackerThomasThumannToddTomkinsTrialleTriestTrommsdorffUnderwoodValletVanMoosVogelWagnerWalkdenWallachWaterlousWindsorandNewtonWinternitzWoodmanseeWorthingtonCHAPTERXXIII。
CHEMICO-LEGALINK。
ESTIMATEDVALUEOFSCIENTIFICEVIDENCEASHELDBY
THECOURTOFAPPEALS——NOWBEYONDTHEPURVIEWOF
CRITICISM——VERDICTSINTHETRIALSOFCAUSESAFFECTED
BYSUCHEVIDENCE——LENGTHOFTIMENECESSARY
TOOVERCOMEPREJUDICEANDIGNORANCE——
WHEREOBJECTIONSTOSUCHEVIDENCEEMANATE——
SOMEOBSERVATIONSABOUTSUCHEVIDENCEGENERALLY——
WHENPRECEDENTWASMADETOCHEMICALLY
EXAMINEACOURTEXHIBITBEFORETRIAL——THE
CONTROVERSYINWHICHJUDGERANSOMMADETHISNEW
DEPARTURE——CITATIONOFTHECASEANDITSOUTCOME——
DECISIONINTHEGORDONWILLCASEOBTAINED
BYTHESCIENTIFICEVIDENCE——COMPLETESTORY
ABOUTIT——HISTORYOFTHEDIMONWILLCASEAND
HOWCHEMISTRYMADEITPOSSIBLETOCONSIDER
IT——OPINIONOFJUDGEINGRAHAM——PEOPLEOFTHE
STATEOFNEWYORKV。CODY——THEATTEMPTTOPROVE
ANALLEGED“GOULD“BIRTHCERTIFICATEGENUINE,FRUSTRATEDBYCHEMICALEVIDENCE——THEDEFENDANT
CONVICTED——THEPEOPLEV。KELLAM——CHEMICAL
EVIDENCEMAKESTHETRUTHKNOWN——THEHOLT
WILLCASEANDTHEEVIDENCEWHICHAFFECTEDITS
RESULT——THETIGHEWILLCASE——OPINIONOFJUDGE
FITZGERALD。
“Theadministrationofjusticeprofitsbytheprogressofscience,anditshistoryshowsittohavebeenalmosttheearliestinantagonismtopopulardelusionandsuperstition。Therevelationsofthemicroscopeareconstantlyresortedtoinprotectionofindividualandpublicinterests……
Iftheyarerelieduponasagenciesforaccuratemathematicalresultsinmensurationandastronomy,thereisnoreasonwhytheyshouldbedeemedunreliableinmattersofevidence。Whereverwhattheydisclosecanaidorelucidatethejustdeterminationoflegalcontroversiestherecanbenowell-
foundedobjectiontoresortingtothem。”Frankv。ChemicalNat。Bank,37SuperiorCourtJ。&
S。34,affirmedinCourtofAppeals,84N。Y。
209。
THISdecisionbyafinalcourtofadjudicature,expressesinnouncertaintermsthenowgenerallyestimatedvalueofevidencewhichsciencemayreveal。
Theimportancewhichthatbranchofitdenominated“Chemico-legalink“hasattainedanditsutilizationinmanytrialsofcausesbothcivilaswellascriminal,placesitbeyondthepurviewofcriticismorobjection。
Withtheintroductionofanewclassofinksinthelasttwodecades,itsscopehasbeenmuchbroadened。
Innumerableverdictsbyjurieswhereverthesystemprevails,allovertheworld,theopinionsoflearnedjudges,whetherpresidingduringajurytrialorsittingalone,moreorlessaffectedbythischaracterofevidence,presentsfairlythetrendoftheviewsofthepublicmindrespectingit。
Constantexperimentandsuccessfuldemonstrations,coveringaperiodofoverfiftyyears,wasnecessarytoovercomeprevailingprejudicesandignorance。
Theconditionsto-day,whichhappilyobtain,arethattheobjectiontotheintroductionofsuchevidencefindsitssourceusuallyinthesideseekingtoobscureandhidethetruthorfacts,whilethehonestlitigantorinnocentindividualhastenstoadvocateitsemployment。
Anotherfeatureworthyofconsiderationisthatpersonswhopossessintimateknowledgeofinkchem。
istryandwhomightotherwisesuccessfullyperpetratefraudifopportunitypresenteditself,refrainfrommakingtheattemptbecauseofthatveryknowledge,whichissufficientalsototeachthemofthepossibleexposureoftheirefforts。Again,theyandothersareawareoftherelianceplacedonchemico-legalevidenceasanaidtothecauseofjusticebycourtsandjuriesandthisisanaddedreasonwhytheyhesitatetotakechances。Thesepropositionsbeingtrue,theyestablishanotherone,viz:thatmostoftheattemptedfraudsatthepresenttimeinthisconnection,arebytheignorantandthosewhoseconceitdoesnotpermitthemtobelievethatanyoneknowsmorethanthemselves。
Chemico-legalinkevidenceasbeforestatedhasbeenemployedinthetrialsofcausesformanyyears;
butitwasnotuntiltheyear1889thataprecedentwasestablishedforthechemicalexaminationofasuspecteddocumentprecedinganytrial。ThehonorofthisdeparturefromtheordinarymodesofprocedurebelongstotheHon。RastusS。Ransom,whowassurrogateofthecountyofNewYorkatthetime。
ThematterincontroversywasanallegedwillexecutedintriplicatebyoneThomasJ。Monroe。Chargesweremadethatthethreewillswerespurious,astheywerefacsimilesofeachother。Itwasforthemainpurposeofdeterminingthemethodsoftheirmake-upthatJudgeRansomrenderedtheopinionandmadetheorderforitschemicalexaminationwhichiscitedinfull:
EstateofThomasJ。Monroe——“Thisisanapplicationbythespecialguardianandcontestantinthisproceeding,whichisnowpendingbeforetheassistant,forleavetophotographthevariouspaperswhichhavebeenfiledasthewillofthedeceased,andtocompelthefilingoftwopartsofoneofsaidwills,whichwasexecutedintriplicate;
likewisethatthelastpaperbesubjectedtochemicaltestsforthepurposeofdisclosingthenatureofthecompositionoftheinkandtheprocessorprocessestowhichithasbeensubjected。
“Upontheoralargumentthesurrogatedecidedtheapplicationsfirststatedinfavorofthepetitioner,reservingonlythequestionofhispowertodirectorpermitthechemicaltests。Thespecialguardianontheoralargumentstatedthathewasunable,tofindanyauthorityfortheapplication。
“Consultationofthevarioussourcesofauthorityuponthesubjectofexperttestimonyandthevarioustestsforthepurposeofestablishingordisprovinghandwritinghasnotresultedinthediscoveryofanyauthorityforgrantingtheapplication。
Itisapparent,however,fromsomeofthecasesthatsuchanexaminationmusthavebeenpermitted;
forinstance,inFultonv。Hood34thPenn。StateReports,365,experttestimonywasreceivedincorroborationofpositiveevidencetoprovethatthewholeofaninstrumentwaswrittenbythesamehand,withthesameink,andatthesametime。Itisinconceivablehowtestimonyofanyvaluecouldbegivenastothecharacterofinkwithwhichaninstrumentwaswritten,unlessithadbeensubjectedtoachemicaltest。ThewriterofavaluablearticleintheeighteenthvolumeoftheAmericanLawRegister,page281R。U。
Piper,aneminentexpertofChicago,Ill。,incommentingupontheruleasstatedinthecaseofFultonv。Hoodsupra,veryproperlysays:
“’Microscopicalandchemicaltestsmaybecompetenttosettlethequestion,buttheseshouldnotbereceivedasevidence,Ithink,unlesstheexpertisabletoshowtothecourtandthejurytheactualresultsofhisexamination,andalsotoexplainhismethods,sothattheycanbefullyunderstood。’
“ThewriterofthisarticleisalsoauthorityforthestatementthatintheFrenchCourtseverymanipulationorexperimentnecessarytoelucidatethetruthinthecase,eventothedestructionofthedocumentinquestion,isallowed,theCourt,asamatterofprecaution,beingfirstsuppliedwithacertifiedcopyofthesame。
“Themostobviousargumenttobeurgedagainstallowingachemicaltesttobemadeonawill,andonethatwassuggestedbythecourtontheargumentofthismotion,isthat,inasmuchasthepapermaybethesubjectoffuturecontroversyinthisorsomeothertribunal,futurelitigantsshouldnotbeprejudicedbyanyalterationormanipulationoftheinstrument。Idonotthink,however,thatthisobjectionissound。Takeanextremecase,ofpermittingasufficientamountoftheinkwhichtheaffidavitoftheexpertshowstobebutinfinitesimal
forthepurposeofchemicalexamination;
theformoftheletterwouldremainuponthepaper;
ifnot,theformandappearanceoftheentiresignaturemight,asapreliminaryprecaution,bepreservedbyphotography。Theportionofthesignatureremainingwouldaffordamplematerialforfutureexperimentsandinvestigationsinsubsequentproceedingswhereinitmightbedeemedadvisabletotakethatcourse。
“Becausethesubjectmatterofthecontroversymaybelitigatedhereaftershouldnotdeprivepartiesintheproceedingofanyrightswhichtheywouldotherwisehave。Theycertainlyareentitledtoallrightsinthisproceedingthatthepartiestoanyfutureproceedingswouldhave。Besides,allthepartieswhosepresencewouldbenecessarytoanadjudicationin,forexample,anejectmentproceeding,areortheirpriviesarepartieshere。Itcertainlycannotbethatthelaw,seekingthetruth,willnotavailitselfofthisscientificmethodofascertainingthegenuinenessoftheinstrumentbecauseofsomeproblematicaleffectupontherightsoropportunitiesofpartiestofuturelitigationsrespectingthesameinstrument。Thepossibilitiesoflitigationoverawillarealmostinfinite,andifsucharuleshouldobtainthisimportantchannelofinvestigationwouldbeclosed。Supposethesameobjectionwereraisedtothefirstactionofejectmentwhichmightbebrought,itmightthenwiththesameforcebeurgedthatpartiestosomefutureejectmentsuitwouldbeprejudicedbyachemicaltestoftheinkusedinthewill,andsoonadinfinitum。
“Bynotavailingitselfofthismethodofascertainingthetruthastothecharacteroftheink,theCourtdeprivesitselfofaspeciesofevidencewhichamountstopracticaldemonstration。
“Icanseenoreasonwhytheapplicationshouldnotbegranted。”
Theorderinpartreads:
“ItisorderedanddirectedthatCharlesH。
Beckett,thespecialguardianaforesaid,beandheherebyisallowedpermissiontophotographtheaforesaidpaperwritingsdescribedinsaidordertoshowcause,viz。,oneofthetwopartsofatriplicateWillofThomasJ。Monroe,deceased,datedFebruary10th,1873,whichwerefiledintheofficeoftheSurrogateoftheCityandCountyofNewYorkonoraboutthe9thdayofMay,1889,andalsothecontestedWillhereindatedMarch27thandJune1st,1888,andtohavethesaidpaperwriting,bearingdateMarch22dandJune1st,1888,subjectedtosuchchemicaltestortestsasshalldisclosethenatureofthecompositionoftheinkand,ifpossible,theprocessorprocessestowhichithasbeensubjected,ifany。
“AnditisfurtherorderedanddirectedthatsuchchemicaltestbeappliedtotheinkorwritingfluidonsaidallegedWilltothefollowingspecifiedportion,oranypartofsuchportions,viz。”
Specificationsinminutedetailfollow,callingattentiontothewordsandspaceswhicharepermittedtobechemicallytested,andthencontinues:
“Anditisfurtherorderedanddirectedthatthesaidpaperwritingsshallbephotographedbeforeanychemicaltestsareappliedthereto。
“AnditisfurtherorderedanddirectedthatsuchphotographingandchemicaltestsbeperformedbyDavidN。Carvalho,Esq。,aproperandsuitableperson,attheplacesaboveindicatedrespectively,betweenthe10thandthe20thdaysofJune,1889,inclusive,inthepresenceofthepartiesininterestortheirattorneys,uponatleasttwodays’noticetoallpartieshereinortheirattorneys。
“Anditisfurtherorderedanddirectedthatintheeventofdestructionorbreakingofthenegativesaftersuchpaperwritingshavebeenphotographed,thesaidspecialguardian,uponsimilarnotice,shallhaveleavetore-photographthesaidpaperwritings,atthesameplaceandbythesaidDavidN。Carvalho,betweenthe10thand20thdaysofJune,1889,inclusive。
“SignedRASTUSS。RANSOM,“Surrogate。”
Onthe19thofJune,1889,pursuanttotheorderofthecourt,theallegedwillreferredtowasfirstphotographed,andlaterinthatdaysuchplacesashadbeendesignatedintheorderwerechemicallytreated,aspartofaseriesofexperiments。Theresultsobtainedbrieflysummarizedwereas,follows:TheinstrumentwhichpurportedtobeaholographicwillofThomasJ。Monroetheexperimentsshowedconclusivelytobenotthecase,asneitherpennorinkinthebodywritingportionorinthedecedent’ssignaturehadevertouchedthepaper;thedateandnamesofthewitnessesthereonwerewritten,however,withpenandink。Furthermore,theexperimentsdemonstratedbeyondquestionthatexclusiveofitsdateandnamesofwitnesses,thatitwaswhatiscommonlyknownasatransfertakenfromagelatinepadhektograph,amethodofduplicatingpopularlyinvogueatthattime。ThededucedfactsinthematterbeingthatThomasJ。Monroehadwrittenhiswillinananilinepurpleink,towhichhehadappendedhisname,leavingblankspacestobefilledinforthedate,namesofwitnesses,etc。,andhadtransferredthesametoahektograph,fromwhichhehadtakenanumberofduplicatefacsimilecopies,andatsomeothertimehadfilledintheblankspacesbyordinarymethodsandtowhich,athisrequest,thenamesofthewitnesseshadbeenwrittenwithapenandink。InthetrialwhichfollowedthesurrogatedeclinedtosustaintheallegationoftheproponentsthattheallegedsignaturewastheoriginalwritingofThomasJ。Monroe,orindeedofanyperson。Thewillwasnotadmittedtoprobate。
Experiments,bothinopencourtorduringitssessionsinthetestingofinkandpaper,microscopicallyandchemically,areoffrequentoccurrence,andmanycontestsinvolvingenormousinterestshavebeenmoreorlessdecidedastheresultofthem。
ThecontestoftheallegedwillofGeorgeP。Gordon,triedbeforethelateChancellorMcGillofNewJerseyin1891,illustratesinaremarkabledegreejusthowcertainaretheresultsofinvestigationsofthischaracter。Thechancellor’sdecision,afterlisteningtotestimonyformanyweeks,wasineffecttodeclarethewillaforgery,largelybecauseofthefactthatthepremiseonwhichitrestedwasaso-calleddraft,fromwhichitwasswornithadbeencopied。Theinkonthisdraftitwasprovedcouldnothavehadanexistence。
untilmanyyearsafterthedateoftheforgedwill。
Thedecedent,whodiedin1878,wastheinventorofafamousprintingpress,andleftalargefortune。
AwillofferedforprobatesoonafterthedeathofGordonwasnotprobated,owingtothediscoverythatthewitnesseshadnotsigneditineachother’spresence。
Theprincipalbeneficiaries,however,underthatwill,thewidowanddaughterofGordon,agreedtoadivisionoftheestatewhichwassatisfactorytotheotherheirsatlaw,andthematterapparentlywassettled。
ButaretiredlawyernamedHenryC。Adamsbeganin1879,ayearafterGordon’sdeath,toendeavortoobtaintheassistanceofsomeheirsatlawinanenterprisewhichwasfinallyendedonlywhenChancellorMcGill’sdecisionwasrendered。
In1868Adamslivedwithhisfatherandbrothersonafarm,nearRahway,N。J。,adjoiningtheGordonplace。Thetwomenbecamewellacquaintedthroughtheircommoninterestinmusic。AdamscalleduponA。SidneyDoane,anephewofGordon,andtoldhimthatGordonhadmadeawillin1868whichmightbefoundoriflost,establishedbymeansofadraftofitwhichheAdamshadretained。Mr。Doanerefusedtoactuponthisproposition。ThenAdamspresentedthemattertoGuthbertO。Gordon,abrothertoGeorgeP。Gordon。Hedeclinedtoconsidertheproposedsearchforanewwill。AdamsthenwrotetoGuthbertGordon,Jr。,cautioninghimtosaynothingtoanyone,buttocomeandseehim。GuthbertGordon,Jr。,declinedtoacceptAdams’sinvitationforasecretconference。AdamsdidnotwriteorcommunicatewiththewidowordaughterofGeorgeP。Gordon,orwithanyoftheofficialsorotherpersonswhodealtwiththeestate。FindingthattheheirsatlawweresatisfiedwiththearrangementoftheestateunderGordon’sdaughter’smanagement,hegaveuphiseffortsatthattime。
In1890MaryAgnesGordon,thedaughter,diedinParis,andremittancesfromherceasingandherwillnotbeingsatisfactorytothosewhohadbeenreceivingthemfromher,anothercontestwasbegun。ThiscausedarenewalofAdams’sactivity。In1890hewrotetoMessrs。Black&King,afirmoflawyerswhorepresentedthecontestantsofMaryAgnesGordon’swill。Adams’slettertothelawfirmcontainedthisexpression:
“IfoneofyouwillcomeoverhereonSundaymorning,bringingnobrassband,fifeordrums,I
willtellyousomethingworthknowing。”
Mr。KingvisitedAdams,whowasthenlivingatOrange,N。J。,andwastoldbyhimthatMr。Gordonhadexecutedawillin1868whichheAdamshaddrawnatGordon’sinstance,andthathehadretainedacorrecteddraftfromwhichthewillitselfhadbeencopied。HealsotoldKingthattheoriginalwillafteritsexecutionhadbeenleftwithhisfather,andthatitmustbeathisfather’shomesteadnearRahway,wherehewouldtrytofindit。AfewdayslaterhewrotetoBlack&Kingthatthewillhadbeenfound,andthenextdaywentwiththelawyerstoRahwayandidentifiedthepackagefoundbyhisbrotherEdwardAdams,whooccupiedtheRahwayfarm,asthatwhichcontainedthewill。Thepackage,unopened,wastakentoasafedepositcompanyandtheoriginaldraftwasdepositedwiththesecretaryofstate。Theallegedwill,whichChancellorMcGillpronouncedaforgerywhenfinallyopenedinthepreliminaryprobateproceedings,wasfoundtobeaverylongandcomplicateddocument,writtenonbluepaperinblackink。Thedraft,whichwasonwhitepaper,wasalsowritteninthemaininblackink,butacopiousquantityofredinkhadbeenusedininterlineations。Thesignificantparagraphofthenewwillwasadirectiontohisheirstopurchase,ifthetestatorhadnotsucceededindoingsobeforehisdeath,theHenryAdamsfarmfor$32,000。Minutedirectionsweregiventoinsurethepurchase,butnolowerpricethan$32,000
wasmentioned。CommentinguponthisChancellorMcGill’sremarks:
“ItisalsotobeherenotedthattheAdamsfarmisnowscarcelyworthone-thirdthepriceforwhichitisdirectedtobepurchased。”
Continuingthecourtsays:
“TheonlylivingpersonwhoprofessestohavehadknowledgeofthisdisputedpaperpriortoNovember,1890,isHenryC。Adams。HemostclearlyandpositivelytestifiedthathedrewthedisputedpaperattheinstanceofMr。Gordon。Heproducedadraftfromwhichhesaiditwascopied……IhavealreadystatedthatMr。Adamstestifiedmostpositivelywhenthedraftofthedisputedpaperwasofferedinevidencethatitwastheidenticaldocumentfromwhichthewillof1868hadbeencopied,anditistoberememberedthattheinterlineationsinthatdraftarealmostallmadewithredink,andthatMr。Adamstestifiedthatthoseinterlineationsexistedwhenthewillwascopiedfromthedraft。Withaviewtotestingthetruthofthistestimonythecontestantssubmittedthedrafttoscientificexperts,whopronouncedtheredinktobeaproductofeosine,asubstanceinventedbyaGermanchemistnamedCarointheyear1874,andafterthattimeimportedtothiscountry。Atfirstitwassoldfor$125apound,andwassoexpensiveitcouldnotbeusedcommerciallyinthemanufactureofink。Afterwardsthepricewassogreatlyreducedthatitbecamegenerallyusedinmakingredink。Itisdistinguishedbyapeculiarbronzecastthatisreadilydetected。
ItwasrecognizedintheredinkinterlineationsinthedraftofthedisputedpaperproducedbyMr。
Adamsbyanumberofscientificgentlemen,amongwhomweresomeofthebestknowninkmanufacturersinthecountry,andMr。CarlPickhardt,whofirstimportedeosine。Uponfurtherexaminationthewitness,Adams,saidhethoughtthedraftproducedtobetheoriginaluntilhesawthewillonbluepaper,andthatthenhewasperplexed,butdismissedhisdoubtuponthesuggestionofcounsel,butafterwardhethoughtuponthesubject’inthevigilsofthenight,’butbyanunfortunatecoincidencedidnotreachsubstantialdoubtenoughtocorrecthisprevioustestimonyuntilafterthetestimonyconcerningthecharacteroftheredinkhehadusedininterlininghadbeenproduced……
ItisimpossibletostudythisremarkablecaseatthispointwithoutgravedoubtsastothetruthfulnessofMr。Adams,andindeedastothefranknesswithwhichthecasewasproducedincourtinbehalfoftheproponents。”
AstoAdamsasawitness,thecourtfinallysays:
“AndasIreadtheconfusedanswersofMr。
Adamsandnotehisapparentmisapprehensionofquestionsthatwouldtendtoinvolvehim,andnotetheapparentfailureofhistheretoforewonderfullyclearandexactmemoryofthemosttrivialandunimportantdetails,Iaminclinedtorejectthewholestoryasafabricationthathasbeenpuncturedandfallentopieces……IfindittobeimpossibletorelyuponthetestimonyofHenryC。Adams。Excludingitthewillisnotproved……
“Iwilldenyprobate,revokingthatwhichI
haveheretoforegrantedincommonform。”
*******
IntheattemptmadetoprovetheallegedlastwillandtestamentofStephenC。Dimon,deceased,chemistrywastheall-determiningfactorinthemostimportantbranchofthecase。Thepeculiarfeaturesofthisremarkableanduniquecasearebestdescribedbypresentingthemwithabriefhistoryoftheentirematter。
In1884StephenC。DimonofthecityofNewYorkmadeandexecutedawill,choosingaslegateeandexecutrixaMrs。MarthaKeery。Thewillheintrustedtothecustodyofhiscounsel。Itappeared。
thatsometimeduringthefollowingyearhisattorneytransferredthiswillfromitsrestingplaceinadeskdrawertoanewsafeandrecalledhavingseenitsenvelopeayearlater,butsaidheneversawthewillthereafter。
In1893Mr。Dimondied。Nowillbeingproduced,hisbrothertook,outlettersofadministration。WhereuponMrs。MarthaKeerycommencedasuitagainstthebrotherandthenextofkinherepresented,inanefforttoobtainthedeadman’sestate。ShebasedherclaimsolelyontheLOSTwill,thecontentsofwhichwererecalledinthetrialbyMr。Dimon’sformercounsel,whowasalsooneofthewitnessestothelostwill。DuringthecourseofthetrialintheSupremeCourt,presidedoverbyJusticeGeorgeL。Ingraham,Mrs。Keery’sattorneyproducedamutilateddocumentwhichfromitsreadingindicatedthatithadoncebeenawill,thoughnotthe“lost“one。Butthenamesofthelegatee,executrix,testator,namesofwitnessesandtheiraddresseswerecompletelyobliterated。
ThewrittenportionsstillundisturbedshowedittobeinthehandwritingofStephenC。Dimon。
Mrs。Keery’sstorywasthatafterthedeathofMr。
Dimoningoingoveranoldcoatformerlywornbyhim,shehadfounditinasidepocketandhadgivenittohercounseljustasitcameintoherhands。
Itsconditionshowedittobeconsiderablypocket-
worn。Theobliterationsreferredtorepresentedhugeblotsofblackinkcoveringalotofscratchesandmakingitimpossibletodeciphertheunderwriting。
Defendant’sCounselimmediatelyrequestedthatthedocumentbeturnedovertoanexpert,toseewhatcouldbedonewithit。Thejudgegrantedthemotionandadjournedthecaseforseveraldaystoawaitresults。
Counselonbothsidesjoinedintheselectionofmyself。Threedayswereoccupiedinitsdecipherment。
Thewilloccupiedtwosidesofafullsheetoflegalcap。Theoriginalinkwhichwasemployedinthewritingofthewillwasofpalegraycolor。Thefirstobliterationswereaseriesofpenandinkscratchesandmarkswhichdestroyedthewriting。
Notsatisfiedwiththemtheoperatorhadwithasaturatedpieceofblottingpaper,brushedoverthescratchesandasthatinkwasofgoodqualityeverymarkofwritinghaddisappearedinthejumbleandblots。Itsohappenedthatthreeinkshadbeenemployed。
Theoriginalink,theinkusedforscratchingandtheoneemployedtodotheblotting。Thethreeinkswerehappilymixturescontainingdifferentconstituents,andsobyutilizingthereagentofonewhichdidnotaffecttheother,graduallytheencrustedupperinkswereremovedandlatertheoriginalwritingappearedsufficientlyplainnotonlytobereadbuttoidentifyit。Photographsmadebeforeandafterthechemicalexperiments,permittedcourtandcounseltomaketheirowncomparisonsduringthegivingofthetestimonyaboutit。
ItpermittedalsothefindingofthetwowitnesseswholivedoutsideofthecityandtolearnmanydetailsfromthemastoMr。Dimon’sconductinthematter。
TherestoredwillshowedthatMrs。Keeryatitsdate1891wasstillinhismind,anditsdestructionbyhimself——thathehadchangedhismind。
JusticeIngrahamcompleteshisopinionindecidingthecaseasfollows:
“Inthiscase,however,thelongtimethatelapsedbetweenthetimeofthedeliveryofthewilltoMr。Morganandthedeathofthetestator,theabsenceofmysatisfactoryproofoftheexistenceofthewillfromthetimeitwasdeliveredtoMr。Morgantothetimeofthetestator’sdeath,andthefactthatthetestatormadeanotherwill,makingsubstantiallythesamedispositionoftheproperty,whichhesubsequentlydestroyed,alltendtocastadoubtuponthefactthatthewillwasinexistenceatthetimeofthetestator’sdeath,andthereispositivelynoevidencethatitwaseverfraudulentlydestroyed。
“Idonotthinkthecourtisjustifiedindivertingalargesumofmoneyfromthoselegallyentitledtoit,byallowing,alostwilltobeproved,exceptupontheclearestandmostsatisfactoryevidenceoftheexistenceofthewillatthetimeofthetestator’sdeath。AndthetestimonyinthiscasefallsshortofwhatIconsidernecessarytoestablishsuchawill。
“Thereshouldbe,therefore,judgmentforthedefendantswithcosts。”
*******
AcaseofconsiderableinterestwastriedbeforeHon。CliffordD。GregoryinthemonthofMarch,1899,inthecityofAlbany,NewYork。Itwasentitledthe“PeopleoftheStateofNewYorkagainstMargaretE。Cody。”aschargedwiththecrimeofblackmail,inthesendingofalettertoMr。GeorgeJ。
Gould,inwhichshethreatenedtodivulgecertaininformationwhichsheclaimedtopossessabouthisdeadfather,JayGould。ThecharacterofthisinformationwassuchthatiftrueitmeantthatJayGouldandhiswifehadlivedinbigamousrelationsduringagreatnumberofyearsprecedingtheirdeathandhencealsoaffectedthelegitimacyoftheentireGouldfamily。Mrs。CodyassertedthatJayGouldwasmarriedtoaMrs。Angelsometimein1853,andthatasaresultofthat“lawful“marriageshegavebirthtoadaughter,aMrs。Pierce,whowasstillaliveandlivingsomewhereinthewest。AsMrs。Codyofferedtosellorsecretetheinformationwhichshesaidshepossessedforaconsideration,Mr。GeorgeJ。
Gouldandhissister,MissHelenGould,instantlydeterminedthatitcouldbenothingelsethanaclearcaseofanattemptatblackmail,whichfalselyimpugnedthereputationsoftheirdeadparents。TheyinstitutedcriminalproceedingsagainstMrs。Cody,chargingthatMrs。CodywhenshewrotetheletterwellknewthatherclaimthathisfatherhadbeenmarriedtoMrs。AngelandthatMrs。Piercewastheirdaughter,wasabsolutelyfalse。Twotrialsfollowed,thefirstin1898inwhichthejurydisagreed,andasecondonein1899whichlastedoveraweek。Itwasinthesecondtrialthatchemicaltestsonacertainentryinachurchrecordinthepresenceofthejuryweremade,whichshowedconclusivelythatancientwritingofanothercharacterthanthatwhichhadbeensubstitutedwasstillexistentbeneaththewritingwhichwasapparenttothenakedeye。
Thefollowingareexcerptsofthejudge’schargetothejury:
“Iwishtoinviteyourattention,forafewmoments,tothebaptismalcertificate。YouhavehadproducedherebeforeyoutheoriginalbaptismalrecordofthechurchatCooperville。Ithasbeensubstantiallyadmitted,intheargumentsofthiscase,thattherehasbeenachangemadeinthiscertificate。IdonotthinkthattheDistrictAttorneyclaimsthatthereisanyevidencethatMrs。
Codyherselfchangedthisrecord;thereisnoclaim,asIunderstandit,madebytheprosecutingofficerthatshewentthereandobtainedthisbook,andwithherownhandchangedthisrecord;butheasksyoutoinferandfindfromtheevidencethathasbeengiven,thatshewasapartytothischange,thatshewasprivytothischange,andthatknowingthatfactshehadguiltyknowledgewhenshewrotetheletteruponwhichtheindictmentisbased。
“YouwillrememberthatMr。Carvalho,theexpertinhandwriting,wasplaceduponthestand;
andhehastestifiedinyourpresenceastohisqualificationsindeterminingdisputedhandwritings,andwhathisexperiencehasbeenduringalongseriesofyears。Hetellsyouthathehasexaminedthisrecord,andthatthereisnoquestionbutsomeofthewordshavebeenerasedandotherssubstitutedintheirplaces。Hetellsyouthatthewords’JayGoulds’werenottheoriginalwordsinthecertificate,oriftheywere,thepresent’JayGoulds,’astheyappearinthecertificate,havebeenforged;thatthewords’MaryS。Brown,’
the’sexmois,’theFrenchwordsforsixmonths,andotherchangeswhichhehasdescribedtoyouareforgeries。
“Ishallsubmittoyou,asaquestionoffact,whetherornotMrs。Codyhadanyknowledgeortookanypart,orauthorizedorconnivedatanyofthechangesmadeinthiscertificate。Idonotsaythatshedid;Ileaveittoyoutosay,fromtheevidenceinthiscase,whetheryourmindsareconvincedthatshehadanypartorparcel,orundertookinanywaytoaccomplishthechangeswhichhavebeenmadeinthisbaptismalrecord。
Andifyoufindasmatteroffactthatshehadsuchknowledgeatthetimethisletterwaswritten;
ifyoufindasmatteroffactshehadthisinformationgiventoherbyMrs。Angel,thenIleaveittoyoutosaywhethershehadsuchknowledge,suchguiltyknowledge,asshouldpreventher,ifactinghonestly,fromwritingalettersuchashasbeendescribedhereandcontainedintheindictment。”
Thejurybroughtinaverdictofguilty。
InthetrialofthePeoplev。DavidL。Kellam1895,whowaschargedwithalteringthedatesofthreenotesfor$6,000each,thecontentionoftheprosecutionwasthatthedatesofthenoteshadbeenchangedbychemicals,andwiththeconsentofthedefenseareagentwasappliedtothesuspectedplacesandtheoriginaldatesrestored。Theverdictofthejurywasguilty。
IntheHoltWillcase,triedinWashington,D。C。,inthemonthofJune,1896,greatstresswaslaidonthefactofthedifferenceintheadmixtureofinksfoundonletterscontemporaneouswiththedateofthewill,anditwasassertedalsothattheinkwithwhichthewillwaswrittenwasnotinexistenceatthetimeitwasallegedtohavebeenmade,June14,1873,andprobablynotearlierthantenyearslater。
Furthermore,thatitwasahabitofJudgeHoltuptothetimeofhisdeath,whichhabitwasillustratedinhiswritingsandcorrespondenceto“sand“hiswriting。
Thejurydecidedthewillwasaforgery。
AnotherfamouscaseinwhichthescientifictestimonyaboutinkandpencilwritingmusthaveassistedthecourtinarrivingataconclusionwasinthetrialofthefamousTighewillcontest,triedbeforeHon。
FrankT。Fitzgerald,oneofthepresentsurrogatesofthecountyofNewYork。Thestoryofthiscaseisincorporatedintheopinionwhichiscitedinpart:
“Hon。FrankT。Fitzgerald,SurrogateofthecountyofNewYork:
“ThatRichardTighediedonthe6thdayofMay,1896,atNo。32UnionSquare,inthecityandcountyofNewYork,wherehehadlivedforfiftyyearspriortohisdeath,andwasatthetimeofhisdeathoverninetyyears。
“Thatthetestator,onoraboutthe27thdayofMarch,1884,inthepresenceoftheattestingwitnesses,dulysignedtheinstrumentinwriting,anddulypublishedanddeclaredthesametobehislastwillandtestament,andrequestedsaidwitnessestowitnessthesame,andpursuanttosuchrequestsaidattestingwitnessesdidsubscribesaidwillasattestingwitnesses。ThatatthetimesaidRichardTighesosigned,publishedanddeclaredthesaidinstrumenttobehislastwillandtestament,thesaidRichardTighewasinallrespectscompetenttoexecutethesame,andwasnotunderanyrestraintorundueinfluence。Thatthesaidinstrument,sosigned,publishedanddeclaredbytestatorwasandconsistedoftheidenticalsheetsofpaperandtheidenticalwritingnowappearinguponthesameastoallexceptpencilwriting;thetestatordidnotpublishordeclarethemarks,wordsorfigureswritteninoruponsaidinstrumentinpenciltobeapartofhislastwillandtestament,anditisnotfoundthatsuchmarks,wordsorfigureswereuponsaidinstrumentatthetimewhensaidinstrumentwassopublishedanddeclaredtobethelastwillandtestamentofthetestator。
Thatthesaidlastwillandtestamentiswrittenconsecutivelyupontwosheetsoflegalcappaper。
“Thatthesaidlastwillandtestamentwasoriginallypreparedwithblankspacesleftfortheinsertionofthenumbersofsharesintendedtobebequeathedanddevisedtothevariousbeneficiariesnamedtherein,andassopreparedwasinthehand-writingofCarolineS。Tighe,thewifeoftestator,andthatatsomesubsequenttimeandbeforetheexecutionofthesaidinstrumentbythesaidRichardTighe,theblankspaceshereinafterreferredtoasfilledininink,werefilledinbyorunderthedirectionofthetestator。Uponsaidinstrumentasofferedforprobatethereappearsintheblanksoriginallyleftthereon,insomeinstances,pencilwritingssuperimposedoverotherpencilwritings,whichhavebeeneitherwhollyorpartiallyerased,andinotherinstancesinkwritingdifferentfromthebodyoftheinstrumentinthematerialemployed,appearingoverpencilwritingswhollyorpartiallyobliterated……
“Thatthesaidwordswrittenininkfillingsuchblanksasaforesaidexpressedthefinaldeterminationofthetestatorwithregardtothebeneficiariestowhomthesameapplied;andthatthewordsandfigureswritteninpencilfillingsuchblanksasaforesaidwerewrittenonlydeliberatelyandtentativelyandthatastothosewordsandfiguresthetestatorhadnotatthetimewhenheexecuted,publishedordeclaredsaidinstrumenttobehislastwillandtestamentdeterminedastowhomorinwhatproportionshewouldgivetheseveralsharesofhisestateandpropertycoveredbysaidwordsandfigures,butthetestatorattemptedandintendedtoreservetohimselfthepowerofmakingdispositionofsaidsharesthereafter,andintendedthefinaldispositionthereoftobeininkwriting……”
CHAPTERXXIV。
CHEMICO-LEGALINKCONTINUED。
FAMOUSCASEOFCRITTENV。CHEMICALNATIONAL
BANK——STORYOFTHECASEINCLUDEDINTHE
OPINIONOFTHECOURTOFAPPEALSASWRITTENBY
JUSTICEEDGARM。CULLEN——THEPINKERTONCASEOF
“BECKER“——STORYOFHOWHESECURED$20,000
THROUGHTHEALTERATIONOFA$12CHECK——BECKER’S
COMMENTSABOUTHIMSELF——ACRITICISMOF
BECKERANDHISWORK——NAMESOFSOMECASES
INWHICHCHEMICALEVIDENCEWASPRESENTEDTO
COURTSANDJURIES。
THEbookscontainnoclearerormoreforcibleexpositionof“Chemico-legal“ink,initsrelationshiptofactsadducedfromillustratedscientifictestimony,thanistobefoundinthefinalopinionwrittenbythateminentjuristHon。EdgarM。CullenonbehalfofthemajorityoftheCourtofAppealsoftheStateofNewYork,inthecaseofDeFreesCrittenv。TheChemicalNationalBank。Itwastheauthor’sprivilegetobetheexpertemployedinthelowercourtaboutwhosetestimonyJudgeCullenremarksN。Y。Rep。,171,p。223
“ThealterationofthechecksbyDaviswasestablishedbeyondcontradiction。”andagain,p。227,“Theskillofthecriminalhaskeptpacewiththeadvanceinhonestartsandaforgerymaybemadesoskillfullyastodeceivenotonlythebankbutthedrawerofthecheckastothegenuinenessofhisownsignature。”
Themainfactsareincludedintheportionoftheopinioncited:
“Theplaintiffskeptalargeandactiveaccountwiththedefendant,andthisactionistorecoveranallegedbalanceofadepositduetothemfromthebank。TheplaintiffshadintheiremployaclerknamedDavis。ItwasthedutyofDavistofillupthecheckswhichitmightbenecessaryfortheplaintiffstogiveinthecourseofbusiness,tomakecorrespondingentriesinthestubsofthecheckbookandpresentthecheckssopreparedtoMr。Critten,oneoftheplaintiffs,forsignature,togetherwiththebillsinpaymentofwhichtheyweredrawn。
AftersigningacheckCrittenwouldplaceitandthebillinanenvelopeaddressedtotheproperparty,sealtheenvelopeandputitinthemailingdrawer。DuringtheperiodfromSeptember,1897,toOctober,1899,intwenty-fourseparateinstancesDavisabstractedoneoftheenvelopesfromthemailingdrawer,openedit,obliteratedbyacidsthenameofthepayeeandtheamountspecifiedinthecheck,thenmadethecheckpayabletocashandraiseditsamount,inthemajorityofcases,bythesumof$100。Hewoulddrawthemoneyonthechecksoalteredfromthedefendantbank,paythebillforwhichthecheckwasdrawnincashandappropriatetheexcess。OnoneoccasionDavisdidnotcollectthealteredcheckfromthedefendant,butdepositedittohisowncreditinanotherbank。WhenacheckwaspresentedtoCrittenforsignaturethenumberofdollarsforwhichitwasdrawnwouldbecutinthecheckbyapunchinginstrument。
WhenDavisalteredacheckhewouldpunchanewfigureinfrontofthosealreadyappearinginthecheck。ThecheckssoalteredbyDaviswerechargedtotheaccountoftheplaintiffs,whichwasbalancedeverytwomonthsandthevouchersreturnedtothemfromthebank。ToDavishimselftheplaintiffs,asarule,intrustedtheverificationofthebankbalance。ThisworkhavingintheabsenceofDavisbeencommittedtoanotherperson,theforgerieswerediscoveredandDaviswasarrestedandpunished。Itistheamountoftheseforgedchecks,overandabovethesumsforwhichtheywereoriginallydrawn,thatthisactionisbroughttorecover。Thedefendantpleadedpaymentandchargednegligenceonplaintiff’spart,bothinthemannerinwhichthechecksweredrawnandinthefailuretodiscovertheforgerieswhenthepassbookwasbalancedandthevoucherssurrendered。OnthetrialthealterationofthechecksbyDaviswasestablishedbeyondcontradictionandthesubstantialissuelitigatedwasthatoftheplaintiff’snegligence。TherefereerenderedashortdecisioninfavoroftheplaintiffsinwhichhestatesasthegroundofhisdecisionthattheplaintiffswerenotnegligenteitherinsigningthechecksasdrawnbyDavisorinfailingtodiscovertheforgeriesatanearlierdatethanthatatwhichtheyweremadeknowntothem。
“Therelationexistingbetweenabankandadepositorbeingthatofdebtorandcreditor,thebankcanjustifyapaymentonthedepositor’saccountonlyupontheactualdirectionofthedepositor。
’Thequestionarisingonsuchpaperchecks
betweendraweeanddrawer,however,alwaysrelatetowhattheonehasauthorizedtheothertodo。
Theyarenotquestionsofnegligenceorofliabilitytopartiesuponcommercialpaper,butarethoseofauthoritysolely。Thequestionofnegligencecannotariseunlessthedepositorhasindrawinghischeekleftblanksunfilled,orbysomeaffirmativeactofnegligencehasfacilitatedthecommissionofafraudbythoseintowhosehandsthecheckmaycome。’Crawfordv。WestSideBank,100N。Y。50。Therefore,whenthefraudulentalterationofthecheckswasproved,theliabilityofthebankfortheiramountwasmadeoutanditwasincumbentuponthedefendanttoestablishaffirmativelynegligenceontheplaintiff’sparttorelieveitfromtheconsequencesofitsfaultormisfortuneinpayingforgedorders。Now,whilethedrawerofacheckmaybeliablewherehedrawstheinstrumentillsuchillincompletestateastofacilitateorinvitefraudulentalterations,itisnotthelawthatheisboundsotopreparethecheekthatnobodyelsecallsuccessfullytamperwithit。SocieteGeneralev。MetropolitanBank,27L。T。[N。S。]849;Belknapv。NationalBankofNorthAmerica,100Mass。380Inthepresentcasethefraudulentalterationofthecheckswasnotmerelyintheperforationoftheadditionalfigure,butintheobliterationofthewrittennameofthepayeeandthesubstitutionthereforoftheword’Cash。’Againstthislatterchangeoftheinstrumenttheplaintiffscouldnothavebeenexpectedtoguard,andwithoutthatalterationitwouldhavenowayprofitedthecriminaltoraisetheamount……”
APinkertoncaseofinternationalrepute,bestknownasthe“Becker“case,includedthesuccessful“raising“ofacheckbychemicalmeansfrom$12to$22,000。ThecriminalauthorofthisstupendousfraudwasCharlesBecker,“kingofforgers。”
whoasanallroundimitatorofanywritingandmanipulatorofmonetaryinstrumentsthenstoodattheheadofhis“profession。”ArrestedandtakentoSanFranciscohewasbroughttotrial。Twoofhis“pals“turnedstate’sevidence,andBeckerwassentencedtoalifeterm。ThroughanerroronthepartofthetrialjudgehesecuredanewtrialonanappealtotheSupremeCourt。Thejurydisagreedonasecondtrial,butonthethirdtrialhewasconvicted。
Beckerpleadedformercy,andashewasanoldmanandshowedsignsofphysicalbreak-down,thecourtwaslenientwithhim。Sevenyearswashissentence。
AfterhisincarcerationinSanQuetinprison,hedescribedinonesentencehowhehadrisentotheheadofthecraftofforgers。“Aworldofpatience,aheapoftime,andgoodinks,——thatisthesecretofmysuccessintheprofession。”
Oncompletinghissentence,hisreplytothequestion,“Whatwastheunderlyingmotivewhichinducedyoutoforge?“wasoneword,“Vanity!“
Thedetailedfactswhichfollowarefromthe“AmericanBanker:“
“OnDecember2,1895,asmooth-speakingman,underthenameofA。H。Dean,hiredanofficeintheChroniclebuildingatSanFrancisco,undertheguiseofamerchantbroker,paidamonth’srentinadvance,andonDecember4hewenttotheBankofNevadaandopenedanaccountwith$2,500
cash,sayingthathisaccountwouldrunfrom$2,000to$30,000,andthathewouldwantnoaccommodation。Hemanipulatedtheaccountsoastoinviteconfidence,andonDecember17hedepositedacheckordraftoftheBankofWoodland,Cal。,uponitscorrespondent,theCrocker-
WoolworthBankofSanFrancisco。TheamountwaspaidtothecreditofDean,thecheckwassentthroughtheclearing-house,andwaspaidbytheCrocker-
WoolworthBank。Thenextday,thecheckhavingbeencleared,Deancalledanddrewout$20,000,takingthecashinfourbagsofgold,thetellernothavingpapermoneyconvenient。Hehadavehicleatthedoor,withhisofficeboyinsideasdriver,andawayhewent。Attheendofthemonth,whentheCrocker-WoolworthBankmadereturnstotheWoodlandBank,itincludedthedraftfor$22,000。
Herethefraudwasdiscovered,andherethelessontobankersofadvisingdraftsreceivedanewillustration。TheBankofWoodlandhaddrawnnosuchdraft,andtheonlyoneithaddrawnwhichwasnotaccountedforwasonefortwelvedollars,issuedinfavorofA。H。Holmestoaninnocent-
lookingman,who,onDecember9,calledtoaskhowhecouldsendtwelvedollarstoadistantfriend,andwhetheritwasbettertosendamoneyorderoranexpressorder。Whenhewastoldhecouldsenditbybankdraft,heseemedtohavelearnedsomethingnew;supposedthathecouldnotgetabankdraft,andhetookit,payingthefee。
Herecamebackthatinnocenttwelve-dollardraft,raisedto$22,000,andonitswayhadcostsomebody$20,000ingold。
“Thealmostabsoluteperfectionwithwhichthedrafthadbeenforgedhadnearlydefiedthedetectionofeventhemicroscope。Inthebodyoftheoriginal$12drafthadbeenthewords,’Twelve……Dollars。’Theforger,bytheuseofsomechemicalpreparation,haderasedthefinalletters’lve’fromtheword’twelve,’andhadsubstitutedtheletters’nty-two,’sothatinplaceofthe’twelve,’isitappearedinthegenuinedraft,therewastheword’twenty-two’intheforgedpaper。
“Inthespacebetweentheword’twenty-two’
andtheword’dollars’theforgerinsertedtheword’thousand,’sothatinplaceofthedraftreading’twelvedollars,’asatfirst,itread’twenty-twothousanddollars,’aschanged。
“Intheoriginal$12draft,thefigures’1’and’2’andthecharacter’$’hadbeenpunchedsothatthecombinationread’$12。’Theforgerhadfilledintheseperforationswithpaperinsuchawaythatthepartfilledinlookedexactlylikethefieldofthepaper。Afterhavingfilledintheperforations,hehadperforatedthepaperwiththecombination,’$22,000。’
“Thedates,too,hadbeenerasedbythechemicalprocess,andintheirsteadweredateswhichwouldmakeitappearthatthepaperbadbeenpresentedforpaymentwithinareasonablelengthoftimeafterithadbeenissued。Thedatesintheoriginaldraft,ifleftontheforgeddraft,wouldhavebeenliabletoarousesuspicionatthebank,fortheywouldhaveshownthattheholderhaddepartedfromcustomincarrying,suchavaluablepapermorethanafewdays。
“Thatwastheextentoftheforgerieswhichhadbeenmadeinthepaper,themannerinwhichtheyhadbeenmadebetrayedthehandofanexpertforger。Theinterjectedhand-writingwassonearlylikethatintheoriginalpaperthatittookagreatwhiletodecidewhetherornotitwasaforgery。
“Intheplaceswherelettershadbeenerasedbytheuseofchemicalsthecoloringofthepaperhadbeenrestored,sothatitwaswell-nighimpossibletodetectavarianceofthehue。Itwastheworkofanartist,withpen,ink,chemicals,camel’shairbrush,watercolors,paperpulpandaperforatingmachine。Moreoverthecrimewaseighteendaysold,andtheforgermightbeinJapanoronhiswaytoEurope。TheProtectiveCommitteeoftheAmericanBankers’AssociationheldahurriedconsultationassoonasthenewsoftheforgeryreachedNewYork,andordersweregiventogetthisforger,regardlessofexpense——hewastoodangerousamantobeatlarge。Itwaseasiersaidthandone;buttheskillofthePinkertonswasarousedandthewiresweremadehotgettinganaccuratedescriptionofDeanfromallwhohadseenhim。
Suspectedbankcriminalswereshadowednightanddaytoseeiftheyconnectedwithanyoneansweringthedescription,butpatient,hardlaborfornearlytwomonthsdidnotseemtopromisemuch。”
NotsatisfiedwiththeirsuccessinSanFranciscothesesamebankworkersbeganaseriesofoperationsinMinneapolisandSt。Paul,Minnesota。ThisinformationbychancereachedthePinkertonswholaidatrapandcapturedtwoofthegang。ShortlyafterwardBeckeroninformationfurnishedbythemwasalsoarrested,takentoCaliforniaandafterthreeseparatetrialsasbeforestated,senttoSanQuetin。
Thistriumphoftheforger’sart,IexaminedinthecityofSanFranciscoandalthoughitwasnot,thefirsttimeIhadbeenbroughtintocontactwiththeworkofBecker,wascompelledtoadmitthatthisparticularspecimenwasalmostperfectandmorenearlysowithasingleexceptionthananyotherwhichhadcomeundermyobservation。Beckerwasasortofgeniusinthejugglingofbankchecks。Heknewthevaluesofinkandthecorrectchemicaltoaffectthem。Hispapermillwashismouth,inwhichtomanufacturespeciallypreparedpulptofillinpunchholes,whichwhenironedover,madeitmostdifficulttodetectevenwithamagnifyingglass。Hewasablealsotoimitatewatermarksandcouldreproducethemostintricatedesigns。Hesayshehasreformed。
DuringthelasttwentyyearsquiteanumberofcaseshavebeentriedinNewYorkCityandvicinityinwhichthequestionofinkswasanallimportantone。
Thetitlesofafewnotalreadyreferredtoaregiven。
herewith:Lawless-Flemming,AlbingerWill,Phelan-
PressPublishingCo。,Ryold,Kerr-Southwick,N。Y。
DredgingCo。,Thorless-Nernst,Gekouski,Perkins,Bedellforgeries,Storey,Lyddy,Clarke,Woods,Baker,Trefethen,Dupont-Dubos,Schooley,Humphrey,Dietz-Allen,Carter,andRineard-Bowers。
CHAPTERXXV。
INKUTENSILSOFANTIQUITY。
THEGRAVINGTOOLPRECEDESTHEPEN——CLASSIFICATION
UNDERTWOHEADS,ONEWHICHSCRATCHEDANDTHE
OTHERWHICHUSEDANINK——THESTYLUSANDTHE
MATERIALSOFWHICHITWASCOMPOSED——POETICALLY
DESCRIBED——COMMENTSBYNOELHUMPHREYS——RECAPITULATION
OFVARIOUSDEVICESBYKNIGHT——BIBLICAL
REFERENCES——ENGRAVEDSTONESANDOTHER
MATERIALSTHEEARLIESTKINDSOFRECORDS——WHEN
THINBRICKSWEREUTILIZEDFORINSCRIPTION
PURPOSES——METHODSEMPLOYEDBYTHECHINESE——
HILPRECHT’SDISCOVERIES——THEDIAMONDASASCRATCHING
INSTRUMENT——HISTORICALINCIDENTWRITTEN
WITHONE——BIBLICALMENTIONABOUTTHEDIAMOND——
WHENITBECAMEPOSSIBLETOINTERPRET
CHARACTERVALUESOFANCIENTHIEROGLYPHICS——DISCOVERY
OFTHEROSETTASTONEANDADESCRIPTIONOF
IT——SOMEOBSERVATIONSABOUTCHAMPOLLIONAND
DR。YOUNGWHODECIPHEREDIT——ITSCAPTUREBY
THEENGLISHANDPRESERVATIONINTHEBRITISH
MUSEUM——EMPLOYMENTOFTHEREEDPENANDPENCIL-
BRUSH——THEBRUSHPRECEDEDTHEREEDPEN——THE
PLACESWHERETHEREEDSGREW——COMMENTSBY
VARIOUSWRITERS——METHODOFFORMINGTHEREED
INTOAPEN——CONTINUEDEMPLOYMENTOFTHEMIN
THEFAREAST——THEBRUSHSTILLINUSEINCHINA
ANDJAPAN——EARLIESTEXAMPLESOFREEDPENWRITING——
WHENTHEQUILLWASSUBSTITUTEDFORTHE
REED——REEDPENSFOUNDINTHERUINSOF
HERCULANEUM——ANECDOTEBYTHEABBE,HUC。