Storytellersunplugged

More recently (1928), during an inheritance litigation case, a woman claimed that she had written the names of her two children and the dates (1887 and 1889) of their births in her Bible soon after they were born. Oops! The Bible bore a copyright date of 1890.

Even more recently (circa 1972), as you might remember, a writer named Clifford Irving used documents he claimed were written by Howard Hughes to convince editors at McGraw-Hill and Life Magazine that Hughes had authorized Clifford to write his biography. The documents even included a letter to the editor of McGraw-Hill to confirm Hughes’ permission. Hughes contested the claim.

Forgers have two tasks when forging. They must imitate someone else’s writing characteristics; and, while doing so, must suppress their own. The more they write, the greater is the probability that they will unconsciously let some of their own writing characteristics slip into the forgery. This is one reason it is easier to prove that someone did not write something than to prove that someone did. In the Clifford case, there was sufficient evidence to convince U.S. Postal Inspection Service experts to testify that the questioned documents were not written by Hughes.

Most documents probably involve paper, and paper analysis of QUESTIONED DOCUMENTS (often referred to as QD’s) can extract an impressive amount of useful historical and physical evidence. A qualitative analysis discloses materials, such as fibers, of which a paper is made and materials, such as ink, that are present in the paper. A quantitative analysis indicates how much is in the paper. A chemical analysis reveals composition and pH, and a physical analysis measures gloss, strength and color. An organic analysis discerns carbon-based traces of plants and organisms, and an inorganic analysis fingers minerals and pigments in ink. Instruments used to perform such analyses range from simple optical magnifiers to molecular spectrometers.

The handwriting of persons of a particular language group is sufficiently similar to enable others in the group to read and understand it. The handwriting of individuals within a group, of course, has characteristic variations. The trick for handwriting examiners is to be able to distinguish between mere variations and true differences. Handwriting identification involves comparing handwriting characteristics in authenticated samples of handwriting with the characteristics in what is referred to as QUESTIONED WRITING to determine who wrote, or did not write, the latter.

Many factors can influence handwriting. These include anatomical limitations, actual writing ability, health, mood, writing background, alcohol and drug use, injuries, and stress. Physical factors include writing surface smoothness, types of writing instruments and whether or not writers are trying to disguise their handwriting. All these factors and more contribute to differences in handwriting from one moment to another. It is generally accepted that it is highly unlikely that anyone can write his or her own name in exactly the same manner twice during an entire lifetime.

While we’re on the subject of handwriting, this seems an appropriate place to mention that there are no reliable methods to identify the gender of a writer from a sample of their writing. Also, although some left-handed writers leave what seem to be obvious indications (left-slanting characters and smudged ink) of their handedness, there are also no absolutely reliable methods for separating the writing of lefties from that of righties. It should also be mentioned that determining anything about writers’ personalities from their handwriting is not the mission of document examiners. That is left to graphologists, who claim to have that ability.

All documents, of course, are not handwritten. Many are created using typewriters and a variety of impact and other printers. Impact printers can be individually identified by typeface damage and/or wear and can be generally identified by such things as type of ribbon (fabric or carbon film) and typeface design. Nonimpact printing employs a variety of techniques whose number and relative complexity are such that I won’t abuse your interest by including their details in this essay.

We have probably all noticed that, when writing, indentations, referred to as INDENTED WRITING are often left on an underlying paper. Directing light at an oblique angle (RAKING) can often make indented writing, as well as other surface characteristics such as watermarks and various types of damage, visible and photographable by creating shadows in depressions. I seem to recall Sam Spade or Sherlock Holmes lightly rubbing a soft pencil over indentations to make indented, undarkened characters visible. This method, however, can easily destroy evidence.

An electrostatic detection apparatus (ESDA) is now commonly used to produce and record visual images of indented writing on film. This nifty device can sometimes recover indented writing that is four or more sheets below an uncontaminated sheet bearing the original writing. The apparatus is so sensitive that it sometimes detects fingerprints. It can even betray differences in pen or pencil pressures applied by different persons while writing on the same paper. Also, as might sometimes be desirable, the ESDA is nondestructive and leaves no trace that it was ever there.

An even more sensitive device with which to compare marks is an electron microscope. It can indicate whether a fingerprint on paper is below ink or above it. It can also indicate which of two fingerprints is on top of the other.

Another helpful device for assisting in questioned document examinations is a video spectral comparator (VSC), especially where portions of documents are obliterated or altered. With a VSC, an examiner can scrutinize a suspected area using infrared light and a charge-coupled-device (CCD) camera as a detector. An image is displayed on a monitor and is digitally processed by a computer. The device can be used to reveal concealed or masked information, examine watermarks, reveal the use of different inks, visualize indented writing and embossing, match tear profiles and logos, measure document feature dimensions, indicate color differences and examine machine-readable zones on passports.

Another handy dandy device is a laser-scanning confocal microscope. It can scan specimens multiple times at difference surface depths and then combines the scans to form a dimensional image.

It would be difficult to overemphasize the potential importance of a bit of paper when one considers what information it might bear. As Melville wrote: What we take to be our strongest tower of delight, only stands at the caprice of the minutest event - the falling of a leaf, the hearing of a voice, or the receipt of one little bit of paper scratched over with a few small characters by a sharpened feather.

Extra fact:

A forensic document examiner makes scientific examinations, comparisons and analyses of documents to:

1. establish genuineness or nongenuineness, or to expose forgery, or to reveal alterations, additions or deletions,

2. identify or eliminate persons as the source of handwriting,

3. identify or eliminate the source of typewriting or other impressions, marks, or relative evidence, and

4. write reports or give testimony, when needed, to aid the users of the examiner’s services in understanding the examiner’s findings.

R. C. Jones