| Foreword by John J. Harris | iii | |
| Editorial Preface | iv | |
| Section I—Handwriting | ||
| 1. | What is handwriting? | 1 |
| 2. | Define: (1) quality, (2) element, (3) feature, and (4) characteristic as applied to handwriting | 3 |
| 3. | Describe movement or manner of writing as a handwriting characteristic | 8 |
| 4. | Discuss pen-lifts and disconnections as handwriting characteristics | 10 |
| 5. | What value should be placed upon pen pressure or unconscious emphasis and shading as handwriting characteristics? | 12 |
| 6. | Discuss size of writing as an identifying characteristic | 15 |
| 7. | Define individuality in handwriting | 18 |
| 8. | Describe the principal steps in the development of individuality in handwriting | 20 |
| 9. | Describe and illustrate twenty of the most significant individualities in handwriting | 26 |
| 10. | What are ten principal differences in handwriting as written by different writers? | 27 |
| Section II—Handwriting Continued | ||
| 11. | What value should be given to systems of writing as a means of identification? | 29 |
| 12. | Illustrate and describe some of the most significant characteristics of (1) Old Round Hand Writing, (2) Modified Round Hand Writing or Pre-Spencerian, (3) Spencerian, (4) Vertical Writing, (5) Modern Commercial | 31 |
| 13. | Describe and illustrate ten common deviations from system forms in developed handwriting | 43 |
| 14. | Describe and interpret natural variation in the handwriting of an individual | 45 |
| 15. | Discuss the added difficulties in imitating a continued writing instead of only a signature | 48 |
| 16. | How is force, freedom, and speed shown in handwriting? | 51 |
| 17. | Discuss flourishes or grace strokes as identifying evidence in handwriting | 53 |
| 18. | What are the characteristics of illiteracy in handwriting? (Other than language, grammar, spelling, use of capitals, etc.) | 54 |
| 19. | How is disguise in handwriting distinguished from natural variation? | 55 |
| 20. | Discuss the consideration to be given to the inevitable similarities between a disputed and a standard writing | 58 |
| Section III—Forgery | ||
| 21. | How is variation or similarity in two or more disputed signatures to be interpreted? | 61 |
| 22. | To what extent and how do conditions of the writer explain or excuse divergences in a disputed signature? | 64 |
| 23. | To what extent and how do surrounding conditions explain or excuse divergences in a disputed signature? | 66 |
| 24. | What is unnaturalness, constraint, or self-consciousness in writing and how is it shown and from what does it result? | 68 |
| 25. | How is carelessness and inattention to the writing operation shown in handwriting? | 71 |
| 26. | What is the correct interpretation of incompleteness and illegibility in a disputed signature? | 73 |
| 27. | What is the significance and interpretation of defects in handwriting due to pen and ink? | 75 |
| 28. | Discuss the significance of retouching, overwriting, and additions and changes in a writing | 77 |
| 29. | What is the significance of obvious repeated or double starts in a disputed signature? | 80 |
| 30. | How much divergence in writing is necessary in order to show forgery?. | 81 |
| Section IV—Forgery Continued | ||
| 31. | Why do you say that a signature was not written with the intention of denying it? | 83 |
| 32. | Why may a wholly different design of letter be less significant as evidence of forgery than a distinctive modification of a design?. | 85 |
| 33. | Describe the possible significance of the location of a disputed signature | 88 |
| 34. | Discuss the significance of the use of a blotter in a disputed signature inquiry | 91 |
| 35. | Discuss the significance of a 40 degree divergence in slant, from a standard, in a continuous writing as compared with a 15 degree divergence | 94 |
| 36. | Why do you conclude that a signature is a tracing? | 95 |
| 37. | Discuss evidence of illness in handwriting and the significance of such evidence | 99 |
| 38. | Discuss evidence of haste in writing and its significance. | 101 |
| 39. | What are the most common characteristics pointing to European systems of handwritings (1) German, (2) Italian, (3) English, (4) French? | 102 |
| 40. | Describe the evidence in a document pointing toward unwarranted or fraudulent interlineations or additions | 109 |
| Section V—Miscellaneous | ||
| 41. | Discuss and illustrate punctuation characteristics in handwriting and typewriting? | 112 |
| 42. | How may the age of the writer be shown by handwriting? | 114 |
| 43. | What is the natural effect on a signature or other writing of the writing of the first name in full instead of as usually abbreviated? | 115 |
| 44. | How should erasures in a document or signature be interpreted? | 116 |
| 45. | Describe and illustrate the most significant characteristics indicating identity in disputed pen lettering | 118 |
| 46. | What is habit and what bearing does it have on handwriting identification? | 120 |
| 47. | Discuss comparison as a process of reasoning | 124 |
| 48. | Why will a chemical test not show the age of typewriting or pencil writing? | 128 |
| 49. | How and under what conditions does a chemical test show comparative ages of writings? | 130 |
| 50. | Discuss sufficiency of proof of lack of genuineness to warrant a positive conclusion | 135 |
| Appendixes | ||
| Appendix A. Letter of Invitation, March 2, 1931. | 138 | |
| Appendix B. List of Topics with suggested length of discussions | 139 | |
| Appendix C. Letter to John L. Harris with assignment, July 9, 1931 | 142 | |
| Appendix D. Conference Agenda | 143 | |
Special Topics in Disputed Document Testimony
Figures & Tables
DOI: https://doi.org/10.69525/jasqde.280 | Journal eISSN: 1524-7287
Language: English
Page range: 41 - 62
Published on: Dec 1, 2021
Published by: American Society of Questioned Document Examiners
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
© 2021 The Conference Members, published by American Society of Questioned Document Examiners
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.