Mr. EISENBERG. Excuse me 1 second. Just to elaborate on that. Do I take
it that your experience is such that you have found you can predict
forms of letters based upon the samples you have before you, predict
forms which may be used in other samples by the same author?
Mr. COLE. Well, within certain narrow limits. That is, having
information about the range of variation in the body of standard
writing, it is reasonable to make a small allowance for the production
of forms not actually illustrated there, as long as they are consistent
with the forms that are actually available for examination. In other
words, I would regard it as a consistent thing in this writing to
occasionally produce a circle at the center portion of a letter "K"; it
does not, in my opinion, represent a difference of writing habit.
Now, in that same word we observe a habit heretofore mentioned of
increasing the amount of forehand slant, in the letter "i"--that is in
"Klein's" of the photograph 789--which has previously been observed
in the standard writing. Several examples have been pointed out. For
the present, I will mention the one on chart A, item 1 in the word
"obligations," the second letter "i" there shows an increased forehand
slant. The same is true of the "i" of the word "firm" on the same line.
The combination of letters in the word "sporting," that is, the
combination "port," are illustrated in the standard writing, chart A,
item 2 in the word "support," item 3 in the word "port," in item 4 in
the word "transportation," and here we find very close agreement in
all details of those letter forms. With respect to the letter "p,"
the absence of an under extension, that is, the absence of any part
rising above the arched part of the letter on the writing line, and the
circumstance that the body of the letter or arch, as it is shown here
on the photograph 789, is not brought all the way into the staff, it is
made almost as a pure arch form with no movement in here towards the
staff, which is the same movement we have here on chart A, item 3 in
the word "port," repeated also on item 4, and in the two "p's" of item
2. Now, there is a distinctive method of making the connection between
the letters "o" and "r," by drawing a very straight line, horizontal
line almost exactly paralleling the base of the word across from the
letter "o" to the "r" on the photograph 789, and this movement is also
repeated on chart A, items 3 and 4, in the combination letters "or"
also in item 2 in the same combination of letters.
This writing demonstrates the habit in the figure "5" of a considerable
exaggeration of the final stroke of the letter, or the cap stroke, a
horizontal stroke at the top of the letter observed on the photograph
789, and shown in several places in the standard writing, some of which
have already been mentioned, one being on chart C, item 7, and on chart
B, items 1 and 9, the figure "5."
Also in this writing, we find that highly distinctive "x" form in the
word "Texas," involving the production of a shallow =U=-shaped form
with the crossbar passing across the second point of that =U=-shaped
form for the word "Texas." This is the basis for my conclusion that the
questioned writing on the money order is in the hand of the author of
the standard writing.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Cole, I now hand you Commission Exhibit 135, which,
for the record, consists of the purchase order to Seaport Traders from
"A. Hidell" for the revolver which was used in the murder of Officer
Tippit.
Mr. Cole, have you examined Commission Exhibit 135 to determine whether
it was produced by the author of the standards in this case?
Mr. COLE. I have.
Mr. EISENBERG. What is your conclusion?
Mr. COLE. It is my conclusion that this handwriting is in the hand of
the person who produced the standard writing.
Mr. EISENBERG. Have you taken a photograph of 135?
Mr. COLE. Yes, sir; I have.
Mr. EISENBERG. Would you produce that, please?
Was this photograph prepared by you or under your supervision?
Mr. COLE. Yes, sir.
Mr. EISENBERG. Is it an accurate reproduction of 135?
Mr. COLE. It is.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Chairman, may I have that admitted as 790?
Representative FORD. It may be admitted.
(The document referred to was marked Commission Exhibit No. 790, and
received in evidence.)
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Cole, could you explain your reasons for your
conclusion by reference to the charts 784 A, B, and C, and to the
photograph, 790?
Mr. COLE. On the photograph 790 I invite attention to the first line
of handprinting, which has a long horizontal line drawn through it.
Toward the ends of that line there is an amount which appears to read
"$1.35," and I draw attention to the form of the dollar sign, which
sign has already been mentioned in other writing, and here we find that
same feature of subordinating the =S= part of the dollar sign to the
crossbars, the crossbars being, or the verticals being made in such a
way as to practically obliterate the =S=-shaped part. There, again,
that is a feature of writing habit of the author of the writing on 790
which corresponds with the habit in the standard writing shown on chart
B, item 6, second line, in the amount "$2.00."
Next, I draw your attention, in the approximate area as that just
discussed on 790 there, to the amount "29.95." Now, with respect to the
form of the figure "2" we observe a rounded cap or top to the letter
and a rather prominent loop to the base, and it is observed that the
leftward extension of the cap of the letter is considerably short of
the amount of leftward motion across the base. This corresponds to the
form and placement of parts as shown in the standard writing chart B,
item 1, in the combination "2915."
In that same amount, on the photograph 790, again we observe the
exaggerated length of the cap of the figure "5" which corresponds to
the standard writing, chart B, item 1, the figure "5" there.
The dollar sign which was previously described is repeated in the
amount "$10.00" on the left side of the photograph 790, and I believe
that the treatment of the verticals there is the same, that is,
an unusually heavy pressure, but it appears that the pen was not
delivering a normal quantity of ink at that point. Nevertheless, there
is this same effect of almost obliterating the =S=-shaped part of the
dollar sign.
Now, moving on down to the bottom part of the photograph 790, and
considering first the form of the "B" in the word "Box" on the address
line, here again we observe that tendency of a fairly small upper lobe
relative to the size of the lower lobe of the "B," and this is repeated
in the standard writing, one place being chart B, item 1, in the "B" of
"Box."
The word "DALLAS" on the photograph 790 shows capital "L's" which have
a compound curve across the base: that is, instead of a simplified form
of letter, where there would be a simple straight line across the base,
we have first a rising stroke and then a stroke that curves downward
towards the writing line. This compound curve across the base of "L's"
is repeated in the standard writing, chart B, item 1 and 9, in the same
word "DALLAS."
Again, on the photograph 790, the second letter "A" in "DALLAS"
illustrates a habit previously mentioned of using a downstroke to begin
the left side of the "A," which stroke is almost exactly traced, and
this too is repeated in the standard, chart B, item 1, the second "A"
of "DALLAS." Opposite the printed word "State" on photograph 790, the
word "Texas" again shows this mixture of capital forms and lower-case
forms, specifically the use of a lower case "e" in combination with
capital letters, which is true in the standard writing, chart B, items
1 and 9, in the word "Texas."
This constitutes my reasons for believing that the questioned writing
shown in the photograph 790 is in the hand of the author of the
standard writing.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Cole, there seems to be a very varying amount of
blackness or color in the ink on Commission Exhibit 135, which is shown
up in your photograph. Do you have any explanation for that?
Mr. COLE. I think the pen was not functioning properly, that very heavy
pressure was used on the document to bring the ink down from the pen,
and we can see that the writer is reacting to this, for example, in the
word "Box" on the address line, where you have only a moderate quantity
of ink and then as you move along to the figures "2915" you observe
that heavier pressure is used. In other words, it is my view that the
writer observed that the pen was tending to fail, and that he increased
pressure in order to persuade more ink to come down from the pen.
Mr. EISENBERG. There also seems to be a doubling of lines in some
parts, such as the "J" in "A. J. Hidell," and the upper area also of
"A. J. Hidell."
Mr. COLE. Yes; that could very well be for the same reasons, because if
you move to the upper part of this exhibit there are other places where
the pen almost failed. You have strokes that have a shallow center with
ink only on the outside borders of strokes.
Mr. EISENBERG. Mr. Cole, can you make out the writing which is printed
in and then crossed out in this exhibit?
Mr. COLE. Well, a part of it.
Just below the printed word "Snubbie" there appears to be a line of
writing which says, "1 AMMO," if that is "A-M-M-O"--the second "M" is
somewhat indistinct. And then there is parenthesis, BOX of 25, close
parenthesis, dollar mark, 1.35. Then just below that there is a line of
writing, the first word of which I cannot make out, that is, I cannot
make any intelligible word of it, but the second word appears to be
"holster." In other words, the word "holster" would lie just above the
words "total price" and then there follows some figures which appear to
be "1.95."
Representative FORD. Is it your judgment on this exhibit that at the
point where the applicant is required to give his age that it is "23"
or "28"?