But when a forgery done in this way is put under a strong magnifying
lens it will not bear scrutiny. If the original has a strong down
stroke on the capital letters the movement will be free and will leave
the pen lines with smooth edges. The man who is tracing such letters
cannot trust himself to the same free movement of the pen and the
result under the glass shows hesitancy and uncertainty. Also if other
lines in the signature be lighter than the forger naturally uses the
same hesitancy will be shown. When the lines have passed scrutiny, too,
there is another "line" test which will show that the impossibility of
one's writing two signatures alike has been accomplished.

From dotted points made above the genuine signature straight lines are
drawn radiating from it to certain portions of certain letters in the
signature that is forged. When the forged signature is replaced in the
glass and the other on top, as is done in the tracing, these radiating
lines will fall one upon the other with the exactness of the lines in
the signatures.

These radiating lines, too, may be used in the few cases where the
forger is an expert penman depending upon an offhand duplication of a
signature. This penman will have his inevitable natural slant to his
letters. This characteristic slant never is the same in two individuals.
In his free and easy forgery of a name written by another person this
"Jim, the penman" exposes his acquired slant which disputes the original.

This slant of individual writing shows especially in any attempt to
write a forged letter or document. When the pen scope of the original
has been lined out, proving the characteristic common lengths between
the lifting of the pen from the paper, the lines radiating from the