lime and rain water, or other prepared chemicals, and with a pen
suited to the purpose, by neutralizing and abstracting the coloring
properties of the ink, he carefully obliterates such portions of the
lines in the figures and written amounts as suits his purpose, then
easily makes the alteration he desires, the red ink coming out as
readily as black. And if the tint or coloring of the paper should have
been affected by his cautious touch, he takes the proper shade of
crayon or water-color, and carefully replaces the original shade.

Now, the signature not being touched, but remaining genuine, and the
payer not being supposed to know who wrote the check, but only who
signed it, he pays the amount specified, and the law holds the "maker
of the check responsible when there is nothing in its appearance to
excite suspicion, and the signature is proven genuine."




CHAPTER VII

THE HANDWRITING EXPERT

No Law Regulating Experience and Skill Necessary to Constitute An
Expert--Experts Held Competent to Testify in Court--Bank Officials
and Employes Favored--An Expert On Signatures--Methods Experts Employ
to Identify the Work of the Pen--Where and When an Expert's Services
Are Needed--Large Field and Growing Demand for Experts--Qualifications
of a Handwriting Expert--How the Work Is Done--A Good Expert
Continuously Employed--The Expert and the Charlatan--Qualifying as
an Expert--A System Which Produces Results--Principal Tests Applied