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45 A.B.A. J. 1285 (1959)
Albert Sherman Osborn: Questioned Document Pioneer

handle is hein.journals/abaj45 and id is 1285 raw text is: Albert Sherman Osborn: Questioned Document Pioneer by Clark Sellers In this article, Mr. Sellers sketches the career of Albert S. Osborn, the founder of the modern science of examining questioned documents. Mr. Osborn figured as an expert witness in many famous courtroom scenes including the Molineux murder trial in 1899 and the trial of Richard Bruno Hauptmann for the kidnap-murder of the Lindbergh baby in the 1930's. The year 1958 marked the one hun- dredth anniversary of the birth of Albert Sherman Osborn who was destined to blaze a new trail in a work which has made an invaluable contri- bution to the administration of justice. Only occasionally does a man come forth whose accomplishments prove to be epochal. Newton, Blackstone, Ein- stein materially influenced man's think- ing. So too did this man Osborn on a far-reaching scale in his own particular field. Great institutions as well as signifi- cant advances in science are almost invariably the lengthened shadow of one individual. A profound thinker, a man of penetrating vision and indom- itable courage, of rigid integrity and unremitting zeal, such a person was Albert Sherman Osborn. He, more than all the document experts who pre- ceded him, was responsible for placing questioned document work on a scien- tific basis. So extensive was this influ- ence that the name Osborn has become legendary throughout the world among handwriting experts, lawyers, judges, investigators and all who deal with questioned document cases. For nearly fifty years there was scarcely a questioned document matter of importance in the United States and surrounding countries in which Mr. Osborn was not an outstanding figure. The Molineux murder trial, the Rice- Patrick will forgery, the Lindbergh- Hauptmann kidnaping and murder, are but a few of the famous trials in which he was a key witness. The Molineux Trial... Scientific Evidence One of the first of his celebrated cases was the Roland Molineux trial in New York in 1899. This matter be- came noteworthy not only because of tremendous public interest, but because it pointed up a vital need for better recognition of scientific approaches to expert testimony concerning questioned documents. The day before Christmas in 1898, Harry S. Cornish received a package addressed to him at the famous Knicker- bocker Athletic Club in New York. The package which appeared to be a Christmas gift contained a tiffany box, a silver bottle holder, and what pur- ported to be a bottle of Bromo Seltzer. Cornish took the package home. Later in the week a Mrs. Adams, who lived at the same house as Mr. Cornish, feeling ill, took some of the contents of the bottle. In half an hour she was dead. An analysis of the bottle's con- tents disclosed that it contained cyanide of mercury. The whole country was shocked at the crime. In the intense investigation that followed, the main clue as to the sender proved to be the handwritten address on the package. The importance of the handwriting evi- dence was so great that the District Attorney called in ten leading hand- writing experts of the day, including Albert S. Osborn. These experts pro- ceeded to make careful comparisons of the questioned writing with the hand- writing of various suspects. Evidence was soon discovered which pointed to- ward one Roland B. Molineux, a man with whom Cornish had quarrelled. Mr. Osborn and the nine other experts all came to the definite conclusion that Molineux had written the telltale ad- dress on the package. This evidence was so compelling that the District At- torney immediately charged Molineux with the murder of Mrs. Adams, and the ensuing trial became a fiercely contested, highly publicized affair. Mr. Osborn and the other handwrit- ing experts gave carefully prepared testimony, illustrated by photographic enlargements, which virtually amount- ed to a demonstration that Molineux had written the address on the poison package. The jury promptly found Molineux December, 1959 * Vol. 45 1285

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