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30 Am. Inst. Crim. L. & Criminology 236 (1939-1940)
Decipherment of Charred Documents

handle is hein.journals/jclc30 and id is 338 raw text is: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLICE SCIENCE Editor: FRED E. INBAU (Director, Chicago Police Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory) THE DECIPHERMENT OF CHARRED DOCUMENTS JoHN F. TYRELLt The examination of fire-charred documents with a view toward deciphering the writing thereon constitutes an interesting though somewhat difficult problem. Such cases demand a careful applica- tion of certain scientific methods and techniques not generally known or used in the profession of document examination. In attempting to decipher charred documents the examiner should bear in mind the fact that such documents may vary con- siderably in their physical and chemical composition, depending upon the type of paper and ink and also upon the conditions under . which they were burned. For this reason it may be necessary to resort to any one of 'several different methods or techniques of decipherment. In this article is contained a description of three of the simpler methods, together with illustrations of decipherments obtained in an actual case. Several years ago the writer was consulted in a matter involv- ing the examination of a number of charred documents contained in an iron strong box recovered from the ruins of a fire. It so happened that the box had been opened immediately after its re- moval from the smouldering ruins, whereupon the contents burst into flame. The lid had been quickly shut and the fire extinguished, but only after the documents had been reduced to a thoroughly carbonized state. When the box and its contents were presented to the writer, whatever writing that may have been present on the documents t Examiner of Questioned Documents, Wisconsin-Broadway Building, Mil- waukee, Wisconsin. [2361

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