Reviews of Books tions and methods. There is nothing occult or mysterious about it. It is pleasing to rmlize that the work of the questioned docu ment expert has so far advanced that it can be stated without technical terms or details and can be made absolutely plain to the un skilled reader or to the ordinary jury. The book is very readable and interesting, and will be of considerable value to any one who finds it important to prove either the validity or in validity of any important documents. The author first explains to us his various instruments and their use. He tells us how the camera and microscope are used to detect,
illustrate and prove the facts as to the sus pected parts of the documents, and he shows us how. with proper instruments, he can measure the minutest differences in width of lines or thickness of paper, and he explains many mechanical devices to aid in comparing suspected writing with samples that are known to be genuine. Next comes a discussion of the little noticed peculiarities
of
handwriting,
such
as
line
quality, alignment, pen position, pen pressure, arrangement, proportion and spacing of writ ing. They often pass by absolutely un noticed until they are enlarged, measured and recorded by the expert, and yet they are as characteristic as the features of a man's face. The author also carefully discusses the differ ent kinds of forgeries and the methods of detecting them and showing them to court and jury. Less attention is paid to the ques tion of ink than to the other features of questioned writing, for as to the ink the opportunities of the expert seem to be more limited than anywhere else. In this age of typewriting, when important documents are seldom done in handwriting,
probably the chapter on typewriting will be considered the most interesting. There it is pointed out that every single typewriting machine has individual characteristics of alignment. slant, spacing, letters and so forth, that mn be accurately measured and that positively distinguish that machine from every other one. And the illustrations show these differences so obviously that we only wonder that we had not noticed them our selves. Mr. Osborn also gives us a valuable dis cuSSion of the attitude of courts of law as to
31
to any one who has to deal with a questioned document in a legal proceeding. Wherever Mr. Osborn's book is read the somewhat prevalent prejudice against ex perts' testimony as to questioned documents must disappear or at least be greatly dimin ished. The powers and limitations of the expert are so clearly stated and illustrated as to carry conviction to the reader. We are told constantly that the expert's opinion is worth little or nothing unless it can be backed up and illustrated in such a way that the judge and_jury can fully understand it and verify it. For instance, at page 468 we find: “The primary purpose and function of ques tioned document expert testimony is not to foist a ready-made opinion on court and jury, but to assist the jury in reaching a correct interpretation of the facts before them. The importance of the bare opinion given by the witness should be constantly minimized and the reasons for the opinions should be elabo rated and emphasized." And again, at page 147, we find it said: "Not much time should be spent in preparing testimony regarding a questioned writing that a judge or juryman cannot see, understand and verify. A con flict of testimony in such a. case nullifies it, which is not true when proper illustrations are prepared and cogent reasons are given." And this theory of expert testimony is re peated and emphasized throughout the book‘ The book is a scholarly and conservative efiort and is a distinct addition to the litera ture of the subject. JOYCE ON INTOXICATING LIQUORS The Law Relating to intoxicating Liquors; a treatise covering the construction and application
of all constitutional and statutory provisions relating to the traffic in intoxicating li uors_ and pIrOsecutions for violations of the h uor aws. By oward C. Joyce, of New York ity, author of Law of Injunctions, Law of Indictments. etc. Matthew Bender& Co., Albany. Pp. ox (table of pgptentjs and table of case-“0+ 734+ 106 (index). .50.
WE welcome the appearance of a. treatise
book a bibliography of the whole subject,
so excellent in form and substance as this. The author has arranged his material in a lucid manner, and he presents it in com pact form, confining himself for the most part to a succinct statement of rules of law without indulging in any unnecessary dis cussion. The principal text of the book is in legible, open type, and the footnotes are chiefly designed to embody citations for the rules stated. Upwards of 3,000 cases are
goth of which features should be very useful
cited, and while drunkenness in its numerous
the admissibility of the expert's testimony and proofs, and also appends at the end of the
