n the basis of what was sent.

"I wanted more recent samples to see what variations there were. We
don't write every letter the same every time. We look for the range."

Asked if handwriting analysis was as exact as fingerprints, he said,
"It is as individual and as unique as fingerprints." Yet when asked if
a number of different analysts looked at the same documents, would they
all agree, he answered, "If they had equal training and experience."

After a short recess, Diana was allowed to examine the witness. Her
first question was directed toward the authenticity of the standards
submitted. "Do you know of your own knowledge that the exemplars sent
to you were all written by me?"

"No."

She turned to Henry and said, "then, I request that this report be
removed from evidence since it states facts that this examiner declares
are false."

While Henry looked at her incredulously, she read from the examiner's
report, illustrating all the places where the standards were referred
to as being her handwriting or printing.

Henry was outraged. "Of course, when he writes that in his report, he
means that he is using my communication with him. I wrote that these
were samples of your handwriting, that I had every reason to believe
that they were."

Diana persisted. "I see nothing in the report to the effect that he
was 'told' anything as you state. He very definitely writes that they
ARE standards of my handwriting. Now he says under oath that he does
not know. These errors nullify the report."

"I feel that the report tells us what we asked from the document
examiners." With that, Henry thought, the book is closed. No one could
argue with that. You get what you pay for. Case closed.

Doggedly, Diana continued. "Did you do a top of the letter pattern?"

"I beg your pardon. Would you explain what you mean by top of the
letter pattern?"

With subsequent questions, Diana established that he did not know what
bottom of the letter pattern, space pattern or slant pattern were.
These techniques, common to document examiners, were completely unknown
to this so-called expert. Trenchant explained to him what these common
handwriting tests were all about.

It was then established that he only did a letter comparison. He
claimed that the other tests or techniques, "were done by
graphologists." His attitude made crystal clear that he considered
graphologists to be a very dirty word. "I," he continued, with a