THE STORY OF SEVENOAKS. 
85 
who had no stake in the contest. His im- 
partiality came from indifference. He had 
an opportunity to show his knowledge and 
his skill, and he delighted in it. 
“ What is your name, witness ? ” inquired 
Mr. Balfour. 
‘‘ Albert Timms, at your service.” 
“ What is your calling, sir ? ” 
“ I have at present the charge of a depart- 
ment in the School of Mines. My specialties 
are chemistry and microscopy.” 
“ You are specially acquainted with these 
branches of natural science, then ? ” 
“ I am, sir.” 
“ Have you been regarded as an expert in 
the detection of forgery ?” 
“ I have been called as such in many cases 
of the kind, sir.” 
“ Then you have had a good deal of ex- 
perience in such things, and in the various 
tests by which such matters are deter- 
mined ? ” 
“ I have, sir.” 
“ Have you examined the assignment and 
the autograph letters which have been in your 
hands during the recess of the court ? ” 
“ I have, sir.” 
‘‘ Do you know either the plaintiff or the 
defendant in this case ? ” 
“ I do not, sir. I never saw either of them 
until to-day.” 
Has any one told you about the nature 
of these papers, so as to prejudice your mind 
in regard to any of them ? ” 
No, sir. I have not exchanged a word 
with any one in regard to them.” 
“ What is your opinion of the two letters ? ” 
‘‘ That they are veritable autographs.” 
“ How do you judge this ? ” 
“ From the harmony of the signatures 
with the text of the body of the letters, by 
the free and natural shaping and interflowing 
of the lines, and by a general impression of 
truthfulness which it is very difficult to com- 
municate in words.” 
What do you think of the signatures to 
the assignment ? ” 
“ I think they are all counterfeits but 
one.” 
“ Professor Timms, this is a serious matter. 
You should be very sure of the truth of a 
statement like this. You say you think they 
are counterfeits : why ? ” 
“ If the papers can be handed to me,” 
said the witness, “ I will show what leads me 
to think so.” 
The papers were handed to him, and, 
placing the letters on the bar on which he 
had been leaning, he drew from his pocket 
a little rule, and laid it lengthwise along the 
signature of Nicholas Johnson. Having re- 
corded the measurement, he next took the 
corresponding name on the assignment. 
“ I find the name of Nicholas Johnson of 
exactly the same length on the assignment 
that it occupies on the letter,” said he. 
Is that a suspicious circumstance ? ” 
It is, and, moreover” (going on with his 
measurements), “ there is not the slightest 
variation between the two signatures in the 
length of a letter. Indeed, to the naked 
eye, one signature is the counterpart of the 
other, in every characteristic.” 
“ How do you determine, then, that it is 
anything but a genuine signature ? ” 
The imitation is too nearly perfect.” 
“ How can that be ? ” 
Well, no man writes his signature twice 
alike. There is not one chance in a million 
that he will do so, without definitely at- 
tempting to do so, and then he will be 
obliged to use certain appliances to guide 
him.” 
“ Now, will you apply the same test to the 
other signature ? ” 
Professor Timms went carefully to work 
again with his measure. He examined the 
form of every letter in detail, and compared 
it with its twin, and declared, at the close 
of his examination, that he found the second 
name as close a counterfeit as the first. 
Both names on the assignment, then, are 
exact fac-similes of the names on the auto- 
graph letters ? ” said Mr. Balfour. 
“ They are, indeed, sir — quite wonderful 
reproductions.” 
“ The work must have been done, then, 
by a very skillful man ? ” said Mr. Balfour. 
The Professor shook his head pityingly. 
“ Oh, no, sir,” he said. “ None but 
bunglers ever undertake a job like this. 
Here, sir, are two forged signatures. If 
one genuine signature, standing alone, has 
one chance in a million of being exactly 
like any previous signature of the writer, 
two standing together have not one chance 
in ten millions of being exact fac-similes of 
two others brought together by chance.” 
How were these fac-similes produced ? ” 
inquired Mr. Balfour. 
“ They could only have been produced by 
tracing first with a pencil, directly over the 
signature to be counterfeited.” 
“Well, this seems very reasonable, but 
have you any further tests ? ” 
“ Under this magnifying glass,” said the 
Professor, pushing along his examination at 
the same time, “ I see a marked difference 
