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STORY OF sMPeNOAKS. 
“ What reason had you to anticipate this 
trial ? ” 
“ Well, sir, I am accustomed to provide 
for all contingencies. That is the way I was 
made, sir. It seemed to me quite probable 
that Benedict, if living, would forget what 
he had done before his insanity, and that, if 
he were dead, some friend of his boy would 
engage in the suit on his behalf. I procured 
the autographs after I saw his boy in your 
hands, sir.” 
“ So you had not seen these particular sig- 
natures at the time when the alleged assign- 
ment was made ? ” 
“ No, sir, I had not seen them.” 
“ And you simply procured them to use 
as a defense in a suit which seemed proba- 
ble, or possible, and which now, indeed, is 
in progress of trial ? ” 
‘‘ That is about as clear a statement of the 
fact as I can make, sir; ” and Mr. Belcher 
bowed and smiled. 
“ I suppose, Mr. Belcher,” said Mr. Bal- 
four, “ that it seems very strange to you that 
the plaintiff should have forgotten his signa- 
ture.” 
‘‘ Not at all, sir. On the contrary, I re- 
gard it as the most natural thing in the 
world. I should suppose that a man who 
had lost his mind once would naturally lose 
his memory of many things.” 
‘‘ That certainly seems reasonable, but 
how is it that he does not recognize it, even 
if he does not remember the writing of it ? ” 
“ I don’t know ; a man’s signature changes 
with changing habits, I suppose,” responded 
the witness. 
“ You don^t suppose that any genuine sig- 
nature of yours could pass under your eye 
undetected, do you?” inquired Mr. Balfour. 
No, sir, I don’t. I’ll be frank with you. 
Well, now, I’m going to test you. Per- 
haps other men, who have always been sane, 
do sometimes forget their own signatures.” 
Mr. Balfour withdrew from his papers a 
note. Mr. Belcher saw it in the distance, 
and made up his mind that it was the note 
he had written to the lawyer before the be- 
ginning of the suit. The latter folded over 
the signature so that it might be shown to 
the witness, independent of the body of the 
letter, and then he stepped to him, holding 
it in his hand, and asked him to declare it 
either a genuine signature or a forgery. 
“ That’s my sign manual, sir.” 
“ You are sure ?” 
I know it, sir.” 
“ Very well,” said Mr. Balfour, handing 
the letter to the clerk to be marked. “ You 
are right, I have no doubt, and I believe 
this is all I want of you for the present.” 
“ And now, may it please the Court,” said 
Mr. Balfour, “ I have some testimony to 
present in rebuttal of that of the defendant. 
I propose, practically, to finish up this case 
with it, and to show that the story to which 
you have listened is false in every particular. 
First, I wish to present the testimony of Dr. 
Charles Barhydt.” 
At the pronunciation of his name, the man 
in spectacles arose, and advanced to the 
witness-stand. 
“ What is your name ? ” inquired Mr. 
Balfour. 
“ Charles Barhydt.” 
What is your profession ? ” 
“ I am a physician.” 
“You have an official position, I be- 
lieve ? ” 
“Yes, sir ; I have for fifteen years been 
the Superintendent of the State Asylum for 
the Insane.” 
“ Do you recognize the plaintiff in this 
case as a former patient in the asylum ? ” 
“ I do, sir.” 
“Was he ever visited by the defendant 
while in your care ? ” 
“ He was, sir.” 
“ Did the defendant endeavor to procure 
his signature to any document while he was 
in the asylum ? ” 
“ He did, sir.” 
“ Did he apply to you for permission to 
get this signature, and did he importunately 
urge you to give him this permission ? ” 
“ He did, sir.’? 
“ Did you read this document ? ” 
“ I did, sir.” 
“ Do you remember what it was ?” 
“ Perfectly, in a general way. It was an 
assignment of a number of patent rights 
on sundry machines, implements, and pro- 
cesses.” 
Mr. Balfour handed to the witness the 
assignment, and then said : 
“ Be kind enough to look that through, 
and tell us whether you ever saw it before.’* 
After reading the document through, the 
Doctor said : 
. “ This is the identical paper which Mr. 
Belcher showed me, or a very close copy of 
it. Several of the patents named here I re- 
member distinctly, for I read the paper care- 
fully, with a professional purpose. I was 
curious to know what had been the mental 
habits of my patient.” 
“ But you did not give the defendant 
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