Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume 58 | Issue 1 Article 12 1967 Landmarks in Typewriting Identification David A. Crown Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons Recommended Citation David A. Crown, Landmarks in Typewriting Identification, 58 J. Crim. L. Criminology & Police Sci. 105 (1967) This Criminology is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. THE JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW, CRIMINOLOGY AND POLICE SCIENCE Vol. 58, No. 1 Copyright @ 1967 by Northwestern University School of Law Printed in U.S.A. POLICE SCIENCE LANDMARKS IN TYPEWRITING IDENTIFICATION DAVID A. CROWN David A. Crown has served for ten years as a document examiner with the Postal Inspection Service in San Francisco, California. In 1960 Mr. Crown received a Master of Criminology degree from the University of California and is currently studying for his Doctorate in Criminology. He has published articles on various phases of questioned document work including "Differentiation of Blue Ballpoint Pen Inks" (Volume 52, 1961) in this Journal.-EDoR. In a relatively short period of time the type- characters of varying width, similiar to that found writer has become an instrument of paramount in regular printing. In 1961, IBM brought out their importance in the correspondence and commerce of Selectric typewriter which utilizes a type ball the world. Although the Remington Model I type- turning at high speed to impress characters. All writer of 1874 was the first commercially feasible told, there have been over 350 different typewriter typewriter, patents for machines to impress letters manufacturers in business since 1874 (2, 3). on paper date back to 1715. However, none of In the years after 1878, when the use of type- these earlier machines had any utilitarian value. writers proliferated, it was inevitable that someone Earlier ideas, such as the keylever-typebar mech- would notice that not all typewriters of the same anism of Projean in 1833 and Beach's method of brand and type style produced identical typewrit- having typebars strike at a common center, devel- ing, and that the product of one machine could be oped in 1856, were utilized by Sholes, Soule, and differentiated from the work of another similiar Glidden in producing their typewriter, which was machine. marketed as the Remington Model 1. This machine The earliest known reference to the identification typed only upper case characters and was a "blind- potential of typewriting, curiously enough, appears writer", i.e. the typing produced was hidden by in "A Case of Identity", a Sherlock Holmes story the typewriter mechanism and became visible only by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in which the following after the platen was turned. The success of the passage appears: model 1 led to the Remington Model 2 in 1878. "It is a curious thing... that a typewriter has The improved Model 2, while still a blindwriter, really quite as much individuality as a man's had a carriage shift providing for upper and lower handwriting. Unless they are quite new, no two case characters. This typewriter proved to be quite of them write exactly alike. Some letters get successful from a commercial point of view and the more worn than others, and some wear ,only on typewriter began to take its place in the world of one side. Now, you remark in this note of yours commerce (1). ...that in every case there is some little slurring In the years after 1878, other typewriters of over the "e", and a slight defect in the tail of varying designs appeared on the market. The more the "r". There are fourteen other characteristics, important machines include the Caligraph in 1883, but those are the more obvious" (4), 1 the Columbia Bar-Lock in 1888, and the Wagner It has been established that Doyle recorded in his in 1893, the first practical visible writing type- diary that he finished writing "A Case of Identity" writer. The greatest majority of the machines on April 10, 1891 (5, 6). The source of Doyle's produced were of the key-lever and typebar vari- data has not been ascertained, but it is of interest ety, the turning typewheel designs were in the that his approach to typewriting identification is minority. The next step in the development of the sound and that his terminology is precise. typewriter was the Mercedes electric typewriter of The earliest comment in writing by a document 1921. While this was not the first electrified type- examiner on typewriting identification was by writer, it was the first one that had any commercial Hagan in 1894. Hagan writes: potential. In 1941, IBM introduced the propor- "All typewriter machines, even when using the tional spacing typewriter which was equipped with same kind of type, become more or less peculiar DAVID A. CROWN (Vol. 58 b use as to the work done by them. One of in 1909, plagarized Ames' complete statement on articles of these characteristics which each machine mani- typewYiting and ignored the landmark fests is that produced by varying alignment, in Osborn (9). 1901 and which some of the type make peculiar imprints In several articles written between document which very positively connects the work done 1907, Albert S. Osborn, the foremost century, clearly delin- with the machine by which it was produced, and examiner of the early 20th identification this occurs more particularly to such of them as eated the principles of typewriting 11) were have been used for some time, and so distinctly used today. The data in these articles (10, 1910 (12). The marked does this peculiarity become connected enlarged upon in his first book in Documents" is now with the printing done by each machine that second edition of "Questioned and legal libraries and little skill is required when comparing the work a standard in all document times (13). The salient done by a dozen of them. A knowledge of this has been reprinted many Osborn are as follows: fact sometimes becomes important in tracing up points enunciated by by the different type- the source of an anonymous letter printed by a a. The typefaces used differentiated on the typewriter machine" (7). writer manufacturers can be and have dating significance. This partial exposition of the principles of type- basis of design individ- writing identification was followed in 1900 by Ames b. Through usage, typewriters develop the typewriting who wrote: uality which can serve to identify "Since typewriting has come so generally into of a particular typewriter. of typewriting in- use, the question often arises as to the identity c. The gradual development and typeface of writing by different operators as well as that dividuality plus ribbon condition date a document or fix done on different machines. This may usually be cleanliness can be used to period of time. done with considerable degree of certainty. Dif- it within a malalignment; tilting ferent operators have their own peculiar meth- d. Horizontal and vertical of impressions (off- ods, which differ widely in many respects-in the characters; lack of uniformity defects and mechanical arrangement, as to location of date, footedness); typeface scars, breaks, impression; and re- address, margins, punctuation, spacing, signing, deformities; overall depth of type- as well as impressions from touch, etc. bounding characters all serve to identify the The distinctive character of the writing done writing of a particular machine. more unusual than on different machines is usually determined with e. Some individualities are others and thus have greater probative value. - absolute certainty. With most machines there the identification of are accidental variations in alignment. Certain f. The principles underlying the mathematical letters from use become more or less imperfect, typewriting are controlled by applied to independent or become filled or fouled with ink. It is highly rules of probability as improbable that any one even of these accidents events. of striking the typewriter should occur precisely the same way upon two g. Peculiar habits machines, and that any two or more should do keys, spacing, arrangement, punctuation, incorrect corrections, etc. can be so is well-nigh impossible. It is equally certain character usage, mistakes, typists. that all the habits and mannerisms of two oper- used to identify a typist or differentiate be re-inserted in a ators would not be precisely the same. A careful h. A sheet of paper cannot typing comparison of different typewritings in these typewriter in exact register with previous respects cannot fail to determine whether they done on the sheet of paper. expanded are written by the same operator or upon the In subsequent years, other writers adding any new same machine. It should be remembered that somewhat on these ideas without 18, 19, 20). Possibly writing upon the same machine will differ in all basic concepts (14, 15, 16, 17, Osborn has been the respects mentioned at different stages of its the most significant article since published use and condition" (8). Hilton's article on typewriting variation pointed out that type- Both Hagan and Ames cover some of the aspects in 1959 (21), wherein it was process and that variation of typewriting identification, but fail to cover all writing is not a static relates the various causes the essential points. The emphasis on typist iden- in typing exists. Hilton to the process of examina- tification is understandable in view of the lack of of typewriting variation standardization of punctuation, arrangement, etc.