vvQUESTIONED DOCUMENT

READING ASSIGNMENT #1

1. Criminalistics -  defined as the application of scientific methods to the recognition,

collection, identification, and comparison of physical evidence generated by criminal
or illegal civil activity. It also involves the reconstruction of such events by evaluation
of the physical evidence and the crime.
2. Document - is any material having marks, signs, symbols, which are either partially
visible or invisible which may ultimately convey meaning to someone or a printed or
written paper containing a record, statement or an instrument containing
inscription.
3. Questioned - A question is an utterance which typically functions as a request for
information, which is expected to be provided in the form of an answer. 
4. Questioned Document - any document about which some issue has been raised or
that is under scrutiny.
5. FORENSIC DOCUMENT EXAMINATION - is a forensic science discipline in which
expert examiners evaluate documents disputed in the legal system. “Documents”
may be defined broadly as being any material bearing marks, signs or symbols
intended to convey a message or meaning to someone. Questioned document
examinations involve a comparison of the document, or aspects of the document, to
a set of known standards (i.e., authentic specimens). The goal of the forensic
document examiner is to systematically evaluate the attributes and characteristics of
a document in order to reveal how it was prepared or how it may have been
modified.
6. STANDARD DOCUMENT - is defined as “a document approved by a recognized
body that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines, or
characteristics for products or related processes and production methods, with
which compliance is not mandatory.
7. EXEMPLAR - is a standard of writing of known authorship which can be used by
the expert in comparison.
8. DOCUMENTATION - written notes, audio/video tapes, printed forms, sketches, or
photographs that form a detailed record of the scene, evidence recovered, and
actions taken during the search of the crime scene.
9. HOLOGRAPHIC DOCUMENT - any document completely prepared, written and
signed by the person without the assistant of a lawyer.
10. QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINATION - A "questioned" document is any
signature, handwriting, typewriting, or other mark whose source or authenticity is in
dispute or doubtful. Letters, checks, driver licenses, contracts, wills, voter
registrations, passports, petitions, threatening letters, suicide notes, and lottery
tickets are the most common questioned documents, although marks on doors,
walls, windows, or boards would also be included by definition.
11. QUESTIONED DOCUMENT EXAMINER - A document examiner analyzes any
questioned document and is capable of more than just questions of authorship
limited only by their access to laboratory equipment

READING ASSIGNMENT #2
1. Kinds of Documents
1. Public Document - a document created, executed or issued by a public official in
response to the exigencies of the public service, or in the execution of which a public
official intervened.
2. Official Document – a document which is issued by a public official in the exercise
of the functions of his office.
3. Private Document – every deed or instrument executed by a private person
without the intervention of a notary public or any person legally authorized, by
which the documents some disposition or agreement is provide evidenced or set
forth.
4. Commercial Document – Any instrument defined and regulated by the Code of
Commerce or other commercial law.
5. Electronic Document – exist only in electronic form such as date stored on a
computer network, back-up, archive, or other storage media.
6. Paper-based – produced traditionally and manually

2. QDE terms

1. Addition/ Insertion - introduction of words/figures not originally part of the

document
2. Conclusion - A conclusion is the last part of something, its end or result.
3. Document Examiner - the removal of writing, typewriting, or printing from the
document.
4. Erasure - the removal of writing, typewriting, or printing from the document.
5. Examination - is the art of making a close and critical study of any material and
with questioned document as the process necessary to discover the facts about
them. Various types are undertaken including microscopic, visual, photographic,
chemical, ultra-violet and infra-red examinations.
6. Expert Witness - a legal term used to describe a witness who by reason of his
special, technical training and experience is permitted to express an opinion
regarding an issue or a certain aspect of issue that is involved in a law suit.
7. Handwriting Identification Expert -
8. Identification - Identification is defined as the act of determining who someone or
what something is. A person choosing a suspect from a police lineup is an example
of identification
9. Non-Identity - the condition of not being the same one that is described or
asserted : lack of identity
10. Obliteration - the blotting out or smearing over of writing to make the original
invisible or undecipherable.
11. Opinion - the document examiner’s conclusion. In court, he does not only
expresses an opinion but demonstrates his reason for arriving at his conclusion.
12. Qualification - the professional experience, education and ability of document
examiner combine to make up his qualifications.

Activity #1
1. Cite four (4) world's cases on disputed/questioned documents
Provide answers for the following:
CASE NAME
LOCATION
SIGNIFICANCE

CASE NAME: THE MARK HOFMANN FORGERIES AND MURDERS 1980-1984

LOCATION: Salt Lake City, Utah, US.
SIGNIFICANCE: As a master forger, Hofmann deceived a number of renowned
document experts during his short career. Some of his forgeries were accepted by
scholars for years, and an unknown number of them may still be in circulation But it
is Hofmann's forgeries of Mormon documents “ White Salamander Letter” that have
had the greatest historical significance. In August 1987, the aspects of the Hofmann
case led apostle Dallin H. Oaks to believe that church members had witnessed "some
of the most intense LDS Church-bashing since the turn of the [20th] century.
https://www-oxygen-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.oxygen.com/true-crime-
buzz/who-is-mark-hofmann-notorious-mormon-bomber-and-counterfeiter?
6
LOCATION: Washington State
SIGNIFICANCE: The Killian documents controversy (also referred to as Memogate or
Rathergate) involved six documents containing unsubstantiated critical allegations
about President George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard in 1972–
73, allegedly typed in 1973. Dan Rather presented four of these documents[1] as
authentic in a 60 Minutes II broadcast aired by CBS on September 8, 2004, less than
two months before the 2004 presidential election, but it was later found that CBS
had failed to authenticate them.[2][3][4] Several typewriter and typography experts
soon concluded that they were forgeries.[5][6] Proportional-print typewriters were
in use in the early 1970s which could have produced the documents, such as the IBM
Selectric typewriter, but no forensic examiners or typography experts have
authenticated them and it may not be technically possible without the originals.[7]
Lt. Col. Bill Burkett provided the documents to CBS, but he claims to have burned the
originals after faxing them copies.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian_documents_controversy

CASE NAME: The Hitler Diaries (1983)

LOCATION: Germany
SIGNIFICANCE: The Hitler Diaries (German: Hitler-Tagebücher) were a series of sixty
volumes of journals purportedly written by Adolf Hitler, but forged by Konrad Kujau
between 1981 and 1983. The diaries were purchased in 1983 for 9.3 million
Deutsche Marks (£2.33 million or $3.7 million) by the West German news magazine
Stern, which sold serialisation rights to several news organisations. One of the
publications involved was The Sunday Times, who asked their independent director,
the historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, to authenticate the diaries; he did so, pronouncing
them genuine. At the press conference to announce the publication, Trevor-Roper
vannounced that on reflection he had changed his mind, and other historians also
raised questions concerning their validity. Rigorous forensic analysis, which had not
been performed previously, quickly confirmed that the diaries were fakes.
https://www-newyorker-
com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/diary-of-the-
hitler-diary-hoax/amp?

Albert Sherman Osborn was the first American to achieve prominence in the world
of questioned document examination and forged document analysis. He authored
Questioned Documents in 1910; it remains in print, and still stands as a seminal text
in questioned document analysis. In 1937, near the end of his career (and not long
from the end of his life), he published The Mind of the Juror as Judge of the Facts, or,
The Laymen's View of the Law, another well-known forensics tome. Osborn was at
the forefront of questioned document examination for more than 50 years, and was
renowned for his success within the legal system as an expert witness and scholar.
He founded the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners in 1942; this
organization has continued to grow and expand in its research, knowledge base, and
cadre of subject matter experts to the present day.
http://www.asqde.org/about/presidents/osborn_as.html Roy A. Huber was the 24th
President of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners. He wrote
and presented more than 30 papers including such titles as Typist Identification,
Modern Trends in Counterfeiting, The Production and Identification of Embossing
Seals , and The Quandary of “Qualified” Opinions. In 1999, he published a book

2. The following are some of the personalities in Questioned Document

Examination. Cite their contributions in the world of QDE.

2. 2.1. Albert Osborn Albert Sherman Osborn was the first American to achieve
prominence in the world of questioned document examination and forged document
analysis. He authored Questioned Documents in 1910; it remains in print, and still
stands as a seminal text in questioned document analysis. In 1937, near the end of
his career (and not long from the end of his life), he published The Mind of the Juror
as Judge of the Facts, or, The Laymen's View of the Law, another well-known
forensics tome. Osborn was at the forefront of questioned document examination
for more than 50 years, and was renowned for his success within the legal system as
an expert witness and scholar. By the thoroughness and professionalism of his work,
he was able to make significant headway with the court system's acceptance of
expert testimony about forged documents as legal evidence in criminal trials . He
founded the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners in 1942; this
organization has continued to grow and expand in its research, knowledge base, and
cadre of subject matter experts to the present day.

Albert Osborn was the first American to utilize the scientific method in the
examination of questioned documents . His legendary texts, Questioned
Documents, and The Problem of Proof, published in 1910 and 1922, respectively,
were met with wide acclaim by public and private criminal justice and law
enforcement agencies, the legal professions, and the public. Although the American
Society of Questioned Document Examiners was chartered in 1942, Albert Osborn
began holding annual informal meetings designed to share ideas and research
information among experts in the fields of forged documents and questioned
document analysis in 1913.

The premise inherent in questioned document analysis is to examine and compare

data appearing on written or electronic evidence. It has grown from handwriting
analysis and signature comparisons to include: handwriting; typewriting; hand
printing; electronic and other printing methods; alterations; erasures; obliterations;
studies of impressions on paper or other printing media; physical features of printing
media (watermarks, seals, fiber contents, etc.); studies of the materials used to make
the documents such as inks, ribbons, cartridges, and papers; and even shoeprint and
vehicle tread impression analysis. Questioned document examiners also study and
compare edges, perforations, and tears in documents, stamps, seals, and other
pieces of physical evidence .

Albert Osborn was an acknowledged expert in the fields of document forgery (it was
his contention that no two individuals could produce exactly the same handwriting
characteristics) and questioned document analysis. His forensic methods and
scientific conclusions are still studied, and his expertise is still quoted in
contemporary courts of law.

2.2. Wilson Harrison

Dr. Harrison has had over twenty years' experience and is the Director of the Home
Office Forensic Science Laboratory responsible for the examination of documents for
the police forces of England and Wales, and for many government departments. He
has written a book which, lavishly illustrated, provides a wealth of information on
the deciphering of erasures, the chemical analysis of ink, the identification of finger-
prints, the discovering of invisible writing, the establishment of the age of ball-point
pen documents, the tracing of writing, the authorship of type written matter and
many similar subjects.
Now that this information is available, anyone concerned with documents —
whether as the subject of criminal investigation, evidence in legal proceedings, or in
some other way — must refer to this book. It may be disastrous not to.

3.3. Roy Huber

Roy A. Huber was the 24th President of the American Society of Questioned
Document Examiners.
After joining the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1940, Roy Huber worked
as a police constable at various detachments in the Province of Saskatchewan.  In
1949, he transferred to the Document Section of the RCMP’s Regina Laboratory to
commence a career that would span more than fifty years.  Under the tutelage of
senior document examiners Hugh Radcliffe and Chester Eaves, Mr. Huber completed
his training program and moved to the RCMP’s eastern laboratory in Ottawa. He
completed a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Carleton University in 1959.
Commissioned in 1963, he moved back to Regina to assume command of the Regina
laboratory.  Six years later, he returned to the Ottawa laboratory and occupied
various positions before being appointed Director of the RCMP’s Laboratory and
Identification Services - a position he held until 1975 when he retired to operate a
private practice in Ottawa.
He wrote and presented more than 30 papers including such titles as Typist
Identification, Modern Trends in Counterfeiting, The Production and Identification of
Embossing Seals , and The Quandary of “Qualified” Opinions.  In 1999, he published
a book entitled “Handwriting Identification - Facts and Fundamentals," which has
become an important text in the training of forensic document examiners.
Mr. Huber’s interest in sharing information was responsible for two seminars hosted
by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police during the 1950’s.  Seminar No. 4, simply
titled The Examination of Questioned Documents, was held in Ottawa during May of
1956.  This was followed two years later by Seminar No. 5, Questioned Documents in
Crime Detection.  Attendance at these gatherings was by invitation only and
participants included such influential document examiners as David Purtell, Herbert
Walter, Linton Godown, Jean Gayet, and others.  The proceedings of these seminars
were eventually published largely through Mr. Huber’s persistent efforts.
Roy Huber was an active member of several organizations and honored societies.  He
attended meetings of the American Academy during the 1950’s.  Along with Ordway
Hilton, Clark Sellers and others, he helped establish its Questioned Documents
Section.  He was elected a Fellow of the Academy in 1961 and served as Secretary of
its Questioned Documents Section from 1962-63 and as Chair from 1963-64.  He
joined the Canadian Society of Forensic Sciences (CSFS) in 1954, almost early enough
to qualify as a charter member.  He served on its Board of Directors for many years,
as President from 1967-69 and as Journal Editor from 1975-80.  He was one of the
first members to be elected a Fellow at the 1997 CSFS meeting in Regina.  Mr. Huber
was also one of the first document examiners to be certified by the American Board
of Forensic Document Examiners.  He received his certificate in 1979 and later served
as an ABFDE Director, Treasurer, and Vice President.
The first ASQDE conference he attended was the 1955 meeting that was held in
Houston.  He presented his first ASQDE paper titled, The Potentialities of the Blink
Microscope Principle in Typewriting Comparisons.  Mr. Huber joined the Society as a
Provisional Member in 1961 and was elected a Regular Member in 1964.  For over 40
years, he regularly attended ASQDE annual conferences and missed only two
meetings for reasons beyond his control.  He served on its Board of Directors as
Secretary and Vice President prior to his election to President.  Elected a Life
Member in 2001, he continued to support the Society as a member of its Nominating
and Journal Committees.  In 2003, Roy Huber received the Albert S. Osborn Award of
Excellence in recognition of his distinguished career and many contributions he
made to both the ASQDE and the profession as a whole.

3.4. Ordway Hilton

Ordway Hilton was the sixth president of the American Society of Questioned
Document Examiners.
Mr. Hilton was born in 1913 and grew up in Evanston, Illinois.  He majored in
mathematics at Northwestern University and received a master's degree in statistics
from the same university in 1937.  Mr. Hilton was the first questioned document
examiner in the then new crime laboratory of the Chicago Police Department.  In
1944, while still on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he
attended the second meeting of the ASQDE in the Montclair, New Jersey, home
of Albert S. Osborn.
In 1946, Mr. Hilton became associated with Elbridge Stein, the first secretary of the
ASQDE, in his private practice in New York City.  He continued the practice alone
when Mr. Stein retired in 1951.  In 1979, Mr. Hilton moved his practice to Landrum,
South Carolina.
A prolific writer of journal articles and professional papers, Mr. Hilton authored one
of the best known texts in the field, Scientific Examination of Questioned
Documents, in 1956, and a revised edition of the text in 1982.  He also
authored Detecting and Deciphering Erased Pencil Writing
Mr. Hilton was a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners. 
He was instrumental in establishing the Questioned Documents Section of the
American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS).  From 1959 to 1960, Mr. Hilton
served as the tenth president of the AAFS.  He is one of the few AAFS Fellows to be
named a Distinguished Fellow and one of only four questioned document examiners
to ever receive this honor.  In 1980, he was the first recipient of the AAFS
Questioned Documents Section Award, which would be named in his honor.  Ordway
Hilton passed away in 1998.