Handwriting analysts detect a passionate man

Handwriting analysts detect a passionate man on the edge
By Frank J. Murray
THE WASHINGTON TIMES


Two handwriting analysts independently concluded yesterday that the person who addressed the envelopes containing anthrax to NBC anchor Tom Brokaw and to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle is dangerously depressed and determined.

"The writer is very tired and at the breaking point emotionally," said graphologist Glenda Ross of Olympia, Wash. "The writer is too violent and unable to listen" but feels he is doing the right thing.
In separate analyses for The Washington Times, Ms. Ross and Margaret L. Webb of Reading, England, each settled on the words "determination" and "depression" to characterize the writer of the letters.
They both said the downhill baseline and identical teetering block letters, notably the E's and B's, show that the same person addressed both envelopes.
The graphologists agreed the writer likely is a man, but both said that steps were taken to mask identifying traits in the handwriting. Both analysts said they initially thought a child did the writing.
"Many men who wear a uniform write with all capital letters," said Mrs. Webb, education officer of the British Institute of Graphologists whose previous analyses included serial murderer Dr. Harold Shipman. This habit can indicate a person feels "self-important, dominating, self-focused and independent."
"The writer is a physical kind that would strike out with a physical blow rather than an intellectual debate," said Ms. Ross, a 40-year veteran of her profession.
Except for one small detail — the serifs on the number 1 that appear in the zip code — Ms. Ross said the handwriting is not evidently that of a foreigner.
"The overall impression is that the writer has lived a long time in America. The numeral 1 is the only indication on the envelope that it could be written by someone from another country, as the American numeral 1 is just a straight line," she said.
She believes the writer could be either an elderly American or a longtime foreign resident.
"This type of formation of the number also is found in the older generation of American writers, age 70 and up, but the rest of the writing does not have any other indication that the letter is not written by an American," Ms. Ross said.
Both Ms. Ross and Mrs. Webb said they could tell a great deal more if they had access to the original writing — which shows how much pressure the writer put on the pen — rather than to FBI photographs.
Mrs. Webb said determining the sender's sex was difficult and that the best clue to that is the use of all block letters, which is "more likely to be found in males than females."
She said that writing the first capital letter larger than the other capitals indicates pride, although she emphasized that efforts to disguise the handwriting may create false impressions.
"As this writing is slow and not of a very high form standard it may have been written by a person with limited intelligence," Mrs. Webb said. This was her only real disagreement with Ms. Ross, who believes the writer may be intelligent but likely does not have a well-rounded education.