Howland will forgery trial
Encyclopedia
The Howland will forgery trial was a U.S.
court case in 1868 to decide Henrietta Howland Robinson's contest of the will
of Sylvia Ann Howland. It is famous for the forensic use of mathematics
by Benjamin Peirce
as an expert witness
.
for the benefit of Robinson, Howland's niece. The remaining principal was to be distributed to various beneficiaries on Robinson's death.
Robinson produced an earlier will, leaving her the whole estate outright. To the will was attached a second and separate page, putatively seeking to invalidate any subsequent wills. Howland's executor
, Thomas Mandell, rejected Robinson's claim, insisting that the second page was a forgery, and Robinson sued.
In the ensuing case of Robinson v. Mandell, Charles Sanders Peirce testified that he had made pairwise comparisons of 42 examples of Howland's signature, overlaying them and counting the number of downstrokes
that overlapped. Each signature featured 30 downstrokes and he concluded that, on average, 6 of the 30 overlapped, 1 in 5. Benjamin Peirce
showed that the number of overlapping downstrokes between two signatures also closely followed the binomial distribution, the expected distribution if each downstroke was an independent event. When the admittedly genuine signature on the first page of the contested will was compared with that on the second, all 30 downstrokes coincided, suggesting that the second signature was a tracing of the first.
Benjamin Peirce
, Charles' father, then took the stand and asserted that, given the independence of each downstroke, the probability
that all 30 downstrokes should coincide in two genuine signatures was
. He went on to observe
The court ruled that Robinson's testimony in support of Howland's signature was inadmissible as she was a party to the will (see conflict of interest
). The statistical evidence was not called upon in judgment.
The case is one of a series of attempts to introduce mathematical reasoning into the courts. People v. Collins
is a more recent example.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
court case in 1868 to decide Henrietta Howland Robinson's contest of the will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
of Sylvia Ann Howland. It is famous for the forensic use of mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
by Benjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce was an American mathematician who taught at Harvard University for approximately 50 years. He made contributions to celestial mechanics, statistics, number theory, algebra, and the philosophy of mathematics....
as an expert witness
Expert witness
An expert witness, professional witness or judicial expert is a witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have expertise and specialised knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially and legally...
.
History
Sylvia Ann Howland died in 1865, leaving roughly half her fortune of some 2 million dollars (equivalent to approximately million dollars) to various legatees, with the residue to be held in trustTrust law
In common law legal systems, a trust is a relationship whereby property is held by one party for the benefit of another...
for the benefit of Robinson, Howland's niece. The remaining principal was to be distributed to various beneficiaries on Robinson's death.
Robinson produced an earlier will, leaving her the whole estate outright. To the will was attached a second and separate page, putatively seeking to invalidate any subsequent wills. Howland's executor
Executor
An executor, in the broadest sense, is one who carries something out .-Overview:...
, Thomas Mandell, rejected Robinson's claim, insisting that the second page was a forgery, and Robinson sued.
In the ensuing case of Robinson v. Mandell, Charles Sanders Peirce testified that he had made pairwise comparisons of 42 examples of Howland's signature, overlaying them and counting the number of downstrokes
Downward stroke
Downward stroke can mean:* In handwriting, a downward stroke or downstroke is a ballistic stroke having a direction toward the feet and/or torso of the person....
that overlapped. Each signature featured 30 downstrokes and he concluded that, on average, 6 of the 30 overlapped, 1 in 5. Benjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce was an American mathematician who taught at Harvard University for approximately 50 years. He made contributions to celestial mechanics, statistics, number theory, algebra, and the philosophy of mathematics....
showed that the number of overlapping downstrokes between two signatures also closely followed the binomial distribution, the expected distribution if each downstroke was an independent event. When the admittedly genuine signature on the first page of the contested will was compared with that on the second, all 30 downstrokes coincided, suggesting that the second signature was a tracing of the first.
Benjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce
Benjamin Peirce was an American mathematician who taught at Harvard University for approximately 50 years. He made contributions to celestial mechanics, statistics, number theory, algebra, and the philosophy of mathematics....
, Charles' father, then took the stand and asserted that, given the independence of each downstroke, the probability
Probability
Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
that all 30 downstrokes should coincide in two genuine signatures was
. He went on to observe The court ruled that Robinson's testimony in support of Howland's signature was inadmissible as she was a party to the will (see conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
). The statistical evidence was not called upon in judgment.
The case is one of a series of attempts to introduce mathematical reasoning into the courts. People v. Collins
People v. Collins
The People of the State of California v. Collins was a 1968 jury trial in California, USA that made notorious forensic use of mathematics and probability.-Trial at first instance:...
is a more recent example.