Doud, Donald

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John F. Tyrrell, Pioneer Document Examiner--1861-1955

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Journal of Criminal Law and CriminologyVolume 47 | Issue 1 Article 131956John F. Tyrrell, Pioneer Document Examiner--1861-1955Donald DoudFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclcPart of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and CriminalJustice CommonsThis Criminology is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted forinclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons.Recommended CitationDonald Doud, John F. Tyrrell, Pioneer Document Examiner--1861-1955, 47 J. Crim. L. Criminology & Police Sci. 91 (1956-1957)POLICE SCIENCEJOHN F. TYRRELL, PIONEER DOCUMENT EXAMINERISM1-1955T1e questioned docaraenit professi'rlost a great friend and spokesman, wheLJohn. F Tyrrell of Milwaukee passedaway November It, 1955, at the age c'94. In a practice covering a period ,over sixty years, Mr, Tycrrell advacedand influenced his beloved professionin a manner hard to equal,Join Fawcett Tyrrell was bornixt Austratia. Janary 18, 1861 Hcame to this coutry as a boV, and asa yoi 11g ma wa.s employed by theNorthwesern Aitual Life fis arceCompay- a association that wast c tlue for forty-fixe years, Almosti=mediately ie developedan interest inhandwriting as an art and in timebecane intrigued with detenmtoiing in-dications of certain ty es of illness fromrand roiting ar with identifying thesigners of policies As his interestssharpened, fr, Tyrrell bec1ame an ex-pert engrosser and was soon turnin ige ut 0o the finesti pen anship seenin Wi.scotn ior any other state. Of the many items tha. floxed frot his versatileperi, one was a 'agr0ficent history of Wisconsit engrossed "or the Siate HistoricalSociet y on a scroll well over six feet high.As time passed, Mr, Tyrrells nquisit.ive, energetic oature led him rore and moreinto the held of quetioned document examinatio n His trst court case in 1896:involved a colored boy who 1ad cut off his ears to elicit sympathy for his peo iewho were being pvrsecuted by the Ku Klux Klaro The anonymous etter threatening the mutilation was :found to have been writteo by the boy himselt He was triedand convicted, but as Atc, Tyrrell has stated. <1iy young idealism was given soumewhat of a jolt at his 0iconvicton, and I have wondered :reimy times since if justice iswa sax best served by our uncompromistng courts of law,'In tic first iationally publiciod case of his career-the famous Molieux rcnu1er--Mr. TyrceIf was cled tI New York, Moltneux, socially o irount and a9iJOHN F. TYRRELLmember of the fashionable Knickerbocker Club, was on trial for his life. He wasaccused of sending a murderous dose of Bromo Seltzer, embellished with cyanideof mercury, to his bitter enemy, Henry Cornish, Athletic Director of the club. Thelethal poison had actually found a victim in Cornish's aunt who happened to besuffering from a headache when it was delivered. The only clue to the sender wasthe handwritten address on the package. Mr. Tyrrell established that Molineux hadaddressed it. While the other witnesses were sightseeing about New York, Mr.Tyrrell remained in his room at the old Astor House and, using a drawing board,copied the disputed writing over and over until he became familiar with everydetail of its execution. This persistence rewarded him many-fold when on crossexamination the defense attorney, Weeks, tried to break down Mr. Tyrrell's testi-mony but found to his dismay that Mr. Tyrrell was prepared for all possible ques-tions. The newspapers next day screamed the headline, "Wizard Foils Weeks."One of Mr. Tyrrell's many talents was his ability to recount vividly the highpoints and evidence of famous trials in which he had participated. Both as a publiclecturer and to visitors to his office he delighted in showing his court demonstrationphotographs which helped to convict Bruno Hauptmann as the kidnapper of theLindbergh baby-the trial in which Mr. Tyrrell was one of eight state documentexaminers. In reviewing his identification of the handlettering of Leopold, one ofthe two defendants in the famous Chicago Leopold-Loeb murder trial of the 20's,Mr. Tyrrell often recalled his encounter with the famous Clarence Darrow, thedefense attorney. Mr. Tyrrell was prepared for the most searching cross examinationbut "Much to my astonishment Darrow stated to the court, 'No cross examinationof this witness, Your Honor-We know Mr. Tyrrell's reputation and that he wouldnot say what is not so.' That was unquestionably the finest compliment ever paidme, and coming from an adversary of Darrow's mettle, it was doubly gratifying."Throughout his entire career John F. Tyrrell was never content to sit back andrelax on his laurels. He was an inveterate researcher continuously looking for newways to investigate documents and demonstrate his opinion in court. He was oneof the first experts to use court photographs and also pioneered in techniques for thedecipherment of charred documents. He, as one of a small group of pioneers, helpedto create the questioned document profession, bringing it out of the dark ages oflegal indifference and into the present status of an accepted aid to the administra-tion of justice.It could be said of John F. Tyrrell that he led an active and full life, devoted in alarge degree to the promotion of justice and helping his fellow man. He was activein civic and church work; was a member of the Milwaukee Civic Alliance and manyother community enterprises. A certificate for patriotic service in World War II waspresented to him, a fitting tribute to his unselfish contribution to his country'swelfare.John Fawcett Tyrrell was an outstanding example of the great things that canhappen in America when a young man with a fine mind, a big heart, and an inquir-ing nature decides upon a path and diligently follows it. The questioned documentexaminers of America owe much to this outstanding pioneer.DONALD DOUD[Vol. 4

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John F. Tyrrell, Pioneer Document Examiner--1861-1955

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