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- Title
DECIPHERMENT OF CHARRED DOCUMENTS.
- Authors
Black, David A.
- Abstract
This article focuses on problems involving the decipherment of charred documents, with describing a method developed for the decipherment of a great quantity of documents charred in a closed container. While illustrating the cases of an office, two previously submitted inquiries, both involving numerous documents, are discussed here. In the first case, a box was submitted about three times the size of an ordinary men's shoe box, filled with the charred but well-preserved remains of what were once the contents of a bank safe-deposit box in the Philippine Islands. The client desired to know what securities were among the charred remains, which consisted of all sorts of papers including insurance policies, deeds, leases, receipts, letters, a will, and many other documents. The second ease involved detailed examination of the entire contents of a stockbroker's safe-deposit box from the same bank. The condition of the charred documents in both cases was one of complete blackening, though not to an ash. After considerable experimentation it was found that the following solution served this purpose quite well: 20 parts water, 3 parts glycerin, 5 parts alcohol 70%. In using this solution, the charred fragment is immersed, and readings of the fragment are made during each stage in the treatment. It wan found that the method was protective on different types of reading matter including printing, since it was physical rather than chemical in nature.
- Subjects
CRIMINAL law; DECODERS &; decoding; DOCUMENTARY evidence; LEGAL documents; NONINSURABLE risks; INSURABLE risks; INSURANCE policies; COVENANTS (Law); COMMERCIAL law
- Publication
Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology (08852731), 1948, Vol 38, Issue 5, p542
- ISSN
0885-2731
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/1138947