Sincerely,
Hannah McFarland
Simply put, after carefully comparing all of the known and questioned handwriting samples, Ms. McFarland arrived at the expert opinion that it is highly probable the same person who wrote at least four of the postcards in the Black Dahlia case also wrote the lipstick message 'FUCK YOU B.D.' on the body of Jeanne French, and that person is the same person who wrote all ten of the known handwriting samples submitted. Her analysis, independent and confidential from my own identification of my father's handwriting, forensically substantiates that Dr. George Hill Hodel in fact wrote the messages mailed to the press in the murder of Elizabeth Short and also the taunting message on the body of Jeanne French.
In making her authorship identification, Ms. McFarland used the term 'highly probable' because, she explained, 'absent the examination of the actual original documents, due to having to work with photocopies and scans, which would allow for the possibility of cut and paste, and alterations, it is standard practice that a positive opinion cannot be given.' Her 'highly probable' finding, she said, is the same as her being 'virtually certain that the questioned and known writings were written by the same person.' Her opinion was based on my assurance to her that the submitted samples represented accurate copies of the originals, and that none of the documents presented for comparison were altered, cross-scanned, or tampered with in any fashion.
Here are the document samples and examples that Ms. McFarland prepared for her examination along with her written explanation of the separate documents. I believe it proves to a legal standard the specific points of identification and unique characteristics that identify George Hodel as the author of the writings, calling himself the 'Black Dahlia Avenger.'
As requested, Hannah McFarland provided me with the following summarized verbatim report of her analysis in lay language:
Handwriting identification (or in this case printing) is done by identifying the unique features in a sample of writing or printing, and then seeing if the individual characteristics appear in both known and questioned printing. If the same individual characteristics are seen in both known and questioned printing, and there are no unexplainable differences, then it is likely that they were executed by the same person.
Below is a reproduction enlargement of Q8, the questioned printing sample written on a human body in 1947. It reads, 'FU . . YOU BD.' Two letters in the first word are not readable. There are 3 individual characteristics in this printing sample:
The letter 'O' in 'YOU' slants dramatically to the left, whereas, the other letters are vertical or slant slightly to the left.
The letter 'B' is open at the bottom.
The letter 'D' has unusually long horizontal strokes that start and end far to the left.
Below are two enlarged samples of printing known to be printed by the murder suspect. K5 was a sample written by the suspect in 1949, and K6 was a sample written by him in 1943. It is preferable, when possible, to compare known and questioned printing (such as these) that were printed within a few years of each other. Both known printing samples (K5 & K6) show the unusual 'O' that slants to the left.
Exhibit 45
A person's handwriting can change over time. This is why it is best to compare known samples of writing that are current with the questioned handwriting.
The known samples below were printed 50 + years
In spite of time, the loss of his manual dexterity, all 3 individual characteristics are seen in this sample and are relevant in identifying him as the author of the questioned printing.
The K2 sample was printed only one year prior to the Kl sample, and clearly demonstrates his use of the unusual 'D.' The author still had good motor control as seen in the smooth strokes.
After having formed the opinion that it was highly probable that the printing on the body, referred to as Q8, was printed by the suspect, who is known to have printed Kl, K2, K5, and K6, I was then asked to investigate if any of the other Questioned printing samples related to the murder investigation had been printed by the suspect. Because I had concluded that Q8 was most likely printed by the suspect, I could then use Q8 as additional material for comparison, along with the Known printing, to determine if other Questioned printing had been printed by the suspect.
Below is a Questioned printing sample hereinafter referred to as Q2. I concluded that it was highly probable that the same person who printed Q8, Kl, K2,& K5, printed Q2. The 'B' at the end of Q2 is open on the bottom as is the case with the 'B' in Q8 and on the second and eleventh lines of Kl.
Microscopic examination and enlargement of the 'O' in 'NOT' from the third line of Q2 revealed that the letter slants to the left. This matches the 'O' in 'YOU' in Q8. The similarity of the 'O' in Q2 to the highly unusual 'O' in Q8 is very significant. This 'O' is also seen in Kl, K5, and K6. (Kl is shown below. K5 & K6 may be seen in the following illustrations.)
Another individual characteristic, though not as significant as the 'B' or 'O,' is the 'S' in 'SAID' in the sixth line of Q2. The middle portion of the letter is straight, forming an angle on each end of the straight stroke. This 'S' is also seen in Kl, K5, K6, as well as Q7 and Q9, which follow.
Due to the presence of the unusual 'O' and 'B' present in both the Questioned and Known samples, and the 'S' I concluded that it was highly probable that Q2 was printed by the same writer as Q8 and the printer of the Known samples, who is the suspect.
The use of the initials 'B.D.' that Q2 and Q8 have in common would be significant for identification purposes,
