Handwriting Analysis of the Will of Abdu’l Baha by Dr. Mitchell

Click here to preview the Hand Writing Analysis Report of the Alleged Will of Abdu’l Baha by Dr. Mitchell

 

Who was Dr. Mitchell?

Charles Ainsworth Mitchell (20 November 1867 – 5 January 1948) was a British chemist and forensic scientist who made a special study of the microscopic and chemical study of handwriting. He was a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry and the Royal Society of Chemistry, and member of the Society of Public Analysts. He was editor of The Analyst for 25 years, president of the Medico-Legal Society (1935–1937), and vice president of the Society of Chemistry (1937–1940).

Dr. Charles Ainsworth Mitchell

 

Importance of Dr. Charles Ainsworth Mitchell to Baha’i Faith

The Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha is the “Centre of the Covenant” and fundamental part of the Baha’i faith. Ruth White was always aware of Shoghi’s playboy and usurping nature (500-dollar incident). Ruth was very close to Abdu’l Baha but she never heard Him mention about Shoghi. Abdu’l Baha in his lifetime never declared him as His successor. Two years after Abdul Baha’s death, the Will and Testament was released for public viewing which had Shoghi as successor.

Ruth White challenged the authenticity of the will and hired Charles Ainsworth Mitchell for analyzing the Will and Testament of Abdul Baha. White opposed parts of the will that suggested the establishment of a hierarchy in the Baha’i Faith. His report concluded in agreement with White, that the document was a forgery. White placed Mitchell’s signed report on the writing shown on the photographs of the document with the U.S. Library of Congress in 1930.

 

Career

Chemist
As a chemist and a scientist, Dr. Mitchell’s work covered a wide range of topics. He became a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry in 1897 and of the Royal Chemical Society in 1916. In 1907 he advocated using a pinhole camera to photograph the sun in an article in Knowledge and Scientific News, a method which he notes was known as early as 1615 but seemed to have been forgotten. In 1911, he advocated the switch from lead to copper pipes for drinking water. His reasoning was that copper would better be able to alert the drinker to an excess of poisonous sulphates in the water.In 1920 he became editor of The Analyst, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and under 25 years of his editorship the journal expanded in scope and increased in reputation.

Criminologist
In 1911, he was head of the inspection bureau of Scotland Yard.[9] He frequently served as an expert witness. In 1915, he gave testimony about the invisible ink used in the case of German spy, Anton Kuepferle.
In 1925, he analyzed documents and seals of Mary, Queen of Scots and claimed to show that Mary was innocent of conspiracy to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I of England. He said that William Maitland, Mary’s secretary, forged Mary’s hand in the documents which led to Mary’s execution. In 1929, he was an advocate of the use of fingerprints to determine identity, a method which he traced to Sir William Herschell in 1853, who saw the method used in to document an individuals identity in India, where he was a commissioner.He showed that monkeys may be identified by fingerprints and that the same could be done with the markings on a cow’s nose.
He was hired by Ruth White to analyze the Will and Testament of Abdul Baha. White opposed parts of the Will that suggested the establishment of a hierarchy in the Bahá’í Faith. His report concluded in agreement with White, that the document was a forgery. White placed Mitchell’s signed report on the writing shown on the photographs of the document with the U.S. Library of Congress in 1930

 

Some of the most famous works of Dr. Mitchell include:

1. Documents and their scientific examination : with especial reference to the chemistry involved in cases of suspected forgery, investigation of disputed documents, handwriting, etc.
by Mitchell, C. Ainsworth (Charles Ainsworth), 1867-1948
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2. Inks: their composition and manufacture
by Mitchell, C. Ainsworth (Charles Ainsworth), 1867-1948; Hepworth, Thomas Cradock, d. 1905
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3. Copying Ink Pencils and their Pigments in writing Analyst 1917

4. Graphites and other Pencil Pigments 1922

5. Pencil Markings in the Bodleian Library 1922

6. Differentiation of inks in writing Analyst 1908

7. Estimation of the age of ink in writing Analyst 1920

8. Inks and their Manufacture 2nd Edition London 1916

9. Cantor Lectures, “Inks,” Royal Society Arts 1922