-Writing Over an Erasure--How to Determine Whether or
Not Erasures or Alterations Have Been Made--Additions and
Interlineations--What to Apply to the Suspected Document--The
Alcohol Test Absolute--How to Tell which of Crossing Ink Lines were
Made First--Ink and Pencil Alterations and Erasures--Treating Paper
to Determine Erasures, Alterations and Additions--Appearance of
Paper Treated as Directed--Paper That Does Not Reveal Tampering--How
Removal of Characters From a Paper is Effected--Easy Means of
Detecting Erasures--Washing With Chemical Reagents--Restoration of
Original Marks--What Erasure on Paper Exhibits--Erasure in
Parchments--Identifying Typewritten Matter--Immaterial
Alterations--Altering Words in an Instrument--Alterations and
Additions Are Immaterial When Interests of Parties Are Not Changed
or Affected--Erasure of Words in an Instrument.

Erasure or erazuer, as it is more commonly called in England, from the
Latin word "scrape or shave" is the scraping or shaving of a deed,
note, signature, amount or of any formal writing. In England, except
in the case of a will, the presumption, in the absence of rebutting
testimony, is that the erasure was made at or before the execution
thereof. If an alteration or erasure has been made in any instrument
subsequent to its execution, that fact ought to be mentioned (in the
abstract or epitome of the evidence of ownership) together with the
circumstances under which it is done.

A fraudulent alteration, if made by the person himself, taking under
it would vitiate his interest altogether. It was formerly considered
that an alteration, erasure or interlineation would void the
instrument entirely, even in those cases where it was made by a
stranger; but the law is now otherwise, as it is clearly settled that
no alterations made by a stranger will prevent the contents of an
instrument from retaining its original effect and operation, where it
can be plainly shown what that effect and operation actually was. To
accomplish this the mutilated instrument may be given in evidence as
far as its contents appear and evidence will be admitted to show what
portions have been altered or erased, and also the words contained in
such altered or erased parts; but if, for want of such evidence or any
deficiency or uncertainty arising out of it the original contents of
the instruments cannot be ascertained, then the old rule would become
applicable or more correctly speaking, the mutilate