Ben Hammott, Rat Scabies and Emma Bache
Previously Emma had been approched by Rat Scabies to do analysis on Sauniere’s writing for his book Rat Scabies and the Holy Grail.
Ben brought some known samples of Sauniere’s hand-writing to compare alongside the clues.
Comparing the message found in the second bottle, purportedly signed by Sauniere, and another known letter of his, Bache said:
“…yes, these two do look like they were written by the same person. It’s very likely that they were….you've got the same down strokes and certainly the signature is the same...I’d say they were, yes....and given that the text (of message 2) fills the whole page, it’s indicative of someone who was very agitated and determined to get their point across to others...the whole obsessive compulsive nature of his manner is showing more than ever…he wants to get his message across.”
Pressed by Rat Scabies for more about what the writing says about the author’s character, she went on to say,
“I would say that he’s got a form of OCD, not an easy character, very stubborn, learned but very stubborn…strong willpower…and full of angst…the key strokes are heavy indicating that he held the pen strongly.”
Ben also showed Emma a selection of the priest’s signatures, some from the clues and some from other known documents, and asked her to pick the ones she thought were genuine.
After careful analysis, and without knowing which came from which source, she chose the signatures she thought as being genuine. Two of those came from the messages Hammott found.
Ben said :
“This is great news. We now have some expert analysis that these could well have been written by Sauniere. I’ve always said I thought all the clues and the bottles were left by the priest so someone could follow in his footsteps…”
Differences—and similarities—in style and execution can be very subtle for an untrained eye. Rat Scabies explained, “When you first compare Ben’s clues with the priest’s known handwriting, it’s hard to see the similarities, but Emma can look beyond that and analyze minute inflections, key strokes and other signs. She thinks it could be Sauniere.”
Bache, a well known UK graphologist, has worked with BBC Television and Radio as well as many independent programs and stations. Her journalistic work covers most of the UK's major newspapers and a wide range of magazines and publications.
Andrew Gough added
“I have spent some time with Emma and I have a lot of respect for the way she approaches her craft. She is very professional and totally unbiased” said Andrew Gough, adding, “This is a good result for Ben. The importance of the clues was always going to be subject to some examination, so this is a good first step.”
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