The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-28
AFORGER OF AUTOGRAPHS.
ROBERT SPRINGS SUCCESS IN BoLD
LITERARY Frauds. =

better qualified to detect falsiacd writing than
those who have q moro perfect vision; but the
| faculty of disccrnmcnt IA chiefly conferred By.
| nature. and cannot DO Judged by ordinary and
invariablo rules. Some persons have Judgment
as uncrrinx IN The matter of autographs ns the
clcverest physicians in cases of illness. Every
thing is a clue for them: tho texture of the
papcr. the quality of the ink. the nature of tho
pen, whether Quill or steel; and az the use of the
latter began at a certain date. tho employment
OF IL for documents pretending TO DO OF earlier
production has led frequently to detection. The
seal, the fashion in which the sheets arc fas-
tened together, arc SO many guides not neglected
by tho expert.
. Between forgeries proper and fac smiles there
Is u vast difference. The latter are much easier
TO detect. An engraved, Autographed, or pho
tographed document may. even after minute,
examination. be taken as ponuine; but there in
n material tcs, that proves invariably fatal to m
fraud. When IA pen is dipped into an acid, and a,
drop allowed TO fall on the tail of n letter. tho !
ink will disappcar IL il Is IN Autograph, but win
not be affected II it Is only an impression or q
fac smile. Formerly, TO produce fac SMILES, the
genuine document was transferred by tracing.
and the copy thus obtained engraved on wood
or stone; then lithogranhy came into common
use, and finally photography superseded 1t. To-.
5.v;h,a ,, -, rnari.a 49, .,iien 4. a.n.;.5 - \
DAY tno art OF making rae simlies Is carried 10 9,
singular degree of perfection with the assist
ance of the heliotype and photogravure.
one or inc most expert OF autograph forgers
fourished in this country and for a time enjoyed,
a success only equalled by that of the notorious
riai. i"u,1s' Ii fehonnah VIM .lotniihou h-.
Charles, the sovant, to the tune of 10000 francs.
thonah Tho an,,,ol s.on. %, ~ ra.on,i,;os :
s no" NSia y ae.hau socne VI ms r"s'%ii.tes "as :
lection that are infected by his fabrications, ana
,h.t too IN Tho donartmon. nn,r haid ~ hiShass
ludlt lOD, III IL lDW utlu III lRuGb
" Of Washinetoniana It would be an unpleas.
ant oay ior inc owners oil these coiections IL
competent and disinterested experts were to
Of the Declaration of independence, members of
eho o.a i 10 ,hs pcr s,EmfGs o, tn, ner c amh tho 5ipn
sprina was n Londoner born. and serred his
city. This persop. Fnrnival by name. waa =
noted oihhophlie' and 1t was in his employ that
Spring doubtless acquired his knowledge Of old
DOCKS ana MS mnrVeiioms iacihty IN using the
peh. nc was aiso unisent student OF Ola NJ
s sson re a and s1 he snn2s sin, in any ny library AIRY or book
had aenar,od fron DO ru.n;rn, 80 80
experimental efforts at autograph forgery in I
a drawer of the desk at which he had worked.
possiS sIPF tRst L [l5e 6ns c sIEses,es Of thi tba It is ss sysa
suffered from his imposItions' and this Ia ner-
try and opened a bric.atbrac shop in Baltimore,
able hi as he made n,i I the aut "Ss 1hssf himself nsdl p needd.
t bosft Ie o of br roSlS 'h ink. l and STUMP u 1p S' b 5 Sntli ,pe e1s
taken from the volumes on his shelves. I'm.
and Baltimore became undeEirohle as y = olace ef
residence. So he removed To- Philadelphia in the
other CURIOSITY ar siitS9t store . So op South a stre ePeW West a OF
Broad, and for a number of years did we'll and
o ot6erP }hinpps tban he ban ns9 e HrHSplt Syp r9T tb s,m q Ing
exercise Of his wonderful talent could turn OUT
market 4r"endered the Trouble u profitaSle' l INC
Collecting autographs was a fashion of the /.
s asset:t fna S IN iaid laD Tssrss tb them he y Lad the s6 5snn q;
least 600 Wasbingtons. besides many Ciymers.
F apa nfhes:; HHG s aa.T ! J eat,is} 3 ,WS WI
lures OF the signers, in fact, and supplied them
Knowledge of out.ofthc.way RevoImtionar his.
tory. but" also was an excelIent narrator. and in
his ~conyivial moments a most amusing com
numberless. for he did a large business, both in
New York and Canada, selling to a lawyer in
Arnold Arm iIdis and dd1hai his vic Margaret. While 1 he snpo
Piled the crudite Kanucks with many Franklins
the library of one of the earlv american JudFea.
sold Son an auetioo Oh IN ,h Pbiia aielneIoh M lamri! Of T ths
books had in them the autopraph Of WashinRe
hut it INV WAS II tbouSht eIiIremeIv odd ~ spV I thc; .
least. whom in one of Tho Volumes a letter of
Springs was found. WorSed ambieuousIv
and Offering his services TO some one interested
in the sale, a nephew of the Judge. More.
over n cony Of a hSot nrintrd IN iSoi was
also eraccd With WashinFton's signature. It is
diaicult IN sec how VVosh;rgt"n could have
written in n book nnh,,shod aFtcr HIS Seafh and
this posthumous proceeding provoked much
taik H;cli-in formed hontn,en bcipg ~ Tho onin;on
thnt Snrinn's oinni vornns i rSS ~ a in deception
had been employed in giving a dctitious Value
to volumes With the aufoyraphs. However. this
was mere susnirion and CAME to no,hinD
Tcrhaps. indeed. If Sprinr had led a repulaS
life he might never have been more than SimIv
susnectoi Rut Tor his Srinting ha h;fs n ia a
Question whcthcr he Wouia have been dctecfeS
at ali. Wary and roticent when sober he was
lust the onnosite when DRINK and toward fhS
last of his iYiic his Was his u sa "ondiitinn'
While intoxicatcd he would make no secret az
his forgeries. but would take uD a pen and show
hs sRiii nv wriitinw n Penn n CYy M or n Mo-.
ris. To a friend he declared that he had sold 10
a country ole LYMAN an autocrnnb ~ PontipS