The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-04-21
BOGUS AUTOGRAPHS
ROBERT SPRINGS SUCCESS IN BOLD
LITERARY FRAUDS.


How He Was Detected.
One of the most expert of autograph .
forgers hourished in this country and for /
a time enjoyed success only equaled by |
that of the notorious Vrain Lucas the
Frenchman who viotimized M. Charles, |
the savant, to the tune of 10000 francs |
The name of this rogue was Robert Spring, /
and though the actual scene of his rascal |
tiles was not New York, there. are many |
in New York Is collection that are infected |
by his fabricatlons, and that, too, in the
department. now held in highest esteem
that of American history, and especially Of
Washingtoniana.
Spring was a Londoner born, and served /
his time as indentured clerk to a scrivener
of that city. This person, Furniyal by
name, was noted bibliophile, and it was
in his employ that Spring doubtless &C
quired his knowledge of old books and his
marvellous facility in using the pen.
1t was in 1s45 that Spring came to this
country and opened bric-a -brac shop in
Baltimore, dealing also I'm rare books and
autographs. In the last line his business
was large and profitable, as he made the
autographs himself, needing no other tools
than the stump Of quill pen, bottle of
brown ink and few blank leaves taken
from the volumes on his shelves. Enoour-
aged by his success, be overdid the thing,
and Baltimore became undesirable as a
place Of residence. So he removed to Phil
adelphia in the early fifties (1854 it is sup
posed) and opened another curiosity store
on South street, west Of Broad, and for a
number of years did well and even pros
pered.
Collecting autographs was fashion of
the time, and Spring fabricated them by
the ream asserting in later years that he
had sold at least 600 Washingtons, besides
many Clymers, Franklins, Hopkinsons
Jeffersons, Whipples and Others. He was
very partial to the signatures of the sign
ers, in fact, and supplied them to the trade
/ ad libitum. He not only had much knowl-
edge of out of the way Revolutionary his
! tory but also was an excellent narrator,
and is his convivial moments most anus
ing companion. His frauds must have
been almost numberless, for he did large
business, both in New York and Canada,
selling to a lawyer in this city go bogus
letters from Benedict Arnold and his wife
Margaret, while he supplied the erudite
Kanucks with many Franklins and Wash
ingtons.
Suspicion was first aroused against him
when the library of one of the carly Amer
1 lean judges, connection of the Washing
ton family, was sold at auction in Phila-
delphia Many of the books had in them
the autograph of Washington, and these
naturally brought high prices. But it was
thought extremely odd, TO say the least,
when in one of the volumes letter of
Springs was found, worded ambiguously
and Offering his services to some one in
terested in the sale, a nephew of the judge.
Moreover, a copy of book printed in 1904
was also graced with Washingtons sigma
ture, 1t is difficult to see how Washington
could have written in a book published
after his death, and this posthumous pro-
ceeding provoked much talk, well informed
bookmen being of the opinion that Spring S
omnivorous industry in deception had been
employed in giving a fictitious value to
volumes with the autographs. However,
this was mere suspicion and came to
nothing.
Perhaps, indeed, if Spring had led a
regular life he might never have been more
than dimly suspected. But for his drink
ing habits it is a question whether he
would have been detected at ALL Wary and
reticent when sober, he was just the oppo.
site when drunk, and toward the last of
his life this was his usual condition. While
intoxicated he would make no secret of his
forgeries, but would take up pen and
show his skill by writing a Penn, a ely
mer or a Morris To friend he declared
that he had sold to country clergyman
an autograph of POntius PLATE for SO, and
he described with much humor the trem-
bling eagerness with which this modern
. DIR. Primrose secured his fancied prize.
His actual detection was due to a DIR.
Davis of Philadelphia, to whom he had
sold a number of the signatures of the
signers. BY accident one of them became
wet and faded out. 1t was then found
that it had not been written with ink, but
with brownish pigment which the forger
himself had made. DIR. Davis inquiries
Q made SPRING swindling manifest. Spring
] was arrested and taken before Mayor Nc
q Michael, who declared that there was nc
T. excuse for such pranks. collectors, " he
S proceeded to say, chad the means of test
ing the characters Of these writings by
s comparison with numerous authentic speci
b mems Of the handwriting of the immorta
t Washington, to whom We are so indebt
ed, " etc. Accordingly, Washington au
tograph was borrowed for the moment
r from the Independence hall collection
r about the genuineness of which there coulC
b be, of course no doubt. This autograph
was laid side by side with the forged pa
] per Their agreements were startling, bu
a confusion and tribulation followed wheI
e Spring said quietly;
o why, gentlemen, that's one of min'
t tool"
For a few seconds there was silence anC
+ then unmitigated disgust at themselves
e among the collectors assembled in court
i Then the mayor told Spring that the dig
a nifty of the law would be yindicated in hi
g case some day, and the forger left the room
q as soon as possible. Deprived by expusur
d of his former income lac lived meanly an'
miserably, wasting in wretched dissipa
tion the few dollars he made by petit.
D.. forgeries. Finally his habits demoralize'
. him completely, and he became reckless II
: his swindling and escaped imprisonmen
y frequently only on the plea of extrem
" poverty. At length he died I'm the Penn
/. sylyania hospital of asthma aggrayate
y by intemperanoe Though be has beel
y dead many years, his fabrications still ex
list in large numbers and enrich many col
= lections. Valueless papers are hard t
trace and, moreover, some collector
would object to the tracing, 1t is not al
r ways agreeable to have the authenticity q
oRe's collection questioned.-New Yor
lg Sun.