The Washington times., 1901-12-29
CLEVBREST FORGER
THAT EVER LIVED.
Scotch Lawyers Clerk Made a
Fortune BY His Work.
ANTIQUARJANS HIS VICTIMS.
Spurious Autographs, Letters, and
Literary Works of Monarchs and
Other Famous Persons Put on the
Market and Sold ut big Prices.

forged letters OF the Bishops OF Rome
with such skill and success that they were
treasured for centuries in the Roman ar
chives. to the days of Ireland, the nOtori-
Gus forger OF shskespearean plays and
letters. and Chatterton. the clever and i'll
fated boy, who died miserably in his at
tic, there have never been wanting IN
principled men who could forge ancient
manuscripts so cleverly that leading ex-
perts have been deceived.
But for versatility and cleverness. none
Of these forgers OF past centuries could
approach the cleyernes OF young Scots
man who less than score of years ago
produced long succession OF forged man
uscripts which completely baffled the con-
noisseurs OF the world.
The true and full story of these re-
mark2ble forgerles IS almost unknown in
England and Is so extraordinary that 1t
may well be told.
Became ForGcr by Chance.
It was in Edinburgh that this incom-
parable forger practiced his arts, and 1t
was by an accident that he was tempted
to embark on a career which after a spell
OF great success involved him in disaster.
One day the principal of an Edinburgh
firm of lawyers told one Of his clerks to
clear out several boxes full Of old docu-
ments. the accumulation OF many years.
Among them we're several documents
and autographs the value OF which the
clerk was quick to recognize, and lie had
no difficulty in finding purchasers fgf
them. AS the supply was limited and the
demand constantly increasing, 1t occurred
to him to supplement the genuine dOcu-
ments with others of his own manufac-
ture; and as he developed a remarkable
skill in forging. and had already won the
confidence OF a large number of collectors.
he found It easy to dispose OF as many
forgeries as he could produce at very
profitable prices.
Most Of them were sold TO collectors In
different parts OF the world, others were
disposed OF by auction. and the remainder
were pawned and sold as unreceemed
pledges These forgeries covered 4 very
wide range, and included autographs and
letters by Cromwell. Mary Queen OF
Scots. James VI. Prince Charlie, John
Knox. Rob Roy. Burns. Scott. Thackeray,
CARLYLE. Salisbury, Gladstone Lord Nell
son. and many other men Of note, as well
as vast quantities Of JaCObite correspond
enco.
walter Scoit's Letters.
So cIeverly were the forgeries executed
that the largest purchaser Of Scotts let
ters was gentleman who, as a boy, had
carried most OF the great authors manu-
scripts from Abbotsford to his Edinburgh
publishers, and was as familiar with
Scott's handwriting as his own, and the
head OF the firm thatp ublished Lord By
ron's works purchased forty-seyen let
ters purporting to be Lord Byrons for
the sum OF 6 l23 Is. Cd.
A very large collection OF these manu-
scripts was purchased for SUM Of over
L 600 and presented to the Lelox Liba-
~, New York, where they We're for some
time regarded with reverence as the chief
treasure Of the library. and another col
lection was presented to the city Of Edin-
burgh.
Although these forgeries were poured
on the market in such profusiOn no sus-
picion seems to have been aroused. They
were accepted without question by the eX-
perts, and found ready purchasers at
large prices Whether the forgcrs s sue
cess made him careless. or whether 1t
was due to one VI those remarkable over
sights to which the most sIillful criminals
seem liable and which bring their career
to a close. the forger was at last exposed
man should scarcely have ben capable.
Poem of Robert Burns.
Among his many forgeries he produced
a poem signed by Robert Burns. It was
called "The Poor Mans Prayer" and
| opened with this stanza:
Amidst the more important tolls Of state.
The counscls lab0uring in the patriotic soil;
Though Europe from thy voice expect her fate,
And thy keen glance extend from pole to pole.
This poem, which consisted Of nineteen
verses. might well have escaped detection
with the rest but for he fact that a gen
tleman to whom the poem was shown dis
covered the identical verses in the Lon
don Magazine" OF 1866. in a poem ad-
dressed to the Earl of Chatham by one
Simon Hodge. laborer.
Thus Ii appeared that, il the verses
were actually written by Burns. the poet
must have penned them, under the pseu-
donym OF Simon Hodge. at the very i'm
mature age for a poet of seven years.
Mere Waste Paper.
Suspicion once aroused, doubt was at
once cast on the hundreds Of other docu-
ments which had emanated from the
same source. The Lcnox collection was
submitted to the experts of the British
Museum and pronounced "A worthless lot
of forgeries;" and collectors all the world
over awoke TO the painful discovery that
their treasures Of old MSS. were scarcely
worth the paper they were written on.
The forger's career was brought to a
sudden termination. He was brought up
for trial ana sentenced to a term of m
prisonment, thus closing career of for
gerry which for caring. Cleyerness, and
success has. perhaps. never ESen equaled-
Tit Bits.