New-York tribune., 1902-06-14
SH4PfR4 THE FORGER.
FRAUDULENT ENTERPRISE THAT AL
MOST SUCCEEDED.

MOST SUCCEEDED.
From the Autobiography of Sir Walter Besant."
DOdd. Mead & Coz
About 1877 a certain Shapira a Polish Jew.
converted to Christianity. but not to good works,
came TO England and called upon me mystic
riously. He had with him. he said, a document
which would simply make students Of the Bible
and Hebrew scholars reconsider their ways; II
would throw flood of light upon the Penta-
teuch, and The man a good actor.
he was man of handsome presence tall with
fair hair and blue eyes not the least like the
ordinary Polish Jew and with air of modest
honesty which carried one away. What his
discovery? First he would not tell me. Then |
said he might go away. So he told me. 1t was
nothing less than a contemporary copy Of the
book of Deuteronomy written on parchment. a
contemporary copy! Could l see it? ! might see
a piece, which he pulled out OF his pOcketbook.
II written in fine black ink, fresh after
three thousand years when IL was laid on;
and In the Phmnican characters of the Moabite
Stone. 1t had been preserved. he told me,
through being deposited in a perfectly dry cave
in Moab. Then suggested that he should make
this discovery known to the world He con-
sented, after While. to reveal it to two persons.
DR. Ginsburg, the great Hebrew scholar. and
Captain ConGer. the Surveyor of Western Pales-
tine. l undertook to invite them to come on the
morrow But Ginsburg considered that the in
vitation included his friends, and so the whole
of the British Museum, so to speak, with all the
Hebrew scholars in London, turned up, and with
them Conder. Shapiro unfOlded his manuscript
amid such excitement Is very seldom ex-
hibited by scholars. The exposition lasted about
three hours; then Shapiro tore off piece of the
precious document to show the nature of the
parchment. II was, OF the company
marked, wonderfully modern in appearance, and
a remarkable Illustration Of the arts as known
and practised in the time of Moses. Then
Shapiro withdrew, and after a little conversa-
tiOn the learned company separated. AS they
went out of them, a professor of Hebrew,
exclaimed with conviction, This is one of the
few things that could not be a forgery and
fraud!''
There were left with me Captain Conder and
William Simpson, Of The Illustrated London
News" Said Simpson dryly. He values ms
manuscript at f1,oo0oO0 OF course he could
spare the value of the bit he tore off. suppose
it is worth $500 So he chuckled and went his
way. Simpson entertained low view of the
worthy Shapiro, Christian convert Then Con-
der who had been very quiet, only putting in a
observe" he said, that all the points objected
TO by German critics have vanished in this new
and epoch making trouvaille. The geography
is confused. and Moses does not record his
DEATH
''WelI?" / asked. for more in his face.
And 1 know / believe, all the caves of Moab,
and they are all damp and earthly There Is not
q dry in the country.
Then you thnk?"-
Precisely
Clermont Ganneau who in Paris came
to the precious manuscript. few
days passed; the learned dvnes and professors
were hanging over the manuscript, preparing
their commentaries Ganneau asked permission
to the manuscript. and then all the fat was
in the fire. Il know he said, how this man
uscrpt obtained. The parchment is cut
from the margins Of Hebrew manuscripts some
of them of considerable antiquity. The writing
is that OF yesterday"
Alas that That exactly what
had been done. Shapiro received his manuscript
back without any offer Of f10O. not TO speak
man; the work had cost him so much trouble,
he had reckoned with much faith the sue
cess of his careful and learned forgery that his
mind became unhinged. He hanged himself