Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-22
A REMARKABLE FEAT
Plausible Literary Forgery Per-
petrated Twenty Years Ago.
A SPURIOUS "ACTA PILATP"
Alleged Official Record Of the Trial
of Jesus.
HOW THE FRAUD WAS EXPOSED
Ex-Secretary Fosters Discussion Of
American Diplomacy-Tribute to
the Deeds of Pocahontas.
A SPURIOUS "ACTA PILATH
HOW THE FRAUD WAS EXPOSED
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS

BY WILLIAM z. CURTIS.
written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
recent issue of that excellent paper,
the Columbia (Mo) Herald, contains an ac-
count of the death of Rev. w. ID. Mahan,
the author of one of the most extraordi-
nary literary forgeries ever attempted. The
facts are stated as follows
1.-THE death of Rev. w. d. Mahan, which
has lust occurred at Bonneville, directs at
tention to a most remarkable literary con-
troversy. which involved church in tur-
moiI. Mr.. Mahan was a Cumberland Pres
byterian minister of good standing In the
church. He was an interesting speaker
with no special pretensions to scholarship.
In 1885 he left Cooper county, Mo- where
he had been preaching, stating that he was
going abroad and would spend some time In
Rome Months passed and the Bonneville
Advertiser printed letters from him telling
what he had seen and found in the eternal
city Shortly after his return to Boone
Vile he published most curious book. 1t
was volume of some 200 pages, purport-
ing to be a translation from manuscript
which re had found in the Vatican library
in Rome and translated into English. he
gave to the book the title of "Acta Pilati =
the Acts of Pflate-and the manuscript, the
account of the finding of which was given
with much circumstantial detail, purported
to tell of the trial of Jesus before PLATE by
writing of the time giving an official
record of the proceedings of the court.
Then people began to wonder that this
country preacher should have stumbled at
the Vatican upon a manuscript of such
transcendant Importance. Rev. Dr. James
A. Quarles then of Lexington, Mo-, now of
Washington and Lee University, chal-
lenged the accuracy of the statements in
the book. William f. Curtis, then, as now.
correspondent of the Chicago Record
4 IL fhz a
1t at Rome and pronounced the manuscript
spurious and the alleged translation
forgery.
MIR. Mahan denied the charges; as
serted the truth of what he had written.
church trial was called. The New Lee
banOn presbytery, of which he was mem
Der, tried the case at length. Evidence
was introduced to show that Mr.. Mahan
had never been to Rome, but that he had
spent the month he was absent from Mis-
souri, on farm in Illinois. The editor of
the Advertiser showed that the letters that
paper had printed were postmarked at a
little town in Illinois. Mr.. Mahan claimed
that they had been sent there to be re-
mailed. The verdict of the presbytery was
practically unanimous, however, against
MIR. Mahan. He was suspended from the
ministry for two years. After the suspen-
sion he made no efforts to return to the
pastorate. but lived quietly at the home of
his son-in-law a hotel keeper in Boone
Vile He declined to make any further
statement regarding the part he had in the
preparation or the DOCK, except TO say,
when it was told him that the literary
world pronounced 1t forgery: Well, 1
have been a much deceived and a much
prosecuted man.
The Forgery Disclosed.
Mr.. Mahans book was published in
Philadelphia and attained quite large
circulation. 1t was generally received as
n fortunate discovery of historical evil
dence confirming the Scripture account of
the trial and crucifxion of our Lord.
Many newspapers described it as an in
valuable contribution to human knowledge.
As l remember. Dr. Mahan explained in
his preface that the original manuscript
had been found by himself in the library
of the Mosque of ST. Sofia, in Constanti
nople. where 1t formed part of the re-
mains of the archives of the Greek church
handed down from the time of Constan-
tire. Knowing that there is no library
connected with the Mosque of st. Sofia and
no literary archives of the Greek church,
after consultation with DR.. Fredenwald,
then in the Congressional Library at Wash
ington and now in the University of Penn
sylvania, 1 wrote DR.. Andrew d. White,
who was then United States minister to
Turkey. DIR. White replied promptly, con-
firming my own recollections, and further
said that no such person as the Rev. Mr.
Mahan of Bonneville. No. had ever been
in Constantinople by any one con-
nected with the legation consulate or
Robert College, or by any of the mission
aries or the representatives of the Ameri-
can board of foreign missions. 1t was
scarcely conceivable that American
Protestant clergyman would visit Constan-
tinople without calling upon the repre-
sentatives of his government or the MEM
bers of his profession.
The preface to the book also stated that
the manuscript had been translated by
the lingusts in the library of the Vatican
and that the original manuscript had been
ftAG ucir ha Of
archives.
A letter from Father Ehrle. project of
the library of the Vatican. stated that the
Rev. W. d. Mahan was entirely unknown
there and that no person connected with
the library had ever seen or heard of
the "Acta Pilati' or any such manu-
script. Nor had Father Ehrle ever heard
Of the publication.
| then wrote to Bonneville to ascertain
something about the author of the forgery
and complete account of the movements
and career of the Rev. Mr.. Mahan was
obtained. which confirmed the theory that
his book was a fake. Nevertheless il is
almost incredible that a country preacher
with no special pretentions TO scholarship
as his obituary states. should have pro-
dBced so plausible a forgery. and II would
be interesting to know how IL was done
But. 50 far as 1 have been able to learn
TO his very last day DIR. Mahan insisted
upon the truth OF his original story; that
the manuscript had been discovered by
Hisu III tHe library at ST. Soma and had
beru translated at the Vatican in Rome
Ex-Secretary Fosters New Book.
John W. Foster. who is our highest au-
thortty on diplomatic questions, has Just
polished a book entitled The Prac-
tiee of Diplomacy as Illustrated in the
Foreign Relations of the United States"
Ii is companion volume and complement
of enc of his previous works-"A Century
4 nFr.f<~r