The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1907-09-20
LITERARY FORGERlES,
The Way That Sir Walter Scott
Was BaseIy Deceived.
cuNNINeHAM's PROUD BOAST

This seotehman Claimed He Could
Fool Congress Of Antiquarians
With HE Own Writings and Ballads.
0ther Famous Foroers.
II could cheat whole general as
sembly Of antiquarians with my Qrigi-
nal manner of writing and forging bal
lads" The man who made this proud
boast, Allan Cunningham, was a
youthful stonemason of Scotland, earn
Ing IL shillings a week. That he was
no idle braggart is evident, says the
London Tit-Bits, from the fact that in
his twenty-tifth year he perpetrated
one Of the greatest literary frauds of
the nineteenth century.
Cunningham in spite of his humble
role in life could write poetry the
beauty and pathos of which would
bring tears to the eyes of the reader.
Apparently. however, he possessed IL
ire-characteristic of many rogues
of literary genius-to make experts
look foolish, and when Mr.. Cromek,
who in 1909 was travelling in Scotland
with view to making collection of
genuine Scottish songs, asked Cunning
ham to assist him the stonemason
conceived the idea Of writing ballads
and passing them off on Cromek as old
Scottish productions.
These were included in q volume.
and. although most of the critics de-
tected the fraud and it was establish
ed beyond doubt that Cunningham
wrote the ballads himself, they ac-
quired an immediate reputation, and
the genius of the writer led people to
overlook the deception.
Nor was Cunningham the only forger
Of Scottish ballads. Robert Surtees,
the celebrated antiquary and historian,
for some curious reason not only palm
ed off on Sir Walter Scott as antique
three ballads purely Of his own COM
position. but actually suffered them to
occupy place in the "Minstrelsy Of
the Scottish Border" with fictitious
account Of their origin. and left the
novelist deceived to the end of his
days.
Mention Of the deception of Sir Wal
ter Scott reminds one that the famous
novelist was the victim on several oc-
casions of literary forgers who used
his name to boom their own work.
George W. Haering. who under the
pseudonym of Willibald Alexis came
to be one Of Germany's first novelists
Of the early part Of the nineteenth
century, published his first book, oval
ladmor," and announced it as a free
translation into German of q novel
boldly ascribed to Sir Walter Scott.
BE afterward endeavored to excuse
himself on the ground that people had
been stupid enough not to see in oval
ladmor" satirical attack on the craze
then prevalent for SCOTS works.
In France several mimetic attempts
on Scott have been made, notably cal
Ian Cameron" 1892 and "Ayme VERDI
-Qs42), which We're both published in
Paris as being SCOTS, and LA Pythie
des Highlands" introduced to the
world as the work of the famous nov.
elist in 1914 by Charles ]. David, son
Of the famous French painter.
But perhaps the most interesting of
all the attempts to trade on SCOTS
name was that connected with the
name Of E. de Saint Maurice Cabany
director general Of the Society OF
Archlvistes Of France, who in 1856
startled the literary world with new
~ discovered novel by Scott, entitled
'Moredun, Tale Of the 1910"
In ]. A. Farmers book, entitled "Lit
erary Forgeries," it is explained how
on account Of inaccuracies in dates and
the description Of places, this novel
could not have been written by Scott
but the authorship remains mys
terry.
The prince Of literary forgers, as re
CARDS quantity, also halls from France
This was Vrain-Denis Lucas, the son
OF peasant, who after providing Ger
tain classes Of people with more o,
less spurious pedigrees perpetrated one
Of the most colossal literary frauds OF
the nineteenth century by successfully
palming off 1890 forged letters of an
Client and eminent men to NJ. Chasles
a man Of worldwide reputation as 6
geometrician and astronomer, who paid
Lucas nearly $4,000 for the collection.
Lucas false letters included some
from the apostles, from Plato, Pliny
Lazarus and Mary Magdalene. AND
yet NJ. Chasles did not consider it ex
traordinary that these worthless wrote
on paper and In the French language
Ultimately his eyes were opened, ant
Lucas was arrested and sentenced t.
two years imprisonment.
The well known story of "Psalmana
Ear, the Famous Formosan," show.
how easily the public can be imposed
upon in regard to literature. This re
markable individual made his appear
ance in London early in the eighteenth
century, claimed to be native of For
mosa and wrote in Latin his very sin
gular Description of Formosa." Th
book, which was pure concoction, di,
not deceive anybody, but for man.
years its author remained an objec
of faith and charity to a considerable
section Of his adopted countrymen.'
He repented, however. of his fraud