The sun., 1907-12-10
MILTON BIBLE not GENUINE?
EXPERT WHO PAID SI.saJ FOR TT
SAYS SIGNATURES ARE FORGED.

BibhophiIes. booISwOrms and all other
followers of the sainted Caxton will pause
in their munohing OF the leaves Of htera-
ture 10 hsrken to the words Of Alfred J.
Barton. expert on ancient books. who says
that the Milton Bible. containing what was
Thought TO be one of the nine genuine auto
graphs OF the great Puritan poet extant.
b spurious and the autograph a forgery.
The old Bible with the magic letters.
",John Milton. Feb. -. 1854" in yellowed
Ink on the binding inside Of the cover first
came to hight in the possession Of Alexander
Howell of London about seven years ago
and was pronounced genuine by DIR. W.
Adds Wright, vice master OF Trinity College
Cambridge. and editor of the Cambridge
Shakespeare. by the expert OF the London
AEhenqum and by other English scholars.
The Bible was put up at auction few
days ago at the book sale conducted by the
Anderson Auction Company in this city.
The auctioneers acted ~ the agents for
William II. Buckler of Baltimore. secre-
tary of the American Legation at Madrid.
Mr.. BARTON. acting as agent for George
H. Richmond. dealer in old books and auto
graphs at Thirty-Fourth street and Fifth
avenue. bought in the book at si,22S under
stipulation that if investigation into its
authenticity should not satisfy him it could
bs returned.
With the book went its guarantees and
the names Of It's sponsors TO authenticity.
A letter In the original script OF DR.. Wright
attosted to the genuineness Of the Bible
without reserve. 1T Is something to have
seen a BibIe." read Dr. Wright's letter,
(which has In all probability been in Mil
toms hands, The London AthsDGEm Of
February o, 1901, hal said: There can be
no possible doubt as 10 the genuineness OF
this. the ninth autograph Of John Milton
A clipping embodying this dictum went
with the Bible also.
Mr.. Barton. who prides himself on being
the Sherlock Holmes of bibliophiIy, set
himself at once to go over the character
Of the Milton Bible with a magnifying
glass and plenty Of scepticism.
Many autographs were scrawled over the
ayleaves and on the margins OF the ancient
Bible. Besides the Milton autograph on
the inside binding Of the cover there was
ons reading Elizabeth Milton" just
above the Illuminated frontispieoe 90 the
New Testament aud on-the two back fy-
leapss appeared the names Elizabeth
MinShull.' written twice in chirogrsphv
that differed in some particulars, and will
Jam Minshul.' On ono OF the fyleaves in
the back OF the book appeared also the
name w Matthew'S with the date 1925.
Thers were other names of an ancient
Mathews family scattered through the
hook, and in Que place a partial record
of the deaths and births OF many Mathewses.
hut. as Mr.. BARTON explained yesterday,
it. was the telltale Nv. Mathews. iJ25.7
that first aroused his suspicious as 20 the
genuiueness OF the Milton Bible.
The body OF the Bible and the first blank
leaves on either side Of The first and last
page are all Of very old fashioned hand
laid paper. MIR. Barton held tho paper
up to the hight SO that his listeners could
zee the marks of the wire gauze upon which
the pulp had been laid down by hand and
pressed. But the flyleaves in front and
hack and the inside Innings OF the covers
were made of woven paper.
This woven paper was first invented
10 li5c. explained the searcher into the
hlue blood Of real rarities. II that was
tho case how could IL have been that "W.
Mathews indited his name twenty-five
years before the new processed paper
was discovered?
After discovering this discrepancy the
bibliophilic detective turned to tho sigma
ulre of Elizabeth Milton. Milton's third
wife, whose maiden name was the same
Elizabeth Ninshull" that appeared twice on
the back dyleaves. Studying the lettering
with his glass. Mr.. Barton discovered that
10 had been traced twice with inks that
varied eli ghtly in color. By looking closely
through the glass a darker backbone run
ming through all Of the letters in the name
could be discerned.
Mr.. Barton took the Bible down 20 the
nstice OF David N. Carvalho. the handwriting
expert. at 26s Broadway, and had him ex-
anime the Elizabeth signatures and others
on the hyleaves OF the book. The expert
gave IL as his opinion that all OF the auto
graphs scattered about on the woven paper
fyleavss were forgerieS- Il was more than
a ooincidence. he pointed out, that most
of the family names appearing began with
an NJ and that most Of the surname in
itials were T or J. There was great simiv
larity between the manner OF making the
Ms In the "NIathewsee" and ~MinshuIls'
and tho NJ in the autograph Of Milton. The
J's appearing before some OF the autographs
bore q striking likeness TO the j before
Milton. The same flourish appeared in
both. The handwriting expert said that
&c looked as II the man who forged Mlton's
nanns had practised on the Hyleaves Of the
Bible. using In part the name Of the poets
third wife and some Of her family TO give
the rslic vraisemblance-
Mfr. CarvHIho told the bibliophilic detective
chat II he could make acid tests he could
soon discover whether or not the name Of
Elizabeth Milton had been written once
and then traced over again with another
ink. But since the book had been bought
conditionslly Mr.. Barton could not afford
to have tests made which would alter in
any way its present condition.
sWhers this book forger slipped up"
Mr.. Barton explained yesterday, was
in this manifest fact: When he bought
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