The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-10-31

Fool Congress Of Antiquarisns
With His Own Writings and Ballads.
Other Famous Forssrs.
y could cheat whole general as
sembly VI sntiquarians with my orisL
nal manner VI writing and forging bal.
lads" The iuaa who made this proud
boast. Allan Cunningham, was a
youthful stoncnasOn OF Scotland, earn.
Ing Is shilling, u week. That he wa.
no Idle bragsart IL evident, says tho
London Tit-Bits. from tho fact that ia
his twenty year he porpetrsted
one OF the greatest literary frauds OF
the nineteenth century.
Cunnip ehsm Ia spite Of his humble
role In life could writo poetry the
beauty and psthos of which would
bring tOars TO tho oycs Of the req dor
Apparently, however. ho Possessed
desire characteristic OF many rogueS
of literary genius to make experts
look foolish, and when Mr.. Cromek,
who In lSOD wus travelling ir Scotland
with II view 10 making "A collection Of
genuine Scottish songs, asked Cunning.
| HhNu W hNHAtb Ll4u lut htpiltills'u
conceived the ideu Of writing ballads
aud passing them OF Oh Cromek US old
Scottish productions.
| These wore included IN volume.
and. although most of the critics do
tected the fraud and It was establish
ell beyond doubt that Cunningham
wrote the ballads himself. they ac
| quirci an immediate reputation, AMI
the genius Of the writer led people to
overlook tho deception.
Nor was Cunningham the only foryet
Of Scottish ballads. Robert Surteea
the celebrated antiquary arl historian,
! for some curious reason not ONLY palm.
ed Off on Sir Walter Scott as antique
three ballads purely OF his own CON.
position, but actually suffered them to
occupy n place In the "Ailnstrelsy os
the Scottish Border" with fictitious
account OF their origin. and left tho
novelist deceived 10 the end OF his
days
Mention Of tie deception OF Sir Wal.
ter Scott reminds ono that tho famous
novelist was tho victim ON several oc-
casions Of literary forgcrs who used
his name tn boom their own work
George W. IIaerlug who under tho
| pseudonym of Wllllbald Alexis came
10 be ono OF Germany's first hovclists
OF tho early part OF the nineteenth
century, published his Grst book. oval
| ladmor," and announced II as freq
translation into German of move,
boldly ascribed to Sir Walter Scott
| He 1fterward endoavored to excuse
himself on the ground that people had
beer stupid enough not to see In "Wal-
lndrirr" satlrlcal attack on the craze
then prevalent FOR Scott's works.
| In France several mlmetlc attempts
on Scott have been made, notably AL
Ian Cameron" GS32l ana "Aywo Verd"
| QS42i. which We're both published IN
Paris as being Scott's, and LA Pythie
des Highlands" Introduced to the
world as tn, work OF the famous nov
elist In 1874 by Charles J. David, son
| Of tho famous French painter
But perhaps the most interesting OF
oil the attempts to trade on Scott's
uamG was that connected with the
name Of T.. de Saint Maurice Cabany,
director general OF the Society Of
Arch!rlstcs OF France who IN 1853
startled rhc literary world With new
ly q d.'covercd novel by Scott. entitled
"Morodun. n Tale OF the 1910"
In ! \. Farmers book. entitled "I.lt
erary Forgerics," IL Is eXplglncl how.
on account Of Inaccuracies IN dates and
tho description of places. This novel
could not have been written by Scott
but tho authorship remains a mys-
terry.
Tho prince OF literary forrers. ms re-
CARDS quantity, also halls from France.
| This was Ngaln-Denls Lucas, tho son
Of peasant. who after provlll.g cor
tain classes of people with moro or
less spurious pndlgrees perpctrated one
OF the most colossal literary frauds OF
the nineteenth century by successfully
palmiag of 27,32O forged letters OF an
Client and eminent men to NJ Cha sles
man OF worldwide reputation as \
Reomctriciaa and astronomer, who paid
Lucas nearly $4,000 70. tho collection.
Lucas false letters included some
from the apostles, from Plato, Pllny,
Lazarus and Mary Magdalene. And
! Jet ". Chasles did not consider II cX-
traort.nary that these WORTHLESS wrote
on paper and In the French language.
m.tely his eyes were opened, and
Lucas was arrested aud sentenced TO
two years Imprisonment.
The well known story Of "psalmana-
var, the Famous Formosan," shows
how easily the public can be imposed
3 90, e.,
markalle individual made his appear.
nnce In London early In tho eighteenth
century, claimed TO be n native OF For.
mosa nd wrote In Latin his very sin
gular Description of Formosa." III,
book, which was n pure concoctlon, dil
not deceive anybody, but for many
years It's author remained an object
of faith and charity to considerable
section of his adopted countrymen"
He rCneutcl however OF his fraud