The Washington herald., 1907-09-29
FOOLS The TEACHERS
Youthful StOnemasOn Per-
petrateS Literary Fraud.
ALSO TAKES IN ANTIQUARIES
some Noted French FOFgeries.
Prince Of Literary ROgueE, Vrain-
Denis Lucas, Palms on 2s,32O
Forged Letters of Celebrated An
clients on Noted Collector.

| I could cheat a whole general assembly
/ OF antiquarians with my original manner
/ OF writing and forging ballads" The man
who made this proud bOast-Allan Gun
ningham-was youthful stonemason OF
/ Scotland earning IS shillings a week.
That he was no idle braggart is evident.
says the London Tit-Bits. from the fact
that in HIS twenty-ffth year he perpetrat-
ed 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
lpathos Of which would bring tears 10 the
! eyes Of the reader. Apparently. however,
/ he possessed a desire-characteristic Of
many rogues Of literary gcnius-to make
experts look foolish and wheE a Mr.. Cro-
mex, who, in 1893 was travelling in Scot
land with a view 20 making a collection
OF genuine Scottish songs. asked Cunning
ham 70 assist him, the stonemason con-
ceived the IDEA Of writing ballads and
passing them of on Crorlek as old Scot
tish productions
These were included in a volume and.
although most Of the critics detected the
fraud, and II was established beyond doubt
/ that Cunningham wrote the ballads him
self, they acquired an immediate reputa-
tion. and the genius Of the writer led
I people TO overlook the deception.
Nor was Cunningham the only forger Of
#-E.
| celebrated antiquary and historian. for
some curious reason not only palmed OF
( on Sir Walter Scott as antique three bal
lads purely Of his own composition. but
( actually suffered them 20 occupy a place
In the "Miustrelsy of the Scottish Bor-
der" with a fictitious account OF their
origin. and left the novelist deceived 20
the end OF his days
Mention OF the deception OF Sir Walter
Scott reminds one that the famous novel;
isl was the victim on several occasions
Of literary forgers who used his name 10
boom their own work. George W. Haer-
ing. VINO under the pseudonym Of Wilt
bald Alexis came 60 De one of Germ8ny's :
first nOvelist5 Of the early part OF the
nineteenth century. published his FIRST
/ book. "WaIiadmor' and announced IL as
a free translation into German OF novel
/ boldly aSCTibcd 10 Sir Walter Scott He
I aftcrward cndeavOred 10 excuse himself
on the ground that people had been stupid
/ enough not 70 see in ''Naladm0r' sa-
tirical attack on the craze then prevalent
| for SC0tts works.
In France several mimctic attempts on
Scott have been made. notably Allan
Cameron" l@2l and "Ayme Verd" GS42),
which were both published In Paris as be-
ing Sc0tt's and la Pythie des High
/ lands introduced To the world as the
/ work OF the famous novelist in 1894 by
Charles J. David. son Of the famous
/ French painter.
Spurious scott Novel Appears.
But perhaps the most interesting Of all
the attempts 20 trade on Scott's name
was that connected with the name Of T.
de Saint Maurice Cahany. director general
of the Ssciety Of Archivlstes Of France.
who In 1850 startled the literary world
with a newly discovered novel by Scott.
/ entitled "Moredun; Tale Of the 1910"
/ In J. A. Farmers book entitled
Literary FoTgeries' it is explained how.
on account 0f inaccuracies In dates and
the description Of places, this novel could
not have been written by Scott. but the
authorship remains a mystery
The prince Of literary forgers, as re-
CARDS quantity. also halls from France.
This was Yrain-Denis Lucas. the son Of
a peasant, who after providing certain
4 classes of people with more or less spuri-
/ oUs pedigrees perpetrated one Of the most
colossal literary frauds OF the nineteenth
century by successfully palming on 1890
forged letters Of ancient and eminent
men 10 N. Chasjes. a man OF worldwide
reputation as a geometrician and astrono-
mer. who paid Lucas nearly 500 pounds
4 for the collection.
Lucas false letters included some from
the apostles, from Plato, Pliny. Lazarus.
and Mary Magdalene. And yet NJ
Charles did not consider it extraordinary
that these worthless wrote on paper and in
the French language. Ultimately his eyes
were opened. and Lucas was arrested and
sentenced 10 two years imprisonment.
Public Is Easily Fooled.
The welI-known story Of "PsaImanazar.
the famous Formosan.' shows how easily
the public can be imposed upon in regard
to literature This remarkable individual
made his appearance in London early in
the eighteenth century. claimed to be a
native Of Formosa. and wrote Ia Latin his
very singular Description Of Formosa."
The book, which was a pure cOncoction,
did not deceive anybody. but for many
years its author remained an object OF
faith and charity 10 a considerable section
of his adopted countrymen" He repent
ed. however. of his fraud. and his life
ended with the esteem of nanys while Dr.
EJOhnsOn spoke OF him as the best man
he ever knew" But who Psalmanazar
really was remains to this day a literary
secret
Even more audacious, perhaps was the
attempt OF an Irish clergyman named
Eccles, a resident of Bath, who, toward
the end of the eighteenth century. claimed
to have written a Man of Feeling "a
work by Henry Mackenzie often included
in the popular reprints of to-day Eccles.
in order 10 sustain his claim, actually
Transcribed the whole work, making the
usual blOts, erasures. and additions TO
give the manuscript a plausible appear
ance of originality. CuriOusly enough.
although the publishers repudiated Eccles
claim. the people of Bath evidently be-
lieved In him. for when he died a certain
writer commenting upon the turhess
grave OF EcCles. suggested that stone
bearing the inscription Beneath this
stone The Man Of Feeling lies" should
be subscribed for.
OUR OFFICE BOY.
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