Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1910-01-12
LITERARY FORGERIES
Versatility and ClevernesS of a
Shrewd Scotch Lad.
FOOLED THE coNNoISSEURS.
He Poured Forth His Extraordinary
Documents In Profusion to Supply
the Demand and Was Finally ak
posed BY . Simple Little Slip.

Documents In Profusion to Supply
the Demand and Yves Finally ak
posed BY . Simple Little Sip.
From the days of isidor Mercater.
who forged letters OF the bishops OF
Rome with such skill and success that
they We're treasured Cor centuries In
the Roman archives, TO the days OF
ireland, the notorious forger OF shake
spearean plays aud letters, and Chat
terton. the clever and IN fated boy
who died miSerably in his attic. there
have never been wanting unprincipled
men who could forge ancient manu-
scripts so cleverly that leading experts
have been deceived.
But for versatility and cleverness
none OF these forgers Of past centuries
could approach the cleverness OF a
young Scotchman who years ago pro-
euced n long succession OF forged man
uscripts which completely baffied the
connoiSSeurs OF the world. The true
and full story OF these remarkable
forgeries is almost unknown and is so
extraordinary that IL may well be told
Ii was In Edinburgh that this In
comparable forger practiced his arts.
and it was 10y an accident that he was
tempted 10 embark on a career which,
after spell Of great success. involved
him in disaster. One day the princi-
pal OF an Edinburgh firm Of lawyers
told one Of his clerks TO clear out sew
eral boxes full of old documents. the
accumulation OF many years Among
them were several documents and au-
tographs the value OF which the clerk
WAS quick 20 recognize, and he had no
difficulty In finding purchasers for
them. AS the supply was limited and
the demand constantly increasing 1t
occurred 10 him 10 supplement the gen
uine documents with others Of his
own manufacture. and as he developed
a remarkable skill in forging and had
already won the confidence Of a large
number Of collectors he found IL easy
10 dispose OF as many forgeries as he
could produce az very profitable prices.
Many OF them were sold TO collectors
in different parts Of the world. others
were disposed OF by auction. and the
remainder were pawned and sold as
unredeemed pledges. These forgeries
covered n very wide range and includ-
cd autographs and letters by Crom
well. Mary. queen Of Scots; James VI.
Prince Charlie. John Knox. Rob Roy.
Burns. Scott, Thackeray, Carlyle, Sails
bury. Gladstone. Lord Nelson and
many other men OF note as well as
vast quantities OF Jacobite correspond
ence.
So cleverly were the forgeries exc
cuted that the largest purchaser Of
Scott's letters was n gentleman who
as boy had carried most Of the great
authors manuscripts from Abbotsford
10 his Edinburgh publishers and was
rs familiar with Scott's handwriting
as his own. and the head Of the firm
that published Lord Byron's works
purchased forty-seven letters purport-
ing TO be Lord Byron's for the sum OF
fl25 rs. Cd. \ very large collection OF
these manuscripts was purchased for
sum OF over $4,000 and presented TO
the Lenox library. New York. where
they were for some time regarded with
reverence as the chief treasure OF the
library. and another collection was
presented 10 the city OF Edinburgh.
Although these forgeries were pour.
cd on the market in such profusion. no
suspicion seems TO have been aroused.
They were accepted without question
by the experts and found ready pur-
chasers at large prices. Whether the
! forgcr's success made him careless or
whether 1t was due 10 one Of those re-
markable oversights to which the most
skillful criminals seem liable and
which bring their career TO a close, the
forger was at last exposed through a
mistake OF which such n clever man
/ should scarcely have been capable.
Among the many forgeries he pro-
/ duced a poem signed by Robert Burns
/ 1t was called The Poor Mans Pray
/ er" and opened with this stanza:
Amidst the more important tolls OF state.
The counsels laooring in the patriotic
soil.
Though Europe from thy voice expect her
fate.
And thy keen glance extend from pole
10 pole.
teen verses, might we'll have escaped
detection with the rest but for the
fact that gentleman TO whom the
\ poem was shown discovered the iden-
teal verses In the London Magazine
OF 1766 in n poem addressed 10 the
Earl Of Chatham by one Simon Hodge,
/ laborer.
Thus It appeared that if the verses
( were actually written by Burns the
/ poet must have opened them under
the pseudonym OF Simon Hodge at the
very immature age OF poet Of seven
/ years. Suspicion once aroused. doubt
was at once cast on the hundreds Of
I other documents which had emanated
/ from the same source. The Lenox col
/ lection was submitted to the experts
OF the British museum and pronounced
"a worthless lot OF forgeries," and col
lectors all the world over awoke TO the
; painful discovery that their treasures
/ OF old manuscripts were scarcely worth
the paper they were written on. The
forger's career was brought to a sud-
den termination He was brought up
/ for trial and sentenced to q term OF
Imprisonment, thus closing career Of
Forgery which for daring, cleverness
and success has perhaps never been
| equaled.-New York Press.