Fine Books Blog

Texas Passes on Crockett Letter

What a surprise. The State of Texas is not buying the Davy Crockett letter it agreed to pay half a million for. For the sad, sordid tale, see my previous posts. In the end, no one was willing to authenticate the blatantly obvious--the handwriting was not anything like Crocketts. I suppose that's because it was a thankless task. No one who sells rare Texas material really wants to take a chance on offending prominent Texas officials.

I'll let PhiloBiblos fill in the details on his blog.

Since there seem to be problems with theRare Books ExLibris mailing list archives, I'll copy most of Texas bookseller Kevin Mac Donnell's comments to that email list, which are relevant as he's been active in the whole mess since the beginning:

"Had [the THC] taken me up on my offer [to analyze the letter for free], I would have told them that the text of the letter is a later revised version with approximately seventy corrections to the original text (the State of Texas has a transcript of the original letter at the Alamo...but does the THC know this or understand the significance?). This letter they were offered has Crockett's usual spelling errors corrected, complete changes of words and phrases, corrections of punctuation and capitalization, and even introduces a badly garbled text at two places where the scrivener misread Crockett's bad handwriting.

"I also would have told them that the modified round hand of the letter they were offered closely reflects the normal round hand used at that time, and that the format and writing gave every indication of this letter being a mid-19th century true-copy prepared by a scrivener well-trained in penmanship. I also would have told them that Crockett's handwriting, on the contrary, and on the basis of a comparison with a dozen authentic examples, deviates a great deal from the modified round hand taught by any of the penmanship manuals of that period, displaying numerous characteristics not present in this letter --unstable fragmented baselines, eccentric and inconsistent letter formation, changes in hand position (the angle of the nib to the paper), poor retracing strokes, poor and eccentric loops, poor connecting strokes, uneven letter spacing, uneven word spacing, uneven slant, uneven margins, rapid speed, uneven pen pressure, etc. Crockett's hand and the scrivener hand of this letter could not be more different. Crockett did not write the letter being offered to the State of Texas.

"The letter could have been rejected on the basis of either the handwriting or the text alone, saving the $17,000 expense of a forensic examination. I'm glad they didn't waste $500,000 of the tax-payer's money, but I suppose they will now lose those funds that could otherwise have been put to much better use preserving and protecting the treasures they already have at the Texas State Archive, and that's a real shame…"

Handwriting Expert Still Needed for Crocket Letter

It seems no one is interested in authenticating the Davy Crockett letter that the State of Texas bought for $550,000 (see previous blog posts, if you've missed this story). Only one company offered to examine the paper and ink—a rather pointless exercise because most everyone thinks it's an old copy, written with old ink on old paper. According to the Austin American Statesman:

"Federal Forensic Associates Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., the only bidder, was selected for the forensic document analysis, which determines the age of the paper and ink, and tests whether a document has been falsely aged.

The contract is for $17,000, which will be paid by the commission, and the firm can immediately begin its analysis, commission spokeswoman Adrienne Reams said."

Handwriting experts have until October 29 to submit a proposal. It doesn't sound like there's much competition, so handwriting experts contact the Texas Historical Commission. I mean, how hard could the job be? Even I can tell it's fake.

"We lost the receipt..."

This is about the lamest thing I've ever heard. The seller of what is now known as the "purported" Davy Crockett letter, William Ray Simpson of Simpson Galleries in Houston, says he is unable to locate the receipt proving that his grandfather bought the letter from one of Crockett's descendants. According to the Houston Chronicle's Texas Politics blog, Simpson was required to produce the receipt is part of the sale agreement.

In a note to the Texas historical commission, Simpson offers the following as the basis of the letter's authenticity: "This letter was sold to my grandfather in the mid to late 1980's by a person purporting to be the great-great grandson of David Crockett....I have no reason to believe anything other than what was told to me by my grandfather."

Now mind you, Simpson Galleries bills itself as "Houston's oldest fine arts auctioneers" and they sell Texas material. This is not just some guy with an old letter in his desk. Yet the best evidence Simpson can offer is that someone who is now dead once told him it was real. The first thing an auctioneer has to do is authenticate the items they are planning to sell. Is this sale representative of the standard they apply at all their sales? It's amazing to me that they didn't do even the most basic evaluation of the letter for authenticity. Texas should have gotten a second opinion before announcing the purchase, but the real fault lies with the seller who is supposed to be a professional.

Fakes & Frauds in Houston

So if you've been following the news you've undoubtedly heard about the Davy Crockett letter that recently surfaced in Houston, and the authenticity of which is now in question. Quite coincidentally the Museum of Printing History in...you guessed it...Houston is having an exhibit right now called "Forgers, Frauds, & Pirates: Faking the Book." It closes September 30. Now I couldn't make this up if I tried, but here's the description of the exhibition:

Exposing the dark side of the literary world, this exhibition gathers many of the most infamous examples of published deception to appear over the past four hundred years.  Visitors to the exhibition will see copies of the Texas Declaration of Independence and a newspaper account of the death of George Washington, as well as other works.  All are fraudulent.  Behind these fake objects stand the fascinating stories of their forgers, depicting the wide range of motives and personalities behind these frauds -- which sometimes led to other crimes, including murder.  Be sure not to miss our cases devoted to forgeries and hoaxes perpetrated in Houston.

The Crockett Legend

If you think Davy Crockett only became a legend after Walt Disney got to him, you've been hoodwinked by movie hype. Crockett was famous in his own time. That's what he was referring to in the letter that has caused all the ruckus: "I have got through Safe and have been received by everybody with open cerimony of friendship I am hailed with harty welcom to this country [Texas]...The Cannon was fired here on my arival."

Crockett represented Tennessee for three terms in the House of Representatives before losing an election and heading for Texas (You "go to hell, I'll go to Texas," he reportedly said after the electoral defeat). He burnished his legend with a series of Crockett Almanacs, published annually starting in 1835. They continued for twenty years after his death at the Alamo.

In a case of perfect timing, Texas auctioneer Dorothy Sloan is selling a long run - 21 issues - of the Crockett Almanacs at her October 26 sale. She calls them "economical on truth, but rich in humor and social insights."  Pictured is the 1837 issue, mostly written by Crockett before the Alamo, but published by his heirs after his death. The estimate is $50,000 to $75,000 for the set.

Where Would You Keep a $500,000 Piece of Paper?

I know that people who handle rare books and documents everyday can get a bit cavalier, especially when they own it (as opposed to librarians, who are custodians). Still, does anyone else find the story of the Davy Crockett letter a bit odd?

Here's the basic facts from the Fort Worth Star Telegram:

William Ray Simpson III said that his grandfather and namesake purchased the letter from descendants of the Crockett family in 1986. But when the elder Simpson died in 2002, no one in the family could locate the letter. When Simpson Galleries, one Houston's oldest auction houses, was preparing to relocate in the city, the letter turned up inside a folder tucked away in a desk. Once found, the family decided that the document belonged in the state museum, the younger Simpson said.

So if you had a piece of paper worth half a million dollars, would you keep it in a file folder at the back of your desk? A lot of people might put it in a safe deposit box (though I don't get the point of owning stuff you can only look at in a bank), but if your desk happened to be in an auction house that takes pains to protect consignor's property, wouldn't you at least put it in the safe? I certainly would—if I thought it was an authentic Davy Crockett letter worth $550,000+.

Suppressed Crockett Press Release

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that the September 4 press release announcing the Crockett letter purchase is not on the Texas Historical Commission's web site ("Davy Crockett Press Release Gone"). For those who are interested, you can read it here, and I've added it to my Crockett documents page.

Panel of Experts to Weigh In on Crockett Letter

Now that everyone knows the Davy Crockett letter that the Texas Historical Commission bought from Simpson Galleries is fake, they are going to convene a very expensive panel to provide an expert opinion. The Houston Chronicle reports [here], "The commission will issue a 'request for qualifications' next week seeking experts skilled in forensics and other forms of historical document analysis...The document, offered by Houston dealer Ray Simpson III, would undergo scientific tests to determine the age of the paper and the ink, as well as other types of analysis."

The commission now says it was never "99.9 percent certain" of the authenticity. So how certain are they? 71% certain. 53%? 29%? By way of explanation, the THC says it made the purchase "assuming the good name" of Houston's Simpson Galleries (see below for previous forgeries sold by the gallery).

Once again, the state of Texas has it all backwards. First, the governor personally announces the purchase before anyone does even basic analysis and now that the document is questioned, Texas is hiring the experts.

The duty of authentication belongs to the SELLER. The state of Texas should not waste anymore taxpayer money on this. Mr. Simpson ought to be required to submit a report explaining why he believes the document is real.

Ken Rendell, a leading autograph dealer and forgery expert, says this about authentication:

Authentication of historical letters and documents uses an analytic approach that can be illustrated and proven. Dealers who cannot explain their methods of authentication to your satisfaction are ones you should avoid...The real expert will be happy to inundate, and risk boring you, with information.

The best I can tell, the only proof the Simpsons offered the state of Texas was an assurance that the letter was purchased twenty years ago (by someone who is now dead and unable to corroborate the story) from an unnamed descendant of Davy Crockett. That's not proof, that's not even enough for a good story.

Not the First Time Seller of Crockett Letter Is Questioned

From the San Antonio Express, referring to Simpson Galleries in Houston, which sold the questioned Davy Crockett letter to the state of Texas:

During the 1980s, the Simpson family business drew scrutiny as well.

Rare book and document dealer W. Thomas Taylor uncovered a series of forged Texas documents at the University of Houston, all gifts from donors. His research showed the false documents were linked to three dealers, including the late William Simpson. The elder Simpson denied wrongdoing at the time.

W. Thomas Taylor is the author of the book TexFake: An Account of the Theft and Forgery of Early Texas Printed Documents, which has an introduction by the bookseller-novelist-screenwriter Larry McMurtry.

In the late 1980s, the Texas fakes made national news, including a long article in the New Yorker by Calvin Trillin, who wrote, referring to Taylor's research into the surprising number of fakes he found in libraries and private collections:

Of the thirty-six fake documents whose provenance he could trace with certainty, Taylor later wrote, the ownership trail of all of them ended at one of three places. Five had been sold by Dorman David, nine by William Simpson, the antiques auctioneer in Houston, and twenty-two by the Jenkins Company....

Trillin also reported that William Simpson  "often traded printed material to Jenkins for manuscripts ('Houston is a manuscript town.')"

Author Gregory Curtis, who wrote about the 1980s forgeries in the Texas Monthly (great article online here), wrote:

In 1964 William Simpson opened a gallery on Main Street in Houston. He is a theatrical, good-humored man with a white goatee. He was once an acolyte of Ezra Pound, visiting the poet frequently during his internment in St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C., after World War II. Simpson sells few books. His trade is primarily in furniture, art, glass, rugs, linens, and crystal. But in the mid-sixties he began selling Texana, particularly historical documents and letters. His auctions became a regular gathering place for collectors...

It seems likely that the stock of forgeries [which probably came in amidst several thousand authentic documents] ended up being divided between Simpson and Jenkins. As the two men sold the material bit by bit over the years, the forgeries entered the marketplace and made their way to museums, libraries, and private collections all across Texas.

Each of the men passionately denies knowing that any of the documents he sold were fake. Both point out that many other dealers and experts were fooled by the fakes over the years, that even Tom Taylor sold two fakes believing they were genuine.

"Davy Crockett Letter a Bargain"—If Genuine

I went to the post office and came back to a long voice mail message from one of the top autograph dealers in the country. Here's what he said about the Davy Crockett letter purchased by the Texas Historical Commission.

"The uniformity of the writing certainly should cause a lot of concern. Davy Crockett did not write on straight lines like that."

He went on to describe a report he had from someone in Texas that he considered reliable, which said that there are several copies of the letter floating around. "Now why would Davy Crockett write several copies of the letter," he asked?

"If it's genuine," he continued, "it's a bargain at that price [$490,000]. It's a bargain at whatever it takes to buy it. He [Crockett] says these things about Texas and that's fantastic. I have sold Texas material in that range. This price is very low. Again, if it's genuine, it's a bargain at that price."

On the whole, however, he concluded, "The process is totally illogical."

The things Crockett said about Texas include: "I must say as to what I have seen of Texas it is the garden spot of the world. The best land and best prospects for health I ever saw and I do so believe it is a fortune to any man to come here. There is a world of country to Settle." The full text is here.

Another respected dealer wrote in an email after viewing a scan, "From a quick look it does not appear to resemble the examples I have here, but as we agreed yesterday anything definite requires examination of the original by someone who knows the subject. And the options are not limited to genuine or forgery, it could just be a copy of some kind."