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Show Historic : HistoricHoaxes Hoaxes HoaxesBy By y ELMO SCOTT WATSONC WATSON | | C Western Newspaper unionThe Union | The Lost ExplorerFROM ExplorerFROM Explorer FROM , 'ROM ROM ' Ladysmith Ladysmlth Wia Wls Wis in January Jannary Jan January uary nary , 1928 1926 came a story about aboutan aboutan aboutan an important historical hlstoncal dIscovery dIscoveryWhICh discoverywhich discoverywhich WhICh caused something somethmg of a sen sensation sensation sensation sation In the Middle West Two Twowoodsmen Twowoodsmen Twowoodsmen woodsmen Art Charpin Charpm and Walter WalterLatsch WalterLatsch WalterLatsch Latsch had found in a hollow tree treea a petrified petrltled body which was idenh identi idenhfled identifled identified fled by the clothing and a p ece eceof eceof eceof of paper in one of the pockets as asPIerre asPierre asPierre PIerre D Artagnan lost member ot of otthe ofthe ofthe the Marquette Joliet expedition ot of ot1675 ot1675The 1675 The story first published pub11shed in the theRusk theRusk theRusk Rusk County Journal at Ladysmlth Ladysmith Ladysrnithwas Ladysmlthwas Ladysmithwas was reprinted reprmted in many WIsconsin WIsconsinpapers Wisconsinpapers Wisconsinpapers papers then spread to other parts partsof partsof partsof of the Middle West and finally to toall toall toall ' all sections of the country But aft after after after I er two months It was exposed as asa asa asa ' a hoax 'I I hoaxA A bulletin of the Wisconsin Wlsconsm H1s His H1stoncal Historical Histoncal toncal torical society pointed out the many manyabsurdltles manyabsurdities manyabsurdities absurdltles absurdities In the tale-the tale the tale - the claim claimthat claimthat claimthat that mineral mmeral matter m lD in the sap of ofthe ofthe otthe the tree bad had acted as an embalm embalmJng embalming embalming Jng ing fluid llwd that the clothing clothmg of the ex explorer explorer explorer plorer should have been preserved preservedand preservedand preservedand and the piece of at paper in his rus poc poc.cet poccet poc.cetshould pocketshould . et etshould should have been readable after 2JO 2i0 2JOyears 2i0years 2a0years years y " yAfter yearsAfter After this expose M D Hmshaw Hinshaw Hmshawand Hinshawand Hmshawand and Edward Richardson publIshers publishersof of the Ladysmith Ladysm1th paper who turned turnedout turnedout turnedout out to be the woodsmen of the thetale thetale thetale tale admitted that the yarn had hadbeen hadbeen hadbeen been concocted as a promotion stunt stuntfor stuntfor stunttor for the newspaper But they also alsopomted alsopointed alsopointed pomted pointed out what had been obvlCus obvious obviousto obvlCusto to anyone who had read the first firststory firststory firststory story carefully-that carefully that carefully - that although It ItI Itwas itwas itwas I was printed pnnted in m the Rusk County CountyJournal CountyJournal I IJournal Journal it was credited to the Rusk RuskI RuskCounty RuskCounty RuskCounty I County Lyre ' , CS . * . . * Columbus ' DIaryIN DiaryIN Diary Diarylawyer IN 1924 Angel Delmote a MeXlcan Mexican MeXlcanlawyer Mexicanlawyer lawyer announced that he l1e had hadobtamed hadobtained hadobtained obtamed obtained from some Jews m in Havana HavanaCuba HavanaCuba HavanaCuba Cuba an almost priceless pnceless hIstorical hIstorical.document historicaldocument historical.document historicaldocument .document document . . . . It was the original origlaal d cry cryof & eryof 17 17of of Christopher Chnstopher Columbus wn ch en enclosed enclosed enclosed closed in m a wax casing casmg had been beenthrown beenthrown beenthrown thrown overboard when it appeared appearedcertam appearedcertain appeanedcertain certam certain that his ship wa . . . about to tobe tobe tobe be shipwrecked slupwrecked in m a siorm storm ne me r the theAzores theAzores theAzores Azores in 1493Thereupon 1493Thereupon 1493 1493Thereupon Thereupon the experts on hlstonc historic hlstoncal historical historical al documents laughed long and loudSo loudSo loud loudSo So the original orlgmal log of Colwnbus Columbus Colwnbushas Columbushas Columbushas has bobbed up again agam they saIdWell saidWell said saidWell Well it s about tIme-It tIme It time - - it comes to to11ght tolight tolight 11ght light about every two years They Theyknow Theyknow Theyknow know its It s a take fake for tor fbr the .ery ery \ , . ery cry good goodreason goodreason goodreason reason that the diary dlary is vntten mitten written m in mGerman inGerman inGerman German and so tar far as is k-10wn k 10wn kiown - k-iownColumbus k iownColumbus - , , Columbus could neither speak nor norwnte norwrite norwrite wnte write German More than that the thelanguage thelanguage thelanguage language ot of the diary is excellent excellentmodern excellentmodern excellentmodern modern German but resembi resembl s that thatspoken thatspoken thatspoken spoken m in the Fifteenth Flfteenth century cenFury no nomore nomore nomore more than the English 'anguage anguage lang1Jlge language ' : of oftoday oftoday o otoday today resembles the English Engl1sh of ofChaucer ofChaucer ofChaucer Chaucer s tImeA timeA time timeA A year previously this dIary dIaryhad diaryhad diaryhad had made its appearance in m San SanFrancIsco SanFrancisco SanFrancisco FrancIsco The tv-o tv o ta two t\\ t \ - a men who had hadbought hadbought hadbought bought this 500 year old document documenttook documenttook documenttook took it to a paper company to es as establ1sh astablash establish tabl1sh tablash its authenticity by chemIcal chemIcaltests chemicaltests chemicaltests tests The tests were made .and and .andproved andproved . andproved proved that the paper on which thed thed the thed d ary was written wntten was scarcely scarcely30 30 years oldWhat oldWhat old oldWhat What s the ans"er anser ansner answer7 " ' ? Simply that thatforgers thatforgers thatforgers forgers of historic hlstonc documents documentscontmue documentscontinue documentscontinue contmue continue to ply their trade confident confidentthat confidentthat confidentthat that they can always find a vIctim vIctimto victimto victimto to buy their spurious antiques anhques * . * . aLieut a * . Lieut Lleut Re Re9rpe ReflipeW lpe lpeV \V V Vi \ ThenuzDURING ThenuzDURING Thenuz Thenuzwar DURING the Spamsh Spanish Amencan American Amencanwar Americanwar war Joseph Pulitzer s New NewYork NewYork NewYork York World had reason to bel eve evethat evethat evethat that Hearst Hearsts s Journalas Journal \ was \\as as etas steahng stealing steahngItS stealingits stealingits ItS news by rewriting rewntmg stories whIch whIchhad whichhad whichhad had appeared on its bulletin buJletm board boardor boardor boardor or m in early editions of the World WorldSo WorldSo WorldSo So the World laid a trap for thepIrates thepirates the thepirates pirates piratesOne One day it carried carned a list ot of Span SpanIsh Spanish Spanish Ish officers reported to have been beenkilled beenkilled I Ikll1ed kll1ed killed in m battle This Thus list was a aI along along along I long on one . . and the World had paId paidexpensive paidexpensive . expensIve cable tolls toIls to get It it it.Included itIncluded . . I Included in m it was the name of ofLleut ofLieut ofLieut Lleut Lieut Refl Reft Refi pe W V Thenuz Imme Immedlately Immediately Immediately dlately diately the Journal came out WIth WIththe withthe withthe the same list llst of of ot ' ' names ames Includmg including Includmgthat includingthat includingthat that of Lieutenant Thenuz Thetfthe Theilthe ThetftheWorld TheiltheWorld Then * theWorld World printed a story featuring featurmg th s smythlcal smythical smythical mythlcal mythical officer whose name namespel1ed namespelled namespelled spel1ed spelled backward read We pIlfer pIlferthe pilferthe pilferthe the news ne\\s ne s \ and the Journaias Journal Journai \\as as nas nascaught \ wascaught \ ascaught caught red handedSlffillarly handedSimilarly handed handedSimilarly Similarly Slffillarly the Jacksonville Fla < ( Fla ) Stir Sbr was caught during durmg the Balkan Balkantroubles Balkantroubles Balkantroubles troubles of 1912 when it at appeared appearedwIth appearedwith appearedwith wIth a front page story about an anaIrplane anairplane anairplane aIrplane battle near a Greek town townnamed townnamed townnamed named Ternehtmorfnelots Temehtmorfnelots Temehtmorfnelotshlch nhich \\hlch hlch tahich \ \ It Ithad ithad ithad had borrowed from the Jackson Jacksonville Jacksonvie Jacksonville ville vie Metropolis The next neJ\.t neJ.t neJ .t t neat \ . day the theMetropolIs theMetropolis theMetropolis MetropolIs announced that the name nameof nameof nameot of this Greek town when spelled spelledbackward spelledbackward spelledbackward back-ward back ward backward - was W.J.S WJ.S WJS . Stolen from irom the theMet theMet Met |