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A FRAUD EXPLODED A SHORT snort tima time ago WO we published the translation of an alleged copy of the tho decalogue said to have been obtain ed from some arabs in syria and consisting of fifteen strips of ancient looking leather manuscript the characters being in the te language the discoverer wag waa a collve corive converted jew named it is not known whether he Is a descendant ant of Sappl Bapp sapphira hira dra spoken of in the new testament and we do not think hia his first name Is ananiss Anani ass abs but like most of those renegade hebrews who pretend to be con vented to modern cc christianity as his conduct has been worthy of a literal descendant of those illustrious persons who came to a sudden budden death in the days of the apostle peter has figured before as a collector of curiosities he wag was the discoverer of a number of jars and other pottery with phoenician cian which american antiquarians re rejected acted but which some european so scholars clars accepted as genuine gennine probably y because they helped to authenticate certain portions of biblical history which are of doubtful authority to the skeptics in like manner some of the scientific pedants received the sheepskin manuscripts with characters similar to those on the famous stone as genuine and the converted jew has bean bep n trying to get from the museum for his hib treasures the modest littie little sum of five million dollars investigation into this matter was placed in the hands of dr genes gedes berg and other ether philological exper experts tg and the inquiry was extended to the private character and pursuits of the pious the manuscripts have been pronounced a fraud and the pretended discoverer a humbug and a Eco scoundrel undrel he has been keeping a curiosity shop in jerusalem where antiques have been palmed upon the unsophisticated pilgrim and tourist some of them perhaps taken out of ancient ruin nuin but many of them manufactured by one bellm belim a bird of prey of the same came feather as in this instance the aid of some copyist of skill has been invoked the characters have been taken from the stone the sheepskin hab has been scraped and rubbed and dried and smoked and made ancient by modern art and for a while awhile the world was set agog by the wonderful treasure which was to prove such a grand corroboration of the tho mosaic revelation of the ten commandments the exposure of the fraud reflects credit on dr Ge Gen gan esberg esborg and his associates so socia teb tes and shows that the wisdom of the learned la Is often foolishness and that scientific people are not as gullible as common folks the satire in the pickwick papers about the antique katone inscribed is a comical comics illustration of the owl like of some pompous pompons professors of extraordinary erudition it Is ia a fortunate thing for the directors of the british museum and for the great public that the attempted fraud has haa been exploded and it la Is to be hoped that the cunning rascal who has failed to bag 1 a large sum of money will find himself in prison for his pains |
