Dec 8, 2007 11:02 am US/Central
Historical Commission Won't Buy Crockett Letter
AUSTIN (AP) ―
A letter purported to be the last written by Alamo defender Davy Crockett is being returned to its seller by the Texas Historical Commission because it could not be authenticated, the agency announced Friday.
Questions were raised about the letter's authenticity, and state officials decided not to exercise their option to purchase the document after a forensic analysis was performed.
The state had 120 days to authenticate or return it to Ray Simpson of Simpson Galleries in Houston, who had offered it to the state.
"I appreciate Ray Simpson's initial offer and patience in determining the letter's authenticity," said commission chairman John L. Nau III. "The state followed the terms of the contract in withholding payment until authentication could be determined and based on the forensic analysis, the THC concludes authenticity cannot be confirmed."
The historical commission announced in September at a news conference with Gov. Rick Perry that it had the opportunity to buy the letter for $490,000. Simpson said he discovered it in an office at Simpson Galleries, one of Houston's oldest fine arts auctioneers.
It was presented as Crockett's last letter, written Jan. 9, 1836, before he and about 200 other Alamo defenders were killed by Mexican forces led by Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The letter was written to his children.
But rare-book dealers said facsimiles of the letter bear little resemblance to the frontiersman's poor spelling, bad grammar and uneven penmanship.
The commission contracted with Federal Forensic Associates Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., to analyze the letter. Experts examined paper and ink samples but couldn't find enough evidence to confirm the letter's authenticity.
"Our hope and belief was this would prove to be a rare, historic acquisition for the state of Texas," Perry said. "Although that proved not to be the case, the Texas Historical Commission acted appropriately and followed the proper channels of due diligence after pursuing the potential purchase of the letter."
Funding for the purchase would have come from the state historic artifact fund, which was established to buy rare artifacts.
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On the Net:
Texas Historical Commission at www.thc.state.tx.us
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