Davy Crockett letter

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Sept. 10, 2007, 9:37PM
State to seek experts to authenticate 'Crockett' letter
Historical panel retracts statement of virtual certainty missive is genuine


By POLLY ROSS HUGHES
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN — Retracting a statement claiming "99.9 percent" certainty that Davy Crockett penned a letter it plans to buy, the state's historical commission said Monday it will begin seeking expert advice by next week.

The commission's announced $550,000 purchase of the letter from seller Simpson Galleries of Houston is conditioned on authentication of the letter within 120 days.

Executive Director F. Lawerence Oaks said an assurance last week of near certainty concerning the letter's authenticity "was a misstatement" by commission spokeswoman Debbi Head.

"That was not the position of the commission at all," he said.

Skeptics emerged almost immediately after the commission announced last week its plans to purchase Alamo hero Crockett's last letter, written to his children on Jan. 9, 1836.


Difference of opinion
Gov. Rick Perry attended a news conference and called the letter "truly a state treasure."
But rare book dealers said published facsimiles of the letter, purportedly handwritten by Crockett, bear little resemblance to the frontiersman's poor spelling, bad grammar and uneven penmanship.

Oaks said the commission will issue a "request for qualifications" next week seeking experts skilled in forensics and other forms of historical document analysis.

He said 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 announced acquisition of the letter "assuming the good name" of Houston's Simpson Galleries, Oaks said, but with an "ironclad understanding" it would undergo rigorous testing.

A team might be assembled rather than one individual, standard practices will be applied and the search for experts will be nationwide, he added. The commission hopes to move quickly and will exclude anyone with an "ax to grind" or a conflict of interest.

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Re: Davy Crockett letter(UPDATE)

Dec. 7, 2007, 11:21PM
Crockett letter in doubt; state drops purchase
Forensic analysis of document fails to authenticate link to Alamo hero


By JANET ELLIOTT
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
AUSTIN — The state is backing out of a deal to spend half a million dollars for a purported letter from Davy Crockett after a forensic analysis could not guarantee its authenticity.

The Texas Historical Commission on Friday received an e-mail containing preliminary results and decided to return the document to the seller, Ray Simpson of Houston's Simpson Galleries.

Debbi Head, a commission spokeswoman, said the paper was consistent with that produced in the 1830s. But irregularities such as an uneven edge, indentations and particulates on the document raised questions about its authenticity.

The examiners did not determine that the letter was a fake or a true copy done for legal purposes in the 19th century, Head said.

"They simply were unable to determine authentication," she said.

The letter was said to be the last written by Crockett before his death at the Alamo in March 1836. It describes his hopes of making a fortune in Texas, "the garden spot of the world."

The state had planned to spend $550,000 from the state historic artifact fund for the letter, though it would have received $60,000 of that amount back under the agreement reached with Simpson.


Doubts about 'treasure'
The state had 120 days from acquisition of the document to authenticate or return it. Simpson never received any money from the state for the letter.

The letter was unveiled by Gov. Rick Perry and Historical Commission Chairman John L. Nau III with much fanfare at a September news conference at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Perry said at the time that it was "truly a state treasure."

But historical document experts raised doubts about its authenticity. They said the grammar was too correct and the penmanship too polished for the frontiersman's hand.

Perry said in a statement Friday that the state believed the document would be a rare, historic acquisition for Texas.

"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," he said.

Simpson said he could not comment until he has seen the report. He said that he is not disagreeing with the expert's opinion but hopes that further review could determine that the letter was written by Crockett.

"We are still hoping that it is the real deal," he said. "If not, we need to find out where it came from and exactly what it is."


Final report coming
The commission paid $17,000 to Federal Forensic Associates Inc. of Raleigh, N.C. to analyze the paper and ink.

The commission received the analysts' 10-page report by e-mail Friday, but Head said they could not release it because it is considered a draft. She said the final report would be released when it is delivered to the commission's office next week.

Nau said in September that the Simpson family discovered the letter in a file folder in mid-August and contacted state officials. Simpson said he believes his late grandfather, William Simpson, purchased the letter from Crockett's great-great-grandson in 1986.

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