Robert Spring
Encyclopedia
Robert Spring was an English
-born forger who forged letters from luminaries like George Washington
, Benjamin Franklin
and Horatio Nelson.
Robert Spring was born in England but there is no information about his life prior to his emigration to USA
. He settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, around 1858 and became an antiquarian and bookseller.
Some time in the 1870's, Spring began to forge letters from historical people like Washington and Franklin. He used his own mixture of special ink but used contemporary paper. First he used sheets of paper he had cut from the fronts or backs of old books.
Spring created numerous forgeries of letters, payment orders and other papers with a forged signature of George Washington. He wrote the first payment orders on printed form of the Office of Discount and Deposit at Baltimore
. He made numerous copies of an autograph
ed pass through American lines, issued with numerous different names - sometimes that of the intended buyer. Other common forgery was a supposed letter to one Jabez Huntington, a sheriff of Windham, Connecticut
that was an order to release a prisoner held in the county jail - with varying dates and names. He probably produced those to order in large quantities.
Sometimes Spring acquired genuine documents, traced them to make a copy, "aged" them with coffee
grounds and sold them as an original. He could send the forged letters to collectors who were interested about old letters or signatures, added a note that the sender needed money and gave a poste restante
address. He would receive $5-25 at the time but his supply of such letters was not easily exhausted.
In 1858 Spring was arrested in Philadelphia for receiving money under false pretenses. He skipped bail
and moved to Canada
. He began to send his forged letters pretending to be an impoverished widow who had to sell her family papers for money. All of them had signatures of important historical personages.
Sometime in the 1860's Spring returned to USA, settled in Baltimore and began to offer his forgeries to British autograph collectors. He posed as a daughter of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson
who would have to sell family papers in hard times. Many of the counterfeit letters were sold in Canada and Britain.
In 1869 Spring was arrested in again in Philadelphia and was put to trial. He confessed and was sent to prison.
Robert Spring died December 14, 1876 in Philadelphia charity hospital.
There are still numerous papers in public repositories and private collections in USA and Europe that might be originally from Spring. Proven Spring forgeries have become collector's items on their own right.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born forger who forged letters from luminaries like George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
and Horatio Nelson.
Robert Spring was born in England but there is no information about his life prior to his emigration to USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, around 1858 and became an antiquarian and bookseller.
Some time in the 1870's, Spring began to forge letters from historical people like Washington and Franklin. He used his own mixture of special ink but used contemporary paper. First he used sheets of paper he had cut from the fronts or backs of old books.
Spring created numerous forgeries of letters, payment orders and other papers with a forged signature of George Washington. He wrote the first payment orders on printed form of the Office of Discount and Deposit at Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. He made numerous copies of an autograph
Autograph
An autograph is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's artistic signature...
ed pass through American lines, issued with numerous different names - sometimes that of the intended buyer. Other common forgery was a supposed letter to one Jabez Huntington, a sheriff of Windham, Connecticut
Windham, Connecticut
Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the city of Willimantic and the villages of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. The city of Willimantic was consolidated with the town in 1983...
that was an order to release a prisoner held in the county jail - with varying dates and names. He probably produced those to order in large quantities.
Sometimes Spring acquired genuine documents, traced them to make a copy, "aged" them with coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
grounds and sold them as an original. He could send the forged letters to collectors who were interested about old letters or signatures, added a note that the sender needed money and gave a poste restante
Poste restante
Poste restante or general delivery is a service where the post office holds mail until the recipient calls for it...
address. He would receive $5-25 at the time but his supply of such letters was not easily exhausted.
In 1858 Spring was arrested in Philadelphia for receiving money under false pretenses. He skipped bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
and moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He began to send his forged letters pretending to be an impoverished widow who had to sell her family papers for money. All of them had signatures of important historical personages.
Sometime in the 1860's Spring returned to USA, settled in Baltimore and began to offer his forgeries to British autograph collectors. He posed as a daughter of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
who would have to sell family papers in hard times. Many of the counterfeit letters were sold in Canada and Britain.
In 1869 Spring was arrested in again in Philadelphia and was put to trial. He confessed and was sent to prison.
Robert Spring died December 14, 1876 in Philadelphia charity hospital.
There are still numerous papers in public repositories and private collections in USA and Europe that might be originally from Spring. Proven Spring forgeries have become collector's items on their own right.