Arrest
Even with the considerations Cosey made to give his forgeries the look of authentic documents, he eventually made mistakes. One such mistake involved his use of the style that the historical figure would have used in their prime, when the date of the document would have called for the writer's hands to tremble with old age. Later forgeries were also easier to spot; Cosey began to use modern chemicals to age modern paper.
Cosey was arrested in 1937 after selling a fake letter (supposedly from Abraham Lincoln) to a stamp dealer. The stamp dealer analyzed the letter and discovered the forgery. After the arrest, Cosey confessed his crimes and was eventually sentenced to three years in prison. He was released in less than a year, and continued to make forgeries until his death.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Cosey
Famous quotes containing the word arrest:
“One does not arrest Voltaire.”
—Charles De Gaulle (1890–1970)
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Why plowing, building, ruling and the rest,
Or most of those arts, whence our lives are blest,
By cursed Cain’s race invented be,
And blest Seth vexed us with Astronomie.”
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