PanHandler.....it shouldn't surprise anyone today that there were con artists back in the 19th century. I remembered picking up a book written by George Custer, 1888 edition personally signed by Custer himself....except he got himself killed at Little Big Horn in 1876! The seller wanted $5,000 and got upset when I told him it was a fake. (That reduced to price to $500 range or less...) Selling fake autographs is old con scheme that goes on to this day. I should know since I collect autographs myself but I usually go to the source and get them to signed or relied on a dependable source I trust. But back in 19th century, most people really don't knows what a real autograph of a real person looks like. Abraham Lincoln was a very popular sale back in those days. Forgers came out with  thousands of them. It was like old Abe was writing to everyone in the nation during the Civil War!!!