comment, leaving the reader to assume it was a genuine court report. The Derby Mercury stated they had the report "from the General and St James's Evening Posts &c, April 16th 1747". Initially the piece was published anonymously, but in 1905 it was included in The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, although the editor had yet to prove Franklin's authorship. Max Hall, in Benjamin Franklin and Polly Baker: The History of a Literary Deception (1960) proved conclusively that Franklin wrote the piece, a conclusion accepted by scholars. References 1747 short stories American short stories Literary forgeries Works by Benjamin Franklin