Joe, I was just reading a Berkove article, in which I believe he made the statement that Sam learned hoaxes from hoaxers in the West and then bettered them; that hoaxes of one form or another were beneath every one of his sketches and books afterward. If I paraphrase him incorrectly, I will defer to an actual quote if and when I can find that article again. It seems to have slipped into the black hole that is my den. David H Fears "'Umble, neither Rogue nor Loon"