359

This [illegible] spring tradition is, in my judgment, a myth, pure and simple. I have made exhaustive efforts to verfiy it. Leland says nothing about it in his autobiog-raphy, though he made all he [could out?] of his so-called help [illegible] Madison alleging things that seem incredible. He was a fraud, in my opinion.
W.W.S.

From the TAYLOR DIARY, #1907-Z in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina Library, Chapel Hill. FOR REFERENCE ONLY: PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED. WARNING: MOST MANUSCRIPTS ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT.