(December 7, 2007)--A letter purported to be the last one written by Alamo defender Davy Crockett is being returned to its seller by the Texas Historical Commission.
Their experts could not authenticate agency the letter, officials announced Friday.
State officials decided not to exercise their option to purchase the letter.
Texas had 120 days from acquisition of the letter to authenticate or return it to Ray Simpson of Simpson Galleries in Houston, who'd offered it to the state.
The historical commission in September announced it had the opportunity to buy the item for $490,000.
Simpson said he discovered it in an office at Simpson Galleries, one of Houston's oldest fine arts auctioneers.
It was presented as Crockett's last letter, written Jan. 9, 1836 to his children, before Mexican forces killed him and about 200 other Alamo defenders.
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