modifying family history
It's all in the way you present it:
Hillary, an amateur genealogical researcher, discovered
that her great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, a fellow lacking in character,
was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889.
The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on
the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription:
"Remus Rodham; horse thief, sent to Montana
Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times.
Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889."
In Hillary's Family History, her staff of professional
image consultants, cropped Remus's picture, scanned it in as an enlarged
image, and edited with image processing software so that all that's seen
is a head shot. The accompanying biographical sketch is as follows:
"Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana
Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable
equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad.
Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a
government facility, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the
railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the
renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an
important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he
was standing collapsed."
