10 B
THE SUNDAY PEE: OMAHA, JULY 9. 1922.
Americans Still
Duped by French
Antique Dealers
More Than 3,000 of Marie
Antoinette! Beds in
United Statei, '
Says Writer. 1
Tarii, July 8. "In America there
are more than 3,000 beds and 10,000
harpiichordi which belonged to
Marie Antoinette," writes Clement
Vautcl in Lt Journal.
"It hat been ftimated." he con
' t'uiuei, "that 30,000 Corot Und
tcapct have prominent placet there
in public or private collection!.
"About 50 timet a year a master
piece of Rembrandt or Murillo, or of
Velasquez i discovered in a garret
and estimated at two or three mil
lions!" Thit condition Vaute! and other
Parisian newspaper satirists who
have recently dwelt heavily on the
theme ascribed to an amount of fake
antique telling in Paris shops and at
Paris auctions that increases in
volume and profit at years, go by.
"Much of the cleverest work of
antique swindlers is "put over" on
American buyers, who, according to
the aatirists, will pay any price for
something "historical," even if the
"history" was acquired by strcyig
arm methods in the workshops of
the swindling dealers.
"From year to year there are auc
tioned off at the Hotel Drouot,"
Vautet continues, "thousands and
thousands of chairs re-covered by
antique tapestry,' and a formidable
quantity of candelcbra and grand
fathers clocks. I
"For a while this commerce in
bric-a-brac went on smoothly. But ',
at last a check
Guarantee is Refused. ,
Drouot, there was sold for ' 5,000
tranca a little table of the 18th cen
tury, when someone demanded of
the auctioneer: "There are tables
said to be of the 18th century that
are not of the 18th century 'at all. Do
you guarantee the antiquity of this
object?'
'The expert guaranteed it without
guaranteeing it. 'What are we com
ing to if we have to guarantee every
thing we sell?' he asked."
The Incident closed with the buy
er taking the table, but threatening
to prove in court that it was modern
and that an attempt had been made
to swindle him.
As a result of this case, in which
some writers see only an amusing
incident, others see the chance for a
' complete investigation of the entire
business of selling antiquities and
curios to the end that auctioneers
and alleged ."experts" must produce
1 written guarantees for their cus
tomers. The buyer of the table, M. Edou
ard Jonas, president of the Syndicat
de la Curiosite et des Reaux," who
was deliberately trying to make a
test rase in order to exnose the deal-
, ers, was interviewed by the Matin.
"I sought occasion to shed light
' on certain conditions," he said,
"which are affecting unfavorably the i
attitude of art lovers and, above all,
of foreign collectors. This is a seri
ous matter, because Paris still is and
must remain the center of the curios
ity business. Too many times have
I noticed the errors of auctioneers,
for example, in the course of a recent
sale, a case in which a sort of lamy
cover of Chinese porcelain, cata
logued at 400 francs, was valued at
21,000 francs by one of these 'mer
chant specialists.'"
"Sojme May Be Experts."
M. Jonas told the Matin the sales
were made without any real guaran-
' tec- ' . ,
"Often the catalogue carries on the
. first page, in tiny letters, a notice
that the sale is without guarantee,'
he said. "As for the so-called ex
perts, some may be experts, all
right, but they are selected without
any rule or regulation as to their
qualifications simply chosen by the
auctioneer."
M. Jonas pointed out that the
French law governing the responsi
bility of auctioneers has not been
changed since low. Accoroing w
this law, itself an antiquity, the in
dividual auctioneer, the association
of auctioneers and the group of ex
perts each get 3 per cent of the sale
'price.
Stories of Americans who have
" paid fabulous prices for Louis XV
,ki mil "o-pnnine" Emoire desks
which have been made to order,
while the antiquity dealer pretended
to "search among his Clientele," are
common in Paris. Among these is
the story of the woman from Sioux
City. . . .
1 nil YVfMUflll UlULTVU wm -- "
antique antiquities from the other
kind. She decided the boudoir set
the dealer showed her dated from
approximately 1920.
"That is modern," she said.
"Madame is very keen," replied
the dealer." "That js, indeed, an imi
tation, as I was about to tell madame.
But then the price is very reason
able. For 2,000 francs more I can
get you the original from which this
was copied."
The following day madame bought
the "original" and ordered it shipped
to Sioux City. That night the dealer
slipped his upholsterer an extra 10
francs.
"Better hack me up another set
to get ready for the next customer,"
he said. "Those dents in the varnish
were best of all I told her Madame
' Du Barry made them with her teeth
in a temper fit"
Cache of Money Found
on Drowned Man's Body
South Acton, July 8. While
making a second examination of a
body of an unidentified man found
dead on the Boston & Maine tracks,
at the West street crossing recently,
Medical Examiner H. H. Braley of
Concord noticed a awelling just
. "above the ankle on the left leg.
After considerable investigation the
."awelling- proved to be flesh-colored
- the rubber was $275 in new bills. The
oche waa out together so cunningly
' ! that one would think it just a puffing
oi uc ajcin, sua iuc ujuiub yw
- ' waterproof, so that even while bath
in the owner would have his money
with him at all times unobserved by
i ttbera, J ;
WottaLife! WottaLife!
Sit K
r FA do irif J A t vs.
! UAM
Ex-Crook Tells How King
"Helped" Him to Rob Man
"No Matter How Much Thief Makes, He Keeps Little
of it," Says Reformed Pickpocket Who
Spent Eight and One-Half Years
Behind Prison Walls.
Punxsutawney, Pa., July 8. "No
matter how much a crook makes
he retains very little of the loot or
cash because there's the crooked law
yer who bleeds you white, the fake
bondsman, the go-between, the under
world politicians and a score of lesser
try
Thus spoke Robert W. (Razor
Fenton, who has served eight and a
half years behind prison walls. He
has reformed and now is telling the
world that there's nothing in the
crook game in the end.
Between "jobs" Fenton used to loaf
in this town in a quiet way when the
police of .New York, Chicago, Pitts
burgh and a lot of other cities were
hot on his trail.
"Razor" Fenton's specialty was
picking pockets, though he often en
gaged in other alleged nefarious ac
tivities. $20,000 Haul
He estimated that during his
"crook" career he had cleaned up
more than $300,000. His biggest
single job netted him $20,000 and his
second-best job $10,000. ,The present
king of England helped him, un
consciously, to make the $10,000
touch, he asserts.
There are various grades of an-
strocracy among the crooks," said
Fenton. "We, who figured we were
the big fellows in the game, traveled
south with the Vacationists and re
turned with them in the spring. In
the summer we worked the biggest
seashore resorts. We always followed
the money around, no matter where
it went, and, believe me, we made
those who could afford it pay for
our vacations.
"I see where the Chicago police
say that only 27 pockets were picked
in that city during the lirst week
of this month. I used to pick that
many every day in Chicago when I
was doing business there.
I used to go to Hot Springs, Ark.,
for a month every year, and I had no
trouble in picking enough pockets to
keep myself at a swell hotel.
How King Helped.
"The present king of England un
knowingly aided me in robbing a
man of $10,000," said Fenton. "When
he was a duke, in 1901, he visited
Canada. The papers were full of
stories about the great reception
planned for him. I went to Quebec
to get a line on things, When we
reached Montreal we decided to visit
one of the banks with the idea of
selecting a victim. It didn't take us
long to pick a man who we knew had
a considerable sum 6f money on him.
We took up the trail. A reception for
the duke was scheduled that day.
While he went past in his carriage
this man somehow got an opportuni
ty to speak to him, and while they
were conversing I robbed him of $10,-
UUU. it was so easy it was a shame
to do it. But in spite of the size of
the haul it profited me nothing in
the end.
Crooked Lawyer.
"'But,' you say, 'what did you do
with all the money?"
"I'll tell you. To begin with, I had
the leeches to feed. The first was the
crooked lawyer. He doesn't ask you
how, or when, or where you got the
money. All he wants to know is that
you have it, and then he tries to get
as much out of you as he can.
"Then I had to square myself with
the 'fixer' the man who has a pull
with the police and the courts.
"There was the bondsman to pay
the fellow who puts up a piece of
worthless property he wants to get
rid of and which he offers the court
as security for a prisoner's appear
ance when the trial comes up. The
professional bondsman is a generous
tellow to himself. He will let you
escape with your shirt, providing it's
well worn and of no further use.
Must "Feed" Underworld.
"Then there was the great under
world to help support the saloon
keepers, the ginmills, the cabarets,
and the like, because that is the game
of the underworld, and if you are a
member of it you play the game that
way. AH this kept me broke. Those
people got the money I stole. I
didn't get one worth-while thing out
ot it.
What was worse, I paid twice
over for that 'deal. My brother, false
ly identified as myself, was sent to
prison for a term and 18 months later
I was brought back and did time on
the same count.
"The man who steals is robbed of
the best things he has. If you count
only the money, a man who has been
in a legitimate business for 20 years
would have something to show for it
if he had made the money in the
length of time I did. After being in
the game for 20 years I didn't have
a thing to show for it. I started out
in the world with a good character,
with friends, with every chance to
make good. I .finished the game
broke and broke in the worst possible
manner.
"Instead of a good character I had
a set of tricks to beat bad characters.
had companions who played me
square enough, but no friends. I had
people to help me for so much graft.
I had no faith only bitterness and a
knowledge' that I was clever in a
game where the cards were stacked
against me.
One day I was released from the
Bridewell in Chicago, penniless, after
having been in the game 20 years.
"Does stealing pay?
"It is the best game that I know
of to keep out of."
Dispute Over Who Is Boss
at Home Is Aired in Court
Elyria, O., July 8. Dispute as to
who was boss of their home was
aired in police court when the wife
of John Halos had him arrested on a
charge of disorderly conduct.
When Halos was informed by
Mayor Jones that he was only half
boss, Halos remarked: "That's
the trouble with this country. The
women want to run everything."
Halos was fined the costs.
When in Omaha Stop at
Hotel Rome
China Drawing
Nearer to Civil
War Than Unity
Foreigner, Seeing Things Go
From Bad to Worse, Pre
oare to Leave
s
j- Country.
Br CHARLES DAILEY.
Ttingtao, Shantung, July 8. It
hat been jutt one surprise after an
other to the Chinese, thit taking
over of the Shantung railway and
the recovery of Tsingtao svid the
Kiaochou Icated territory. And the
end is not yet. Every day some
new point comes up. A few Japa
nese trooos have aone home -mere
"face pigdin" but many more still
remain, while the gendarmerie, more
autocratic in a way than the actual
Japanese soldier, sit on the job all
the way up to Ttinan, at the other
end of the line, and they appear to
be determined to stay, for the pro-
. . .. . . - .i
lection oi Japanese micron, al
ready become almost as great in
Shantung as in Manchuria more
to if one excludes the railways.
No doubt China is setting as
much as it deserves, for less than
half the provinces are remitting to
fekin. corruption stalks on all
hands, Pekin wallows in the official
mire of its own incompetence, con
tinually levying new forms of taxes
and as continually causing further
revolts among the long-suffering.
easy-going people. Meantime China
draws nearer to civil war than to
reunification. Meantime, also, for
eigners display more uneasiness and
seeing things going from bad to
worse prepare to send their families
to the seaports and to go themselves
the moment white troops are with
drawn or extra-territoriality abolished.
Dr. Charles T. Wang, head of the
Shantung reorganization commis
sion, flits between Pekin and Tsing
tao and secretly wishes he had
passed up the whole job and had
remained with his business interests
in Shanghai. Other members of I
the commission are in a like state of
mind. They are eager' to redeem
Shantung for the Chinese ptople,
but they find it a thankless and
quite possibly a never-ending task.
The $31,000,000 (Mex.) which the
Chinese so eagerly pledged at
Washington provide for the re
demption of the railway is just like
me minion Americans whom Wil
liam Jennings Bryan once said
would spring to arms overnight. A
dratt is certain to come. And this
with rekm full of overdrafts.
Radio Supplies
Complete Line of Parti
and Set
Mail orderg promptly
filled. Get f our price
list.
The Radio Shop
1806 Dodge St.
JA 1434
American State Bank
OMAHA, NEB.
Report of condition at close of business
June 80, 1922.
RESOURCES
Loans, and Dis
counts $ 909,477.38
Bond, Securities and
Liberty Bonds .. 81,046.70
Real Estate 70,436.42
Furniture and Fix
tures 20,000.00
CASH and due from
Banks 231,802.25
$1,312,762.75
LIABILITIES
Capital Stock .....$ 200,000.00
Surplus and Undi-
Tided Profits .... 11,436.17
DepositorsMJuaranty
Fund 8,587.28
Bills Payable or Re
discounts Nob
DEPOSITS 1,092,739.30
$1,312,762.76
We invite your account and have the facilities you would specify for
handling your banking business.
fffryy 4 interest, compounded quarterly, paid on Savings, r'aE3
Interest paid on Time Certificates.
D. W. Geiselman, President D. C. Geiselman, Cashier
C. V. Nelson, Vice-President H. M. Krogh, Asst Cashier
All Deposit in this Bank are protected by the Depositees' Guaranty
Fund of the State of Nebraska,
jt.l ...
baho
For Your
Summer Home
Homes in' the Country
Camps by the Lake
Country Hiking
All, today, may be in touch
with the world drawing
from the air, musical pro
grams, market reports, base
ball scores and the latest
news items 1
And the cost is so little 1 If
your camp or summer home
is within 25 miles of Omaha
or any other Broadcasting
6enter, you can listen in with
A Crystal S&t
at $18.00 to $25.00
For greater distances (up
to 100 miles) the ideal in
strument is a vacuum tube
receiver, requiring but one
cell of a regular dry battery
for lighting the tube f ilrf
ment, and the usual "B"
dry batteries to furnish plate
voltage. The leader in this
class is the
Westinghouse,
Clapp-Eastham
or Grebe
This is the instrument you
should have in your summer
home. A Magnavox Loud
Speaker may be purchased
for 45.00.
Radio Apparatus
We also carry a complete
stqck of Radio apparatus for
long range reception, where
amplifiers (to increase loud
ness) are required. This in
cludes Loud Speakers en
abling you to render con
certs, lectures and dance
music.
Instruction books and dia
grams and all parts for the
man who wants to build his
own.
The advice of our Radio
Dept. is at your service."
RADIO
Apparatus Co.
S. E. Cor. 17tk aad Howard
AT 2424 Omaka, Nek.
One of the Crowning Events of July Clearance Sales
Extra
Salespeople
Eitra lUsplay
spare
The hrlerUoBS
Are Tremendous
8 irk Prices
a Naete
qsalltles
Hate Met
.Bees ,8ea
la Years.
Hayden's "Famous for Silks" Brought Forth With
All the Force and Power of a Tremendous Cash Purchase
A Silk ale IncomnipairaiMe! hl''nc,c
Starting f Monday Morning
SILKS Half-Price m SILKS
Worth up
to $5.50 Yd.
t of the '
S
0
25,000 Yards of Silks-the Greatest Single Shipment
Ever Brought to Omaha
MORE KINDS
THE KINDS
Satin Canton Crepes, Plain
Canton Crepes, Spiral Spun
Crepes, Printed Canton
Crepes, Maltasse Crepes, Can
ton Faille, Meteor Crepes,
Crepe de Chine.
$2.45 T
Your Unrestricted
CHOICE
of the Entire Lot
Crepe Back Charmeuse, Nov-,
elty Crepes, .Wool Filled!
Crepes, Satin Finish for
Capes and Wraps, Kadiums,
Black Silks, White Silks, etc.,
40 inches wide and every de
sirable colorings represented.
Extra Special
$1.19 Yd.
1,000 yards of the
popular white
sport skirting
silks.
Extra Special A 8iilt ratine ,n
the popular sport
95c Yd. "
Extra Special
A-f qj- tt 1 la black, white
IJ)1, VO I Qs and colors.
T
Imported and Domestic Fabrics in Big Varities of Colorings, Weaves and Qualities Note Savings
St. Gall Swiss
Embroidered Dots
$1.50 Values
98c Yard
St Gall Swiss Embroidered
dots, the real Imported, highest
grade fabric, now in the 'clear
ance sale; sport shades, also
medium and dark grounds; was
$1.50; now, per yard 98J
St. Gall
Organdies
$1.25 Values
75c Yard
St. Call Organdies The perma
nent finish, Swiss make; 45
inches wide; extra sheer and
fully transparent; all colors.
This $1.25 quality now In the
clearance sale at, yard 75
Zephyr .
Tissue Ginghams
$1.00 Qualities
69c Yard
Imported Zephyr Tissue Glntr
ham Woven color checks, silk
woven through in such a man
ner as to make this fabric very
lustrous and different from all
other makes. . This $1.00 quality
in the clearance sale, yard. 69
32-Inch
Scotch Ginghams
69c Qualities
50c Yard
Imported Scotch Gingham 32
inches wide, checks and smalf
plaids; one of the finest makes; ,
reliable colors; sold regularly at
69c; now, in the clearance sale,
per yard 50
Very Special Sale of
Women's Silk Hose
Full, Fashioned, $2.50 Values
$1.39
These silk hose are regular
made, some in silk, and silk
with lisle garter tops, rein
forced soles and high spliced
heels, every wanted shade. There
are a few substandards in this
lot, but very remarkable values
well worth double the selling
price. Monday 1.39
Main Floor
$300 Mahogany Dining Room Suite
$185.00
S-piece mahogany Queen
Anne dining room suite,
buffet, 66-inch table, ex
tends to 6 feet, 54 inches
wide; 5 chairs and 1 host
chair, upholstered in gen
uine leather, for... $185
$18.00 ivory chairs and
rockers in fiber,' loose
cushions, upholstered in
high-grade cretonne, spe
cial at $11.95
$18.00 fiber library table,
36-inch diameter, special
at ..$11.95
$75.00 breakfast suite,
consisting of server, drop
leaf table and 4 chairs in
ivory and black enamel,
special at $50.00
$50.00 5-piece breakfast
suite, at $30.00
-r- -
SALE OF DINNEPWARE
All Dlnncrwure tulil In Open
Stock
lOO-Plecc $35.00 Sett, S2B.OO
Ransom shape Haviland, spray
design, semi-porcelain dinner
set; service for 12 persons.
$8.00 32-Pieee
32-piece gold band breakfaat
sets, service (or six persons, spe
cial at 89.00
$12.50 Service for
Green and rose border dinner
sets. Service for six persona.
at 9.50
w.uu luu-rieee
100-ptece sets, wide pink rose
border, new square shaD. service
for 12 persons at S32.50
Water Seta. $1.50
7-piece flint blown daisy cut
water acts, regulajly sold at
$2.98.
4, 5 and 6 -cup earthenware tea
pots. Values to $2.00, at ..59)
Koerth Floor
July Clearance Sales of Rugs for Monday
Deltox
Native Grass
RUGS
: Nationally
Advertised
9x12, $18.50 values,
'special at $14.95
8x10, $16.00 values,
special at $11.50
16x9, $12.50 values,
special at . .$8.00
46x76, $10.00 values,
special at ..$6.50
27x54, $3.50 values,
.special at ..$2.00
Velvets and
Axminster
RUGS
Velvet Ras;e
Extra heavy long wearing
velvet rugs, mostly Smith's
Colonial quality. A wide
range of patterns in blue,
brown and rose.
9x12. $50 value ..39.50
8-3x10-6 $45 value 836.50
Axmlaster Rags
Medium weight Axminster,
splendid values, in a wide
range of new patterns In
popular colors.
9x12, $37.50 values, special '
at 827.50
8-3x10-6. $33.00 values, spe
cial at 825.00
Room Size Rugs
Wilton Rugs
Let our experts make an estimate on your next
shade order.
Size 9x12
Beautiful extra fine heavy
worsted rugs, a good selec
tion of attractive oriental all
over plain and Chinese de
signs in rose, blue and taupe,
fringed. Some are seamless,
Values to $85,
at
$65.00
'Axminster
Rugs
Size 9x12
Heavy high pile seamless
minsters, principally the well
known Smith-Yonkers quality.
wide range of patterns in the rich
shades of brown, mulberry and
blue; $60.00 values; special at... $45.50
Third
Floor
Bugs and
Draperies
r
4i