Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-09-29
AN ODD STORY.
We clip the following from an exchan

We clip the following from an exchange
paper
Years ago, at time when Europe was
cOnvulsed with revolutions, several boxes
OF mean appearance arrived at the Phila-
delphla custom house stores. There be-
ing nothing by which their ownership
could be ascertained. they were stored
away to await the appearance of claim
ant. Having remained there unclaimed
ever since, they were short time AGO
taken out, with an accumulated pile of
other unclaimed things, to be examined.
The boxes in question seemed to be bro
ken toys. Among these were the heads
arms, bodies and legs of the figures of
persons, cattle, etc, the whole being
mixed up in indescribable confusion.-
Deeming them worthless, orders were
given to have them hauled away as rub
blsh, with large quantity of other mat
ter OF no value. One of the custom officers
looking over the mass, picked out what
appeared to be very pretty figure of an
infant, and took it home with him. At
his residence Catholic servant recog-
nlzed it as an exquisite'effigy of the infant
Jesus, and admired it greatly.
Upon this the custom house officer.
struck with an idea that the whole pile
of rubbish taken from these boxes might
be connected with this figure, hastened
back to the custom house stores, and had
the boxes conveyed to his house. There,
after much examination, labor and trou-
ble, he aScertained that the supposed
r"bIiol, was CoupUsed of tlrv ragIiur, Co. y
parts of one of the most magnificent
groups from sacred history that ever
adorned Christian temple. The heads,
limbs, bodies, &c, all jointed accurately
together, and when so fitted and the
whole group arranged. the figures were
found to be of most mastery execution
and design. Over him was suspended,
by a chain, the star which directed the
sages to the spot, and about the scene
clustered angels, while the oxen, and
other inhabitants of the manger, also ap-
pcared, in company with Joseph and
Mary.
The figures number over a hundred,
the height of the largest man being about
fourteen inches. Though the skill dis
played in the workmanship is very supe-
rior, the most observable point about the
group is the costliness of the whole. The
gifts of the wise men are massive bars of
gold, and the crowns they wear are stud
ded with amethyst, pearls and other gems,
while the dressing of the figures is of the
| most expensive materials. The substance
of which the figures are made looks like
alabaster, but is more probably wax elab-
orately painted. The pupils of the eyes
in all the figures, though at first thought
to bemerely glass beads, are genuine gems
of various kinds. The posture and eX-
preston of the Angel of Annunciaton are
admirable, as also the Angel of Adora-
ton.
The gentleman who discovered this
prize had the whole group set up in per-
| feet order, and position, for which pur-
| pose he had large form made in one of
the rooms of his house. The size of the
group may be imagined from the fact that
it occupies nearly the whole of moderate
sized sitting room.
Where this singular piece of handiwork
| came from seems to be pretty we'll ascer-
tained. 1t is known that the owner of
| the boxes died at sea, ON board vessel
coming hither from Europe, and having
| no friends on board, his effects were not
properly cared for. Some catholic priests,
who have seen the group since its redis-
covery, states that it came from Hunga-
! ry, where one of them processes to have
seen it in church.