Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-04-29

Spirited BiddinY for COmgressmen's
DesksLRelic Hunters ON Hand
Ninety six Dollars for the
SReakePsS Chair.

Spirited Kidding for COngressmen's
DeskS-Relfc Hunters ON Hand
Ninety six Dollars for the
Speakers Chair.
At ten O'Clock this morning, the old desks and
chairs, which have been used in the hall o. the
House Of Representatives for the past twelve or
fifteen years, were sold at public auction by
Messrs Latimer & Cleary, in The hall of the
House. They also sold the carpet, which has
covered the floor for the past two years, and
large lot of sofas, chairs, washst ands, and vari
GUS other articles of furniture. There was a
very large crowd in attendance, probably the
largest ever seen at public auction in this city.
including many Mrs. Toodles, relic hunters,
with their
LUNCHES OF BREAD AND CHEESE,
second hand furniture dealers on The alert TO-
a bargain, ex-mem5ers of Congress anxious 10
secure the desks or chairs once occupied by
them, memberS-elect after souvenirs, curious
persons who just wanted to see how the thing
went, and newspaper reporters who ciucklcd
over the verdancy of the relic-hrnters as they
were gulled by mischievous ways. who pointed
out pm, 70 Th dns S s1S hgeIs ire ae KS OF Ben
other notables, desks which had never been
occupied except by unknown Smiths and
Browns. The single desks were all arranged
on the front row, and
THE SALE WAS COMMENCED
by Frank Cleary, with desk No. l0i, occupied
at the last session by Hon. A. L. Cotton, and
formerly by Hon. Geo. s. Boutwell,, at the 81
sc: sion of the 10th Congress. This desk was
sta rted at So, and was soon run up to Sill, for
which it was purchased by MIR. l.. Monkey, the
cOstumer. Next came desk ~, occupied at the
last session by James A. Garfield. Ii was started
at S11, and sold to Mr.. r. DroOp for Sl3. No.
"a, recently occupied by Mr.. Rainey, the col
ored member from South Carolina, was pur
chased by Mr.. Backman for sl1. That OF Hon.
VIM. T.. Lansing, of New York, was purcha sed
by Capt. Blackford for $3.50 No. 122, occu-
pied at the last Congress by the Hon. John a.
Smith, bnt at the Sd session of the 10th Con
gress by Gen. Banks, was purchased by Major
Ben PeIley POore for SIG. Assistant Door
nnhf IN, nra1
occupied at the last session by j. S. Bigby, w.
II. Jones, and w. HI. Clagett, for Sl3 each. No
| As, occupied recently by VIM. G. DOMAIN, and
bought by MIR. Il. III. Mcpherson for S19. Geo
Bauer secured No. 20, occupied by George F.
| Harris at the last session, and by Burton c.
Cook, whe was chairman of the District com
mittee in the 10th Congress, for sic. Mr.. Boyd
bought No. so, recently occupied by Jeremiah
NJ. Rusk, for Sl2. The same gentleman gave
SI7 so for No. ~ occupied at the last session by
| f. d. Peck. Desk No. 1, on the west side, DC
cupied last winter by Mr.. Croker, OF Mass.
was bought by Major b. Perley Poore for Sls
No. 35, that OF Mr.. W. X. Roberts, Of y. V, was
bought by Mr.. c. b. Jewell for sst9. Mr.. C. H.
Parsons bought the desk OF Mr. Lynch, of Me-,
tor $50. John A. Baker bought the desk
VIM. NJ. Merrick for SIS. That of Philadelph
Van Trump was bought by James Wo- mley for
$3.50.
RESERVED PROM SALE
There was but twenty-One single desks sold
Icing all OF that class on hand as quite a large
number of members wrote to the clerk. request
ing that the desks recently occupied by them
be retained for their private use at moderate
price. AT least one-half OF the desks were thus
retained, and among these were those occupied
at the last session by General Butler, Mr..
Dawes, Judge Kelley, and Others. Desk No.
i6, that occupied by Hon. Thaddeus Stevens.
when he was in Congress and lately occupied
by Charles Il. Thomas, was also reserved. No.
%, occupied last winter by o. j. Dickey, with
that of MIR. Washington Townsend, a double
one, was sold for S1i.50, to Major Comygere.
CAKES AMEs' DESK.
The double desks brought from 80 to SD; that
Of Cakes Ames, with that of Stevenson Archer.
attached double desk, sold to Mr.. Ford for -
The same gentleman secured 81 and So, occu-
pied by Messrs. Carroll and Barnum at the last
session, for 50. Mr.. L. ii. Painter bought three
double desks for 81. No. us, that occupied bv
Mr. Elliott, the colored member from South
Carolina, and ll6, occupied by Mr.. Eoles,
brought S9f0r the pair. The double desk Occu-
pied by Walls and Turner, both colOred, was
purchased by Mr.. Fisher for $1,000 No. 50, oe-
cuped by Mr.. Blaine before he was elected
Speaker, and the adjoining one, No. 80, brought
SD. Nos. 81 ard E3, occupied by Messrs. Co
burn and FarnswOrth at thu last session
brought 5000, and were purchased by Ser
geant-at-Arms Ordway.
NUDGE BINGHAM's DESK,
with the one adioi ming, was bought by Mr.
Chenowith for S9."j. Mr.. Voorhees, desk, with
that of Mr.. JAS. C. Robinson attached, sold foT
1915. Librarian SpOiiord secured one double
desk for S1l.5O. The other desks all beiag
double, and having no particular history at
tached to them, brought prices ranging from
THE OLD SPEAKERS CHAIR,
upholstered in crimson velvet, brought 500. II
was purchased by James Wormley. This chair
was made in 1923 by Robert X. BOYD, and has
been occupied by the following Speakers
Henry Clay, John w. Taylor, Andrew Steven
son, Henry Hubbard, John Bell, James X
Polk, X. NJ. L. Hunter, John White, John w.
Jones, George w. Hopkins, John W. Davis, r.
Z. Winthrop, Howell Cobb and Linn BOYD
This chair has not been in use for the past six
or eight years, but was purchased at a sale a.
the Capitol a few years ago for S3S. The owner
having no use for ii, and IL having been pre-
served in the same order as when it was used,
it was put up again this morning, and brought
the amount named. The heavy chairs used by
members before the light cane-sclt ones were
introduced brought prices ranging from SIS to
81 though many of them we're in very bad
order.
The sale i'm the hall being over the crowd was
invited to the corridors below, where over .O0'
yards Of carpet, old sofas, bookcases, wash
stands, and other old furniture was displayed.
filling nearly every hall. Mr.. Cleary then re-
mer. The bidding here was kept up as lively
as ever, and things sold at very good prices.
The carpet which covered the hall was sold i'm
pieces, having been cut when il was torn up.
The new desks for the House are TO be of oak
of similar pattern TO the old ones, but nothing
like so heavy or deliberately carved. They will
be twenty-four inches long and an inch and
halt deeper than the old ones.
REMARKABLE DISCOVERY OF A MURDEREG
In reference to the assassination at Viterbo of
an agent of the Peoples bank at Florence, the
Roman Times reports that the murder has been
discovered in the following manner: In max
Rugin, the doctor observed "a at one hand WA
firmly closed. He omen ID IL. not without diff;-