The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-11-13
Il Ronac-NIace Antlalsa cs.S &.
Il nav nEr,rcsEoFEa WAS Loaned AND THE
i ~ rypr, pgrng THAT FOLLOWER.

sfrom The Virginia cry iNey) chroniclc.1
Il ghe se narai stagnaki0n OF business fes
ScatIy prevailing in Justice Moses's Court
srss considerable relieved Yesterday go tne
rial 81 one William N. Hendricks, charged
viii, obtaining nfoney under fa'sc pre-
snnces The prosecuting witness was
Npnrr wilkins. young man from Ioio
Hi,i Who apneared boiiigg with rage ana
irnnattent 20 pour iato the ear on the jus,
lice the story OF his wrongs. de stated
shat no rossessed taste Tor tue antiqu e
and rara In art, and was especially detightea
with choice souvenirs Of distinguished PEG
n,e. As he expressed 1t, :. .; a tender Hover
from the tomb OF some inspired poet, ols
,os wood from some great cathedral or Z
delicate twie from sane famous historic
snnt Is TO me q source OF exquisite deligst. !,
He then told how the defendant had soia
him cabinet OF rare cslrioslties Tor Sioo'
representing at the time that theF Ieie
collection from the Old World, when 10 re,
ality everything in the lot bad been iouna
or picked up in Storey county. ne cohs.a,
cred his feelings, tastes, and general rove
for the associations OF the past outraged ps
the cruel conduct OF the accused.
MIr. Hendricks then took the stand. ne
admitted all that had been charged against
him. He had found Wilkins a man WIN
an abnormal love for curlosities, man
continually hunting for old autographs,
rare postage-stamps, faded flowers, anu qI I
pieces OF tree-bark from famous places. lie
had accordingly manufactured a lot Oh 1hese
relics. ~ ,r,
produced by Mr.. Drake, the prosecuting
attorney. , :, aid
fofn IN
ironl: what Is this?
NJ the cannon ball that wounded Napoleon
at Waterloo.
Mr.. Drake: Where did you get it?
witness: at the Fulton foundry, on the
Divide. Laughter in court.
Mr.. Drake: Here is another relic, labellcu
ssSt. Paurs Cathedral before the great hre."
Where did you get that?
Witness From my wood-pile. stalnetl
it with iodine to give it age. lMore merri'
ment.]
MIR. Drake: And this?
Witness: Twig from the grave OF Victor
Hugo.
Mr.. Drake: But Hugo isn't dead.
Witness (much astonished): Is that so
I thought he kicked the bucket last year
loud iaughter.]
Mr.. Drake: Here is brick.
Witness: From the house OF Oliver
Cromwell; got it on & street. That bunch
of grass you have there didn't really grow
on the grave Of Mary Queen OF Scots, but
I made wilkins think so, and got four dol
lars for it. I gathered it down by the 90:
nauza reservoir. All these other traps !
picked I'D around the town and labelled
'em properly, as your Honor can see.
Those autographs Of Washington, Carl
baldi. Lincoln, Wilkes Booth, Lafayette,
Talleyrand, Voltaire, and Marcus d. 80
ruck, I wrote myself, and then laid 'em
away in damp place to give 'em age.
Mr.. Drake: Did you ever fool anybody
else OIL these relics?
Witness: sold an oil-painting to Hank
Smith for S250-a sketch by Hogarth, told
him. AS matter of fact, it was only an
old yinegar-bitters picture, so smlrchcd up
Won couldn't see it. He paid me 800 down,
and never went after the rest. [IremeD.
deus merriment, suppressed by Constable
Norton.1 :,
The Court: Amt you the chap that sold
me an original etching by Rembrandt last
summer?
Witness (coolly): Yes, your Honor, and
also the pen that John Randolph signed the
Declaration OF Independence with.
Here a howl Of laughter went up, and
even the stolid features OF Constable Nor
ton relaxed.
The Court said that it had heard testimo-
nv enough, and reserved its decision. JUS
tice Moses is now hunting for some law
which can be so construed as TO consign the
defendant to State prison for life.