Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-03-10
An AUTOGRAPH HUNTER
TELLS HOWfShE OBTAINED THE SIG
NATURES OF CELEBRATES.
The lev Indifference Of Bismarck and
Teunyson-A Bundle OF Old Letters
-HeaconsfeId an Cn-Get-
Af-Able Individual.

Af-Able Individual.
When in England served an apprentice
ship to the art Of autograph-hunting, which
snded in NV becoming a proficient. Yet l
blpsi, at times TO think Of the ways that are
lark and tricks that are vain resorted to by
an otherwise unsophisticated danisel as
means 10 an end suppose L have always
been hero-worshiper, for when giri not
vet in my teens consumed my little allow
,nce of pin-money in buying portraits OF
distinguished men and women, with winch
o adorn my album Autograph letters OF
celebrities are now harder to obtain than
thew were a few years ago. II has become
|. mania with so many that men OF ight
snd learning are deluged with applications
for their autographs. and hunter must IN
deed he ingenious and interchangeable who can
slicit a reply from those Whose calisraphy =
worth the having.
TWO HARD NUTS To CRACK.
At first | hunted exclusively for auto
praphs. but it occurred to me that auto
r--onhs alone were OF little interest or value
unless affixed to a letter, and | Will tell You
how enhanced the value of my collection-
The two hardest nuts to crack, or, IN other
words, the two celebrities who are lciiy IN
different to the opportunities OF autograph
monyers. are Bismarck and Tennyson- Even
SCRAPS of their handwriting are valued at GU
soie,e by bric-a- brac dealers III London In
Vulnerable letters sent direct 70 the great
chancellor brought never a line In response,
and grew sad A bright idea struck me.
WHY not write To his wife, who Is requiem 10
he benevolence personifiedi l suited the
action to the word, and by return OF mail
came an imposing epistlo with the Berlin
uuy,tiuark upon it, which set my heart beat
inc at fearful rate and destroyed my APP
petite for whole day 1t contained cab
met photograph of Bismarck, with his bold
clear signature at the foot and kind note
from the princess, saying that she was happy
tn comply with my request U! how
~,oa.ed over that portrait. 1t was speak
ing likeness of the man who rules Europe,
and looked all the more striking from the
fact that il represented him in the full glory
and blaze of his military uniform, win
helmet shading the upper part Oh MS iace,
and leaving the lower part with iss iroh-ci"u
jaw clearly depicted.
. Tennyson's autograph was my next desn-
eratum IL came to me unexlecoediy' ou'
not until had wasted much ink and paper
in appealing to the laureate himself. wrote
to the late duke Of Wellington-a little man
with big heart, who wore cotton gloves
and invariably rode on the top OF an oinni-
bus-asking for few words or lines IN tho
handwriting Of the hero Of Waterloo he
sent me check, yellow and musty, which
had been filed in by the iron duke, and, TO
INV unuttarab!e Joy. he incloSed batch OF
letters. boping. as he playfully put 1t, THAI
they would be worth place in my album
The hatch of letters consisted OF one from
Teunyson, another from from Queen VIC
toria and one in the legible, though some
what boyish, handwriting OF Albert Ed
ward prince of Wales. There others from
smaller fry, but trio did indeed form place
In nav album. and, as l am Conservative,
they occupy a very prominent position
BEAcoSsFIELD AND Won MoLTKE
Lord Beaconsfield was another un-get-af-
able individual His secretary would re-
spond to your first application, saying that
his lorlship never gave his autograph 10
to ANYBODY. II was useless to impress upon
Beaconsfield that his was the only autograph
neoessary to make your collection OF modern
celebrities complete You might wait long
and anxiously for a rejoinder, but You
wouldn't get IL Then. perhaps, you would
write. expressing regret for having tres
passs, 50 rnnch on his valuable time and, II
Won were rash, you would spend y or 20
cents on an elegan: photograph, and urge
him lust to affix his signature thereto and
return it, He would do neither, and any
further portraits you might send him wouia
be gone from your gaze forever.
u, -.sr-rn mall Nj
brother came across an impecunious man
who had in his leyday sfen. some months Of
his existence in writing Mandatory poem
on the ROYAL family. and who VEN
turei to submit tie proof sheets
to Beaconsfield Il feiished the proofs
this evening, and have read them
with tran=cendent interest wrote Beacons-
field in reply. small sum PURCHASED this
letter for me. and was made the happy
possessor of Beaconsfield's autograph.
Won Noltke is dear old man. He viii
send his autograph to anybody, but he has
this peculiarity. that he always returns your
own communication with his signature
crampei into a corner.
Charles Darwin would rarely reSlsond to
IN application for his autograph, bu: when
wrote asking for an elucidatioa OF what 10
me was a complex portion OF his origin OF
Speries.- he was prompt in replying. HIS
csll,rarhv was wIssched, and | felt ike
ass,n- him to explain his explanation An
initial letter. dash Of the pen. and final
letter were made TO rspresanf word HIS
reply could only he understood By guess
work and the aid Of powerful microscope.
| SCIENTIST STATESMAN, THEoJOSIAN-
To Professor Tynd.ll and Professor HuI-
| lev wrote, asking their opinion with re-
| gard Ia a theory which had been put forth
bv SCENTS. named Harringtnn-thaf tne
| min was no; a source of hea: OF light TO tn
| .o,sr system. Huxley. verify believe -
| rsrnsd rie q Innate, but. although his reply
| was curt, il gsve me his autograph TyDiai
| wrote at snnle length, saying that be lad
heard Of Mr.. Hsrrington's theory. but M
| H.r-,ny;nn's ideas were nos his. and b
| would advise me to pause before making
hem my own
Probably no man Is 90 much imporeunct
| q Mr.. Gladstone, and unlike BsanosssfieH
be Will. when out Of oeice. send rerscrsa
answer to almost every communicated b
receives. and II by chance requs<: for h
autograph shouh BE un<acs.<ful. ore b
| only 10 uensson sone current To,ItlcA, tnfs.
90 o2en the hocdSz:es u his eso9senoe sDs
draw from him a torrent Of eic-ely writes
seniensA
Cardinal Newman ID ever responsive. la
h uoe oass out Of ten yoa doGr scsslaii.
evs his handwrlcinS. although 70,
think yos de- Th- gr,as th~osogiAl
has had hfhoSrapbei few Inns
| which seFve As an answer 20 mnse of n
cuuncuplaoe ooumrnicatsozs be rsr<ayes-
. sort Of literary pAnaea fer the ailments q
azsogTapA-t1nt~rx I; runs ;h1ss -Exzzs
M An an cid raan- add my bad
feehle New Tcrk Sur
Lord Tennv~sn admits shxs Be oDe Uix
1~ NJ ~eeir 70 be = vee~eAsssr. AID think