The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-01
OLD CURIOSITY SHOP.
TnE cHIcAooAN's Passion FOR COL
LETTING ANCIENT WEAPONS.
Catering to the Growing Taste Tor tho
Curious-A Rich and Rare Acquisition
Cel,cs from Mexico Imitation OF Old
Observation-Disclosures.

Curious-A Rich and Rare Acquisition
Relies from INSTRUMENTATION oil Ola
Observation-Disclosures.
"Woll." said man. stopping in front OF a
South Side store and giving hls voice ms
iu- injection. "this strikes me as funny! Inc
idea OF starting a place OF this KIND IN
brand new town like Chicago is bold, TO say
the least. But old Curiosity Shop looks
Good ON a sign. Let's walk in and see"
And he aud his friend did so. They found
the spacious store filed with ali sorts OF
curious things, relics and weapons, IDOLS ana
indictments Of quaint design and ancient
make. After pottcring around and seeing
their ell they both became the owners OF
several Indian relics and departed satisfied
This is the first and only curiosity shop
in the west" saidthc owner. 1--WE only just
branched out Din this store, for hitherto,
travelling six months out OF twelve all along,
didn't think it worth while keeping shop,
as | have readily disposed Of my goods 10
private collectors and museums. But taste
for curios is springing IS2 IL Chicago, ana
guess it will pay 10 cater 20 it in this formal
Manner
There are in his collection many specimens
Of Indian weapons, tools, etc a rich and rare
acquisition Of the war was the collection Of
Professor Hon. of Orleans, Ind, which il had
taken sixty years 20 get together and when
was especially complete in Indian relics ot
all kinds The shopkeeper, as he explained,
spends a good portion Of every year IN Old
Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon and
other places in which a still hunt for re-
markable or ancient things is likely % prove
a benefit In Old Me,aro he picks up old
weapons especially, not only those Of Aztec
make, good many Of them antedatng tine
Spanish conquest by centuries, but also arms
coming from those very conquerors under
Cortoz These latter, however. are hard TO
get, as they are for the most part in the pos
session Of descendants Of the very men who
bore them first in battle, 80 years ago, and
who do not like to part for any money with
such heirlooms or else they are in private OF
public collections or museums.
RELICS FROM MEXICO.
Still, now and then a fine piece Of oldarmor
is gotten By the willy Chicago trader, and IN
due time, Of course, finds It's way into Ameri-
can collections Weapons Of bone, daggers,
spears and lances. all Of Aztec make, copper
swords and shields likewise very Old, are
things which are also still % be found by
dilisont search in Mexico Tie enormous AK
heads of basat and ground down in q very
slow and powerful manner 70 tie right shape
are interesting things, as are also the NOR
tars and pestles made of lava from tie neigh
borhooi OF Orizaba. PGebla relics. taken
from the Indiau tribe Of that name IN New
Mexico, form another branch ~ the colicc-
ton Grinning ugly idols, hollow and with
gaping mouths, made of ilne grained sand
stone OF brilliant hue, vessels Of an sorts, hol-
lowed out in the most painstaking manner
and of graceful shape, are therety the score
The passion for ancient weapons has seized
the soul Of the select few out wcs- az last IL
took a long time till the fever reached here,
but IL has now begun its devastating course
in earnest Owners u fine homes are already
beginning 10 fret about where they shall OBJ
tain their supply Of these ancient tools Of
warfare. But hand in hand with the grow
Ing desire there is the rise Of home industry.
Already there is ono man in town who has
begun 10 manufacture ancient weapons on
a large scale Therefore, when YOU see
rusty mailed shirt said to be 800 years Old
an armor spotted all over with verdlgris and
old crusader. beware The chances are that
neither the one nor the other is what it pre-
tends to be. Tho imitation Of these old
weapons has become, all over the world a
regular branch OF industry. Persia, Turkey
and the Caucasus, however, are the countries
par excellence where this couuterfeting is
done with greatest perfection and most
abundant success.
THE GENUINE ARTICLES.
1t is refreshing. therefore, when one secs
some really genuine oriental weapons from
the brave days of old. In Chicago there is at
least one place where one may do so. That
is the den of Dudley Winston, the son Of
f. II. Winston, who accompanied his father
on his mission 10 Persia, and who brought
homo from Constantinople, Tihis, Trebizonde
and Teheran a small but very choice collec-
ton Of rare old weapons. There are cine
tars nlaid with gold and silver, Damascus
blades Of finest temper and most delicate
workmanship There are yataghans OF
rough make and Of exquisite make, ths
! tracery on the blades being often the finest Of
all. There are old guns, eight feet long and
over, whose stock shows arabesques in
mother Of pearl, silver and gold. There are
khandjars from Georgia and from Circassia,
straight daggers, which are worn stuck in
the girdle in front, handy 70 seize, and most
dreadful weapon in q close encounter, in size
and length just ike the short Roman sword
of the days OF Augustus, only more pointed
The finest and most complete collection Of
ancient weapons in America is, however,
that Of Morosini, jay Gould's late partner
and the fathcr-in-law OF the former coach
man, Schilling, otherwise Hulskamp. Mr.
Morosini's beautiful place On the Hudson is
literally null OF arms and armor from every
period, beginning with the stone age and
coming down TO the Nineteenth century. He
is said TO have spent nearly half million Of
dollars in the course Of the last twenty years
10 make his collection what ir is. He is also
probably the most expert connoisseur in an
cIent weapons in this country. Another in
defatigablc collector in this line is r. 81
Moss, head Of a great engraving firm in New
York. Every large dealer in curios in tho
world has standing order 10 send on any
thing specially fine and old in the shape Of
weapons. Mr. Moss has spent several hun
dred thousand dollars in pursuit Of his hobby,
and his collection is still growing every day.