Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-09-18
OLD CURIOSITY SHOP.
THE CHlCAGOAN's PASSION FOR COL
 lEcTING ANCIENT WEAPONS.


 Relics from Mexico-Imitation of Old Weapons-Conectors.
 Well" ," said a man, stopping in front of a South Side store and giving his voice a ris- Ing infection, "this strikes me as flnnyl The Idea of starting a place of this kind in a brand new town like Chicago is bold, to say tue least. But Old Curiosity Shop looks good on a sign. Let's wah in and see"
 And he and his friend did so. They found the spacious store filled with all sorts of curious things, relics and weapons, idols and implements of quaint design and ancient make. After pottering around and seeing their fill they both became the owners of several Indian relics and departed satisfied.
 This is the first and only curiosity shop in the vest" ss.id the owner s'I've only just branched out in this store, for hitherto, traVehng six months out of twelve all along. didn't think 1t worth while keeping shop. as have readily disposed of my goods to private collectors and museums But taste TOT curlos IS springing up in Chicago, and I guess 1t will pay to cater to it in this formal manner"
 There are in his collection many specimens or Indian weapons, tools, etc. A rich and rare acquisition of the war was the collection of frofessor Hon, of Orleans, Ind, which it had NNNnNA SAS y years GO ReU together and which was especially complete in Indian relics of all kinds. The shopkeeper, as he explained. spends 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 to prove benefit In Old Mexico he picks up old weapons especially, not only those of Aztec make, good many of them antedating the Spanish conquest by centuries, but also arms coming from those very conquerors under Cortez. These latter, however, are hard to get, as they are for the most part in the DOS session of descendants of the very men who pore them first in battle, S70 years ago, and who do not like to part for any money with such heirlooms; or else they are in private or public collections or museums
 RELICS FROM MEXICO:
 Stlll, now and then fine piece of old arrnor Is gotten by the willy Chicago trader, and in due time, of course, finds it's way into Amerf- 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 to be found by d1llgent search in Mexico. The enormous ax- heads of basalt and ground down in a very Slow and powerful manner to the right shape are interesting things, as are also the nor tars and pestles made of lava from the neigh
 
 from the Indian tribe of that name in New Mexico, form another branch of the collec- tlon. Grinning, ugly idols, hollow and with gaping mouths, made of fine grained sand stone Of brilliant hue, vessels of all sorts hoI- lowed out in the most painstaking manner and or graceful shape, are there by the score.
 The passion for ancient weapons has seized the soul of the select few out west at last. It took long time till the fever reached here but It has now begun its devastating course Ill earnest. Owners of fine homes are already oeglnnlng to fret about where they shall ob- tain thelr 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 one man in town who has begun to manufacture ancient" weapons on a large scale Therefore, when you see a rusty mailed shirt said to be 800 years old, an armor spotted all over with verdigris and alleged to have come down from a knightlv old crusader, beware. The chances are that neither the one nor the other is what it pre- tends to be. The 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 counterfeiting is done with greatest perfection and most abundant success.
 THE GENUINE ARTICLES.
 It is refreshing, therefore, when one seea 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. h. Winston, who accompanied his father on his mission to Persia, and who brought home from Constantinople, Tifis, Trebizonde and Teheran small but very choice collsc- tion of rare old weapons. There are cfrne- tars lnlaid with gold and silver Damascus blades of finest temper and most delicate workmanship. There are yataghans of rough make and of exquisite make. tho 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 glrdle in front, handy to seize, and most dreadful weapon in a close encounter, in size and length just like 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 Gou1ds late partner and the father-in-law of the former coach man, Schilling, otherwise Hulskamp. MT, Morosini's beautiful place on the Hudson is literally full of arms and armor from every W1pn GAe SOO06 age ana 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 to make his collection what it is. He is also probably the most expert connoisseur in an- cient weapons in this country. Another in- defatigable collector In this line is R. M. Moss, head of a great engraving firm in New York. Every large dealer in curios in the world has a standing order to send on any, thing specially fine and old in the shape of weapons. MP. Moss has. spent several hum ired thousand dollars in pursuit of his hobby, and his collection is still growing every day. Chicago Herald.
 William E. Gladstone's Marvellous Memory. SpeakiSg of William F. Gladstone, re- ,ent observer says: "There is no subject on which he will not talk His memory is the marvel of everybody who has been his asso- .iate or acOuaintance. Scare a tonic can ha