The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-08-29
VANDALS AT WASHINGTON

to improve their stock.
VANDALS AT WASHINGTON
RELIC HUNTERS DESTROYING Ma
TIonAL MONUMENTS.
Outragcs Often Inspired by Malicious Mis-.
chief Inc i'crciling Fic,,l Gets In III,
Work. Damage Amounting to- Over n
Million Doll;srx.
Vandalism by relic hunters and mali.
cio,,s persons who visit Washington has
been carried to sucl, a destructive point
that measures of exceptional severity are
to he adopted 10y the department. of pub.
liz buildings and grounds to restrain the
evil. The damage that has been wan.
,"nly done i'll this way within the last ten
years would. if reduced to dollars and
cents. mount up toa friShtfuI aggregate.
Many who are in good position to
judge say that it would cost 81. 600, 900
to repair only such injuries as are act.
nally visible TO the casual observer.
To l'cgin with, rs yOl, enter the rot untl;,
of the Capitol from the cast trent, you
observe that the beautiful bronze doors,
fac-siinilcs of the Ghilmrti doors at tho
baptistry in Florence, have been badly
chcwcl up by iconoclastic visitors.
These doors cost the United States gov
crnmcnt Sas.5OO. At prcscnt they would
not he wort! anything like that amount.
The figures on the panels, representing
historical scenes. stand out in high re-
lief, and somebody has found no diff.
Guilty in wrcnchns away the sword that
Henry VII Of England formerly held in
his hand. Columbus has lost tho rcins
of the animal he is riding, and his brother
Bartholomew has also been deprived Of
his sword. Balhoa's sword has been all
bent out of shape by some one who was,
presumably, interrupted in an attempt
to twist it off
Two llcklcss mMlarc,s, King John II
of Portugal and King Charles VIII, have
both been robbed Of their scepters, of
which they now retain only the stumps.
just examples these arc of the mischief
done to these beautiful gates of bronze.
10 commit them must lave required ex.
ceptional nerve, situated, as tho doors
arc, Immediately outside the rotunda,
where there is always a man OIL guard.
1t is this latter fact that is accountable
for the fortunate circumstance that no
damage whatever has been done within
the rotun,la itself.
Save for the watch kept, the great his.
torical pictures there would have been
all cut to pieces long ago. The heads of
the Father Of his Country and other re.
spectacle characters of American an-
tiInitv would have been sliced out of
the canvascs. merely to begin with. For
nothing is sacred to the relic hunter; he
will not hesitate To cabbage rcd hot
stove, il opportunity offers
On the right hand side of the Ghiberti
doors, as you so in, is 4 superb colossal
statue of Mars, the god of war. A van.
dial visitor unknown broke the end Of
his marble sword off, probably by reach.
ing over the railing and giving it Il sharp
bang with heavy stick. The "bustcd"
portion has been stuck OH again with
glue or something, but the effect is ,n-
slightly. On the other side of tho doors
is corresponding statue of Ceres, the
goddess of tho crops. Her left hand was
of while ago, and SO bunch
of marble olives las been placed in her
grasp to hide the break. Outrages like
these, of course, arc often inspired by
mischief, pure and simple.
But the case is rare of an individual who
will destroy property in cold blood. Just
for the sake of destroying. The bulk of
the vandalism is committed by relic
llntcrs-pcople without souls. savascs
of civilization, who will not hesitate TO
wipe out in five minutes as much value
rs the labor of their lifetime will pr.
IIncc for the sake of procuring half :;
loZcn worthless memorabilia.
Such are the persons, doubtless, who
have attacked til" magnificent bronze
doors OF the cast senate front-original
cost, S36, COCOON which are depicted in
relief scenes in American history Tic
guns Of the soldiers n. Yorktown have
,cc.I wrrncl,~l off .,in,r of them that
wcr" sufficiently in alto relieve to make
il pn;si!la-and the rt.i:s of Washing
-ons horse. ON his journey through Trcn.
.on, have Disappeared: also the gun in
Inc hands of the woman who looks ON
UPON the combat l"twrrn the Jersey far.
ncr and the IIrss;,n ha, lost its barrel.
iii" PRESIDENT room has suffered many
lines, not only from relic hunters, hut
'lsp from malirin', dcstroycrs. The
ellie hunters IE.r" confined themselves
are chiefly Ia cutting the slkcn tass,ls |
rom ILL" riiai2'. though now and then
hey have slir'ti :. piece cut Of TIN. hand. |
emo rcd leather coverings of the sofas,
nd occasionally a strip has been cut off |
81" cnr:rr of tn" cost ~ carpet. made rs.
""iaily I" fit the ,;r,:il. just to rcmcm.
"r Ia" place by attrrwar'l. Tassrl,
however. are the fav"rite spoil.
ILL" guard vrn;Ircil ont of the room
Or lsS than two minutes on" day, and
:i"n he came back three tasscls were
one ::limm"rinS. On an average, the
,l;.ivaIcnt Of Il full So, %: new tasscls l,a,
:, ID" put on the chair, each year IT, re-.
lace these carried away. beyond a
orht this room is the handsomcst on
|r American continent. Curiously
"mlrh. i, is o:cnpicd for omly on" hour
: cErri ,w'lv" months. The president
lway, spends the last sixty minutes in
before Congress adiourns the session,
. thai he I'ay sign bills up to the very
lroke Of l?o'clock and save them from
coming void
S"'l,riG that money could do TO make
h" apartment gorgeous has been left ul,-
one. aud its more than palatial splcn.
ors appear to tempt the dcstroyers for
ljscl:ief's sake. At all events the sofas
ave hecn repeatedly ripped from end to
nj Nth knives, and other sucl, waii,on II
cts Of malice have b. ell committed.
Ill" chief damage done in the statuarv
pnm at the Capitol is in the shape Of
Isl pencil writings. Potomac marble,
+ which the great pillars are formed, is
I srayish effect, with light coIorcd spots
Ii over it. These spots afford tempting
p!nrlnnitirs for scrihblcrs, who delight
! writing their names Oh them, viii,
ariou.' remarks on every conceivable
'hj,rci. Tile pillars. as far up as the
and ran reach, are fairly covered with
iesc ;'r:.ti. - Washington Cor. st
2,lis Elnls. Democrat.
\ new and full line of boots aud shoes
lst arrived at A, 3. Corbell's. Gall and