The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-05
AUCTION ROOM BILKS
Even ''Great Collections" not
Above Suspicion.
BOGUS SALES AND RESERVE PRICE
Into Bad Repute-A New Workers.
Evening OFF.

New YORK, April Q, 1S91.-TSpecial
correspondence of The HERALD. MIR.
w. Jennings Demorest will deserve statue
at the hands of his grateful countrymen if
he succeeds in putting stop to even one of
the bogus auctions" which deceive the I'M
wary New Workers 365 days in the year.
The bogus auction is of many kinds. The
most palpable fraud is, of course, the 'fam-
lily just selling out the extraordinarily
beautiful furnishings of their house on -
street." If man did not know that fresh
carpets are laid on the floors every week
and fresh furniture brought in as fast as it
is sold it might puzzle him to understand
why the family is SO long in disposing of its
wares. There are no bargains at these
mock sales. There is q reserve price on
every article, and if a genuine bid cannot
be secured at the reserve price, or even a
higher figure. the goods are knocked down
to dummy to be put up again some other
day. Of course. women are the fish for
whom the hook is baited. A woman's fond
ness for auctions and her proneness to bid
high when another "mean old thing'' com
petes are proverbial.
Art auctions are sometimes just as decep-
tive. There are auction houses whose word
is reliable and there are others which sell
cords OF Corots and Troyons by the dozen,
without too curious scrutiny of their
authenticity. 1t is common enough in one
OF those auction rooms to see a genuine
work by an unknown American painter sold
for higher figure than the imputed master
piece of foreigner of high repute. Art
amateurs haunt the shady auction rooms to
11ialy l-n,-nnlc of bo hue CT nf
merit, when they get hard up, send their
unsold pictures there to try their fortunes
on the block. II man does not know
good picture from bad one and cannot stop
bidding when he has gone high enough, no
matter what the dummy says, he might as
well stay away.
Sometimes man is quite willing to be
deceived. know one who has gallery
full of Corots, Troyons, Viberts, Daubignys
everything but Millets, which cannot be
counterfelted because all the known ex-
amples have pedigrees. He paid Sl00 or
$500 each for the lot. am pretty certain
he suspects that they are bogus, but he has
catalogue with ali the big names printed
upon it and brags about his treasures.
There are men in New York who make a
living by painting these cheats at day
wages. One OF them. when reproached by
reputable artist Tor his part in the decep-
ton, replied: Il have wife and four chill
Gren. What can | d0.'
Even when famed collections come to the
block there Is q species Of deception prac-
tced not 50 very much less cuipable.
Artists say that at the Senev sale number
OF paintings were auctioned off at high
prices which had not been in MIR. Seney's
collection at all but were rushed hot from
transatlantic studios to get the advantage
OF sale in well advertised company. They
were authentic enough, but poor and hasty
American market" AS for the Ives SALE
have not yet seen it denied that S., 900 worth
of Japanese metals was added to the collec-
ton just before the sale. No wonder that
there is universal complaint of low prices
at art sales.
''MARY ANDERsoN's MASH"
DR.. Lloyd, the late assistant superintend-
enJ Of the Kings County Insane Asylum.
was undoubtedly killed by James Dough
erty, the crazy admirer of Mrs. Navarro,
in part because either he or the subordin-
ates in his charge commonly pointed out
Dougherty to visitors as MARY Anderson
mash.''
DR.. Lloyd's successor, DR.. Tracy, quiet
young man, full bearded, with singularly
dark and heavy eye brows shading ewes of
sunny blue, told me the other day that if he
had his way not one tenth part of the peo-
pie who now visit the asylums would do
so.
"They are mere curiosity seekers he
said, land have no business there. Their
presence does a great deal of harm. Insane
people, as a rule, know that they are insane
that they are In the asylum and just why
they are there. They are just as keenly
sensitive to ill-treatment and to sighting
remarks as any one else, and suffer acutely
under ridlcule.
''Dougherty9 l think he is responsible;
not more insane than dozens of people who
go about every day attending to their ousi-
ness. He is just thin skinned crank He
said on his trial that he had marked me also
for vengeance, but have not the remotest
idea for what. One cannot be too careful
in dealing with cranks.n
HIS EVENING OUT.
An acquaintance who is kept pretty busy
with matters social, political and literary.
ran down the stairs of the elevated station
at Park Place the other morning with such
blithe and CHEEKY expression on his face
that could not help asking him if he had
heard good news.
''Not exactly he replied, ''but l had
such a pleasant time last evening that the
memory has lasted. l took lady of whom
i am rather fond to reception 1t was
quite distance and we had good long talk
on the way When we got to the house il
about as you please. We knew but few
people, and naturally saw great deal Of
each other and had another long tete- a tete
on the way home. 1t was a delightful Cos
sip and think made distinct impression
my boyl"
''But isn't this g most remarkable
"Oh, it is all right" said the busy mar
hastily. 1.-THE lady was my wife. Only
we are both SO busy, and in such diferen
ways, and see so little of each other as
rule that such an evening as enjoyed seem.
almost like going counting again. would
not hare missed it for a good deal" AnC
The-Man- in Love With His Wife trotted of
toward the postoffice, making ridiculou.
attempt to whistle fannie Laurie.n
New York is queer place
ITEMS FOR THE THIRD SEX.
The rage for silver filigree gimcrack:
has reached the third sex-the trousel
wearing exquisites. The latest things in
pipes are meerschaum, briarwood and bog
oak bowls ornamented in silver filigree IN
the most delicate tracery, reaching along
the stem to the mouthpiece A cigarette
holder for dude of wealth is an amber
mouthpiece Joined to bowl of roughened
gold, slightly tilted up. The gold is liter
ally incrusted with gems, rubies, turquoises
and moonstones. With one of these toys in
his mouth the young man of the period is
happy as he stalks down Broadway of 9
sunny afternoon.
The newest thing in scarf pins is des
picable looking black fly impaled upon g
pin. 1t is neither pretty nor pleasant but
1t is in the style, and more need not be said
The newest thing in teapots for bache-
lor's afternoon" is an exact reproduction
in porcelain, even to the color, of a great
peach, pear, apple or ounce The Russian
samoyar is utterly out of date Bachelo,
teas are becoming more common in the biz
and luxurious apartment houses and unde,