The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-11-05
A MYSTERY RECALLED
Disappearance of a Famous Gains
borough Picture Explained.
Painting of the Celebrated Beauty,
CeOrgiana, Duchess of DevOnshire,
That Sold for 1O.1O0 Pounds.
Pail Mall Budget.

ran Mail Budgett.
We are at length able to throw some
light upon the mystery of the century and
TO announce news concerning Gains
boroughs celebrated picture of Georgiana,
Duchess of Devonshire, the beautiful and
witty electioneering Duchess to whose fas-
cination walpole and other contemporary
writer's paid such lavish tributes. For
seventeen years now has the most i'm
penetrable darkness surrounded this paint
ing, the career of which had been so re-
markable, even prior to the sensational
theft of it nearly twenty years ago.
The picture had been bought from Mrs.
Magennis in 1889 by a picture restorer
named Bently. He gave ESQ for it, and
doubtless patted himself cordially on the
back when he disposed of il for 60 guineas
to Mr.. Winn Ellis. 1t as part of the
latter's famous collections that on May 6.
1876, it was put up for auction at Christie's.
AT this time there were those who i'm
pugned it's genuineness as a Gainsborough.
The style, they maintained, was less light
and airy than was to be expected in
genuine example; while in the Voluptuous-
ness Of the figure and the extreme redness
of the lips they found Gainsborough's char
acteristic refinement wanting. There was,
however, a marvellous battle for IL at the
sale. The then Earl of Dudley ran it up
to 10000, but even at that immense figure
could not shake off the persistent agent of
for 10100-the largest price ever paid for
a picture at ChrStieS.
Messrs. Agnew placed it in their galleries
at SO Bond street on exhibition and London
was in a Juror over the picture. 1t we'll
nigh monopolized the conversation of the
day and at most of the public ceremonials
a large proportion of the ladies' dressed upon
model naintiDg provided
denly, while the interest in the work was
at it's height, it vanished. On the night of
the oath of May, eighteen days after ii
came into Messrs. Agnews' possession, 1t
was as usual left safely at II at night in its
place on the walls of the gallery. a watch
man slept on the premises and was not dis
turbed during the night; but at o'clock the
next morning chisel marks were found on
the window-frame of the gallery and the
picture had disappeared. 1t had been cut
from its frame and stolen.
The Scotland-yard police were Immediately
acquainted with the robbery. Superintend-
ent Williamson himself undertook the
charge of the investigation. Messrs. Agnew
promptly offered q reward of II, 900 for the
recovery of their treasure, but their f1000
went begging, for a claimant il could not
find. The most extraordinary conjectureS
were haZarded in the attempts of the public
to find an explanation of the matter and
rurnor even suggested that MeSsrS Agnew,
finding that the suspicious about the genu-
ineness of the work were only two well
grounded, put the picture into the fire i'm
sheer disgust and fury and started the
story of the theft to stop the additional
morti1cation that would be occasioned to
them by any publicity of the way in which
they had been victimized.
rms was one of the many rumorS which
formed the fuel for the burning excitement
Of the public over the occurrence, but as a
matter of fact there was, of course no
t'uth In any statement other than that the
picture was stolen from Messrs. Agnew's
galleries on the night of May a. The Il 900
reward tempted somebody, as years went
on, to negotiate mysteriouSly with Messrs.
Agnew, but the anonymity and the secrecy
which was necessarily preserved prevented
MeSSrs. Agnew from satisfying themselves
OF the genuineness of the negotiations,
which were consequently barren of any re-
suit. That was many years ago. and the
fate of the Gainsborough picture threat
ened to remain for all time as speculative
as the identity of the author of the Letters
OF Junius, or THE Man in the Iron
Mask"
STORY OF THE MASKED MAN.
But man in a sackcloth mask has made
a revelation about this portrait Of the beau
teous Georgiana. A prisoner in the Prison
de Louvain, wearing the mask which in
Belgian gaols is the penal badge, has been
interviewed by an emissary Of the Pail Mall
Budget, to whom the prisoner confessed
that it was he who broke into Messrs Ag-
news on that memorable night and stole
the picture. He carried it TO his house in
St Johns Wood in the hope, of course, OF
getting ransom for it without risk CO, of
with which the professional criminal is IA
miliar.
But his negotiations for ransom with
Messrs Agnew We're too covert to bear
fruit and a picture of this sort, unlike the
swag which the melting-pot can instantly
render unidentifable, could not be brought
TO any market without the risk of i'm
mediate detection. The thief thus found
himself the possessor of a fortune which
he could not realize, Aladdins lamp
which he knew not how to employ store
house OF wealth to which he could not get
first robbery and there was nothing for
him to do but to go on robbing. and to
take care next time to get hold OF securi-
ties more easily realizable. Another bold
ly planned and daringly executed felony
put him in possession of Eco co., and with
this capital he embarked upon sea of
extravaganza and gayety, concealing the
Gainsborough picture like the man who
locks up unQuoted shares. Taking an exl
pensive house in Piccadilly and furnishing
IT with that taste which he has acquired
by his frequent visits to the mansions of
the wealthy in the practice of his profess
sion as a burglar. he kept his carriage and
lied nice, coy little steam launch parties
for river picnics, his favorite diversion
days was about twenty-eight or thirty
years OF age, and had had his taste for
launch launch and and ,navigation left to him a
legacy from his early days before the mast.
Every now and then the picture buried
beneath some heap Of rubbish, would rise
up in his memory and cause him severe
IL
standing menace to his safety. He con-
sldered various plans for its disposal
:, Inc most feasible scheme was this: To
nave another picture painted over the
TRANSFORMER, to put it in a sale to buy il
ana then to discover in the course of clean
ing that he had, while apparently purchas-
ing the mediocre old landscape actually ac-
CURED the missing Gainsborough. But this
scheme predicated trusty accomplice or
TWO, and he could not find any one with
whom he cared to share his guilty secret
SO he tried to forget the pictures exist
ence, willing to neglect il yet loath to de-
Stroy anything so potentially valuable The
name OF this scoundrel was Adam Wirth
lie was none other than the celebrated
thief who has earned for himself the proud
title of lie Brigand Internationale" No
body ever dreamed of his connection with
the robbery Of the Gainsborough picture
lie has confessed with certain amount OF
circumstantiality and had promised to sup
PIGMENT the information already given with
further facts, which may enable US at no
distant date to say whether or not the con-
feSSion is a genuine one.
EFFEMINATION OF MEN.