New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-07
WASHINGTON RELICS.
.,r DIFFICULTY OF PROVING THEIR
TEE GENUINENESS.

lIIi\
,xn Tuo:E WHICH HE NAY
ONLY nAyE TOUCHED.
sailor Of The Tribune
~ rbc tempest In teapot "",o'' '"' 80
S'. ovcr thc authenticity OF Il handsome french
fp ,I,stand decorated In gold ana coiors' saio 10
Gina ''.a 10 Martha Washington. and sold by
b~ plr;as sons. auctioneers, In THIS city, early
ihOH. m,cr should have tendency 10 MAKE coi'cc'
washington relies cautious III buyihs sucis
pieles' ...r,oh,. that the piece of china above
- .bonld have been sold rs 1t was; as. al
ns" ,h. greater part of the set OF china presented
n', s.,ha washington BY the French oihcers III
So" l. I'm the National Museum. several pieces
Ane h,oA authenticity are In private collcctions,
Wv :, nosslblc that these pieces should In the
=, lime turn up in the auction ROOM IL Is
~S mn obvious reflection upon any one VINO
W. ~ he an expert who could not tell the
w. between Il piece Of American ware OF lo"
Os niece of French clAnaware OF the last century.
-. sbould such person be trusted ut an anctioh
p~shlc now 10 initiate any Kind OF china so as
.'dve all but the experts. but our manufacturers
arrived at that state Of perfection In 1876 ana
ns ,sSrefore plain that some one concerned was
,,r cheap victim. A..
s,,hicct of Washington relics. as. II the plate
s,, With arms or monogram. II not genuine. 1t
deliberate fraud. strictly speaking. what
~ termed Washington relics are such arucies
N'' u.asbnoton's lamp. WashingtOns knce-bucRles'
w.,,nrton's fowlinG piece, Washingtons hook glasses
"A WaslAngtons sword. All the articles aoo'c i"e"'
$50 and many others, have come mp ana peen
"a a, enormous prices at the various Washiistoh
~. rAch have been held at Dirch's in Philadelphia
ing the last three years. So many OF theSc safes
~. heen held that they have begun TO be regarded
@'r p.,,.da,pbions in the same light as PATHS fare
III &C each lot OF relics has been announced as
ss.-,,vev the last and yet within few months an
.,,o,shiorly large number of new relics have ocen
~, upop the market until people began to lose
,,.,.s, and TO ask. where Is the mandatory y
t.or,nc the fruit-stand ont Of the question, IL is
% inst to the auctioncers to say that these articles
~.,s brought forward in all honesty ana the ma
80. q, them the writer we'll knows undoubtedly
..r. from tie Washington family. But 1t Is doubt
-, ~ even such ownership can give them an nm
a.uhted guarantee OF genuneness. as no matter now
honsst the intention the personal knowledge or guar
sr.se Of owners Is not by any means always trust
thy To buy such articles honestly people must
Al an smpy believing that there Is possibility or
=, mos, tradition that such articles belonged to
Washington.
rake the Generals study lamp and knee-buches, for
,,.ance which were sold to Louis a. Lanhier at the
last sale for 500 and $40 respectively, and glance
Al their genealOgy According 10 the Catalogue 'nese
articles were inherited by II. s. Stabler from ueh'
oral WashinCton's effects in the following manner
M, Betty Lewis was previous TO her marriage, Betty
Warrington General Washngton's sister These
sncs came from her to Otwayanna Carter, VINO mar
,sa mr. ". O. owen of Lynchburg. DR.. owen be-
ousathed them TO Jennie WoOdville LanthaHi' MS
saouted daughter WHO married Thomas S. staber the
,,,hsr Of H. ; stabler and they were inherited by him
t,op, hs fathers estate certificate OF authenticity
~ The above pedigrce accompanied these knee-buckes
and study. lamp and although there Is no desire 10
raise any question about It, yet In all tho years since
they belonged 10 General Washington there must
have been many opportunities for the original recS
"a become changed stolen or mixed in with other an
tioue relics Of a similar character.
The real history Of the way Washington relics have
been brought in such surprising quantities receh'S
Is entertaining and has never been told. AS long ago
as December 10, 1890, sale was held at Nrch
which was entitled: Final settlement of the estate
Of General George Washington. estate Of Lawrence
Levis Washngtons executor estate OF Lorenzo Lewis
executor Of Lawrence Lewis; by order OF IL. l.. ID.
Lewis administrator Of estate OF Mrs. Lorenzo Lewis
Tie collection then disposed OF was undoubtedly at
one time the property of General George Washington,
and included many of washingtons personal effects
kept by his relatives mementos. They were all GER
tiled to by H. L. D. Lewis. administrator OF MIS-
Lorenzo Lewis. deceased, and so far as the writer
Knows no doubt has been thrown on the authenticity
Of one article disposed Of at this sale. Among the
valuable relies sold at that time was Martha Wash
ington's family Bible, which was bought by Bowden,
who purchased the fruit dish the other day. W
This sale was 10 q certain extent venture; ~
great premium had ever before been placed on WASH
ngton's relies. and the enormous prices reailhsea a.
this sale an undoueted SURPRISE not oS hi:
efforts 10 secure the articles but also TO the various
members Of the Washington family who are dlst re,
uted throughout Virginia ard other portions Oh IN t
United states and they Immediately began SUI
kunt fr more relics of their distinguished ancestor
As there was so much money IN 1r ere rons over and
every likely place for the repository Of such ari"s
the and ashbn was ,pa ,ooEins
for gold in Virginia. as lucky finds were sometime
made and the natural result was anotner hna' o,,
ana then Within few months in April SOL the ia 49,
final sale Of General Washngton,S relics OWL soms
b. WASHINGTON H. L. D. Lewis and Others came on =,
The recs in this latter sale authenticated by
lawrence Washington ana camn'chest his cham
pane glass Ris campfork and his mourninx; r," ~
and small engraved gold band Win sYyrnnSdec
by ten smaller ones Upon the ring Was engraVea III,
name Of Lawrence Washington whsh was aye hy yar
tSs r,og IN monrninC for his brother and before ms
death he cave il 10 Lawrence Washngtons ~' u,
and from her ef the 10 FAIRFAX family
rad The catalogue II sold for $3.50; ,,. o.,s
The Generals shoe buckles ana me uent,' r. nnoa,
were aso sold These we're inherited from the Gehsl
washington and sS Ton ,SS perhaps I'll,
largest amount Of money at this sale wa, M%s frn
tons violin Inherited by Thomas T. Wssnineoo i !p,
The f;eneroi II sold for 1855 Now the proof tina,
Washington ever performed on this inSrmmeh, snnt
sucht that n could be almost drawn through hn'
hole vet do not mean TO say that he may not nave
owned IT, rs ... An. article,
disposed Of were simply enormous mHcn hsterc
proportion tban were secured for undonptea nss Mirn
documents sold at the auction AND the make s
fprther ressarches Tor more relics OF their ancestor
The relics sold in December were the esm we're also
reused up In their endeavors to discove' "'''e
d the Father Of His Country. 49,. .r ..p,,g a i'm,
trouble could have discovered the above MSis h1 re
sesuently when purchasing relics ior n,s ay sSonlf
yn which doubts afterward tnro~n, aaJr ~ I'M
have no one TO blame or nothing 20 co""p c, I, *
their own carelessness As a matter OF Iact. ~, col,
n difficult thing In nine cases out OF zen onS
scthent,cate after the course OF many III .nn
~ whether reputed 20 belong TO George whras,nnSo
x3deon Bonaparte. Marie Antonettc or hm,M b"o
01Hnhre and neonle having such relics Snouiu w"