Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-04
SALE OF THE BOOKS.
EX-Librarian POindeXter Enters a Pro-
test and Applies for an Injunction.
MIR. SCOTT MAKES 4 TART REPLY.
History Of the Disposition of the
Old Documents. Reports, &C., 10
James q. smith n Few Days Ago
An Upset hid.
An Upset bid.


Of the Commonwealth Of the old books
which had accumulated in the State La
brary 70 Mr.. James c. Smith at the pur-
chase-price Of 90 cents per 100 pounds
on yesterday. through his counsel, Mr.
William l.. Royal. appeared before
Judge T.. G. Minor. of the Law and
Equity Court, and filed "A suit for an
injunction. enjoining and restraining Sec
rotary Lawless from delivering and Mr.
Smith from receiving any more of the
books.
All day yesterday Mr.. Smith was on
gagged in carting the old documents
away. and already a large proportion Of
them have been removed to his junk
establishment. Ex-Librarian Poindex-
ter. in his communication to the Gov
crnor. PROTESTED strongly against such
disposition being made Of the books
claiming ;hat the destruction ot these
ola records would be an almost irrepdr-
allie loss to the state Of Virginia
as they embraced. he said, publications
from the time OF the foundation Of the
government II les supposed that there
was about twenty or more tons OF
these old documents, and some went so
far as 10 place valuation Of 5000 upon
them; but the present Librarian, Mr.. W.
". Scott. and the Secretary Of the Com
monwealth regard this as ridiculous.
TO BE DECIDED TODAY.
Mr.. Poindextcr's case was laid before
Judge Minor yesterday afternoon, ana
that jurist promised decision 81 the
controversy at 10 O'Clock this morning.
-. "a
,rpor. II is said that he incidentally
ask.l permission 10 put I'm an upset bid;
but as this was not judicial sale 1t
is doubtful II such thing could be done.
Tho ex-I.ibrarinn hopes To- put stop Z"
the delivery Of any more Of the docu-
m,nts and was inclined 10 think that
the Library Committee had acted uh-
wisely III ordering the sale. the Of
ncials At the Capitol are under the I'M
n .ssion that Mr. Poindeyter IS mis-
taken in the value he has placed upon
these books.
CARD FROM THE LIBRARIAN. t
The Dispatch Is in receipt OF the fol-
lowing communication from Librarian W.
". Scott about this matter
70 the Eqitor II the Dispatch;
The startling headlines and statements
in tho Times Of yesterday as 10 the sac
~ "ValuaLlc gooks AS Junk" by the state
Library demands some notice ny the ON
cials concerned. and the public is enut.l
20 know whether or not tn staleiu'rn
are true. lnasmu "S the Waittf i VI
dcrgoiug judicial Investigation. VIII con.
fine myself t. a temperate statement
# the facts as Indignation VIII peImlt
The newborn zeal of the laie Librarian
is d. Ice commended when the Legis-
lat,lfe is about 10 be elected and new OIL
GERS chosen to administer the pubic
Offices 1t is to be regretted that II WAS
not born sooner. ana during MS ten years
administration Of the library
II is true that there have been sold re-
Gently some twenty or twenty-five tons
of books True that they were sold by
the hundred pounds; and equally true that
the sale was hy public auction to the
highest bidder after advertising the time
place. and terms thereof for nearly two
weeks in the city papers-English and
German.
IN INDISCRIMINATE CONFUSION
The books all ged to be so valuable by
the late Librarian have been lying in
iudiscriminate confusion in the top gal
lery-many. if not most Of them. on the
floor some Of them never having heen
taken out Of the sacks in which they were
shipped here, and all of them covered
with the dust Of decades.
/ found them thus when took charge
of the library in January, 1921. ] have
been I'm charge since that time. ana not
one book OF the lot. 10 my best Tecollec-
ton has ever been called for. The former
IIbrarian-who now knows how valuable
they are-did not then think enough OF
them 10 unsack them, To put them on the
shelves. or to have them busted, so that
the titles could be read
When it was found out that there was
no room for them in the new building
il WAS determined TO leave them in their
serenity and dust until the Legislature
ordered some disposition to be made OF
them But the legislative committee on
rcmodeling the library for committee
rooms made il necessary 10 remove them
and. having nowhere to put them, IL was
ordered that they be sOld-such Of them
as were sold. Before bringing them down
o. be exposed for sale. however. they were
carefully gone over by myself by MI.
Watkins Norvcl the temporary clerk
employ-d 10 assist In moving the library.
and selected because Of his acquaintance
with books and their value; by Mr.. MIN
mo. who kindly volunteered his assist
ance, and by MIR. Russell NOrvell. who
was in charge of the force moving the
books.
THE CHARACTER OF THE BOOKS.
only such as were. and are. deemed Of
no value TO the library am the public.
such as Annual Reports Of North Dakota,
Nebraska. and the other STATES. govern
ment publications Of character that IS
classed as junk the world over. and that
can be bought by the hundred any day
IN the year 1T washington. ana gem
raj lot Of debris were advertised. An ef-
tort was made to ascertain their value
bv private inquiry The booksellers said
they could only be sold as junk the junk
dealers offered - cents "A hundred pounds.
The public sale, after due advertisement.
was attended 10y one bookseller Of Rich
moud. by the representative Of the largest
concern of its Kind in America known as
the Roston Book Company and by the
junk dealers.
Richmond said he would not make "A list
Of the books for them The one attending
the sale made no lid at all. The repre-
sentative of the Boston Book Company
bid the limit OF his house. and did not
get them He told me his house had
-alcs Of Ike material almost every week.
and realized but - cents hundred
hounds after the backs were stripped
of and for the backs they could get
nothing whatever.
II is true, that I'm the hurry of moving
me books down stairs before the sale,
10 get them out OF the way of the car
penters, here and there a book not pro-
perly TO be classed as Junk. though found
N the dust and confusion Of the top
gallery. had got into the pile that was
sold.
CONDITIONS OF SALE.
The purchaser. Mr. }. c. Smith readily
agreed that where any book had got
mere Inadvertently 1t might be taken
out and returned TO the Library Mr.
Soule who came from Boston TO buy the
hooks. and did not become the highest
bidder congra tulated me many times on
thc splendid sale. There was no room In
the new building for them, and storage