Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-01-29
A PEACHBLOW VASE.


Intrrcal ta Art CoIlcciors-rrnrton I've.
Tells quest racts About tho vass end
Condition. ar uis Purchase.
Tho pcachblow vase - ia ihis city
That e. tho vordici Of On amntour Shcr.
lock Holmes Nho set about the oluoidn-
tion Of Tho profound mystery surround
ing this celebrated piece Of porcelain for
which ef0. 900 wns paid when ID was
sold ot auction in this city some eight
years ago. Moreover, it seems apparent
from what this amateur detective has
discovered that while pho famous Peach.
blow vase belongs 20 Mr. Brayton Ives
and Is now in his houro on Thirty fourth
street. sven Mr.. Ives himself Is still
myslifod about some things concerning
"a
Mr.. Ivoa I'D not pay ti8, 900 for the
Poachblow vase. and yet Mr.. Moss,
brOthCr-in-law of Mrs. Mary Jane Nor
gan and tho executor Of hor estate, az
firms that that enormous sum was paid
into the estate Tor the vase after the anc-
ton sale.
Nobody can tell who It IS that is ont
Of pocket because Of the mystery sur
rounding the roachbiow. bus It Is oor-
tain that somebody FOR e reason best
known TO himself paid out several thou
sand dollars and has concealed hts iden-
tity up 20 this date. Mr.. nrayton Ives
appears 10 be as much mysiined as every
body else
But now that Mr. William 7. Wal
tiers Of Baltimore Is dead and q promise
Of secrecy made by Mr.. Ives at the timo
tho vase came into his possession has
been FULFILLED, he has consented to dis
close some facts not hitherto known In
connection with the mystery.
Tho vase which isnow in my posses
sion, T" snid Mr.. Ives, Twas bought by
mo from tho American Art association,
which had conducted the sale Of the
Morgan collection. From the outset
there was something very mysterious
about II. Twas given to understand that
I was 10 see something very rare and
precious, but that I would have to prom
iso to keep IL quiet and not tell anybody
about IL for q certain length Of time.
Then when my curiosity and interest
had been fully aroused / was conducted
alone into n shaded apartment After
the doors had been locked and my con-
panion had looked undor the table 70 DO
sure there wa no one concealed there.
a cafe was opened cautiously, aud this
vase was takon out from under its cover
ings IL looked 70 me like tho Peach
blow, which had vanished so mysteri-
ously."
"Opo moment, please, =" said the anna
teur Sherlock Holmes, "how long after
the Poachblow was sold for SIS, 600 to
Mr.. Wolters, as Mr.. Sutton alleged, did
this oocUr?"
From nine months to a yoar after
ward, 4" said Mr.. Ives. II bought the
vase which was exhibited TO me, but /
said nothing about IL for a long time. /
kept it locked in my house. Before / got
IL / had to promise not to speak about it
for a specified time, but hat time has
elapsed"
"How much did you pay for tho vase7''
THAT / am not at liberty to state, /"
said Mr.. Ives. when / bought II, /
made two promises, one that / should
not say anything about it for a specified
time, tho other that / should never dis
close tho purchase price"
what is at tho bottom Of all this
MYSTERY"
II am unable to guess, - answered
Mr.. Brayton Ives. Whether or not the
vase / bought was the Peachblow vase,
there was no reason that ] am aware Of
why the facts should be concealed"
Mr. Ives admitted that tho price no
paid for tho vase was considerably less
than e18, 600, and as IN example Of orr
entail porcelain be considered it worth
what he had paid for It. He said that
during tho years the vase had been in
his possession many things had come to
his knowledge about tho Peachblow, and
that at times he doubted whether the
vase In his possession was In reality that
famous little mug. Il seems that when
tho vase was sold to him under the mys-
terious circumstances described there
was no guarantee that it was the Peach
blow vase, and that tho comparatively
small price at which it was offered tend
ed to prove that they were notidcntical.
On the other hand, there are those
who assert that Mr.. Ives believed he
was buying the Peachblow vase, ana
was at any rate willing to take a ''dier"
ON that assumption. Tho facts which he
has subsequently learned seem to prove
beyond any question that be did in real
ity buy the famous vase, and that his
Investment was a judicious one.
Here is ono fact" said Mr.. Ives
when discussing the pros and cons
There is a lady in this city who is q
friend Of Mira NOR, who was the sister
Of Mrs. Morgan. This lady frequently
visited the house Of Mrs. Morgan, and
there she saw and handled the Peach
blow vase many times. examining II
carefully. Upon one occasion when Wis.
iting my house she saw the vase now in
my possession ana exclaimed: 4 have
handled that vase many times. II Is the
Pcachblowr A careful examination
mado BY her only confirmed this opin-
ion.
'"rho death Of Mr.. Walters, together
with the examination Of his collections,
have cleared up some Of the mystery
which surrounds this subject, /" snid Mr..
Ives. 1T is now pretty well established
that be mover had the Peachblow vase. "
New York World