Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-02
TREASURES IN AN OLD TRUNK.
Rare Books and CurfOs Long Over
looked Found i'm q Carrot.


Rare Books and Curios Long Over
looked Found i'm q Carrot.
From the New York Journal
Thomas McCord, q well-to-do farmer and
land owner, who lives near Hicksville, L.
l., In house that was one Of the numer-
Gus places occupied by George Washington
as an army headquarters. is richer today
by several thousand dollars, owing to the
discovery in his garnet on Saturday last
OF a treasure trunk. The house is said to
be 100 years old, and the trunk appears to
be still more ancient. 1t contained about
fifty volumes Of remarkably rare books. to-
gether with package of bank bills of the
early half Of the century. with a face value
of about $4,000. and a small measure filled
with copper half-cent coins.
Mr.. McCord, who is fifty-five years old,
has owned the house in which the trunk
was found for over thirty-eight years. He
bought 1t from man who had in turn
purchased 1t from the old Hicks family,
who gave their name to the town Of Hicks
vile. This was one of the Oldest families
on Long Island.
On Saturday Mr.. McCord was talking
to q relative, Robert Fullerton of this
city, when the subject of relics to be found
around Hicksville came up. Mr.. McCord
finally took Mr. Fullerton up to the old gar
ret to show him a spinning wheel that had
descended to him with the house. In polk
ing over a lot of ancient furniture and odds
and ends, discarded half century ago, Mr..
Fullerton observed a trunk. 1t was unique
in pattern, made of oak, and covered with
undressed hide. The rawhide had cracked
and peeled off in places exposing the heavy
oak body beneath. The handles on the
side, the lock and the general makeup be-
spoke the genuine antiquity of the chest.
Whats in that old trunk?" asked Mr..
Fullerton. who found little to interest him
in the spinning wheel.
"Oh, lot of old books and stuff," an
swered Mr.. McCord carelessly. I've never
taken the trouble to read them"
Mr.. Fullerton, who has a rare collection
of his own, was at once interested. He be-
gan an examination of the different vol
umes, and discovered that every one of
them was unusually valuable. He recog
niZed in the lot the collection of some
thusiaStic bibliophile, who had spent
great deal of time, travel and money in
getting it together and then. in some mys-
FERROUS manner. died without leaving IL in
al preciative hands.
There were a few other things than books
In the trunk. The most interesting OF these
curios was a medallion of George Wash
lnston done on ivory. The miniature shows
the father of his country at an advanced
age with high brow and hollow cheeks
The expression is good, but quite unusual
The large roll of bills was made I'D OF bank
money-notes of the Bank of Perth Amboy
ana the Bank of Georgetown. The copper
coins of 1902 and 1904, d dozen or more In
number. were in a tiny gill measure
But the books claimed Mr.. Fullerton's
attention. They were nearly all bound In
original vellum and bore the unmistakable
stamp OF age. Many of the volumes were
In the illuminated prints OF the fifteenth
ana sixteenth centuries and none Of them
bore later date than 1910.
Among them he found an original history
OF the voyages of Christopher Columbus,
by his son. Fernando printed at Milan
I mere was an Elzevir In the lot, printed in
1893, containing a crude map of New Am
sterdam. AS this part Of Am erica was not
settled until 1899. 1t Is safe to say that this
map Is the first one ever published of New
YORK and vicinity. This volume contains
zen other maps Of the new world. with in
teresting wood cuts of American history
ana botany. There were also books giving
maps of North and South America, printed
in 1916.
Some particularly rare volumes of early
English history were found. One was the
History of the Wars in Scotland" print
ed In lI2o: another a History of Crom-
wells Rebellion" printed in 164s: still an
arch King Charles L." This volume was
printed after King Charles death in The
Hague. Cromwell would not permit any,
thing favorable to Charles to be published
IN England, SO the book was taken to The
Hague 10 be issued. A history of the
Reign Of Queen Anne of England con-
tains some fin. woodcut maps. One pic
lures the battle Of Blenheim. won by the
AuhS VI ana IL Is q Sig
nifcant fact that on banner carried by
the dukes forces appears the word Con
SEeic The Life and Exploits Of Famous
= Highwaymen," printed in l64s.
is illustrated with several remarkable
crimes Of that period.
Ihere are many works on religious
themes. the rarest of which are the two
small volumes comprising a New Tesla
ment printed in 1856 One large curiously
bound book tells Of the expulsion of the
Jesuits from France and was printed in
EDWARD Chiefendale,- printed in 1853 and
the first edition of a work on the Hugue-
nofs. printed in Venice in 1897 together
with number of old ecclesiastical works
or the sixteenth and seventeenth centu-
r1es, make up the remainder of the reli-
gious volumes of the collection.
Among the miscellaneous books is one
rare colonial volume, Letters to the Right
Honorable the Earl of Hillsborough, from
Governor Bernard. General Gage and the
Honorable His Majesty's Counsel for the
Appendix Containing Divers Proceedings
Referred to in Said Letters" This is
marked as printed by Edes & Gill, printers
Of the colony, 1863 Other volumes are
The Inn Player" a book on wrestling by
Sir Thomas Parky of Bunny, baronet 1927:
a magazine of the seventh century; a book
on Luck, 1ll-Luck and Lotteries" printed
in 1858: an early American almanac; a
New England Primer printed in 1870
and bound with cedar; The Art of Con-
versation," by Stephen Guazzo printed in
drama printed in 1850, and about twenty
volumes bound in vellum and treating of
various subjects in the Spanish language.
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