The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-07
ENGLISH MUSEUM PESTS.
Amateur Collectors who Demand
Unreasonable Prices for Treas

The amateur collector of curiosities gener-
ally has an exaggerated idea of the value of
his treasures No sooner does he get hold of
something which he considers unique and in
teresting than he fancies that every museum
in the country will jump at the chance of pur-
chasing it from him. With this idea he is
continually calling upon museum keepers and
trying to persuade them into exhibiting his
so-called rarities says London It'd Bits
The curator of popular Northern museum
has been much worried in this way during the
last year or So Only the other week white
haired old man came to him and showed him
a dagger which was said to be the weapon
used by King John in stabbing the boy Prince
Arthur. The dagger was quite modern affair
and showed signs of age, but the old man
stuck to his description strenuously.
My dear fellow he said to the curator,
in patroniZing tones, If you are so blind to
your own interests as to refuse this dagger,
it is no concern of mine. 1t has been in our
family for centuries, and we are descended in
a direct line from Hubert de Bourg, the
nobleman who refused to allow Prince Ar
thurs eyes to be burnt out with red-hot
irons. I'll give you one more chance, and If
you won't have it, I'll take 1t elsewhere
Needless to say, he had to take it elsewhere.
Another crank drove up to the museum
gate one afternoon on a dray, to which was
strapped big, cumbersome writing table.
The curator FASTENED out to meet him and
just in time to prevent him bringing the
piece Of furniture bodily into the hall.
On being asked for an explanation, the Wis
itor said he had decided to present the mu-
scum with priceless treasure in the shape of
a writing table used by Sir Francis Bacon.
He had been preserving it for long time,
he said, in order that he might write its his
tory which he had at last completed in
manuscript volume of 800 sheets. The GU
rator, who is, of course, an expert, examined
the desk and declared it to be worthless. 1t
had apparently been used in a school room
until it had got too rickety for service, and
then dispensed with At any rate it couldn't
have been more than seventy years old. This
report was communicated to the visitor, who
thereupon took to raving like mailman,
and became violent that he and his treas
ure had to be moved along by the police.
Royal relics much in favor with anna
teur collectors, and, though some of the curt
osities submitted to the museum recently
have been thought worthy of a place on the
tables the majority have proved to be hope
less rubbish One lady who is well known
for her eccentricities. turned up last July,
carrying a luxurious plush case, in which
reposed O very diminutve feeding bottle
She told the curator that she wanted ESQ for
IT. and that 1t ought to be worth more, seeing
that it had been used in the weaving Of her
majesty Queen Victoria. This magnanimous
offer was gently but firmly declined with
thanks.
Some amateurs do not hesitate to stoop to
fraud in order to gain an entrance to the
museum and the curator admits having been
tricked more than one occasion by clever
bits of taking One man. dressed par
son, brought a vegetable oddly in the shape
Of a carrot which bore splendid resemblance
to a mermaid. Head, body and tail were all
complete, even to the fms, and after a
full examination the curiosity given a
prominent place the principal table. 1t
afterward transpfred that the whole thing had
been cleverly cut out Of an unusually large
carrot, and that the parson was curio-
hunting crank in disguise. He had labored
three months over the mimic oddity, and
was delighted with his success in hoodwink-
ing the curator.