Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-10-20
OUTLANDlSH HOBBIES.
Queer Collections Made by Per
sons Of Abnormal Tastes.
A BOsToxIAS GATHERS BONES

An Englishmanis Strange Predilection For
0rewsome Relics Of Murders-An Ac-
tress Collects Rare Cigarettes. and . Ne
gro Has . Fancy For Rabbits Feet.
At one time or another in his life every
normally constituted male Of the Anglo
Saxon races who has opportunity becomes
% collector. 1t may he birds eggs that he
collects or beetles or stamps or coins or
wild plants, but in one line or another the
mania for collecting is rs inevitable rs
whooping cough or mumps. This mania
sometimes develops strange and abnormal
tastes. Such an instance is related by The
Pail Mall Gazette.
Tho collector Is IN elderly man with
passion for crime. Not that he has any GRIM
inal traits himself Quite the contrary,
but he takes the most intense interest i'm
murders and other crimes of importance.
As he is wealthy, he is able to make .
practical application of his hobby. Every
year there takes place in Paris sale Of ar
ticles which have belonged to famous GRIM
inals-the clothing they wore while COM
hitting their crimes, their weapons. their
masks, the letters or papers found upon
them when arrest cd. At this sale the old
man is an energetic bidder. In the course
of n score of years hc has collected the para
phernalia of 30 murders, almost complete,
not to mention those of various minor
crimes. Ono Of the bitternesses of his life
is that German collector succeeded in
purchasing the boots which a famous
French criminal wore when he heat his
mistress To death. What renders the boots
particularly valuable in his eyes is the fac.
that the blood marks show with distinct
ness. He has tho trousers and shirt. and
he makes repeated offers to his German
rival for the boots, which are always an
swsred by that worthy's bid for the gar
mcEts.
The old man also keeps detailed news
paper reports of all the crimes To which no
has fallen heir. and on the date when tho
crime was committed he luns the clothes
| of the pcrpet-ator and wears hem all day
Formerly he WAS in the habit of repairing
to the scene of the crime; but, after being
| recognized as tie criminal i'm n suburb of
London and almost killed by mob, he
gave over that form of amusement. Any
| of his visitors is ut liberty tn try on tho
interesting collection of garments
Il always feel, says Ec. THAT ] aci i'm
bued with the sentiments of the criminal
when pat on his clothes. 1t gives one q
strange feeling of life and vigor."
1t gave him u strange experience, too,
last year, fer while wandering about in
the character of muryieres, he was ar
rested for yn:tsqucrading in woman's cloth
ing Strange to SLY, he il the mildcst and
| most timid Of men in character and pos
| sesses none of the characteristics Of the
| criminal whose emotions he so loves tn
| feel II is undoubtedly like abnormal
| feeling in a less degree which impcls per-
| sons to carry away the most scnseicss
| mementos from the scenes of murders. 4
tree under which n woman was mystcri-
ously killed in u New Jersey city last year
was hacked half in two by the knives OF
memento ficntls.
Even more grewsnme than the collection
| of the foreigner was that of n Boston man
who died some years ago having such a
| collection of human bones in his house
that the police supposed they had discov-
| cred a wholesale murderer too late. That
| man had been for years getting human
bones together where there was anything
| peculiar about the human being to whom
the bones had belonged. For skeletons as
| such he carcd little, and his closets did
not contain half dozen complete skclc-
tons, although tho police found materials
for 80. What he particularly sought was a
bony rcminiscence of any noted criminal
| or peculiar accident. So far "a is known,
he did not go about his collecting in an
| illegitimate way. Grave robbing was not
| in his line But If he heard of 1; man who
| was 70 he hanged he would bargain with
that man for n knee bone or a forearm and
pay a decent price for the article. Tn
| identified corpses were matters of interest
| to him, and he would travel several hun.
tirel miles TO get the skull of an unrecog.
nizcd victim Of foul play. Once while GO.
ing tn the scene of u murder. he was hurt
internally in a railroad collision. On re-
covering his senses after the shock he
| found himself lying near a man whose right
leg was hanging by few shrcds of flesh.
The surgeons were ut work on the man,
who was conscious. The collector prompt
ly proceeded tn bargain with him.
| You'll never walk on that leg again, -
| he said
"No." replied the sufferer coolly. 81
guess it 9 no good to mc now"
''It is to me, though" said the collector
eagerly. IN buy it OF you. What'll you
take for it,
me $500 for it. but l don't suppose they II
want it. What'll you give"
Fifty dollars.
Its your leg"
Then. having completed the bargain,
they both tainted away.
That leg bone was often pointed ont wit h
pride by the second owner rs being not