Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-22
GREAT WORK ON A FIDDLE,
The Way n Musical Scamp swindied
the Money Lenders

the Money Lenders.
about a month ago, said Washing
ton pawnbrokor "a seedy man, middle
aged came in here with a violin Be-
sides being secdy, he was rs rummy look
ing chap as I've done business with for
long while. Tho violin which he put
on the counter was an old, battered leath-
er case. l opened the case, took out tho
violin and thrummed on the strings n bit.
Now, don't know much about violins.
There are not many people living who
know much about violins. SUPPOSE
since I've been doing a pawnbroking
business that I've handled close on to "a
thousand violins of one sort or another,
but violins arc such peculiar quantity
that don't make any pretcnse that un-
derstand their value. This one was in
tune, and when picked ON the strings 10
sounded pretty fair.
How much do you want on it?'
asked the rummy looking man.
Name me figure, he replied.
oh, well, n couple of dollarsr re-
piled.
Tho man looked at mo mournfully.
It's genuine Jacnbus Steiner, hs
snid, and it's nearly 600 years old. I've
had 1t myself for 20 years. / started out
with theatrical company as orchestral
leader and the company busted in Balti-
moro few days ago. I'm broke. Tho
violin is worth $500 at least want $50
on it,
Stop your Kidding l told him,
How do I know that you're not fakingp
How do fnow you can play on the thing
at allf'
ale didn't make any reply to this. but
he took the violin from the battered old
case, screwed up the bow and started to
play. Now, while l don't profess to have
tho inner know about the value of vio-
Inns, do know good violin music when
hear 1t, and this mans playing was sim
ply beautiful He didn't play coon song
music, but he played the real thing Ho
played all over tho thing, from the neck
to the bridge of it, and the chords he gao
out of 1t had mo going for fair His music
sounded just rs much like the playing of
this man Gsaye, whom heard at the Coz
lumbia last winter as any violin playing
that l ever heard. Thinks to myself:
This duck is a tiptop musician who has
let the booze get the best of him. tip
top musician wouldn't play on q bum fid-
die. Therefore this instrument he's play
ing on must be all right. Alter he gets
over this jamboree he'll como along and
take 1t out, anyhow, for 1 supposed he
really does make his living playing the
violin.
HE played on for about ten minutes,
until finally had to signal him to stop,
for crowd began to assemble in front Of
the shop, and I've got no license to run a
concert hall.
" I guess this Instruments all right
said to him. IN give you $50 on it,.
THE man hesitated.
4 need $50 pretty bad, said he, but
I'll try to make out with 800
$50 gave him a ticket and $50, and
he went out.
Tho next day friend of mine, who
plays the violin in one of the Washington
theater orchestras, was passing by here,
and called him in and showed him the
violin and asked him what he thought Of
1t. He looked it over, picked on the
strings, drew the bow across them, and
then handed it back to me.
- It's worth about 81. so said he
at certainly did knock me out.
" You must be mixed said to him.
That's "A genuine Jacobus Steiner
HE grinned.
I can get all want of em up at a
New Jersey shngle factory for $3.50 a
gross, he said.
well, l had two or three other violin
players that knew drop in to look at tho
Instrument, and they all told me the same
thing. They said it was simply COM
mon, everyday flddle-not violin at all,
but simply a fiddle.
Last week took run over to New
York, and made a tour of the pawnshops
of friends of mine over there. l told one
of en- about how l had been done on the
fiddle. He looked at me queerly and then
he went back and pul led out violin case.
He opened it up and revealed an old look
ing violin.
" 1 got done the same way he said I
coughed up $50 on this It's worth 81,
I'm reliably informed
Il described my man to him, and IL
was the same man. "-Washington Post