The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-12
.YALE's OLD BOOKSELLER.
Curious Deceit of Which the Rev. Mr..
Kingsbury Was the Victim.

r.
Kingsbury Was the Victim.
A special dispatch to the New York
Sun from New Haven says: The Rev
w. Fl. Kingsbury. the old Yale book
seller. is, to use his own words, unut-
terably sad His long standing ard
optimistic faith in human nature has
been shattered, and his distress is the
greater because the blow came from one
of his own calling; one who seemed
he saws, Sin every way a Christian
gentleman" The deceiver is none other
than the Rev. James Britain Miller,
graduate of the Yale Theological school,
who is at the present time out on bail,
awaiting trial on the charge of stealing
5000 volumes from various New Haven
book stores, one of which is the Rev.
Mr.. Kingsbury's. The average Yale
man might forgive Miller the theft of
every volume excepting those taken
from Mr.. Kingsbury, for the latter oc-
cupies a prominent place in the affec-
tons of the undergraduates.
Mr. I<ingsbury runs one of those es-
adjustments which all have read about
in books, blu. which are rarely seen in
every day life; and he is himself one of
the characters of Yale. Many years ago
he retired from the Congregational
ministry and opened book shop in
New Haven, dealing almost exclusively
with college men. #The majority of the
text books used at}Yae circulate, in an
endless round, from Mr. Kingsbury's
shop to the campus and from the cam
pus back to his shop. He buys the books
from one class. sells them to another,
which in turn, at the close of the coll
lege year, brings them back again to
the dingy Crown street store, to be sold
once more at the opening of the fall
term. In the long history of his deal
ings with Yale men he has never known
to refuse to buy a volume, of whatever
nature and in whatever condition it
might be. Anything from Ladd's IN
PRODUCTION to Philosophy" to Webster's
spelling book or the Sunday edition of
a yellow journal finds ready market
with him. As a result his shop is lit
tered from end to end with the literary
accumulations of many years There
are books piled in disordered heaps all
over the floor. and the shelves up to the
ceiling are covered with dust-covered
volumes that have lain unbought and
untouched for years. 1 is difficult for
the inexperienced customer to thread
his way in and out of the labyrinth Of
worm -eaten and forgotten folios: and
as for finding the particular volume de-
sired, no one has a less clearly defined
idea than Mr.. kngsbury himself where
it may be.
From all OF which it is easy to see
what a manner of man MI Kingsbury
is. He is an old gentleman with white
hair and a long white beard, and the
mildest manner in the world. The large
part of. his time he spends in the rear
of his store, huddled close to an old
fashioned coal stove, reading by the
Tight of a kerosene lamp the old Greek
and Hebrew masters in the original
tongues-for Mr. Kingsbury is a very
profound scholar, Occasionally a stu
dent will interrupt his studies by Of
fering a large package of books for
sale. These are invariably purchased
and thrown upon the pile nearest at
hand. More rarely a customer will di-
vert Mr. Kingsbury's attention from
his beloved classics, and more likely
than not be directed to a rival shop;
for although the proprietor is always
ready to buy, he seldom shows any
great alacrity to sell. On many occas-
ions Mr.. Kingsbury has been known to
advise a freshman not to purchase
volume that has struck his fancy tell
ing him that he could spend his time
much more prOfitably in reading more
enduring works.
From all this it will be seen that Mr.
was an easy mark for the |
Rev. James Britain Miller. II was
about five years ago that the old and
the young divine first met. At that time
Miller was a student in the Yale Theo- |
logical school. and man of promise. |
The two men at once formed an init |
mate friendship which grew with the |
years. Miller was. so Kingsbury says, |
a man of much culture and literary at |
He used to browse among |
Mr.. Kingsbury's treasures for hours at |
a stretch, and occasionally would bring |
in a large pile of books and dispose of |
them to his ancient friend for cash. At |
first he informed Mr.. kingsbury that |
he secured these books from a bank
rupt bookseller who was debtor to
his father. No explanation. however,
was needed, for Mr., Kingsbury never |
for moment suspected the young man. |
That they bad been taken from other |
bookstores never crossed his mind. In /
fact Mr.. Kingsbury was in the habit
of leaving the store - Niller's charge
for hours. and regarded the young
theologue as his right-hand man. The
latter at times showed his kindly feel
ing by going down in his pocket and
lending Mr. Kingsbury ST. or $40.
During th" past year Mr.. Kingshury
has noticed that his book heaps on GER
tain occasions usually aften one of Mr..
Mller's prolonged visits. were dimin-
lshed in SlEH, sun ne never suspected
that young man. Even when the lat
ter returned carrying the very volumes
he had missed, his suspicious We're not
aroused. H. bought them promptly.
paying good cash, and thanking the
young preacher for the opportunity
And this. il seems, was Millers favoritc
game He carried off Mr. Kingsbury'a
books by hundreds. kept them a week
d. two and then sold them back to The
very man from whom they had been
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