The evening times., 1900-09-17
DEATH OF An ART Critic
John B. Randolph. tie Gomneisseur,
Killed by a Fall.
He Acted as the Commissioned OF
Many wealthy Patrons of Paint
ing-Gireat Pictures Bought to
America by Eim-Caused the Inn
portation of the Peach Flow Vase.

NEh 1Oflh-- Sep. It.-N I'm the HuSlC
of the play still in her ears Miss Celeste
Randolph returned to her home at /
o'clock yesterday morning and found her
father. John B. Randolph, a celebrated
connoisseur, dying from fracture at the
base of the SKULL received by falling down
! stairs
! She was prGstrated. Ten days ago she
| had the lines of her hand read by
| palmlst, who prophesied that ''some one
| very near and dear to her would be
| brought home fatally injured soon,' and
| that she would be at the deathbed- The
man who would be fatally injured would
| be tall and and dark, the palmist said, and
the description throughout tailed with
that OF her father.
Miss Randolph laughed at the dire pro-
phecy, for her father was strong and in
excellent health. As she looked down at
her father yesterday, lying unconscious Oh
couch, and thought OF these things, she
became i'll, and felt that the fulfllment of
the palmist's prophecy was at hand.
Mr.. Randolph lived or the top floor of
the apartment house at No 312 West 121st
Street He was forty-two years old and
was a descendant OF John Randolph, of
| Virginia. He had been visiting friends
| Saturday evening, and started for home
/ q bout midnight, accompanied by Daniel f.
Dillon. of No 1871 Third Avenue. Dillon
left him at Eighty-six Street and Central
Park West
On the way. uptown he bought a box OF
ice cream for his daughters, aud it was
found in his hand. While ascending the
stairs leading from the second to the third
floor he is supposed to have tripped and
fallen backward his head striking the
bottom step George Beech, another ten
| ant of the building, heard heavy breathing
! outside his apartment. and on going TO in
vestigate- found Mr.. Randolph, who was
| six feet two inches III height and weighed
| 2f0 pounds. lying at the foot Of the stairs.
| Beech carried his neighbor upstairs TO his
| apartment. -----
| few minutes later Celeste Randolph
| returned home from the theatre. and
went for Dr. Dochstader, who said he
could do little to help the injured man
I At ! O'Clock MIR. Randolph was removed
to j. Hood Wright Hospital. and dei
| there at 1850 o clock. without regain nS
| consciousness. Two years ago Mr., Ran
! dolph was waylaid and robbed by four
| men at 10th Street and Park Avenue,
! and there was money in his pockets
! yesterday morning Members CT ms
! family at first said ne had been mur-
| dered bat the police satisfied them that
/ the injury was the result Of an accident
al fall.
| Probably co man was better known in
| art circles in this country for many
| years than Mr. Randolph. When ne Was
| only eleven years old he came 10 this
| city from Seneca Falls, y. Y, his birth
| place, and at the age OF eighteen years
/ he entered the employ of an art So
| ciety He was an ardent stud mt, and
/ with al road tngk
! he could get on the subject Of art. In
| short time he became an expert.
| quick glance from his sharp eyes
! and work quite as quick determined the
! judgment OF MIR. Milhous seeking art
| treasures His jurgment of rare dra-
| paries, porcelain. mcsaics. and tapestries
was more highly regarded by many than
| that OF any other man in this country.
| For the last fifteen years there has been
| no more conspicuous critic in the United
! States. and it is probable that his pur-
| chases for men OF wealth in paintings
| alone would amount to SO ,00O UO0.
| Coils p. Huntington purchased almost
| all of his great collection through Mr. Ran
| dolph and so did George Gould. Pier
! pont Morgan. Morosini, the Fanderbilts,
! and many other miIlionaires. He was the
most familiar figure at all great art sales.
/ which he attended invariably as the COM
| missioner of some one of the wealthy art
{
negotiated for the bringing of The An
gelus." MilIet's famous picture to the Uni
/ ted States. and Rosa Bonheur's Horse
/ Fair, now in the Metropolitan Museum of
! Art
/ In 1886 he brought about the transfer
! from Mary Jane Morgan, the world re
ncwnad peach blow vase of the Kang-He
period of fe61-1722 from the private col
! lection of ] Ndng-Ye. 4 Chinese prince. to
/ William :. Walters of Baltimore for SIS
600 He also brought to this country The
Russian Wedding Feast" which he took TO
| the Detroit Exposition in 1886.
In the sale of y. T Stewart's famous col
lection and that OF George l. Seney. re
-took a conspicuous part, as he did in every
prominent sale during the last decade.
Nassii Ferestchagins, famous Russian
painter, always used him as his commits
sioneF in selling pictures to rich Ameri-
cans. Whenever a picture was to be ap-
praised packed. or bought Mr. Randolph
| was called in by his rich patrons. who sent
him to all parts Of the country in search
OF rich treasures.
He WAS offered The position Of art critic
to the Paris Exposition but he declined in
favor of Mr. Story. George Gould It is
said, once wanted to take him into his ex-
elusive employ as art commissioner and
give him house in Tuxedo but he did not
care to have his ability confined to the use
of one man. When Coils p Huntington
died Mr.. Randolph wept bitterly. for the
multi-millionaire was one of his best
friends.
He left widow and five children. the
! youngest fifteen months old. He died COM
| pafatively poor.
MENNoNITEs IN SESSION.