The sun., 1900-10-20
GOT A LIBRARY VANDAL,
CAU6HT HIM BUTILATISa rIL-
DEN BOOK AT THE LENoI,

Prisoner Il e- A,meaiau who says He 10 Q
Literary Man and a Night school Lecturer
More Than Two Doses Of the rllden Books
From which lie Has Torn Ensrsyiuss.
The officials Of the Ienox Branch Of the New
York Public Library at Fifth avenue and Sew
sntieth street oaugh yesterday man who has
ruined some Of ths rsIest and most valuable
books In the library. The prisoner u Anthanig
Azhderian. an Armenian. 20 years old. Early
this week the officials found that somebody
had ripped leaves and enRravinHs ont Of valus-
BILE books In the Samuel J. Tilden collection.
In the Lemon Library Building is tho entire
Tilden library. comprising about 20 600 volumes.
Some Of the books in this collection II lost
could not be replaced. These can be seen
only by special permission. while the maj ority
are on the shelves 70 which any one may have
access. II was these books that were defaced.
After thu mischief was discovered the move
ments Of every one who came into the library
were watched.
ON Thursday evening young man of sehol-
arly appearance entered the room where the
reference books are kept Selecting large
finely bound quaTto volume OF History Of
England which bears the Tilden book plate hs
sat down as II to read Shortly afterward he
moved u q remote corner of the ROOM where
instead II laying ce book out fiat upon the table
he put It in his lap. library atteudsutwa tohed
the man aud when he left the building Il was
found thai several steel engrav1nRs had been
torn ont and taken away. The attendants were
notified TO watch for the return OF the man.
Yesterday afternoon he came in again and
went at onoe to the shelves where the hlstor-
cal volumes Of the rlden collection are kept
when he had found the book he had
mutated the cay ueiure he went To-
the same corner with Il stuart c. Wade.
department. sent q Gnal boy into the gallery
- watch the mSn; IA Lde t. nan. hnownevfr. n dis
bs Ian, stoJjped reading The performances
was rereated when he saw another youth who
was Watching lbs movemelhs from behind .
A. this point Librarian Wade had William
Elliott An attendant pHt on an oyerooat, has
and y,oyes ami 80 out Eillott returned shortly.
aul IN ths gl-e Of visitor u the library took
a position where he could see everything thas
won't on, Elliott ssy the reader take FROM
his pocket pad Of the same size as the pa<
he pratendei IN take notes. but In reality he
wa using his pencil 70 cnt 2 page OUT near ths
It In tie pad iftel pad and .Il and put II In his
pocket Elliott TO make certain. waited until
process and then se!zeI Hlm a. he was AT wore
on the thiri rhe two sheets he had torn out
Ths Wisorer told Librarian Wade that he
was literary man by occupation and leo
t,irer In the public night schools. He said ha
lived in Washington place, but II was after<
ward found that hir address IL 1927 Fast Fifty
second street He told his Ca ptors that he
would more than make good his misohiei II they
would rrle7ee him rhev turned him over to-
a policeman who took the Armenian TO the
ArSs SsnaL
Hero A1hdcrsn confessed that he wa9
the man who had despolled the other TildsflI
books The liprarv otacils found that more
than two dozen books had been stripped OF
tm., hut would glvs no explanation Iibra-l
ran Wade said he would press the case 70 the
limit I Will go 70 court, he said, and try'
This Is three Years imprisonment and $500
rne. provided for hy a special law. passed to
protect libraries We are determined never
To- have rere.iton of the offence II making an
example In this case Will prevent"