The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-07

Inc peculiar charm of mystery saws
Washington letter in the New York
Times, will hereafter invest one of the
best known pictures of the National
capitol, which mysteriously disappear
ed from one of the committee rooms
on the House side several years ago,
and which has been as mysteriously
returned within the last few days. The
picture is an oil painting by the late
Col. Seth Eastman, an old officer of the
United States army and a warm per-
sonal friend of Gen. u. S. Grant. The
painting represents number of Sioux
women gathering wild rice in one of
the placid streams common to Western
Minnesota 1t was painted by Col.
Eastman in 1869, and was really re-
PLEA of water color which he made
in 1889 while serving with the First
United States Infantry at Fort Smell
ing, Mimi. The scene was engraved
for Schoolcraft's History of the North
American Indians" which was publish
ed in 1853
Col. Eastman was a native of Maine,
from which state he was appointed
to- the Military Academy, whence he
with Robert E. Lee and Joseph E.
Johnston. After service on the from
tier, Eastman returned to the acad-
envy in 1888 as an assistant instructor
in drawing, and served there until 1910,
when he rejoined his regiment in Flor
ida. Ulysses S. Grant was a cadet at
the Military Academy during East
mans tour of duty as instructor, and
the acquaintance between the two men
then formed ripened into friendship
which continued until the death of
Eastman in Washington, Aug. 8, 1875,
in his 6Sth year. His extensive knowl-
edge of the Indians caused Eastman
to be detailed in 1850 for duty with the
Indian Bureau, during which service
he prepared an illustrated work. called
THE Historical Condition and Future
Prospects of the Indian Tribes in the
United States" which was published
by Congress- BY resolution of the
Mouse Eastman was subsequently
commissioned to paint two series of
paintings, the first of which represents
Indian life in the Northwest, and the
second one of the old-time forts erect
ed for the defense of that section. The
latter series, some ten or twelve in
number, now hang in the room of the
House Committee on Military Affairs.
The Indian pictures are on the walls
of the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Eastman was paid the sum of 5000 per
annum in addition to his salary for
painting the pictures.
Last fall a wealthy young woman of
this city, a granddaughter of Col.
Eastman, took a party of friends to
the Capitol to see her grandfather's
paintings, which she had not seen in
many years. Seven of them were found
hanging in the Indian Committee
room, but the Rice Gatherers," which
she had always heard spoken of as the
best of the number, was missing. She
called on Representative James S.
Sherman of New York, chairman of
the committee, and inquired about the
missing painting. Mr.. Sherman replied
that the missing picture must be one
he had hanging in his private room.
The young lady and her friends were
escorted to the room where Mr.. Sher-
man pointed to large picture by
Eastman, which he supposed was the
subject of inquiry. But it was not the
peaceful Rice Gatherers" which con-
fronted the party. Instead they were
Mortified to see a faithfully executed
picture of a horrible scalping scene.
The young relative of the old army
officer Immediately began a search for
the missing picture.
The Capitol employees were made
aware of the fact that a well-known
and valuable painting had been taken
from the building without the knowl-
edge of those intrusted with its care
and safety, and that no one could be
| found who knew anything about the
matter. One of the Capitol detectives
was put to work on the case. He made
inquiry of the ethnologists at the
Smithsonian Institution as to their
knowledge Of the missing picture. The