The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-19
LOOKED LIKE A LOBSTER.
Pacific Coast Artists Picture of q
Crawish Failed to Satisfy.


Portland Oregonian.
Because the picture he painted of
George Washington bore strong marks OF
resemblance to William Tell and his like
ness of crawfish looked more like lob
ster, r. G. Berger, a sign painter, was
not able to collect the full amount of his
bill, and brought suit for the amount in
Justice Reds court
The case was heard yesterday, but no
decision will be given until to-day. The
evidence of the witnesses was conflicting
and Judge Reid insisted that he must first
visit the scene of the dispute and see for
himself if the Father of his Country wore
German features and if the crawfish was
of the wrong species.
The suit was against ]. L. Mitchell, rep
resenting the Order of Washington. The
sign had been painted on the inside of the
fence on the baseball grounds Of the Ma
tional League. The order had decided that
their lodge needed advertisement and that
they WOULD make an appeal TO the people
whd visited the baseball grounds. Berger
was called and instructed to procure an
appropriate sign to advertise the Order of
Washington. Now, upon the literature OF
the lodge is a likeness of the Nation s
great character, and the only specification
as to the sign to be painted was that ii was
to have a large picture of the he of
Ratchet fame.
The sign was painted and the members
of the committee visited the grounds. Some
of them had not really gone to see the
game but they were willing to pay the
price Of admission in order to view with
pride the handsome sign and tell their
neighbors that they were members of the
Order Of Washington. But their pride was
stung as they sat and listened to the COM
ments.
"Who is that?" people asked on every
side.
washington? That does not look like
discussed and each time the conclusion
was reached that 1T really did look like
some great character and that William
Tell was the most likely subject to apply
the likeness to.
When the painter went around to collect
his bill he did not meet a very warm re-
ception. His price was SIS. of which he had
collected about $50. and the members vowed
they would not pay the remaining $25, for
they were not satisfied with the work In
fact, they were not willing for the picture
to be on the fence at all, and insisted that
the painter must smear the likeness over
with cclored paint and make a design of
different sort A new design was made
of red, white and blue colors and no states
man now adorns the fence, out still the
lodge members are not willing TO pay the
bill.
The case was argued yesterday by Otto
J. Kraemer for the plaintiff and Charles
+. Lord for the defendant.
What did the picture look like?" asked
Mr. Lord, in his effort to show that there
might be a mistake. did it look like
Judge Kraemer?' The Judge has red hair,
and the witness smiled as he remarked
that there was red. white and blue on the
picture.
An effort was made to prove that the
workmanship of the painter was generally
poor. and the proprietor of the Quele res
turant vas called.
Il employed him to paint sign for me, -
said the baron. as he took the witness
stand. II told him to paint picture of
a crawfish, and when he get through with
il II looked much more like lobster than
it did crawfish." Witnesses were called
by both sides who had seen the pictures.
Among some of them the opinion prevailed
that Washngtons picture could not have
been mistaken, and as for the crawfish on
the fence, IL looked natural enough TO eat.
Others were of the opinion that the pic
lures were all wrong and that the painter
had no business to ask for pay under the
conditions. Washingtons portrait is gone
and the judge will not be able to see wheth-
er or not the painter did justice TO the
theme, but the fish is still cleaning on the
fence and Judge Reid will to-day decide the
case, Influenced greatly by his opinion as
10 whether the likeness is of lobster or
not