The Saint Paul globe., 1903-04-07
Museum of the Late e.
Schroeder, Taxidermist,
Contains Many Quaint
and Interesting Specimens
of Bird, Beast, Reptile and
Insect All Covered With
Dust.

H. Schroeder, taxidermist and nat
uralist, is dead. In the queer little
museum on West Third street dust has
filtered down on his great collection of
stuffed animals, birds, fishes and rep
tiles. While he lived the naturalist
kept these always in readiness for the
expected visitor, but a long illness left
him Indifferent alike to the comments
of these visitors and to the fate of his
once beloved collection. When death
came to the naturalist Sunday, the big
mounted grizzlies, the moose, the elk
and all the lesser animals seemed, be-
cause of their uncared condition. to
still further weight the atmosphere of
death that enveloped the house.
If Dickens were alive today, he would
consider the taxidermist's exhibit hall
a find. He would exult in the shabby,
deserted street that loiters past it's
door; in the begrimed and poorly light
ed stairway that leads up to the treas
ure house; in the prodigal assortment
that is to be found in that treasure
house. Thirty-five years has Mr..
Schroeder been collecting the speci-
mems that people his museum at 158
West Third street. Indeed, the COL
lecting mania seized hold of him long
before that, when he was a youth in
the northern part of Germany. The
little cottage that stood on the out
skirts of the small village soon became
too small to hold all the specimens"
the small boy toiled so hard to gather.
Started to Collect Early.
His parents, prudent German people,
wisely did not seek to change their
sons bent They merely directed. He
was apprenticed to wise old man who
knew all about animals and how to
care for them when they were killed so
that they would still retain their life
like appearance. And SO, when, thirty
six years ago, the lad set sail for
America he brought with him the
choicest specimens of his collection.
This was the nucleus for the museum
that he soon opened in this city.
Every animal and bird indigenous to
the Northwest, which H. Schroeder has
in his collection, was shot or trapped
by him, but from time to time he pur-
chased far Western and tropic speci-
mems that are now exhibited in the
museum. Cases filled with small ami
mails, birds, butterflies and bugs line
the walls and in the center of the room
are grouped the largest animals. For
instance, two grizzly BEARS male and
female, face one another at one end of
the room, in so realistic an attitude that
it is difficult to believe that they are
merely the dead semblance of their
former selves. And next to the ram
pant grizzlies is a great moose, an i'm
posing figure that dwarfs even the
bears. There are a number of freaks"
in the museum, a two-headed calf, a
tiny colt with an eye in the middle of
its forehead and no nostrils; and an
other calf with a head shaped like a
human being, but with a nose like a
dog
But the average visitor will not
care to linger near these monstrosities
when there are others more normal
and equally we'll preserved to hold
his attention. At one end of the room
is case filled with humming birds.
Specimens Are Various.
Not very far from these and directly
opposite is table on which is ar
ranged a number of small snakes, eels,
turtles and other similar specimens.
Under the table are alligators, the
smallest quite large enough to swallow
a baby. boa constructor is one OF
the curiosities of the collection.
OF the birds there is an infinite va
riety. The cases on either side of the
room are lined with them and with
each specimen there is a nest and
eggs. Every specimen in the quaint
museum is carefully labeled and often
there is added a brief note that tells
where the animal was shot or trapped
Occasionally on the board wall back
of these cases one comes across a
scrap of newspaper verse or a short
fbof hnc
all to do with the collection, but which
for some reason or other had caught
the collectors attentioe. He pasted
the clippings where he was in the
habit of keeping all his other treasures
and the result is that the walls Of the
cases form veritable scrap book.
But the big room on the third floor
of the building was not large enough
to hold all of the naturaIist's collec-
ton. Many moose. elk and deer heads
have overflowed out into the entry
and found their way down to the sec
ond floor, where they peer down from
grimy walls as if marveling at their
own fate.