Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-02-20

1 upon $500 as a reasonable purchase
price, the public appeal for funds was
made. As 4 was necessary TO raise
the entire purchase price at once, sew
eral members OF the institution sup
Piled the $500 on condition that the
amount should be returned to them
when the public had subscribed that
figure.
KING STARTS SUBSCRIPTION.
Although the king started the pub
lie list with SIPS and the Prince Of
Wales signed for $50 the first ot last
February found only 81 1850 on hand.
Then II was that Admiral Sir y. Bow
den-Smth wrote a letter to the Times
urging the public 20 come forward With
the balance Of the money needed TO
secure this precious antique TO the ma
ton.
Eventually the public subscribed the
full amount and the Service institution
came into full possession Of the treas.
ure, While the statue was on loan
and after the institution bought It sew
eral experts on sculpture examined the
figure and all agreed that the museum
was most fortunate In securing a per.
feet example Of early nineteenth CEN
fury workmanship with such his
tory attached to H.
SUSPICION AROUSED.
Among others who had read Admiral
Bowden- Smiths letter In the Times,
however, was q well known London
ph0togra phor named BeresfOrd. Nv
Beresiord remembered that some four
years before his friend, Richard CARRIE.
then student OF sculpture, had re
cciyed q commission nom London
art dealer named Fisher to model in
clay q statuette of Lord Nelson. As
he recalled The circumstances IL struck
him that the figure his friend had made
answered accurately the description
the admiral gave of the great relic and
thinking The coincidence. II such II was
might bear investigation, he wrote TO
Admiral Bowdcn- Smith and told him
what he knew.
MIR. Bcrcsford received no re.
ply To his letter, but within a
few days the assistant secretary
Of the United Service institution
called to ask him t. see Col Holden.
the secretary Of the institution. Mr..
Beresford called and finding the secre-
tary engaged strolled into the museum.
which is In the same building. to have
look at the statuettc. While he was
doing so a man. who afterwards proved
| 10 be the colonel came In and asked
the visitor II he were interested in the
figure. II know the artist who designed
| the original" replied Beresford, who
| had recognized the statuCtte at once as
a copy Of his friends work.
EXPOSURE SUPPRESSED.
Mr. Beresford who Is something OF
an antiquarian himself. says he then
showed the secretary where sharp edges
had been smoothed off with a file to
| give the figure worn appearance and
| also called Col, Holden's attention &C
| the fact that instead OF a solid block Of
silver the statuette was nothingNtut Q
silver shell filled with some metallic
substance to give II the necessary
weight, What the photographer hat
said, however, did not reach Ad,nira
Bowden-Smith or any OF the institu
tons other officials and the public sub.
scriptlon list remained open until not
only the $500 had been raised, but
also an additional $500 which was spent
In an expensive pedestal and large
| glass case for the relic.
| WhereupOn the fake statuette was sci
up in the United Service museum
which, by the bye, is situated in the
| building in Whitehall. from which
| Charles | stepped out on to the scaffold
| and there II has stood all this time
| Perhaps the fraud never would have
been discovered had not the photog-
| rapher Beresfords letter TO Admiral
| Powden-S Smith suddenly turned up
II has not been made public Just why
| this letter was not delivered 10 the ad-
miral or how 1t came 10 reappear 50
suddenly but evidently the officials OF
the institution had their suspicious and
| they questioned Col Holden II is re.
ported that the secretary admitted sup
! pressing the letter, but declared that
as so many experts had testified to
the genuineness OF the figure, he had
| not thought II worth while to call the