The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-28
ELIHU VFDDFR IS
ROBBED IN ROME
Dean of American Art Colony
Loses Valuable CanvaseS
to Thieves.

ROME. Feb. 27.--American artists in
the Eternal City form a little colony
Of their own. with excursions into other
worlds, the German. the Spanish and
the Italian. but all the time maintain
ing cachet Of their own. OF these, In
painting, Mr.. Vedder stands in the
foremost rank. because of originality of
work and seniority of residence.
In his thirty-seven years life here
many studio robberies have occurred.
and he has sympathized and laughed
with the sufferers in his jovial way,
convinced that such a thing could never
happen to him. But the other morning
Mrs. Vedder left her husband indis-
posed at home and went out to the
studio-rendered famous by having
been formerly that of Fortuny-to seize
the opportunity of setting the place in
order. She found the studio door open,
with the paddock on the floor. One
glimpse inside was sufficient, they had
been robbed! The drawers were all
open, with their contents streWed on
the floor; wardrobe doors were wide
open. with everything inside topsy tur-
w; the floor covered with the debris
OF broken easels. and the frames Of
pictures, chairs overturned. etc. Search
proved, however, that the thieves had
confined themselves, with quite unex-
pected good taste. to the works of Mr..
Fedder. From the stretchers it was
seen that the nails had been forced out
OF the canvaseS with pincers and with
knife, but done with the greatest
care, and that the bronzes had been
wrapped in afternoon tea cloths and
doyleys. as they were also missing.
The chief work taken was replica,
Just finished, of a picture painted for
Pierpont Morgan, some years ago, and
called Greek Girls Bathing" II has
been declared to be one of the most
human of Mr.. Vedders' works, and
shows deep appreciation of the Hell
lenic spirit, each figure having a free.
graceful action, while the coloring is
in Mr.. Vedder's characteristic manner.
The picture measured two yards by
nineteen and a half inches and lust a
few weeks ago the artist refused 50, 900
for it. The other canvas was smaller,
being Fortune" a bit of glowing color
straight from the heart of the artist.
who does not live in the real Rome, but
in world of gCddesses, fair women
and strong men. Besides this, the
thieves took possession of several small
original bronZes, one Of which is a rem
AAO0 ~ bAieAl OOQ61l ny MTS. Danl6 ell
Merriam, of Worcester, Mass, and of
which there are only these two in ex-
1stence, and bronze copy of a silver
cup designed by Mr.. Vedder and sold
IN America. The object of the thieves
Is as yet unknown, as the difficulties of
dlsposing Of such well-known works
are almost insurmountable. The the
cries advanced are that the thieves took
them for some one else and were paid
so much for the job, or that they did
1t at the suggestion of third party.
who has means of disposing of the
work.
Four men have been arrested. and the
police are confident that they are the
guilty PARTIES, although the clue was Of
the slightest. A knife with the tin
broken off was pawned by one of the
arrested men, and on trial was found
to fit the marks left in the stretchers
of the stolen pictures. VIII they find
the stuff as well as the thieves? The
police say yes" Mr.. Vedder saws mo-"
The Vedder family are phenomenal
In one particular, they have lived in the
same apartment for thirty-five years
that is, since Mr.. and Mrs. Vedder, nee
Rosekrans, of Glen Falls, N. Y, came to
Rome AS bride and bridegroom, which
is record in a city where people
change their quarters at least every
two years, and are then anything but
contented. When one thinks that in
those years by rights the Vedders
should have lived in eighteen or nine
teen different apartments, their te-
meyity in sticking to one is dumfound-
ing.