The Saint Paul globe., 1905-03-28
YIOLINIST
OUTWITS THE DEPUTY
Under Sheriff Sits Through
Drama and RepIevlns the
Wrong instrument

While a great audience listened to
"ParsifaP at the Metropolitan last
Saturday evening there was one per-
son in the house for whom the whole
opera held nothing but a dark brown
violin.
Deputy Sheriff Hans Hanson, seated
in the doorway leading from the or
chestra pit to the gloomy recesses be-
meath the stage, sat throughout the
festival drama with his glance ever
glued upon the dark brown violin held
in the hands of First Violinist Bertram
Rodenkercher of the "ParsifaP' orches-
ira.
In the inside pocket of the deputy
sheriff's coat reposed a writ of re-
plevin which called for one dark brown
violin worth S75 and for a long time
in the possession OF Bertram Roden-
kercher. When the performance was
over. Orville NJ. Robinson, violin MAX
er. who claimed to be the rightful own
er of the instrument, would be waiting
to again clasp the dark brown violin
in his arms.
Indifferent to Music
The deputy sheriff listened with in
difference to the throbbing, pulsating
swefis of the music. He was vaguely
conscious that above him great music
drama was being enacted. a blurred
Sct VI IdCGS udZZllllS
exhibition of feminine toilettes stretch
ed out before him, but he needed it
not
Throughout the long hours his glance
Dever waVered from the dark brown
violin which Bertram Rodenkercher
caressed with his bow. Just before the
performance began he had been served
by the deputy sheriff with a writ of
replevin, issued from q local justice
court which demanded no nnCGacCfnn
of a dark brown violin. He had begged
of the deputy sheriff that he might
play through the performance upon the
dark brown violin, for the music was
difficult and he was accustomed to the
violin.
At last the final strains were played
and the dark brown violin dropped
from its nesting place under the mu-
sician's chin and into the hands of the
deputy sheriff. He tucked it under his
arm ard hurried out to find the violin
maker. At last, in the crowd, he es-
pied his man and they hurried to a
nearby cigar store to examine the in
strument.
Wrong Violin
The violin maker took one look and
then, alas for the best laid plans of
men, declared that the dark brown viO-
lin was not his: that he had never
brown imitation Of the real article had
been palmed off on the deputy sheriff.
The name "0rville Robinson. maker" "
should appear on the plate inside the
body of the real dark brown violin,
the one worth SIS. 1t was not in this
violin. Another makers name was
there.
And so last night in Milwaukee a
dark brown violin nestled under the
chin of Bertram ROdenkercher as he
played the score of 'Parsifal" and he
was happy, for no deputy sheriff was
seated in the doorway through which
he must pass TO reach the open air.
Orville NJ. Robinson. who swore out
the writ of replevin, is a violin maker
at 43h East Third street. He claims
that his son loaned the violin TO Ro-
denkercher a number of years ago and
that all trace of the man had been lost
since then until the "ParsifaP company
came 10 town. He asked to recover
the violin and S25 as damages sus-
tanned through his long separation
from it.