New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-04-02
VANDALISM BY SOUVENIR FIENDS.
D41fAGE THEY HAVE DONE TO VALUABLE OBJECTS
AT NATIONAL CAPITAL

the edihcatiOn OF tourists. Nowadays a guard
is stationed within the room every minute OK
the time that it is open for inspection, whose
sole business is 20 prevent the relic grabbers
from stealing or damaging articles within the
apartment Before the Presidents Room was
protected by a special guard It was perlodlGally
the draperies the knobs on the doors. the leather
seatE OF the chairs. the upholstery OF the SOFAS
and fhe handsome rugs were either taken G sHS.
entire or were cut out piecemeal by Vahdais
Time after time the damage was repaired Only
20 be repeated in more or less aggravated FORM,
and finally II was deemed advisable from the
standpoint Of economy, IL for no other reason
TO put an officer on constant watch
Not only has the Presidents Room been the
harvest field OF the curio collector in the Capitol
but every corner OF the great building mas SUI
fered from time TO time. Many OF the disnonor-
able scars are very patent 10 the aAsu eye ~ %
IL has been found impossible TO repair mucn OF
the damage without the expenditure or more
money than the superintendent OF the 0uilolng
has had at his disposal. Nearly every one OF
the beautiful bronze doors on the eastern front
OF the building has been mutilated These doors
cost many thousands OF dollars, for each pre-
sents numerous allegorical and historical scenes
in bass-relef upon its panels. These costly eA-
anples OF the metal workers art have been Sc
mer and knife have Clipped sway parts OF the
figures represented. Here soldier in one panel
has been robbed Of his sword there a horse has
lost part OF his name or tan; Wherever a ue!l-
eately wrought portion OF the work could be
Clipped away It has disappeared to satisfy the
craving OF some conscienceless person Tor a
souvenir"
There are also numerous more substantial pro-
jectiOns in the designs which have been polished
by the hands OF countless thousands who, IN
spfred, doubtless by an uninteiligent desire 10
initiate, have rubbed each bronze surface which
showed that It had been rubbed before until all
the rubbing spots" as the guides call thenl'
have been polished until each shines against
the dark bronze background like point OF light
Walk up the dimly lighted shaft Of the Wash
ington Monument, il you would see the work
Of the vandal in its most hideOus form. Dozens
OF the costly stone and metal tablets set in the
walls by Masonic and fraternal bodies from
all over the world have been hewn out OF all
semblance TO their original shapes. Where the
scoundrels have not been able 10 chip away
pieces OF the metal they have often taken
blunt heavy instruments and deliberately
pounded out the lettering emblems The
wreck of the tablets within the monument re-
calls the fact that one OF the most fragrant acts
OF vandalism ever committed in Washington
was peTpetrated in the days when the Know
Nothing agitation was at fits height The Pope
had sent a very beautiful stone for the monu-
ment, and those opposed TO Catholicism made
violent effort to prevent its being put in place
On the eve OF the day that the masons were
TO cement the stone IL its niche the watchman
al the monument was attacked by a party OF
unknown persons and taken prisoner. The
Pope stone." as the offending tablet was called
was taken from its case. broken into a hundred
pieces, and the fragments were taken down to
the Potomac and dumped into the waters A tre-
mendous sensation was caused by this exploit
but the perpetrators OF the outrage were never
detected. The Pope finally sent another tablet
which Jared better than the frst, and found its
proper place In the monument wall
The guardians OF Mount Vernon have prob
ably been haTassed by the vandal relic hunters
more than the custodians of any other single
place In the United States. The door knobs of
the historic mansion that once belonged to the
Father OF His Country have been replaced time
after time, and everything movable about the
grounds has suffered. Not content with pick
ing the flowers from the growing things about
the place, the tourists have often seized large
rose bushes. vines and small trees and taken
them away under their coats or cioaks. To save
the very gravestones from dissertation 1t was
mar 70
the old family burial plot with high iron fence
and within the house itself the tourist is kept
out Of most of the rooms by heavy wooden
gratings fastened I'm the door castings Before
these bars were placed across the doors Of the
chambers. It Is said. certain OF the employees OF
Mount Vernon made a very good thing out of
the glass knobs that adorned of the old
cupboards. These knobs were easily removed,
and. IL seems, just easily duplicated at a cost
OF ten or fifteen cents apiece in one OF the fur
niture stores. The employees who worked the
scheme made a point Of steering the tourists
very Obligingly turn their backs. The plan sell
dom failed TO work. and when the journey about
the house was resumed two or three of the
knobs would be nlysteriously missing. AS soon
they got their victims outside or in con-
venient corner the willy guides would charge
them with the theft Of the knobs and would
threaten them with arrest The frightened relic
hunter would thereupon offer to compromise for
any amount. and the price invariably agreed
upon was 81 knob The tourist got the knob,
too as a special act of clemency on the part of
the employee, and by the time the next tourist
party came through new knobs were In place,
waiting 20 be stolen.
The Congressional library has also been the
scene OF many acts OF vandalism. OF course, the
more precious manuscripts and books are pro-
tected in glass cases. but the file room has
proved gold mine to the curio hunter. Many
Of the bound files have been mutilated. a
cent examination OF The Tribune file, which is
most frequently consulted by history makers,
shows that numerous clippings have been taken.
and in some instances advertisements. even,
have been cut from the pages. Hardly week
passes without the discovery that such
mutilation has occurred.
The prize coupon" schemes by which many
newspapers exploit their circulation has az
for1ed an especially tempting bait 10 many ille-
gal clippers" and the current files Of some
newspapers which offered trip to the st. Louis
Exposition for g1von number OF coupons have
hardly a whole issue the library files. In
creased vigilance on the part OF the library
ployes has resulted. however. and now the man
or who clips file at the library does so
at HIS or her peril.