The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-17
AUCTION SALE
OF FURNITURE
HOW BARGAIN HUNTERS ARE
WORKED BY A N. Y GAME.
An Auction Game That Lasted a Month
and Disposed Of Several Carloads of
Stuff That Was Not Quite the Real
Thing, but Gould Be Made 'sto Do.'
New York Correspon,denc


fI discovered a new phase of the
money making game recently thru a
rear window observation, said the
man who lives in furnished room. 1t
explains the wonderful \ endurance of
some of the furniture auction adver-
tisements that we see in the newspa-
pers. H.. -.g..-
lect0r of Oriental manuscripts, used to
live in house almost backing the one
that | camp out in. used to take
peeps in at his windows and admire as
much Of the furnishings as could see.
"When he died he left his collection
to an upstate college, and everything
else to his widow for her life Then [
noticed that she was going to spend a
couple Of years in Europe, and the next
thing / knew packers and movers were
in possession, and / could see the rooms
top floor and ending with the back par
"They didn take everything away,
however, and in exchanging cfvilities
with my landlady one evening I learned
that the flag end of the household goods
the commonplace stuff-was to be
sold by auction. It was advertised as
"The entire housed furnishing goods of
a distinguished art and Oriental col
lector. -
"You may believe I gasped when I
read that after I had seen the house
cleared Of every stick or thread or
ounce of metal worth salvaging. But I
gasped still more when I looked out Of
the window next morning.
81 was little late that mornino.
and it was 9:30 or SO when I looked
out. [ rubbed my eyes; could hardly
believe 1 was awake. Every window
| in the Porous house was richly draped.
The draperies were 'OrientaI'-oh so
Oriental! All the best limitations of
England and America were there on
one window or another.
When l got out, / couldn't help
strolhng around and taking a look at
the house. It had been transformed
into a Museum big M. There
were prayer carpets from Long Island
City, and Oriental pottery from York
ers, and repousse brass from Syrian
shops on Washington street; the weap-
ons, | imagine, were collected from a
theatrical property shop somewhere
near the Rialto.
The Oriental draperies shut out the
daylight and there were crimson shades
on all the gas globes. The effect was
gorgeous. The whole house was like a
succession of ready-made coy corners
at $37.49 corner.
1 But couldn't help admiring the
l completeness and plausibility. Of the
job. The house was furnished from roof
to cellar as if the family had just left
lsit.
There was linen in the closets; the
table equipage, china, glass and cutlery
were complete and handsome. There
was even a large assortment of wine
| cobwebby, standing in rows among the
pots and pans in the cellar, just as if
lit had been just hauled out Of the cal.
lar. I knew it WASH It, for old Porous
was virulent cold water advocate.
"WelI, / couldn It resist the tempta
ton to run uptown an hour ahead OF
time to see how the trap worked.
never saw anything like it. The house
was mobbed
'The enterprising auctioneer, who
IL learned later, had bought the aban
i doned trash and the fag end of lease
from the family for almost nothing
had certainly made the coup of his life
He was down on the second floor wher
III dropped in, having started at the tor
of the house, and I gathered that thu
that and the following day.
"But just then 1 CHANGED to take an
Z, other glance at the advertisement, ant
1 ] was amazed to observe that the sal,
Twas advertised to last all the week
On the morning Of the third day
Hooked over at the house again.
Could my eyes deceive me or wa
tains, and were the men on the uppe
floors, whose windows were not We
Idraped. engaged in hanging picture
I and setting up beds, while neat col
lored maid was following them arrane
ing. linen ornaments and chinaware