Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-02-16

visited the various museums and re-
turned to Germany to say that the
leading American museums We're filled
with bogus antiquities. He criticised
the Tanagra figures in the New York
Museum of Art. They are small tar
racotta figures or groups representing
classic subjects and bear the date OF
800 B. G. and were the gift of the
late e. c. Moore. The museum au-
thcrities having heard of Prof Furt-
wrangler's iconoclastic views declined
to open any of the cases for him and
his inspection was therefore entirely
superficial. In Boston, however, he
demonstrated the character of similar
figures and they were relegated to a
dark closet. In Philadelphia he pro-
nounced against the Sommerville col
lection without hesitation.
But before that rumor had antici-
pated him. Following me Hilprecht-
Peters controversy the archaeological
committee of the university, headed
by Mrs. Sara YOrke Stevenson, had
resigned. But they had already begun
an investigation of the charges that
some of the gems in the Sommerville
collection were spurious. Their sue
ceeding body did not at once resume
the inquiry. Mrs. Stevenson says that
Prof. Somemrville was very old and
nervous and the investigation was con-
Quoted with due regard to his feel
ings. DR.. Bates, the curator, showed
Prof. Furtwrangler through the mu-
scum and he set the stamp of his con-
domination particularly upon the "Tri-
umph of Constantine" Such acct
dents, Mrs. Stevenson pleads. occur
in all great museums. Witness the
tiara Salitephernes in the Louvre at
Paris and the Tanagra figurines in
Bostin. She regrets that Prof. Son.
merville should have been duped but
reiterates her belief in his innocence
in the transactions.
S. Hudson Chapman, one of the new
advisory members of the archaeolog-
ical committee. received the charges.
He did not expect they would result
! so seriously, nor did he contemplate
/ any publicity.
Confidence Men Behind II.
The work of bunkoing Prof. Som
merville was conducted by experien.
ceG confidence men. The case of an
! emerald with the device of Alexander
tanning Bucephalus is taken as a fair
example. He received letter from
an Italian traveller in India that the
stone was in a rajah's collection at
Burdwan in Bengal. He did not know
The writer, but began inquiries. He
! learned that the rajah of Burdwan
had considerable collection, but on
his recent death it was broken up
! II had passed to new owners in Bur
nah. He kept tracing it, always get
! ting little warmer. until he finally
| located it in Siam, whittier he per-
| sonally journeyed in it's pursuit Here
he met a man, apparently casually
who led him to a Chinese broker who
had bought the stone in the way OF
trade and speculation for 10000 ru
PEGS. He would sell it for $4,000 ri
PEGS, but was finally induced to part
with it for $1,000 and the professor
bore it home in triumph. 1t had been
cut in Rome in the latter part of the
nineteenth century and had no anti
quarian value whatever.
The business of preparing bogus an
tiquities has, as is well known, reach
ed colossal dimensions. But it was
reserved to the gang whose victim
Prof. SOmmerville was to raise 1t to
the dignity of a science. He visit
ed the east more than a dozen times
and always in response to a similar
summons. His errands were always
successful. Assuming the most char
liable judgment his life is pathetic
However much or little he was deceiv
ed his learning was no deception. That
he loved his chosen study can not be
doubted. The very terms in which he
wrote of it betray not only his idolatry
but his erudition.