The sun., 1908-01-19
TRAGIC RELICS AT AUCTION
THE CITR'S SALE or THE EF-
FECTS or THE SUBMERGED.
A Baby's shSe and Jewelry. OAd Trunks ana
q Toothbrush. Valuable Things and
Worthless All Allke Omered-Purs
chasers Found for AIH--AuctiOn HaDlt.


never went to an auction sale before came
TO New York. but now I simply can't stay
away.
-Wkat started me auctionward was this:
Every time admired choice bit Of antique
brio-a-brac or Colonial mahogany tho
owner would enthusiastically exclaim: On,
yes. picked that up at an auction
$50 one day hesitated at the sign OF tho
red flag and was truly lost,
1T was a riclkety old place, up one flight.
The stairs we're steep and parrow and
dirty with the accumulation OF years. The
middle Of each step was worn hollow and
they were all aslant. which gavo them n
derelict sort Of air. quite in keeping with tho
rest Of the establishment.
AT the top Of the stairs was large room
extending the length Of the building, with
gray. grimy windows at each end through
which the light penetrated duly. The
ceiling was low. yellow with age and stained
with filtrations Of rains and snow.
Doubtless the walls were In harmony
with the ceiling in this respect. but they
were hidden by the accumulated estates
from half a years tragedies for this was
the city's auction sale and these were the
goods and chattels and all the earthly be-
neutrality-suspicious. valuable or worthless
il made no difference-of the unknown ones
who. either by accident or circumstance or
design, had been tossed into the whirlpool
OF the city's wreckage and gone under
without making sign OF outcry
"On ono side were piled trunks and
trunks and still more trunks, big ones,
little ones. medium dze ones. brass bound.
iron bound, leather bound, expensive.
cheap, new, old, some with the labels OF
world famous hotels and all the marks OF
around the world travel. some looking as
il brought forth from beneath the cob
webbed rafters Of some old farm house,
and one there was OF undoubted antiquity,
a trunk that in its day was the very acme OF
fashion, both in style and size. hair covered
round topped affair, scarcely larger than
the ordin arv snJ case OF to-day.
1T needed no professional deliver into past
life to know that its original owner was
belle and that once IL must have been the
receptacle for dainty laces and ribbons and
the frills and pretty furbelows OF iSSO.
Poor, shabby little trunk! Had It followed
the fortunes and misfortunes OF one mis-
tress through all these years, only to be
a castaway at laBt2
in the cty's dumping place. Two or three
hundred volumes, all referring TO horses
and their diseases, indicated the estate Of
a veterinary surgeon, even had there not
been portions OF harness near by ana q
score or more caAes OF DR.. SO and SOS horse
hniment.
@One end OF the room was set apart for
musical Instruments and here the gaTnut
was run from a beautiful rosewood grand
piano to a cheap, gaudy accordion. And
lin and a decrepit little melodeon that
wheened oddly II you pressed the pedal
and made one think il must have belonged
to the possessor Of the hair trunk.
There was furniture too-a motley. col
lection Of hideous plush covered things,
with occasional pieces Of mission and one
OF two rush bottomed chairs and old lash
ioned settees. A cradle hung from pro-
jecting hook and a spinning wheel was
huddled among a confusion OF legs OF up
turned chairs and tables
And everywhere bundles of clothes,
punched together and tied with coarse
twine, hung suspended from nails driven
into the crumblinR plaster. My lady
wardrobe was strung up next to that OF a
day laborer-an imported gown OF exquisite
lace and silk embroidered flowers spilling
its chiffon fiuffs and frills over blue overalls,
mud bespattered and worn and patched.
Dainty lingerie dangled against couple
Of heavy flannel shirts coarse OF texture
and none too clean. and in strong contrast
to a pair Of enormous hobnailed shoes were
several pairs Of satin slippers and French
heeled boots, size 3. On the next hook,
tapping against a mans rich, fur lined
topcoat, was a lank calico wrapper and a
checked gingham apron with one side
burned away.
Canes and umbrellas there were a-pleDty
silver and gold headed ones and many
Just plain sticks; some had initials on them,
and one said, on a narrow silver plate. From
Anna to WILL
And there we're hats-hats Of high and
low degree-one labelled Fifth avenu .
. topped by one from the Bowery, one from a
halter in San Francisco next TO one with a
Paris shop mark. and so on in democratic
disregard of the standing OF either maker
or tho erstwhile wearer In one hat that
bore nearly obliterated insignia OF fam
GUS establishment near Madison Square
there was still fastened a worn ribbon hat
mark that had originally been blue but had
become a duh neutral tint, containing the
frayed remains OF three elaboTately en-
broidered initials, in the style OF birthday
gifts of twenty years ago. In the crown
Of a large. soft, black slouch hat there still
lay orumpled a brilliant bandanna.
-In one corner we're gathered baskets OF
! glassware and crockery. two or three small
I gas stoves. pans and kettles and many more
I OF the essential hut uDbeautlful articles OF
everyday Use. A toothbrush still leaned
I upright against the side a a glass. shaw
I ing brush was in a mug just as II was left
the last time by the man who used II and q
piece OF soap still adhered to part OF a sal
I yer soap box. In the glass bottles Of q
| table castor were salt and pepper and an
! open bowl still held squares OF cut sugar.
"A circuit OF the loft and all the carefully
| assorted and numbered estates brought
/ one back TO the auctioneer's desk not a
| modern rolltop. IL you please. but plain
| high built unvarnished wooden desk on -four
very slender legs. exactly like the desk in the
| old Salem Custom House where Nathanie
! Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter.
| So suggestive was il of this historical bi'
| of Office furniture that l was tempted tc
raise the lid and look for Hawthorne'l
carved initials.
Under this desk a huge chest fitted
| with strong locks obtruded itself on my
! notice. This was where trinkets and jew
/ elry and other small articles OF value
! awaited their turn TO be put up. A rose
| wood case richly lined with satin and fillec
with wedding silver in patterns Of bygonS
days was among it's choicest contents
| There was an old style silver tea set with 9
] Tiffany mark and a complete silver service
! engraved with a coat OF arms and Londor
imprint with the words 'Silversmiths by
royal warrant to His Majesty King William
There were nearly a hundred watches
ranging in material from what looked like
iron turnips to small gold timepieces, onS
| OF them with a monogram In diamonds
1 IL was sold for G2J and there were Otheri