The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-02-08
Law Suit over the $15o,ooo Collection
Of Wet Plate Negatives Has
Come to a Close in
Washington.
IOWA is INTERESTED
Or. Mcclur Of Davenport Got His
Home Paper Into Expensive Law
Suit by Talking About
Them.

WASHINGTON, D. G., Fe',. S.-The
law suit over the $750,000 collection
of original negati ,es taken during the
Civil war, by Mathew Brady and
Alexander Gardner, under the author
ity of the Government and the pro-
lection of the Secret Service, came
to an abrupt end today.
The suit, which has been several
years in progress, has involved several
hundred witnesses, including the
statements of prominent army Off
cials, afidavits of old soldiers, and
war department records; its facts date
back in 1861.
Allan Pinkerton, founder of the
Pinkerton Detective Agency, and first
chief of the Secret Service, and known
throughout the Civil War under the
alias Of Major Allan" authorized
Brady and Gardner, two Of the first
operators in outside wet plate photo
graphy, to enter the lines of the Union
Army and take Photographic mega
tives of fortifications, encampments,
and army movement Proofs were de-
posted with the Government, while
original negatives remained the prop
erty Of the photographers, who stored
them in warehouses.
| Four years ago, Edward B. Eaton,
prominent antiquarian of Hartford,
Conn. came to Washington with a
bill OF sale transferring the title OF
/ 1000 OF these valuable negatives to
1 his ownership. The property, which
was stored in the warehouse at 92C
e. street, N. W., was delivered into his
/ possession and the historic negatives
were removed to Hartford and placed
in a vault.
The recovery of the negatives Great.
led wide interest throughout the Grand
Army Of the Republic and during the
discussion DR.. H. G. McClurg of Dav.
export, Iowa, denounced the authenti.
city of the negatives, stating emphati,
cally that wet plate photography was
not sufficiently developed during 1861.
65 10 take these remarkable negatives
The Davenport Democrat and Lead
er published this statement, which re
suited in suit being brought agains,
that newspaper for $4,000 libel and
damages by Mr.. Eaton, attorneys
Clark and Hutchinson of Des Moines
representing the plaintiff and Lane
4 and Waterman of Dayenpor. the de
PENDANTS.
4 The evidence that developed proved
a revelation. Negatives were produc
ed showing President Lincoln on the
battlefield of Antietam with A. Pink
. erton, in the tent with General McClel
Ian. and in conference with officer:
of the army. 1t was decided sensa
. ton in grand army circles when mega
tives were produced showing the in
+ terror OF Andersonville prison and thu
. hanging of Wirtz, the prison keeper
I at Washington, including negatives o
9 Mrs. Surrat and the Lincoln conspira
I tors hanging on the gallows.
8 Records in the war department
d were introduced to prove their authen
8 ticity. together with congressional
II enactment in which it was shown tha
i. Brady was paid s27,S00 for taking tn
7, negatives.
}. Record was shown in which Pres
l. dent Garfield once spoke of the mega
1. tives as worth $150,000 and in whic
/, General Grant considered them il
A. valuable as historical witnesses of tn
n great war.