New-York tribune., 1910-03-24
.CLAUSEN HITS BACK
.GIVES LIE ON STAND.
Says He NeUer Called Art
Business 90 A BuRCO Game.

! Business "d BuRCO Game.
I Taking 10 numerous statements made
about him and others attributed 20 him,
/ William C1ausen. the art dealer. who is
defending a fraud suit brought I'm the Su-
preme Court by William T. Evans, denied
on the stand yesterday some OF the testi-
mOny Of witnesses for the plaintiff Nehe-
mently. almost beIligerently- the art dealer
denied having told Frederick ". kost the
artist. that the Whcle art business Is a
I bunco game"
Equally vigorous was his denial that he
/ told Henry W. Ranger. another artist. that
/ he wished he had killed Arthur Dawson
the first time he saw him. Dawson II an
artist who restored and transferred paint
ings for Clausen and was his principal Wit
ness In the present suit.
/ The defendant explained about the dark
suggestions contained in the testimony OF
ex-Psrk Commissioner Henry smith about
the latter's purchase OF spurious Inness
/ from Clausen. and also about the copy OF a
\ WANT canvas that he cent TO the home OF
the late Francis II. LeEEett in place Of the
I original The spectators smiled wheE he
referred 20 Egaas as a ooanoisseur. ana
( ex-Judge Hatch counsel for the latter
/ Claussn said he did.
/ II developed that Herman Erb. another
artist. did work for the defendant. Under
cross-examinatioa. Ciaussn revealed an ar
I tistic cayelessness in his system Of keeping
| accounts. telling OF a lost ledger check voUch-
\ srs and receipts. Several times Clausan re-
/ teTred 10 The time he was n tail, which vas
! ca civil order OF arrest en- Evanss suit
There were several exchanges OF rspartse
I between ex-Judge Hatch and Clausen, and
Justice Pags had 10 adnionish the witness.
as aid his own counsel Referring 20
/ guarantee that ClauseE used 20 give with
/ his pictures, ex-Judge Hatch asked him Il
/ he gave one 70 Dr.. Alexander c. Hum
/ phreys. president % Stevens Instttuts. who
/ bought an alleged eounterfeit Honsr =
Martin from ClaussE.
/ Humphreys" replied ths defendant,
/ was not a picture buyer az that time He
was merely an infant in ths business"
/ You gave him the certificate Of suaran-
tee 20 induce him 70 buy more pictures.
didn't you7'' asked Mr.. Hatch
/ OF course"
/ Finishing an Innsss for Evans.
! CIausen testified that Evans himself in
\ troduced Dawson to him. He said that he
once showed the plaintiH an unfinished
/ painting By George Inness In his gallery
and that Evans said he would buy II if
I the defendant would permit Dawson 20
I paint In the missing part and touch II up
As 20 the faks Inness. which ex-Connais-
( sioneT Smith said CIaUsen sold him, the
latter explained that Smith did not com
plain about II until a year after the pur-
chase. Clauseu went on.
+ n told him IL was genuine. but said
-
return It. Nj Smith told me there vas
a Ranger in Chicago al the art exhibition
/ there he would take in exchange 7 tele-
( graphsd for the Ranger. and when IL came
I J exchanged II for the Innsss Mr.. Smith
\ had. The Innsss was a little discoIcrsd
/ In one corner of ths sky BY the heat. but
/ - was genuine"
I What became Of it, asked ,Ir. Eisner.
\ Il put ~ right back on exhibition again
/ and sold It. said the art dealer.
! did you tell 1Ir. Smith vhers you got
| the Inness7"
"No. The ledger where I kept the e,-
tries Of pictures bought by mo hsd been
I distracted and I couldn't Besides We
I don't give everything away"
t Then Jerome EisRer. counsel for CIausen,
took up the story told about Francis IL
/ Lesget,'s painting hy Wyant which was
that the late wholesale grocer sent the
| canvas 70 the defendant 20 be cleaned that
Clausen had copied. sending the copy %
/ Clausen had IL copied. sending the copy to
told about that transaction.
Mr.. Leggett," he said. bought q house
/ IN Madison avenue. and when Ae was pre-
pairing TO move there Mrs. Legsett teie-
phoned 10 me 20 come to her house and
/ look At some marble statues and paintings
she wanted TO sell. There were thirteen OF
I the paintings, including a Wysnt I bought
the paintings for $500 and Mrs Lezcett
insisted that 7 take them right away. 4
did so.
The mex. morning Mr.. Leggett came 20
my galleries and told me Mrs. Leggstt
! had no authority 20 sell the paintings and
/ he wanted them back. lie asked me now
much profit 7 wanted on the transaction.
told him there was an original WANT
IN the collection and n he would let me
keep that ! would send the others back.
a Lesson for Mrs. Lsssett.
Well he said. I want TO teach Mn.
Leggett a lesson Can you have q copy
OF The Wyant made and send that back
Instead Of the Orisinal?' told him I could.
but that il would take several days. He
agreed and 7 sent the twelve paintings
back 20 his house thar day I had an
artist make copy Of the original WANT
and sent 10 70 Mr. Leggetts house later.
kept the original in my galleries"
Who painted the copyc'
Herman Erb."
Where was the copy made?''
'In MY galleries, on the second floor"
Then Il was never I'm Dawson's studio?''
Never"
Clausen said he sold the original 10 Col I
onel Wilson q the Lotos Club. and that
he told him about the copy lie said he
had subsequent transactions with Leg
gett- Clausen testified that he bought the /
doubted Inness. Late Afternoon IN Med /
field" from Mrs. InHess. the artists widow. /
and that he never told Evans that he 1