The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-31
HELD FOR THEFT OF OPERAS
NAN VINO BROt GHT rHEH TO
THE POLICE tCCt SEQ.


I Track or Two Men Who. Hr Says.
/ Gave Him thr Music ws-kS itirnti-
\ ned b, Mr. Damrosrh's Secretary.
I The two operas in manuscript form en-
titled -RaFaelo- and Die Brautschau-
submitted for the $4,000 prize offered by
the Metropolitan Opera Company. which
were brought TO the East i0ath street
police station night before last. were
identitisdyesterday by Walter Damrosch's
secretary. George Engels. IA the two
operas stolen on December - from an
Adams Express wagon which had got
them at the home Of SIR Damrosch. at
iss Eas, Sixty first street
The name OF the man who first appea red
with the missing manuscripts was put
down on the blotter "a John Rea of ,,B
East Fifty-ninrh street " developed
later that he really was Dcnnis Higgins
OF ccs East Sixty fourth street. After
telling the police conflicting stories a. to
. how he came into possession Of the opera
scores and proving later To be unable
to locate the two men he said had given
HIM the package nearly n week ago. Hig-
gins himself wa. charged with ths theft
and wos arrested In the Yorkville court
he pleaded not guilty and was held IN
s. .0DO hail for further examination on
Monday
II was explained Last night that at q
o'clock on Friday evening Higgins called
up the East i0tth street station and asked
! for Detective Cassidy. II seems that
Higgins knew Cassidy through a shooting
ahair eighteen months ago. IN which
Higgins was the complainant Higgins
told tn" detectiv" that h. had IN his pos
session something big" in the form Of
some lost operas. for which there had been
offered "a r"wa-d Of SIS 600. II. wanted
the detective q, com. down TO a drug store
AT FIRST avcnu" and SiNty-four'h street
wh"r" he had IN. p1~knG" Tn" detective
did not tax. tn" IN" sag" very seriously.
hat prevailed upon higgins IN nr,nS hts
find Co. tn" stat IN house
When Higgins got there his operas
wer" not wrapped a. originally, with the
label IL tn" Adams Express Company
hat were don" up III n"Sspa pers Of Decem-
her -, and outside these was an old. dirty
carpet Tn" packag. was found To con
tain the manuscripts Of the operas
-RaTaelo- and Die BrLutschau, IN"
latter under me ratification mark Of
'charo-curo -Rafa-lo was in one
volume. with tho hbratto IN English.
French and Italian and with an add
tionai volume Of lyrics The other opera.
choosing tn" Bride was IN three vol
ume-. two for tn. orchestra. one for the
piano and there were two small volumes
If ba lets
In explaining 20 the detectives how he
got hold vi the opera, Higgins said that
on Christmas morning about O'Clock
two men met HIM near his home and asked
HIM to hold bundle for them IL was
wrapped IN an old carpet Th"y told
him that they had taken It from an ex-
vr,-- wagon and threatened him Il he
should not tax. n Higgins saws he did
not want u and left u m rhe gutter After
ward he thought n over and decided to
get - and take IL hom" The next dav
II" read IN the pap"rs about tho stolen
operas hut did not -ay why he had not
returned them Immediately
The detectives asked higgins II he
know the two men who gave him the
bundle He said no. did and that they
we've Pat Murphy If ~" Fast sixty third
tree, and a man known both ~ Wick
and Gin II S.s Fast SIXTY third street
Tho detectives started oit with higgins
~ find tho" men hut after search
lasting until o'clock IN the morning
they had found nei'h"r The detectives
started the quest a gain al o'clock b,iI
-ur" about his men and every time he
was asked for a description Of them h,s
answer was different After trailing
around to some more fake addresses
the detectives decided 10 p'it the theft
right up To Higgins himself and arrested
HIM
HigRIn. lives ~irh his father and mother
and brothers. and they all asserted that
the operas had never been kept in their
house Higgin.. in all his stories mad the
Ia. N I hr12ffnAe n
ing n il said that Higgins has been IN
diCted before for grand larceny but mas
never served a sentence His pictur" IL in
the rog,is~' gallery He IL a bollermaker
In the lorkvill. court yesterday James
Nc, Comb agent Of the Adams Express
Company az its branch Office at 1885, Third
avenue became the complainant against
Higgins Otis HiRgins. the driver of the
wagon from which the operas wer. -roiap
was IN court too and explained that he
Loot the music scores on December - in
front of 100 East Sixty fourth street
while he and his helper were inside col
ioCtIng goods
McIomb's affidavit charged Higgins
with stealing music Ia the value Of 81. OOO
When the prisoner was arraIgned Ma gi--
trat.- SteInsrt asked fngpl- what was
the value of the scores
They may he worth $40 0OO or they may
not IL depends upon which opera wins
rho prize said Engels The Magistrate
wanted tn. actual valu. for tn. purpose
81 FIXING the charge. and Engel- finally
told him that the cost Of writing the scores
amounted To about sIp
Mr. Damro-ch sand AT his home y.St"r-
iay that ~ course he was greatly pleased
over the finding Of tn" oDera scores He
4aid ne had almost given Up hope ~ their
being recovered hiT h" believed they were
back intact A. soon ~ h. can get hem
from the hands 81 tn" police he intends
TO start them again to Boston vh.r. fh.
other four -hipped at the Same time
are now IN the hands ~ George Chadwick.
on. of the four Judges in IN. contest
The following abatement was given out
Yesterday AZ the Metropolitan Opera
Hou-. regarding the discovery ~ the
O'I"ras
Tn" two io-i opera -"ora~ submitted hv
composers using tn" nom d" mum" nj
Chisro-,uro ami EnrH"io which we're
stolen from N" wagon Of m" tdRrn- ~
pr..-- company last SH'urdav. haN" been
recovered The scaled envelopes contain
ing tho real Names ~ the .nmpozsr- u4tEg