The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-04

ICdl sJIlp ABOUT tnlIty lncheS long out
Of the huge famous painting of The
Battle of Lake Erie" in the Senate
wing of the United States Capitol early
4 last night
A sharp knife was used in the de-
Istructive work. and the strip was
found where it fell on a stair landing
below the painting
There is no trace of the perpetrator,
but reward of 500 has been offered
for information that will lead to his
detection. Reports of suspicious look
ing persons who have been seen about
the building in the last few days have
been gathered by the police, but there
is nothing to connect the work with
any of them. The police are working
on various theories.
One theory is that a Russian is re-
sponsible. 1t is suggested that one
heard the denunciation of the cars
government during the debate of the
Senate yesterday afternoon preceding
the adoption of the resolution aBrogat-
/ ing the treaty of 1882 with Russia, and
his outraged feelings found an outlet
| in the damaging of the painting. The
police have no substantiation of such a
theory, and no reports point specifi,
cally to even the presence of a sub
ject of the car about the Capitol yes
terday or last night.
Taking their clew from the subject
of the picture, others have advanced
the theory that some sympathizer with
Great Britain defaced the picture.
Some officials of the Capitol are in
clined to believe that a discharged EN-
ploye, familiar with the placing of the
guards in the Capitol, cut the picture
as an act of spite. And other theories
have been advanced that have to do
with social unrest, political beliefs and
the like.
Other Acts of Destruction.
1t is pronounced the worst act of
vandalism in the history of the Capt.
tol, and there have been numerous
charges against souvenir hunters that
have visited the seat OF Congress. The
cutting of the picture last night has
served to recall many acts of destruc-
ton and DETACHMENT during past
years.
The knocking off of a toe of the
famous Greenough statue of George
Washington that remained in front of
the Capitol for many years is one of
the stories that have been revived At
that time it was found an easy matter
to replace the toe, and few who saw
the statue after repairs were complet
ed detected the grating.
The damage to the bronze doors al
the east front of the Capitol at the
time of the Spanish war was also re
called A military scene was depicted
in bas-relief on the door, and bayo
nets, pointing fingers, stirrups and
other small protruding parts OF the
thought at the time, carried away as
souvenirs
1t is also related that a strip was
cut out of the table upon which has
been put the Bible used in the swear
ing in of a new President of the
United States. There is charged IN
against souvenir hunters an attempt
to steal the hands of the clock in the
marble room back of the Senate cham
Der. The hands were found bent Out
of shape, as if an effort had been made
to remove them.
No act of vandalism in years has sc
stirred those about the Capitol, from
the vice president down, as the de
struction of last night Little else was
talked of among employees, and mem,
bers of both Senate and House, in
large numbers, took a look at the dam.
aged picture and roundly denounced
the righteousness that was evident in
the act.
Discovered by Capitol Employe.
The cutting of the picture was dis
covered about 10 o'clock last night.
Thomas Morgan, one of the Capitol
employees who had been relieved from
duty before the Senate adjourned, re-
turned at that hour, thinking that the
session had not ended. While he was
talking with Frank Jones, the police
man in charge of the front door of
the Senate wing. a draft was noticed
coming down the elevator shaft near
by. Mr.. Morgan offered to go to the
upper floors to close any windows that
were open, and he preferred the stairs
to the elevator.
AS he was going up the grand stair
case leading from the Senate floor to
the gallery, on the. east side, he no.
ticed dark object lying on the white
marble landing halfway up. AS soon
as he picked it up he saw it was a
strip Of canvas. He stood wondering
NH Il