Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-12-13
MONA LISA" IS At
last discovered.
FAMOUS PAINTING STOLEN TWO
YEARS AGO Is FOUND IN
ITALY.
The Thief HAS Confessed
Stole Portrait 10 Nrngc Taking Of
Italian \rt by NapolconS Army
Many Years Ago.


FLORENCE, Italy Dec IL Mona
Lisa Leonardo ia \hci's great paint
ins Whl'h was stolen from th Louvre
III IaIla moro IMAM Two years ago, has
D'en Iouhd. II Is now I'm the hands of
the Italian authorities and Will be re-
'uih'd To France.
Mona IAsa, on 'La Joconde' as It
IS more pupularlJ known, ihc most
celebrated portrait OF woman ever
painted mas ht'n the object of eNhaus-
1--WE search in all quarters Of The globe.
ne mystery "I lla abstraction from
'"' Louvre JUS great intrinsic value,
ana the strange fascination of tho
sllII' OF the woman IL porlrays Lisa
'eI 'Iocohde the VIE of % wealthy
fI"r'hllue. have combined To keep
awe interest In ITS recovery
Ihr picture Wu recovered under
curious circumstances. An italian
wrote io senior Oiru ana anuquiray Of
FLORENCE two NeolH ago sayls:
~ am ln possession of the missing
Mona Lisa bat being patriotic Ital-
IAN, ! desire that ID shall rmain IN
T. florence the center of Italian art.
lie signed the letter 'Leouard" and
an appointment was arranged whereby
Nr1 was to view the picture no Milan
Ihe date set was Novcmbe II but
uhll today unforeseen circumstances
prevented the meeting.
A young man. fairly Wc,l dressed
visited GeH yesterday He said he
was Leonard ana was stdyiop at the
ltotel Tripoll lie asked Gori to go
with him to see the picture. Signor
FeIl notified Or PoggL director Of the
Flareniine museum, who ha3tened to
the Motel and on being shown tho
painting recognized II as the genuine
Mona Lisa.
Dr Poggl asked to be allowed to
take the picture with him 80 that he
might compare II with other works.
lie made an appointment 10 meet
Leonard thls afternoon at the hotel to
agree upon price. The director took
win MN several Officers who placed
the man under arrest.
ON being interrogated the prisoner
said his real name Is Ninceufo Peru
gla, that he was born in the province
OF Como, Is by profession decorator
and is unmarried For six years he
lived In France and for thJee years
was employed at the Louvre
Perugia posed aS a patriot II was
ashamed, he said, that ior more
than a century no Italian had thought
OF avenging the spoilatlon committed
by Frenchmen under Napoleon when
they carried off from the Italian mu-
scum and galleries pictures statues
and treasures Of all kinds bv wagon
loads. ancient manuscripts D., thous-
hnds and gold by sacks"
He often had observed. he said in
the Louvre many works Of art stolen
from Italy and conceived tho idea Of
returning to its true home Leonardo
Da Vinci's master piece He entered
the Louvre early in the morning. de
tached the picture and removed the
painting fro mthe frame. He conceal
ed the frame under the back staFrs
where 1t was afterwards found lie
hid the picture beneath his workman's
blouse and succeeded In lelving the
place without attracting suspicion. At
the time he was not employ.l i'm the
Louvre but he knew an the exits and
entrances and how 10 avoid attention.
lie kept the picture concealed ne said.
until his patriotier1 led him t,t ratitrn