Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-01-13

kuffl IllA fHfcesses NN wasted INbOf.
The uselesgncm of Gainsboroueh IA.
nous Duchess Of Devonshire" p0r-
trait is q remarkable instance Of this.
5n the 9th Of May 1875, Mcssrs Ag-
new purchased al Christes this
famous masterpiece by Gainsboi .
ough paying for Il the sum %
$4,000 Several days later they
placed the picture on exhibition IL
their Bond street galleries. Friday
May &c. when The galleries wcro
opened IN the morning the attend
ants found that the eDachcsg 30
penonshlre" portrait had disappeared.
an that WIS left OF II was an empty
frame. against which leaned The
wooden stretchcr which had once hcll
the canvas.
The picture had been DEITY ems
away with "a sharp instrument, leaving
only The tiniest fragment of canvas
behind il was proved conclusiNely
that when the attendants locked mp
the galleries on the previous even
ing 0t the hour Of closing the .ple-
uro was intact. But clever as the
gang Of cracksmen were, they de-
rived 30 benefit from their exploit.
For twenty-five years the famous
canvas disappeared from the eyes OF
the world ANA was kept Va hiding tn
some obscure Stun. IN 1901, through
the fundamentally of Pat shechan,
the honest crook" the masterpiece
was returned TO It's rightfm owners
and Il was asnertninel TINT the actual
thief was one Adam Wirth. son If
an Amcrlcanized German a year
after its restoration Wlrth died 10
London IN comfortable circumstances
lr house near Regents Park
'rhcfts Easily Pcrpctratcd.
The kind OF thcfts most easily per-
petrated and most difficult to detect
are those Of books and manuscripts.
Robbories Of this kind are constantly
hcing carried ont ana not long ago
q priceless manuscript Of BODIES "Sn-
per Canticorum' of the thirteenth cen-
fury disappeared from the library in
Gray's Inn without any trace Of Il
over having been discovered
Tho most famous thief of this kind
was the distinguished mathematician
and scientist, Guglieimo ldbri, who,
at the age Of thirty, was elected a
member of the Institute of France
and whose marriage Go the sister Of
Baron Double, tho great bibliophfe,
attracted worldwide interest Librl
was himself a great book lover ana
had o craze for famous manuscripts
ANA rare volumes AT his instigation
the French government appointed "a
commission to prepare q catalogue OF
an existing historic treasures of this
kind in tine vHions libraries of France.
and he himself was appointed presi-
dent
Begins Ills PllIaalng.
Libri then began q diligcnt and
mcthodieal pllaging of all these I'M
stmtes, substituting worthless manu-
scripts for the originals. The extent
Of his rangea viii never be quito
known. II ls. however known that Ia
1915 be sold over soveuW-fivo thous-
and dollars worth OF manuscripts 10
British nobleman. when at lasi
news If his wholesale depredatlons
reached the ears OF the French arr.
ihoritice. warrant was issued for his
arrest, but he managed 10 escape 90
Britain. carrying with him some
tWcnty large eases Of loot which were
never recovered The French govcru-
ment ana not take steps to secure bis
eVtradiuon, ana this led TO a feeling
among his friends ON this side of
the channel that he had been made
the victim of political intrigue.
The evidence against him. however
was of an overwhelming character,
but ia spite of all this when lac died
some years later, he was regarded as
the greatest bihliophiles of his time.