The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1918-01-18
Gives Details OF Violin Con-
troversy With Normal
Teacher.
ACCUSED HIM OF THEFT
IN DENTISTS PRESENCE
SAYS Teacher Was Anxious 10
Suppress controversy
Over Violin.

music instructor III lhe
with IN attempt to "get away WIN
l,;s ,-,l,,ablc v;o in and that the profes-
car made an effort to compromise their
d;ffa-onca il the present Of Local den
fist was the statement made yes'er-
dav evening by Robert Cowan IN cor
recting the version given by PROT. BECK
Of the incident told in The Tribune sew
DAVIS ago. At the request CT a NUMBER
of friends Mr.. Cowan called at Inc
Tribune last night to present the Incl
eral days ago. At request OF nufh0eI
oent as it happened.
The difference and subsequent accu-
ea.ions made against the professor
nv NJ. Cowan resu ted from the I!i
,,a,,s offer to repair Mr.. Cowan's Vlo-
lin which he had loaned Miss Vienna
F,7,it = former pupil CT Prof. Beck
Eos. rractice. When it was discoverea
that Prof. Beck had retu: ned the
,sr,ng instrument, Mr.. Cowan began
90 investigate to determine whether d
,,i,-ake had been made. Mr. CoWa l ;
vars;on of the incident fellows:
"0n the day Miss Fruit ARA, ga iof
her violin lessons, Prof. Beck asked h~r
- loave the instrument FIR rep r. ana
gave her an d one for p act.ce. 40
ont twelve days later Miss Fruit re-
.u,rcl with another violin, which &C
ccrding to her statement was the one
tho professor had given her, tfaln@
,,ar I was the original instrument she
had lett for repairs. knew my violin
TO be in the best condition, when l
turned it over to Mss Fruit.
prof. Beck charged her S4 30 Tor re-
railing the instrument, seVent!-Ii'e
cents for the instruction book and 80
tpition fee for .essons. Two days al
fer receiving the instrument from
Prof Beck. Miss Fruit showed me the
instrument she ha0 been given by her
ir-trrctor calling my attention to the
ra.na,k of Prof. Beck that he was I'M
a;,le TO repair a crack in the body OF
he violin.
"Kncw,ng that my instrument was
,,dnrlac,d examined the vicl n, an
ro,,n1 that the initials "A. c" the
,a,nc a. were on my vioiin had been
curved Il the md cf The neck, but no.
with tbs same perfection as were
the. , on my instrument. asked Mis-
Emit whether Pref. Beck haG told her
,r- IN r,1ncnt w3s the same she had
given him for repairs and hes answer
ed in the affirmative.
Aft making severa' attempts TO
communicate with Prof. Beck over the
teIerhonr that evening, decided to
wait till the next doy and visit him to
company with Mss Fruit. We called
on him at his studio in the Normal
building. He became visib,y confused
when | introduced myself.
Upon hearing the purpose OF my
coming Prof. Beck declared it was
surely a mistake, and he offered to
take me and Miss Fruit to hi sroom
10 look for the instrument which | de-
maudcd. He showed us five lnstrI-
mcnts. but | recognized none as NINE.
When | demanded that he produce my
instrument at once, he asked me 10
accompany him back to the Normal.
lie said he might be able to find i;
there.
Miss Fruit left us TO return to the
high school. When we reached his
studio Prof. Beck produced 4 violin
case, and the moment he opened the
locker | identified my instrument, al
though | was standing SINE distance
from him. | then openly accused him
OF an attempt to get away with my
valuable instrument, but h eInslsted
Il was i mistake.
when | examined the violin | motto
cG L chin rest. asked Prof. Beck
whether he had attached il to the IN
etrument. He then admitted he had
it maze 10 order for himself and had
nut on 4 valuable G-string. | asked
him to remove them. eff he had put
them on for his own use. | then de-
manded that he return to ne $50 the
difference between the sum Miss
Fruit had paid him and the money he
charged for three lessons and the in
structicn book, totaling So. If tou
don't give me that money, | will force
YOU to give it, and more, too, if want
to.
.'IIe then asked a charge Of one dol
lar for refiiling a bow, which as mat
ter of fact, had not been touched.