The New York herald., 1921-07-26

Special Gable to THE NEW YORK HERALD.
COPYRIGHT. 1921, by THE NEW YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
" Paris. July 25.
The arrest of NJ. Vigouroux, the
wealthy one time manager of the De
Motto branch establishment in East
Fifty-seventh street, New York, is
rapidly developing into comedy of
errors. After three days in a prison
cell, M. Vigouroux presented an unex-
pected defence, wherein he denied any
intention to profit from the apparent
disappearance of the Shah Of Persia's
ancient manuscripts and produced a
letter from Welles Bosworth Of New
York. an architect, acknowledging re-
ceipt of the documents and promising
to try to find buyer for them.
NJ de Motto admitted that the letter
was authentic, and that he had already
done business with Mr.. Bosworth. whose
responsibility, NJ de Motto told the mag
istrates, Certainly is above suspicion"
The antiquary Immediately sent a
cable despatch 20 Mr.. Bosworth asking
for confirmation that the Persian treas
ures were safe. but the police refused to
release M. Vigouroux until reply to this
despatch is received mere.
The missing manuscripts from the
Shan oy Persia's collection which figure
in the arrest of NJ. Vigouroux in Paris
are in the vaults of the Hartman Ma
tional Bank, Fifth avenue and Forty
second street. Assurance to that effect
was cabed to NJ. de Motto last night by
WelIes Bosworth, an architect and anna
teur collector of art of 135 East Sixty
sixth street, in whose care they were
left.
Mr.. Bosworth's explanation OF the
| misunderstanding that caused M. Vi
gourouxs arrest confirmed in all essen
tial particulars the foregoing Paris des-
patch About four or five weeks ago, ne
said. NJ. vigouroux, who had just re-
turned from a trip out of town and was
about TO sail for France on his annual
summer vacation, dropped into Mr.. Bos-
worth's office with the thirteen manu-
scripts, and, knowing that Mr.. Bosworth
| was interested in them, asked him II ne
would keep them through the summer.
HE told me- Mr.. Bosworth said,
that I might enjoy looking at them and
showing them to my friends. Since that
time. however. have not had a chance
to examine them. They are original
Persian manuscripts written by hand
and illuminated. and valued by NJ. Dc
Motto at 100000. | sent them at once
to my safe deposit vault.
Before took the manuscripts gave
NJ Vigouroux letter in which i dis-
claimed responsibility for them Yes
terday afternoon on returning from
week end trip to the Catskills l was
shown clippings from THE New YORK
HERALD in regard to NJ. Vigouroux's
arrest. Immediately addressed the
following cable to De Motto. antiquaire.
Paris:
"Iave noted the arrest of Vigou-
roux. He left the manuscripts with me
pending sale
IN. Vigouroux as far as / know
Mr. Bosworth continued. sis very ener-
getic antiquarian and has made HIM
self well known during his comparatively
short residence in New York. He has
sold art objects to me and to my friends
The closing of his Fifty seventh street
shop was usual in the summer, as there
is no business done / have every rea-
son to believe from my occasional deal
ines with him that NJ Vigouroux was
perfectly reliable and that his arrest
is the result of an unfortunate mistake