Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-18
GUTENBERG BIBLE
INJUNCTION ASKED
Alleged Vollbehr Agent De.
mandS Library Purchase
Be Halted.

The District Supreme Court was
asked today to issue an injunction re-
straining the Library of Congress from
purchasing the famous Gutenberg
Bible.
The suit was filed by Otto M. Stan.
field, 225 Broadway, New York City
who alleges that he was engaged as an
agent by Otto H. r. Vollbehr, who came
here from Berlin to negotiate with the
Library of Congress for the sale of the
Vollbehr collection of incunabula, COM
prising some 5000 items, together with
the Gutenberg 42-line Bible, known as
the ST. Blasius-St. Paul copy.
Alleges Commission Promise.
These books were printed during the
fifteenth century.
The plaintiff says that vollbehr, who
is residing temporarily at the Hay
Adams House, agreed to pay him 10
per cent commission of the gross amount
received for the sale of the collection
of incunabula and the Gutenberg Bible.
In pursuance of this agreement, the
plaintiff says, he gave his best services
to secure a purchaser for the collection.
To this end he used his influence with
committee OF the Seventy FIRST Con-
gresS, which approved an appropriation
Of 81 ,50O,00 for the purpose of acquir-
ing for the Library of Congress the Voll-
behr collection and the Gutenberg Bible
The plaintiff says he is informed and
hn ~ fNor all
of the collection of incunabula has
been delivered to the library and that
at least a part of the purchase price
has been paid to the defendant.
Alleges Refusal to Pay.
The defendant, he alleges, has re-
fused TO pay him any part of his COM
mission or to account for any of the
items figuring in the sale.
The plaintiff says he believes that
Vollbehr intends quickly to depart from
the United States and from the juris-
diction of this court and thus evade
payment of the commission due him.
the amount of which he Is unable to
determine without an accounting by
the defendant. If the defendant leaves
the United States, the plaintiff points
out, he will remove from the jurisdic-
ton of this court the funds received
from the sale of the Bible and in
cunabula, upon which the plaintiff
claims an equitable lien.
Stanfleld asks the court to enjoin the
defendant from receiving by himself or
through any agent any sum from the
United States due him from the Library
of Congress for the purchase of the
Bible and incunabula, and that a re-
ceiver be appointed with authority to
demand and receive from the United
States any sum due to the defendant
and remaining unpaid.
Asks Defendant Be Detained.
The plaintiff also asks that writ be
issued by the court directing the de-
PENDANT not to leave the United States
pending the final adjudication of this.
case. Attorneys Cooke and Beneman ap-
pear for the plaintiff
The Gutenberg bible, now in the
Library of Congress, was one item in
the collection Of incunabula, or fifteenth
century books, purchased this Summer
by a congressional appropriation OF
81 500 900 from Dr. Otto F. Vollbehr,
German collector The collection con-
tanned about 500 other books, but the
Bible was by far the most valued
object in the collection. No specific
valuation was placed on it.
II was brought back from Austria
librarian of Congress, who took it over
from a congregation of Benedictine
monks who had been in continuous
possession of 1t since the fifteenth CEN
tury.
The collection arrived in Washington
last week and Librarians announced that
as soon as arrangements could be made
the Bible would be placed on exhibit
ton adjacent to the portrait of Guten--
heru rresanted tn the library by Gabriel
Wells of New York. The library at
that time said the transaction was one
purely between DR.. Vollbehr and the
monastery of st. Paul in Carinthia,
Austria.
II was said that the sole part paid
by the authorities of the library in the
settlement in Austria was to conven-
fence Vollbehr in making the final pay
ment. AS between Vollbehr and the
Library of Congress, the Bible has at
no time been valued as an item, they
said.