Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-03-01
CHIEF
SEMLOH,
San Francisco,

In the iNlustry are in deep demand by collectors
One of the masterpieces Of st. Nicotine stands
today at the front door of tobacconist's shop
on the Rue St Jean In Quebec city, where 1t
was placed fifty years ago. The owner has re-
fused $500 for it.
"Jobn was a humble artist, who never talked
of art for arts sake but did whatever his hand
found to do What was In demand sixty and
seventy years ago was 1gureheads for ships
Canada was a center of the wooden shipbuild
ing industry. SO the young Jobn although he
went for brief period to New York, found
more ample scope for his talents at home.
"'Forty years / carved for ships John said.
Then the steamers came In and iron had no use
for wood. ] ha1 long carved Indians / also
carved the figure Of a notary for a notary's door
In Montreal. But for years / have done mostly
angels and apostles and saints
Johns art will not altogether die with him.
He leaves behind him nephew Edouard Mar
cote, trained In his craft, and Ste. Anne though
the great master of wood carving Is no more,
will not be deprived Of sacred iconography."
While some dealers commissioned" home
talent carvers to execute" their Indians. the
wide demand gave birth to a new trade. Re-
search has failed to disclose any evidence of
a factory for making wooden Indians, but the
u
mers" for wholesale tobacco houses and pic
lures Of Indians graced their catalogues.
Edward Hen, one of the leaders In the to-
bacco business in the East, found profit in the
propagation of the new Indian race and ad-
vertised the braves for sale as early as 1856.
In 1871 Hen assembled In an old fve-story
building In New York city a congress Of wooden
Indians, certainly fearful sight Hundreds of
red men, squaws and white figures, all freshly
and daringly painted lined the walls
Twenty-Five dollars was the average price for
the commonest variety Of wooden Indian-often
braves which had been traded for other figures,
and repainted. But what difference time has
made In the cigar store Indian market 1t might
be possible to buy one for $25 in these depressed
times, but it's very doubtful
Several years ago the Cleveland Plain Dealer
conducted a wooden Indian contest" which
brought to light number of these interesting
relics and as a result one OF them, "Seneca
John" alias "The Tiffin Tecumseh," achieved
lasting place In the annals of American an
til. lities when he was sold by Albinus Elehert
farmer living near New Riegel, Ohio. for 800
to Henry Ford, who has given the redskin a
permanent home In his museum of American
antiques at Dearborn, Mich Mr.. Ford had had
"squaw" for some time, but desiring mate
TOT ner, ne lnsutuleu seaich lol one which
resulted In his acquiring Seneca John"
A year or so ago Mark Sullivan writing In
the New York Herald Tribune on the many
signs of rapidly changing America, said "An-
other news item that makes vivid the quick pass
ing of recently familiar features of American
life is this In the New York Herald Tribune
Penn YAM N. Y.-One of the last members
of vanishing tribe Of wooden Indians has been
purchased for 800 by an antique dealer here.
year ago the hand-carved Indian was sold by
a Montour Falls tohacconst for $10.'
"A 1000 per cent increase in value within q
year suggests extreme rapidity in the process
! of antiquation. SO quickly does change come In