Evening star., 1940-10-27
Theft Of First Folio
OF Shakespeare Ends
As Imperfect Crime
Young Literary FeIon
Conceives Unusuof Plot
Doomed to Failure
By the Associated Press.


fascination for a certain few quiX-
otically- minded people.
For them, no mountain is too high
to assail, no abyss too great to start
across on a tightrope, no problem
too knotty to tackle.
1t was the spirit of such endeavor,
perhaps, which a year ago led a
22-year-old Buffalo, N. Y, drafts
man to conceive the Homeric prof.
ect of stealing the Shakespeare
flrst folio, one OF the most bizarre
modern crimes, which came to a
close q few days ago.
It was q venture comparable in
principle to the classic theft of the
Mona Lisa, and equally impossible
Of successful completion.
A man might get possession of the
treasured object, but how to get rid
of it? The red-hot stove, the ira
ditional zenith of larceny, would be
simply disposed of by comparison.
Property of College Library.
The Shakespeare folio, the first
compilation of the bard's plays
printed in 1923, was in the library
of Williams College at Williams
town, Mass, and was one of the
few copies extant.
They are worth upward of $50,-
900, and the ownership of each is
known to thousands of rare book
connoisseurs, who constitute the
only market for such objects and
who inevitably would recognize an
errant one as stolen.
OF course, man might steal such
book and keep it. But that is not
like even a fanatical bibliphile. The
Joy in rare book is not only in
possessing it, but also in being
known as the possessor; the book
collector is not on record who could
refrain from showing of a prize
item to colleagues.
These considerations may have
run through the mind of William
Kwiatowski, the Buffalo craftsman,
but they did not deter him.
He already had considerable ex-
perience in illicit literary transac-
tions, so the assistant district at
torney's Office says. In 1886 he sent
to a magazine as his own work a
story that had been published by
another magazine IA years before,
and had been discovered He was
put on probation upon his agree
ment to return the $500 he had
been paid.
But the next year, he stole sew
eral first editions from Buffalo's S
Grosvenor Library and sold them to
a Chicago dealer-for which he was
convicted of mail fraud
Lays Careful Plans.
This time he laid more careful
and elaborate plans.
To carry out the plot, he needed
money, and persuaded a brother
in-law, 46-year- old Buffalo factory
worker named Joseph Biernat, to
put it up.
To do the actual stealing, he en-
listed friend, Donald Lynch, &C.
year -old shoe clerk of Hudson Falls
N. Y, and assigned his own younger
brother, Edward Kwiatkowski, 10, tc
assist.
Last February 7 Edward drove
Lynch to Williamstown, and the lat
ter. equipped with the simple dis.
guise of pair of scholarly shell.
trimmed glasses and carrying a brie1
case, walked into the Williams Ii.
brary.
To the librarian. Miss Lucy Os-
borne, he presented a letter forged
In the name of the president of Mid
dlebury (VtD College. identifying
the bearer as a Middlebury profess
sor, and asked to see the folio.
Miss Osborne escorted Lynch to q
private room and put the valuable
volume on a table before him.
The minute she left the room
Lynch slipped the book into his
brief case and substituted a dunn
my he had brought. He waited q
few moments and then rushed out
affecting restrained excitement.
The folio was so marvellous, he
exclaimed that he must call his
wife to come see it. Then he van
shed.
The theft Was discovered in q
few minutes. Massachusetts State
police quietly arranged observation
of every book store in the country
where the book might be taken.
The volumes vicissitudes during
the next few months authorities
have not disclosed. Presumably it
was taken directly to the master
mind" William Kwiatowski.
Apparently determined to bide his
time, he presently, under an as
sumed name, obtained a drafting
Job in Buffalo aircraft factory.
Thief Makes Confession.
Whatever strange plans he may
have had for disposing of the folio
probably never will be learned, be.
cause five months later, while
Kwiatowski was still biding his
his guilty knowledge and went te
the police in Albany.
His recitation of the foregoing
chronicle so amazed officers that il
took him the better part of day o1
telling and retelling the details tt
convince them he was not insane.
They turned him over to the Mas
sachusetts police, who took him te
Buffalo, where the whole group
presently were rounded up by Fed
eral agents on charges of interstate
transportation of stolen property
After long negotiations with lawyers
the folio was returned.
A few days ago William Kwia.
towski, the master mind" was sen.
fenced to two years in prison. Hi
brother -in-law, the financier, anc
Lynch, the actual thief, got a yeal
and . half, and the younger Kwia-
towski, . two-year suspended sen.