May 16, 1908 (Saturday)

MONET DESTROYS $100,000 WORTH OF HIS OWN PAINTINGS: Most people know that impressionist painter Claude Monet (right) is pretty adept with a brush. He's also pretty good with a knife. He used both a paint brush and knife to DESTROY three years' worth of his work on May 14. The paintings were ready to go on exhibit in the galleries of Paul Durand-Ruel, according to an article in today's New York Times. His paintings are currently selling for anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000 apiece [that's 1908 dollars, of course].
Others who had seen the paintings "had pronounced them to be among the best works that M. Monet had ever accomplished." The exhibition was to open next week and it had been advertised in the French papers. Here's what happened, according to the Times:
At the last moment, while he was reviewing the pictures and superintending the framing of them, the artist became discouraged. He declared that none of his new works was worthy to pass on to posterity. With a knife and paint brush he destroyed them all, despite the protests of those who witnessed his act.
The dealer Durand-Ruel seemed nonplussed. He was interviewed by a correspondent for the Times, and he said -- in what might be one of the great art-related quotations of the last 101 years,
"Such action is not unprecedented. Degas, for example, destroyed three-fourths of his production. It is a pity, perhaps, that some other painters do not do the same."

May 15, 1908 (Friday)

POLICE RELUCTANTLY SURRENDER PHOTO FROM ITS "ROGUES' GALLERY"; A DAUGHTER MAKES A CONVINCING CASE: It's evidently not easy to pry from police possession one of those head shots of criminals that fill the New York police department's "Rogues' Gallery" (shown above in 1909). Such photographs are often hard to come by and hard to replace. But a woman and her daughter figured out how to get ahold of a picture of their husband and father, respectively. Today's New York Times reported the conversation between Capt. Carroll (who runs the Detective Bureau) and Mary Jackson, 8, of Newark, daughter of Mrs. Mary Jackson:
"Why you know that picture is in the Rogues' Gallery," said Capt. Carroll.
"We know that," said the little girl.
"We might need it again," argued the Captain.
"No you won't," answered Mary. "And we haven't any. It's the only picture of him in the whole world, Captain. You won't need it no more."
"How do you know?" asked the Captain. "Will you keep him good?"
"He's dead," said the little girl.
The logic was convincing. The Times adds, "Mary Jackson and her mother got the picture."

DETECTIVE CHARMS HIS WAY INTO A SUSPECT'S HEART; NOW SHE'S IN JAIL: On March 5, somebody broke into the home of Mr. and Mrs. William L. Mellen in Pittsburgh and stole numerous items, including lots of the Mrs. Mellen's wardrobe and jewelry. The hunt began in earnest, as detectives tracked down anyone who had been in the house. Detective Minta West tracked a former housekeeper named Louisa Thelgen to New York, where she was staying at the Martha Washington. He made her acquaintance, while hiding his true purpose. At first, Louisa DISTRUSTED the smooth-faced West. Today's New York Times says at one point she said, "You look like a boy and anyone can see that I am 39."
He replied, "Thirty-nine, nothing! I don't believe it. You're kidding."
That won her over.
He came up with a way to see if she had any of the Mellen property -- meaning coats or jewels.
One day he drove up to the Martha Washington and offered to take her for an automobile ride, encouraging her get dressed up for the ride. She climbed into the car wearing a blue gown dotted with black. West thought it matched one of the dresses Mellen had lost. They drove up through the Bronx. Louisa didn't know that West had arranged for a photographer to meet them "by chance." They decided to have their picture taken. The photo was sent to Pittsburgh, and Mrs. Mellen thought she recognized the dress. That gave the police an opening to search Louisa's room, where they found lots of the stolen goods.
Louisa had also dropped $400 into a bank account shortly after the robbery and was planning to go to Europe soon.

DRUGGIST CONVICTED IN COCAINE SALE: A druggist named Edward Santagata, with an office at 71 Mott Street, was convicted yesterday of selling cocaine.... WITHOUT PHYSICIANS' PRESCRIPTIONS. This is the first conviction under a new law in New York City. Santagata is "credited with selling cocaine to many women of Chinatown,' today's New York Times says.

May 14, 1908 (Thursday)

TICKET PRICES SOAR FOR UPCOMING CARUSO CONCERT IN PARIS: The singer Caruso will perform in "Rigoletto" in Paris on June 11 for the benefit of the Dramatic Authors' Fund. Ticket prices are rising, as well as the demand, according to today's New York Times. (The picture above shows the singer dressed as the Duke in "Rigoletto.") Even though there's been no public announcement of the concert, the advance booking has reached $12,000, according to Gabriel Astruc. He says the LOWEST-PRICED tickets will be $20. In 2008 dollars, that comes to $400!!!!. Some orchestra seats are going for $200 (or an incredible $4,000 in 2008 currency.)
The paper says this will be Caruso's first appearance in Paris.

GERMANY'S CROWN PRINCE HEARS AMERICAN LECTURE ON THE BLACKFEET INDIANS: Yesterday evening anthropologist Walter McClintock spoke at the Marble Palace in Potsdam, Germany. The audience included Germany's Crown Prince. The topic was the Blackfeet Indians of Montana. McClintock lived with the group for ten years, eventually being adopted as a son by Mad Dog, famous chief of the Blackfeet (shown at left above). The New York Times says the lecture indicates that the Crown Prince is following in the steps of his father, the Kaiser, in his willingness to show "conspicuous politeness to Americans>'
During his speech, McClintock sang "a number of Indian war songs."

May 13, 1908 (Wednesday)

JURY AWARDS WOMAN $6,000 IN DAMAGES BECAUSE MEDICINE COMPANY WAS NOT AUTHORIZED TO USE HER PICTURE AND TESTIMONY IN AN ADVERTISEMENT: About nine months ago, a department store saleswoman complained that the Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Company had tricked her into using her picture in an advertisement for its wares. The complaint was covered in the posting here for Aug. 21, 1907. Yesterday the woman, Frances Wynne, sued the company in court, and the jury awarded her $6,000.
She was surprised to see an advertisement published in a New York paper on May 22, 1907 (probably similar to the one above) that included a testimonial from someone named "Miss Elizabeth Wynn" who endorsed the Pinkham medicine.
The article in today's Times says,
The publication of the advertisement caused her life to become unbearable. Miss Wynne said. Her fellow-workers made fun of her. This was not improved by the appearance of the same advertisement and picture in other New York newspapers, and finally, Miss Wynne said, she was obliged to give up her employment."
She said she never wrote or signed the testimonial.
Cross-examination revealed taht a co-worker had written and signed the testimonial herself, "but said she did so with Miss Wynne's approval, although she said the latter never saw the testimonial."

LAWYER REGRETS DECISION TO GIVE A HOUSE TO A SPIRIT MEDIUM -- WHO TOLD HIM HIS DEAD WIFE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA: In July 1902, Manhattan lawyer David S. White received a message that was supposedly from his dead wife. The message was passed on to him via Henrietta L. Woodhouse, a spirit medium. The message, shockingly, told White that his dead wife wished him to buy a country home, out on Long Island, and put the title to the house in the name of the MEDIUM.
White obeyed -- buying the home of Phebe J. Overton. The medium promptly took possession and has lived in it ever since.
Recently White came to his senses. He now believes the message was a SHAM. He has filed suit. For some reason, he is not all that embarrassed about the publicity and how it might affect his reputation as a lawyer.

May 12, 1908 (Tuesday)

CHAMPION STEER ROPER HEADS BACK TO ENGLAND TO ASSUME TITLE OF BARONET: He's listed under the name "Mr. Harrison" at the Mills Hotel in New York, but he can't keep the secret too long. The soon-to-be-named Sir Genille Cave-Browne-Cave is on his way from the West to London to claim his title. He was the second son of Sir Mylles Cave-Browne-Cave, who died in February last year and was the eleventh baronet of his line. His older brother died in 1880, opening the door for Genille (above). For the pas 15 years, he has been "busting bronchos, roping steers, and herding cattle in the West," according to today's New York Times.
Sir Genille has been staying in a 7=by-4 apartment in the hotel. He explains
"The money I have has been earned in your own Western way, and, besides, the soft life of your big hotels does not appeal to me. I have been sleeping under the heavens, on the ground, up with the break of day, and astride my horse Blue Dog. I'm the champion steer roper of the West, with only one man ahead of me, the champion of the world and Blue Dog did more to make the record than I did."
He leaves for England today.

WRIGHT BROTHERS COVER SOME SIGNIFICANT DISTANCES: The Wright brothers flew their machines quite a distance yesterday at Kill Devil Hill in North Carolina. One flight covered 2 and 7/16ths miles; the other covered 2 and 1/16th miles. The long flight went 46.774 miles an hour. Today's New York Times says the inventors are trying to figure out how to fly the plane from the point where it sits on the ground, rather than towing it back to the starting rail.
(The photo above show Orville Wright flying one of their planes in September 1908.)

May 11, 1908 (Monday)

COUNTESS TO MAKE CAMPAIGNS SPEECH TO NEGROES IN OHIO: About 15,000 blacks apparently hold the key to the congressional election in the area of Bellefontaine, Ohio. That's why the famous, and somewhat infamous, Countess of Warwick (above) will address a mass meeting of those voters while she stumps for the Socialist party in the Eighth Congressional District. She will make two speeches in each of the six county districts for Wharton. Today's New York Times says the black voters "hold the balance of power in the district."

GUNNESS FARM ATTRACTS HUGE CROWD OF GAWKERS: About 15,000 sight seers, with a taste for the ghoulish, showed up at Belle Gunness' Indiana farm yesterday. Following up recent news, today's Times described the scene this way:
The Gunness farm to-day rang with the laughter of children, the jargon of postcard sellers, and "streetmeh," and the loud disputations of souvenir hunters.
The paper says women "clawed" at the walls of a red carriage house where dismembered bodies are being kept. They wanted to pry the wooden slats apart so they could look inside. Occasionally, the searchers opened the door to the house and allowed onlookers to file past the bodies. Postcards were hot items:
The postal card men drowned out most of the noise with stentorian shouts of "Here's where you get your picture postal cards of the Gunness family, ten cents each, or three for a quarter; better take a half dollar's worth and make a good selection."
The case still puzzles officials. Digging will resume today.

DID THE TIMES APPARENTLY FIGURE OUT HOW TO AVOID PRINTING THE F-WORD? Today's Times has an interesting story about a guest who was so upset about the behavior of a green parrot at somebody's party. The gues, Mr. Frank Curran, was so enraged that he tore off the parrot's head. What made him so mad? Well, evidently, when Curran was speaking, the parrot kept repoeating, "Oh, the loafer; oh, the loafer; oh, the loafer." That must have troubled Curran a bit. However his rage erupted when the bird piped up while Mrs. Curran was complianing aobut the high prices of goods and services.
The Times said that while she was speaking, "the bird almost screamed: 'Oh, fudge!"
Might the parrot have screamed another F-word, which could not be quoted. Might that be why the reporter saikd the bird "ALMOST screamed, 'OPh, fudge'."
I think it's possible.
In any case, Curran was charged with cruelty to animals. His host was charged with assault.