TWICE LOST.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 779, 31 March 1910, Page 6

TWICE LOST.

¥wM-iJii>';-MWh - .' "■•••'' ■ ; ■'■ ' ■;■;•; ; AST GALLEKY BROKEN INTO. '''"-■'■■^".v■■- : ''-' -Z' ■■'■ ~ — T ~'".. '■•''■'■ ''■"'>' j;j : ;.;.'Astonishing as it may seenv,\"Southj•• from Surrey's Pleasant Hills," the r - ■ fine' landscape painting by 8.-/ W. Leader. ':> E.A.,!lias once more been lifted from: its ;, : place , and is .missing. Nothing -remains - ■ Bave:; the-large blank frame-'hanging"'de-.-'.■-Bolately, against'the back : wall/of 'the ':/; lAcademy of Fine Arts in Ballance Street. V:-- ; .;. :;■ When-Mr.'■■■Williams,-' th'ev"Ajct Society's |-;: custodian, arrived at. the gallery. at about },•■-.-. Jl2.4s; : pjn..,yeeterday to open up in the j;.;.; ordinary, way hefound the western doors [ \ ■ ef: the porch, usually kept -bolted, from j;. 'within and seldom used, open, and: on £ iloofcing ronnd the gallery discovered the j. ;■' ■ wmpty frame, of the "leader/' ■.'■.•.;."■•:■ ! search '. revealed the fact that j, :■'■'! Hhe thief must, have made' his entrance j;'.:. , ft.'bm.:one of, the front windows (the south r.y -■■''' end of. the building), which ha? long: since K..\ been; ; deprived, of its privileges to' admit I.;; flight; ;A wooden dado had been!built ink ■'■; .Bide; reaching half-way np ithe'sashj' and lj-v...'..<&e , ;t»p i section had been blackened and £'>;.-. covered inside by stretched canvas,.which i> ■•.was painted the' same tint asthe inner p/v.rafils of the gallery. The window was I ;; ■;}: .-lo'dfced,,' but. the:. thief, .ylao- must;'; have tV.i.Eiade:a'careful study of the.'.premises, i;..: ■■. ,iiro!fo..a hole in. the lower section -of 'the :';•..:; ■ jwindow,: inserted;his - hand to ppen 1 it, and ;;.-'. khrai' slashed the canvas with a^knife to 1 , .'..-;'. make an entrance for-himself.'. , :: .: ,C- !. j:'s v : S;-.The picture was-.lifted;'. out-,-;on.:;its. [v;;''Vstretcher, and'removed from'the'building.I::,:-; .The exit was made quite;an easy, matter I '•,-;. ■■• -by. opening the long unused doors.'on the K^. /opposite": sideLof. tie .front.-porch':'tb:-*.th6-vi: \ ijOsnal': entrance. As: stated'' above;. these. [Kf Moors were held secure by bolts shot from ['~ ,- ;^ari|iin,-tnt'''nbt'-16ck«dr ;-Ha.ving.-made'his, |v y^jexit,'the thief; could; not,,close]the*doors: R./' ; fp;h?i^ , tom'ijie:'.ttme,^tte\bniiiray : :-Tintil;: b^ : .".->;'" ----- ft." ; :'"' : f!'-' : ;' : ' ; r:< jV ;■ t. The gallery; -was last • optsTto tho/publib ;.; : .'.:.ton Sunday, afternoon, and when; the ens-: [?p: : jtodian;,lcft':at-,abWt' r 5 ; !p.m.;all.'was -in' f;-.■ ■ J(orderlnihe little l sanctuary:,ofVart.%t tv. \K:W]:-WSVI THE'''-"LEAD Efl"-'. WAS V ■;■•■' i; ?; ;,:: ; -i: ;;: ': ■'.- ;'■''.'ACQUIRED. ; 7 :"' '■' /.^' '{■-. '■?; ' The "leader," .which is. making such reI;h:taariabfe. Hstorj,;' figured"in theicollec-. f;. - . 'tion; of. English paintings brought from S: :^.;iEngland; by."ifr; 'Ai f A. .Longden. for die-'-!/K ;iplay;,in:tiie New: Zealand : Exhibition:,ut: p ;_';.■:" KJhristchurclvand:'was: (for k; : : f£ate)at; It. was. purchased for.-leome-, k..; [thing: under that-;sum; by.VMrs.V:W: '• B, f.-y'.;-. SEttodes/ "of '■ Vl»o"-'iP^aa*»i ,r it' |,:.V>:.<)^^the:.CSiir^oiaiicil, : 'lrat'at:tiie same,time [.;>; : Ireta'ined;; a life thei',.pretaxe;; ! : .i;;; : teer. object, in'presenting. it; to. the .city. , , tv'r-'itaiher than.'to the'local Art: Society was ;;.;'; ; _ (dictated by . the reason'that, a'; 66ciefy" S , ;; 'sßniglit cease to .exist, at any. time, whilst. 0'- '/ ahgre'.'would, always a municipal'body.. i,:; ■'■;■'.': k•■;:: V---.TneVp'aniti^;^qn^' ! j :, ''iV::'PJeMer'e.'individni^ettO'"^s^le : |: / V!;r-W'.ei&^\rade;) i oJ; , aii''jTiplaid:Vforegrpimd,'. i-iI. prith. a. . vast extent .of typically -English: h', : ,;^JMnn^side-melth^.into; ; the:.'dis^^ee:-; : .1t.-|w..;-!Wes not a;work of'inuch'imagmation.'but S';.pt:was a fine stody in perspective..; :■:■■'; |^J:f^JRMWOIiB.a6tS^^RAN : \i-/:\-j£: Thre. last, or to be; p^te;correct,the fv.-/:.. Erst, time,.,the : ; , 3ieader'',wa3-Btolen was' jv;, ■ petween 5.30 pjn. on -. Saturday,; -April 12, 0:'B!IO8,'and .p,ni.',the.next day....'The loss Was discoVered:bii,tha± occasion-hy^Mr;TT; ; [i;•'■:;LW.;leslie, when:a dark lantern; f .v.;:. and other appurtenances 'of : the : rburglaij's, s ; :;;. trade.;were discovered m.ithe antfiTrobm- &;;■; icy the gallery/ indicatuig -that -the:rtbief: !-■:;:.,: had been pressed for; time. I'Aiiyho'w, lie U}y'/ got dear away,,with.hisi.treasure/;.-The i; .;,-'jmattef;'was placed in ;the hands x of ■ the; had'to confess;'tb being I;;'; gnite;at':a loss, in. ther matter: of 1 provid-. r;rO:pig..a ? solntion.'to ! the mystery.'; ; .'lt.;wai, that!the canvas,had.bseD IV;;;jremoved for. a "ioke". t br. as a ! means of- [ jv;-terousing interest -in. art, but. as it had [:;; tbeen. 60 .seriouslii' :taken. up, , '.the person j j... (who removed 'the 'picture was frightened h ■'-.';. fto ■ restore it. ■ On July, G of the isanie. year ■ ; : .;.;:)the picture was replaced in its frame, the '; : .- having' been'restored !to;;Mri'!T.'- S. !;,; f'tWardell,, president:, of- the.: Academy - of ; p..:'. jFine Arts, by the Hon.' T. Wi'Hwlop, then fc 'I "Mayor of. the chy. .;,'' v >•,::;;./*:.•:,■/ p|..i ;■ <:'■■■ I .V;;.;; . f-:& ;;i A : MYSTERIOUS j : ''-" \ryl-iy Mr.; was'a Teinark-'! [ ; ' ; iable one.. , He stated that about. May •<! prl [;.." IS he received a letter 'from ■ a', man -who | >~... Signed'himself "G. H. Ransom," stating:! !;. , ahat he .■ knew where: the picture-was.de-t..':.'; posited,;and that : he would restore it 6h'\ '■i-;■■ I'tteceipt of £100..-Mr/ Hislop.was:'to' : ad- , b v answer in a oertain'way. The f- '■' 1 fetter was placed; in ;the hands of the' !■;-; ipblice.'and ft was; decided to advertise ■ as. |;-; : :-:.vShe address, .to.,which: ; he..(Mr.Hislop) liivjwould forward Ms answer/as 5 the : Sailors'' i:;;-. 1 [Eest.; An | officer:was. deputed to watch . : : tthe Rest, andin due,course ayman. turned '( ;; inp for .the letter, and'was'; "seized,- and ;;'; : .: : .taken ..to_ the police station. -The. man's • f.;',.: explanation was that he ha'd been given s':V. ;.a "bob" to call for the letter. On being %■■;. ...released the;man, was followed, but the *,'■■::.; .culprit, whoever. 1 he was, •: was too clever— p';'he had : gone. ; ~.::. ;.'; ; ".\;.>. :•;•:"' : ; s> Mr. Hislop next got another letter de- ;. -;.': jirecating the.attempt made to entrap the !.;V: man, and raising, the price of the picture , another and stating that ratherthan h.:' : ; give it np for a less amount (than S150) the fv',;- canvas..would.be; torn up. It also sugt>; ; -gested advertising ■■ a new address where f;;;;, "the letters .could be received- ."cpiifidenti- ';.;>'. :.ally."'-. :^^Mr.^^; Hislop replied, by asking his : : correspondent to. advertise a :;•*■ : "confidential" audress. Nothing, however, ;y; -': icame of., it , for two or. three, weeks,. when -'via man called at Mr.'Hislpp's office: with ;..-; (two letters,' stating -that, a chum of his ■;•;!.' {had' given \ them to him' to', deliver, but !;;;; when they; adjourned to the street to find ■ ■.%;- ?the.chum-he -was-once, more' missing. -A ;-■.''■. series of .letters then passed, and finally l^ ;.; Mr.' Hislop offered (by. letter) , for the [,■>:.: ■'■picture.' .The party concerned was 'dis-" fe ■; jsatisfied with,;tlie price.'But' ultimately i": ; jagreed if. the negotiations: were conducted l>; ,an .a.particular :\ray. "The "'deal,',' said ; vjMr.;-Hislop,-;'/was. arranged through- - a '■■. ithird party, ..whosename, Ido not care to :-..; (mention, and. the. picture; was left in a i;.. '.certain place, from where we.got'it." : ' f;; ; ; There was a good deal of criticism as !■': :& the rights and wrongs of ilr. Hislop's !• ■ ■;■;•.. action in restoring, the picture by rani:i. • som, but most people agreed he had acted p-vdfor.the best under most peculiar circumj'.: stances. The money was raised by pri- . .'.Tate subscription, the Mayor (Mr. Hislop) [;. contributing,the sum of dS6 10s.-: