18
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
KIND WORDS.
January 5th, i88t.
THE
WAITE-BURDETT AFFAIR.
WHEW!!!
NCE upon a time THE MUSIC TEADE REVIEW -was, or claimed to be, issued
from a certain location on Manhattan Island, known as 23 Union
Square. Soon, like a turkey gobbler (perhaps the term Goblin would better
SEVENTH
AKTICLE
apply), spreading its fan, it added other titles, swelling the feathers of its
caudal apparatus until it gained the gigantic proportions that foredoom all
inflated matter, from a balloon to a soap-bubble, to 11 " grand wilt."
A $30,000 BULL-DOZE.
There is now published THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE BEVIEW, not at
the same locality in New York, but apparently embracing, in some of its
The Firm of R Burdett & Co. of Chicago.
attempts, a number of the duller schemes of the once lively, mercurial, scur-
rilous, lying-dying-dead sheet of '.'Freund." This individual's name is
understood to signify friend, in German, but is pretty generally conceded to WAS SILAS M. WAITE A MEMBER OF R. BURDETT
mean fraud, in this country, at least in his case, especially by the musicians,
& CO. IX ERIE, PA.?
and musical public at large.
We should not imagine this last issued journal to be an ignis fatuus, or
slightly luminous fungus of the periodical that had such a sudden and R. BURDETT & CO. in CHICAGO, and R. BURDETT & CO. in ERIE.
unsavory death, were the title TRADE REVIEW, not assumed. For, noticing
only the first line, THE MUSICAL CRITIC, and upon a cursory glance at the
WAITE'S STATEMENT TO AN ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER.
interior, we should only conclude there was an ungraceful imitation of
Freund's unjust, and offensive style, but without a spark of the sulphurous
brilliancy, that left a decidedly bad odor, but at the same time proved that Is Mr. Burden liable for any of the Brattleboro'
this person had brains, if they were of a most pronounced phosphorescent
Banks' Lost Money.
compound. It may be also the tone of the general correspondence printed
in this later REVIEW that gives us an impression of a ghostly connect.on
between it and the defunct. Freund was a nucleus, a centre of attraction for
THE $ 3 0 , 0 0 0 BUlili DOZE.
light, dizzy, envious souls, some of them, if possible, more malevolent than
In
this
connection
it
is
an interesting fact that, at the time the settle-
himself, and gathered such a multitude of sympathetic and imitative apes ment of the partnership affairs
to be made Messrs. Waite and Burdett
about him in the individuals who became his most indefatigable cor- got Mr. Estey in a room at the was
Brattleboro' bank, when Waite made many-
respondents, that the effect of this congregation of modern Cinnaa incorpor- direful threats of what would be
done to Mr. Estey in the shape of ven-
ated in one contumelious sheet of unhealthy proportions, has not yet passed geance, if he did not then and there
hand over his note for $30,000. The
away, and it seems only necessary for a "standard-bearer " to appear, to stir door of the room was locked by Waite,
threatened to detain Mr.
these biliary gnomes to a renewed sense of existence. If this is the carping Estey as a prisoner unless he should agree who
to buy Waite off with this large
age, and the period when THE MUSICAL CRITICS AND TRADE REVIEWS are to sum of money.
flourish like an avenue of green bay trees, let them, by all means, strive to
Mr. Estey, however, was not a man to be easily cowed, and after a
carp with some show of intelligence, and not write that a little, unpreten-
tious piece of music, intended for home performance in a drawing-room, stormy scene, during which Waite did not gain a point, he gave way, and
would " terribly shock " people with musical taste, simply because it is pub- permitted Mr. Estey to depart, fearing that an outburst of violence on that
lished in a less tasteful manner by a young firm of country publishers, and gentleman's part might be attended with serious results to the Waiie-Burdett
without, we believe, noticing anything further about the composition. We interest.
This was one of the coolest and most unscrupulons of Silas M. Waite's
have seen this, and other pieces that were reviewed by this same party, and
little games. The bold manner in which he attempted to obtain $30,000 by
know that even the author's name has not been correctly given.
sheer bull-dozing, must be regarded with amazement, even by those who
A critic that is so jesthetieal as to mention the terms " terribly shocked" have an extensive knowledge of his audacity and recklessness.
in connection with so slight an affair as this trifling little morceau, in which
THE CONNECTION OF WAITE WITH BURDETT.
•we can see nothing to be " shocked " at, would undoubtedly be equally terri-
fied at a mouse, and no doubt make as agile a skip for a chair, as—most
So far we have attempted to show, by a statement of facts which cannot
ladies. It is a great oversight on the part of a critic not to trouble himself be gainsayed, that Riley Burdett was intimately associated with Silas M.
sufficiently to be enabled to get the composer's name right, and by so doing Waite, the defaulting president of the Brattleboro', Vt., Bank, in his busi-
prove that he has some idea of the exterior if not the interior of the music ness transactions for some years back., and that the celebrated organ case,
before him.
whereby the suffering Mr. Burdett, of Erie, Pa., was to secure compensation
Throughout the column in which we noticed this sage criticism, this from the entire organ trade of this country, for the unlawful use of what he
critic is tolerably consistent. He says of one piece: "This beautiful," was pleased to claim as his patent! was instigated by Waite, was financially
" pleasing," " musically worked up," &c, &c. We have also noticed this bolstered up by him with funds taken from the Brattleboro' Bank, and was,
composition. It shows decided talent, but there is a progression of such in fact, a gigantic speculation on the part of said Waite to obtain money by
crude consecutive octaves, in one strain, that any ordinarily educated musi- a very high-handed course of proceeding.
cian would notice them at a glance. Another piece is more justly praised,
WAITE'S ABETTORS IN THE ORGAN CASE.
but not a " whit" more intelligently spoken of. It is a composition by one
we highly esteem, and know to be deserving of the distinction gained by the
We have so far said very little concerning the aiders and abettors of Mr.
industrious cultivation of unusally brilliant talents. We have before written Waite in the great organ case. We have alluded to the part which one
of this very pleasing composition, and find that we are not alone in some of Moses O. Nichols played in the matter, but further than that we have not as
our criticisms.—The Play, Chicago.
yet gone.
There are strong proofs in our possession implicating other parties in
AN AMIABLE MENTION.
the affair, and, at another time, we may give some account of their attempts
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW, published in New York, is an to aid Messrs. Waite and Burdett.
enterprising journal, handsomely gotten up and filled with interesting and
THE FIRM OF R. BURDETT & CO.
valuable matter. It is young—but that is a fault time will cure—and vigor-
ous, which is no fault at all. We hope to see it more regularly than hereto-
The firm of R. Burdett & Co., the organ makers of Chicago, 111., con-
fore.— The Folio, Boston.
sisted of Riley Burdett, and the forger, Silas M. Waite.
The books of the ruined Brattleboro' Bank, and the confession of Waite
show a most startling state of affairs ; and, we shall, before long lay before
AN APPRECIATIVE PAPER'S REMARKS.
The MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW of Dec. 20 is at hand, and is our readers a full account of these revelations, so far as they are connected
literally overflowing with musical matters. The correspondence from Bos- with the R. Burdett Organ Company, organ makers, formerly of Chicago,
ton, Chicago, Cincinnati, and kindred musical centres, is as newsy as ever. which went down in the great fire of 1871,
While we are not prepared to positively state that the present Bur-
The musical notes at home and abroad are doubly interesting and instructive
in this number. One of the best Christmas presents for a musician would dett organ works, at Erie, Pa., are under the same control that the
be a year's subscription to the MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.—The Burdett organ works were in Chicago, yet we do know this, that Mr. Bur-
dett has, on more than one occasion sworn in court, that the concern with
Daily Gazette, Burlington, Iowa.
which he was connected removed from Chicago to Erie after the fire, hence,
DUSSELDORF EXHIBITION.—A local exhibition has been held at Diissel- we believe, we are right in inferring that the Burdett Organ Company of
dorf, Germany. Ibach & Son, of Barmen, who sent a grand, an upright, and Ohicago, and the Burdett Organ Company of Erie, are one and the same
a pianino, and Gebr Knache, of Miinster, who sent a grand piano intended concern.
for the Conservatoire of Cologne, declared themselves hors concours. Maud,
WAITE'S STATEMENT TO AN ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER.
of Coblenz, had a first State prize for pianos, and bronze medals were awarded
Silas M. Waite, during his confinement in jail last fall, shortly after his
to F. Adam, of Crefeld; Th. Mann & Co., of Biefeld; F. R. Prein, of Co-
logne; L. Ext, of Bielt'eld; Fr. Helmich, of Nann; G. Adam, of Wesel; S. return from his western trip, stated, in an interview with an Associated Press
Hansing, of Bu'ckeburg, and E. Frowerin, of Elberfeld. Prizes were also reporter, that the capital of the ruined Brattleboro' Bank mas largely sunk in
awarded to G. A. Ibach, of Barmen; Knauss Sohne. of Coblenz; Gerlach, of the organ busines in Chicago, and that vast sums went down in that terrible
Witten; Mahr, of Aachen; Niemann, of Miinster; Platzbecker, of Aachen; maelstrom of ruin.
In view of this fact we do not see, if Waite's statements are true, why
Schaaf, of Frankfurt. M. Schneider, of Miihlheim; Becker, of Siegburg;
Tetsch & May, of Emmerich; Titz Gebruder, of Ratingen; Vorberg, of Riley Burdett, as Waite's partner, will not have to stand responsible for all
Breckerfeld; Altendorf, of Wesel; Deesz, of Saarbriicken, and Hottenroth, the money which the bank lost in the organ business. It may be that the
of Johannisberg. Resides these, Herr J. J. Held, of Bemel, sent stringed sums so lost will prove to be fifty thousand dollars, or one hundred thou-
instruments on the " Ole Bull" principle; Messrs. G. Wolf & Kreuznach sand dollars, or even more ; the amount at present is a mere matter for con-
(bronze medal), and Otto, of Dusseldorf, sent violins; Resch, of Frankfort, jecture but it really does seem as though Mr. Riley Burdett has been made
and Liidemann, of Cologne, sent zithers and guitars; Stiimpel, of Minden, liable for a very neat little sum. Concerning this last point also, we shall
sent various sorts of violins; Heckel, of Biebrich (bronze medal), sent bas- have interesting facts to place before our readers before long.
soons and oboes; Wiinneberg, of Cologne, sent flutes and clarinets; C. W.
WORLD'S PAIR OF 1883.—The amount of subscriptions so far received to
Brantigan, of Dusseldorf, and Schmidt, of Cologne (bronze medal), sent brass
the fund of the International Exhibition of 1883 has not yet been made pub-
instruments, and R. Ibach, of Barmen, sent harmoniums.
lic. On the 10th inst. the subscribers to the stock will have a meeting and
FORTHCOMING EXHIBITIONS.-—Local exhibitions are fixed at Frankfort in elect a permanent committee of twenty-five, who will control the finances of
1881, and at Niirnberg in 1882.
the commission.
O