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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
THAT ANTISELL AWARD.
IT IS POSITIVELY PROVEN TO BE
of which, that of Mr. E. W. ALLEN, of Oregon, lets
a flood of light upon the methods which Colonel A.
ANDREWS, of California, employed, to obtain an award
for ANTISELL. ANDREWS evidently did his level best
for ANTISELL and no doubt his recompense was in
proportion to the devotion he displayed.
THE COMMISSIONERS' LETTERS.
NEW ORLEANS, August 12, 1885.
A FRAUD.
A KNOCK-DOWN LETTER FROM MR.
TRUMAN, ONE OF THE
ALLEGED JURORS.
READ THE LETTERS FROM THE COMMIS-
SIONERS ON THE SUBJECT.
CHARLES AVERY WELLES, Esq.,
DEAR SIR :—I certainly owe you an apology for my
seeming neglect in replying to yours of the 25th of
June. I did not return home until the last of June
and by some mistake you letter got mislaid and was
not found until to day. I certainly am not able to tell
you who took the first premium on pianos at the New
Orleans Exposition, further than to state that I was
informed by Col. A. ANDREWS, the Commissioner from
California, that the T. M. ANTISELL PIANO CO., of
San Francisco, had taken it, and I took it for granted
that his statement was true and that he knew what
he was talking about, and that being true, I consid-
ered it a very proper thing for me to do to offer them
my congratulations.
Truly yours,
E. W. ALLEN,
Commissioner for Oregon.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW WINS A
GREAT VICTORY IN SPITE OF
IMPUDENT THREATS.
W
E have fairly crushed the life out of the alleged
ANTISELL award at the NEW ORLEANS E X -
POSITION, not only by the arguments which
we brought to bear against it when it was first ad-
vertised, but also by the letters given below, which
are from some of the principal parties whom ANTISELL
claimed granted him the prize.
It will be remembered that Mr. ANTISELL'S claim
was that he had received an award over all compet-
itors and exhibitors from three jurors, Messrs. TBTJ-
MAN, BACON and SHOUP, also that he had received a
letter congratulating him upon this award from
eighteen UNITED STATES COMMISSIONERS represent-
ing that same number of States.
We have received the following letter from Mr.
TKXJMAN, one of the alleged jurors, which ought to
set the matter forever at rest; and we also give the
letters from the Commissioners, who were alleged to
have signed the congratulatory message, as far as
we have heard from them.
MR. TRUMAN'S LETTER.
BINGHAMTON, N. Y., Aug. 22, 1885.
J E F F . DAVIS B I L L , Esq.,
Manager Music TRADE REVIEW.
DEAB SIR :—Your telegram to-day reminds me of
my promise to write you regarding the Antisell
piano award humbug.
I judge the stamp of irregularity is sufficiently
pronounced, so that no one is liable to be deceived.
The names signed to the recommendation for an
award are the names of the wine jury.
I remember having seen the Antisell piano in the
Government building at the World's Exposition, and,
being in that building, it was impossible for them to
be in competition for an award with pianos that were
regularly entered for competition. For that purpose,
Mr. Antisell might just as well left his pianos in San
Francisco, or dumped them on the sand plains of
Arizona as to have placed them in the Government
building.
I never examined the Antisell piano alone, or with
a jury, for the purpose of recommending an award.
Even had a jury made such a recommendation,
the paper was not the property of Mr. Antisell but
should have passed into the hands of the Chairman
of the Committee on Awards, and until that com-
mittee took action the recommendation was of no
account whatever.
How this so-called jury report was obtained I am
unable to state, but I suspect the names were attach-
ed to some wine report on a blank intended for such
report and improperly used for a piano award.
I notice the recommendation for an award to
Antisell purports to have been signed by me May
27, 1885. I was in New York City that date, as the
register at the Coleman House will show, and could
not have been signing papers in New Orleans.
In regard to the congratulatory message, signed by
seventeen Commissioners, I have no doubt they all
signed it the same as I did myself, under the influence
of false statements made at the time the paper was
presented and without reading the contents.
Very respectfully yours,
JAS. C. TRUMAN.
We now come to the Commissioner's letters, some
of which we reprint from a preceding issue. The first
BROWNVILLE, Nebraska, July 2, 1885.
CHARLES AVERY WELLES, Esq.,
SIR :—Referring to your letter, June 25, in reference
to "ANTISELL piano," I have no recollection of having
signed any 8uch paper.
Truly,
ROBT. W. FURNAS.
U. S. Commissioner for Nebraska.
NEW ORLEANS, June 30, 1885.
CHARLES A VERY WELLES, Esq.,
DEAR SIR :—Yours of June 25 to hand and contents
noted, and I have to say that I do not know how my
name appears in your esteemed paper. I cannot
recollect having signed such a paper. If it were pre-
sented for signature by the Commissioner of Cal-
ifornia, Mr. ANDREWS—and from the signatures of the
other three Commissioners as "jurors," I must have
been of the opinion that these gentlemen were the
real and only jurors on all the pianos on exhibition
and in "competition." In this way only it was pos-
sible that I have made a mistake in signing a forged
paper, and I am sorry to have done so.
Respectfuly yours,
P. LANGHAMMER,
U. S. Commissioner for New Mexico.
'21
when the opportunity offers. That opportunity seemed
to have been offered then and there, and all responded
that had an opportunity. All who signed it r in my
opinion, done so from these motives to eneourage true
merit, and are not responsible for what has arisen
since.
I am very truly and respectfully,
F. W. NOBLE.
We have no comments to make upon this last letter,
that of Mr. NOBLE, further than to say that the sig-
natures were appended to a document that makes-
false statements. Mr. NOBLE gives himBelf "dead
away."
"JUSTICE" SPEAKS FOR US.
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal., July 30, 1885.
CHABLES AVERY WELLES, Esq.,
DEAR SIR :—Your advertising the Antisell Piano
Company is appreciated here. I enclose a circular
that should be exposed. Antisell sold sixteen (16)
pianos at retail in one day recently on the strength
of his New Orleans award.
Respectfully,
JUSTICE.
The above letters fully vindicate the course t h e
Music TRADE REVIEW has taken from the start. In
spite of threats of libel suits made to our printers
and to us, we have pursued our course unflinchingly
and have met our reward in the shape of a great
victory.
A CARD FROM BEHR BROS. & CO.
W
THE
HEREAS,
T H E ANTISELL PIANO COMPANY-
A R E OPENLY CLAIMING TO HAVE RECEIVED
HIGHEST AWARD OF MERIT FOR THEIR PIANOS
OVER ALL AMERICAN AND FOREIGN EXHIBITORS AND
COMPETITORS, AT THE NEW ORLEANS WORLD'S I N -
DUSTRIAL AND COTTON CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION,
AND,
WHEREAS, W E , BEHR BROS. & Co., D I D OBTAIN
THE HIGHEST AWARD OF MERIT, THE GOLD MEDAL
AT SAID EXPOSITION, FOR OUR PIAKOS,
THEREFORE BE I T KNOWN, THAT WE WILL DONATE
TO SUCH CHARITABLE INSTITUTION OF SAN FRANCISCO
AS OUR AGENTS, MESSRS. EOHLER & CHASE, SHALL,
DESIGNATE, THE SUM OF FLVE THOUSAND DOLLARS-
BRONSON, Fla., July 2, 1885.
CHARLES AVERY WELLES, Esq.,
MY DEAR SIR :—Your favor of 25th June to me at
New Orleans was received to-day; and allow me to
say that I have no recollection of signing a letter of
($5,000)
I F THE ANTISELL PIANO CO. CAN PROVE
EITHER OF THE FOLLOWING PROPOSITIONS :
FIRST, THAT THEY RECEIVED ANY AWARD WHAT-
congratulation to the T. M. ANTISELL PIANO CO., in
EVER FROM THE KEGULAULY CONSTITUTED JURY ON
fact, I know that on May 29 I did not sign such a
paper, but did sign a paper about the 25th or 26th
of May, asking the Board of Management to allow
Mr. T. M. ANTISELL to enter his pianos that were in
Col. A. ANDREWS' office in the Government Building
for competition, but that was refused, and Col. AN-
DREWS and Mr. ANTISELL were very indignant that
their request was refused, and if my signature is to
a congratulatory dispatch to the firm, it was gotten
under false representation, for I would not sign any
such a paper; they were strangers to me and I had
no interest in them. The names to the article you
send me are gentlemen of honor, and what they did
was done, I think, as I have stated above, that the
Board of Management allow the T. M. ANTISELL to
enter in Group 8 for competition. My recollection is
I signed that petition but no other. Please get the
original and compare signatures; if they have my
signature to the congratulation it was obtained by
misrepresentation. It was near the close and all were
in a hurry, and having confidence in parties bringing
around papers to sign, frequently signed them with-
out reading them. My recollection is that Col. A.
ANDREWS circulated the petition to the Board of Man-
agement and asked me to sign it, allowing ANTISELL
pianos to compete. Please get original if you can
and compare signatures.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, CONSISTING OF MESSRS. W M .
H. PILCHER, HENRY
JOUBERT, E. RICHARD AND
GUSTAVE D'AQUIN ;
SECOND, THAT THEY RECEIVED ANY AWARD WHAT-
SOEVER FROM THE REGULARLY CONSTITUTED JURY
ON WINES, CONSISTING OF MESSRS J A S . C. TRUMAN,.
FRANK BACON AND GEO. L. SHOUP, FROM WHICH
JURY
THE ANTISELL
PIANO CO. CLAIM TO HAVE
OBTAINED THEIR AWARD ;
T H I R D , THAT THEY RECEIVED ANY AWARD WHAT-
SOEVER FROM ANY REGULARLY APPOINTED JURY AT"
THE NEW ORLEANS EXPOSITION;
FOURTH, THAT THEIR PIANOS WERE AMONG TBUB
COMPETING INSTRUMENTS.
THE GAZETTE.
0. H. COULTER, Cincinnati, Ohio, has given a
$400 real estate mortgage.
MARY B. ABBOTT, New Mexico, chattel mort-
U. S. Commissioner for Florida.
gage for $300.
DETROIT, Mich., July 2, 1885.
R. C. SAWDEY, Cold water, Mich., has retired
CHARLES AVERY WELLES, Esq.,
from the organ business.
MY DEAR SIR :—Your June 25 and enclosed printed
JOSEPH HARRIS, Columbus, Ohio, has been sued
articles received and read. You ask me if I thorough- for $1,(537. Suit now in progress.
ly understood this affair when I congratulated the
O. J. FAXON & CO., manufacturers of piano hard-
firm, &c, & c
This affair is an after consideration arising since ware, Boston, Mass., have given chattel mortgage,
the document signed by me was drawn up and brought
for $3,384.
out. Do you think genius, perserverance and the
S. A. ELLIS, piano dealer, Lawrence, Mass.,,
strong efforts of any one trying to build up any busi-
chattel mortgage, $55.
ness, trying to reach a high degree of perfection and
merit is not entitled to reward? and if award is
N. JOERGENSEN, the piano action manufacturer,
meted out to them by honorable gentlemen, known to has a judgment entered against him for $521.
be such to you, would not you, if opportunity was
GIRARD & SCHMITZ, Sacramento, Cal., have dis-
offered to congratulate such person, do so? Every
person, I think, should do what they can to encourage solved partnership. The firm will be as of old, F -
honorable mention or merit in any and all directions R. Girard.
I am, truly,
W. H. SEBRING,