Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
162
CHARLES F. CHICKERING PRODUCES $400,-
000 BELONGING TO DECEASED MISER
PAINE.
HEN the contest over the missing will of
Miser Paine was resumed on Wednesday,
Dec. 16th, Mr. C. F. Chickering, of Chick,
ering & Sons, was called to the witness stand. The
story he told is very romantic and sounds more like
a dime novel than a real occurrence. Mr. Chicker-
ing's testimony is as follows:
" I knew James Henry Paine for years before he
died. I was brought into communication with him
often
through his love for music. He was an expert
PAUL GMEHiiiN, one of the members of the firm
of the Behr Bros. & Co., N. Y., has purchased an musical critic, and this poor old miser had at his
tongue's end a wealth of inexhaustible information.
elegant residence at 32 West 105th Street. This is But though I had heard that he was popularly sup-
at the upper entrance to Central Park, and one of posed to have some money hidden away somewhere
I never really knew anything about it. One day at
the most desirable locations in the city.
the close of the sixties he came into my office
with a
S. H. DYER will on Jan. 1st sever his connection bundle in his hand. ' This is the bundle, 1 pointing
to the package beside him. It was about a foot long
with Mason & Hamlin's Chicago house.
and six or eight inches wide. It was wrapped up in
ordinary brown paper and tied with an ordinary
WILLIAM TONK & BRO. have been so successful an
string. On the outside was carefully bound up an
in pushing the Herrburger-Schwander (Paris) action, old green handkerchief. He asked me if he could
that the firm has decided to establish a branch fac- leave it in my possession and I answered yes. I told
tory in this city. The factory will be operated by him I would put it in my safe. He objected to this
asked me if I had a private safe at home which
practical action makers who have been in the em- and
none of my employees ever opened. I said yes again,
ploy of the home factory for years. The popularity and he carelessly replied that he would like to place
of this action with manufacturers in this country is it there.
such that this last move is absolutely necessary.
" I took the bundle and locked it up, scarcely ever
giving the matter a thought again. Once, years
BEHNING & SON, N. Y., state that their business afterwards, I met him in the street, and we were
was never better than at present. Their factory is talking about Von Bulow, the pianist who had
recently arrived in the country. Suddenly he inter-
running ten hours a day with a full compliment of rupted me and asked me if that bundle was all right.
men.
I said certainly, and he didn't allude to it again. In
fact, I think he never spoke of it again during his
DECKER & SON, N. Y., have had a very large fall life.
"The little old green bundle remained hidden
and holiday trade, which has completely used up all
away in the safe gathering dust and forgotten for
the surplus stock they had on hand during the sum- years."
After the old man's death Mr. Chickering
mer. They have lately established several new and remembered the package and took it out of its hiding-
valuable agencies. Their present styles are very place one day to see if it contained anything worth
handsome, and we do not wonder that the firm is keeping. " I had supposed It held nothing more
than some old musical papers," continued the wit-
having a large business.
ness, " and carelessly untied the string. Tearing
open one corner I caught sight of a roll of bank-bills.
G. W. BALLARD, late of the firm of Stone & Bal- It seemed to me in the hasty glimpse I caught of
lard, Batesville, Ark., will take the road in the in- them that they must amount to many thousands of
dollars. I tied the handkerchief together quickly
terest of the North Arkansas Music House.
HAZELTON BROS., N. Y., have had a very large
holiday trade, and their warerooms are completely
empty, except just one piano of each style.
WE understand that Willis O. English, formerly
bookkeeper for Geo. M. Guild, Boston, Mass., plead-
ed guilty to the first and twenty-eighth charges of the
indictment against him. The first charge is embez-
zlement of $35, and the last of $15.
W
and took the next train for Boston to see Robert
Treat Paine, who I thought was the nearest living
relative. Ho said that there were nearer heirs-at-
law than he and he named the ClaggettH, of that city.
On the 1st of March, in the presence of Sunnier and
Charles Claggett and my attorney, Mr. Swift, we
opened the packet. Gold and silver dollars, bank
notes by the thousand, certificates of stock cturl 6crip
rolled out upon the table. The little old green
handkerchief for nearly twenty years hail closely
guarded treasure amounting to something over
$400,000. About #14.000 has become outlawed; tho
$40,000 which the certificates represented hiia been
paid up to me, aa administrator, by the Metropolitan
Bank; the remainder of the money is worth ith full
face value. There is more property which is not yet
collected."
NORDHEIMER'S WAREROOMS DESTROYED
BY FIRE.
N
ORDHEIMER'S HALL, on St. James' street,
Montreal, was gutted by fire on Dec. 18 for
the fifth time in the history of its existence.
An amateur company had been rehearsing "Tho
Mikado " and one of them upset a coal oil lamp,
which exploded, setting the dressing-rooms on fire.
The ilames spread rapidly through the auditorium,
and the actors had to beat a hasty retreat through
the stage-door. The whole fire brigade was called
out, but considerable delay took place owing to two
of the engines breaking down, and when the firemen
arrived the ilames had secured such a firm hold that
they could do little save to protect the adjoining
buildings.
The salvage corps had a narrow escape while cov-
ering up the stock of pianos in Nordheimer's music
store. An explosion took place from the smoke
being superheated by flames, and the doors were
closed so violently that they stuck fast and the fire-
men were unable to open them. They threw them-
selves face down on the floor, and lay there until
their comrades broke open the doors and dragged
them out more dead than alive. The building is
badly wrecked, while the scenery and furniture are
destroyed. Messrs. Nordheimer had just imported
for the Christmas trade sixty now pianos from New
York, ranging in value from $200 to $400 each. These
are so badly damaged by water that they are prac-
tically worthless. The total loss is estimate ! at
$150,000, the insurance on which is spread over every
company in town. The policy on the Guardian Com-
pany ran out yesterday, and the firm requested a re-
newal, promising to send over a check this morning.
They got their receipt, but had not sent the check up
till tho time the fire broke out.—N. Y. Times, Dec. 11).
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