A Peachblow Vase

The Peaehblow v&se is in this city Thai iis the verdict of d niateur Sher look Holmes, who sot about the elucida tion of the profound mystery gurround ing this celebrated pieceof porcelain for which 18,000 was paid vrhen it wat gold at anction in this city fome eigh yearg ao. .Moreover, it eeems apuareu frora vrhat this amateur detective ha diseovered that, v.'hile thefamousPeach blow vaso belcngs to Mr. Brayton Ives and is now in his house on Thirty-iourth stree.t, even Mr. Ives himself is stiil mystified abont eoiue things conceruijjg it. Mr Ives did not pay $18,000 for the Peachblow va.se, and .vet Mr. Moss, brot!icr-i::-luw of Mrs Mary Jane Morgan and the rxecutor of her estáte, affirms that that enormous sam was paid into the estáte for thevaseafter the auctiön sale. Nobody eau teil who it is that is out of pocket bpcaüse of the mystcry surrounding the Peachfblow, but it is certain that soinebody for a reas.on best known to hiiuself paid out several thousand dollars and has conccaled his identity up to lilis date. Mr. Brayton Ives appcars 6o be as rauch mystified as everybody el se. Eut Dow thac Mr. William T. Walïers of Baltimore is dead and a promise of secrecy made by Mr. Ives at the time the vaso carne into his possession has been fnllfllled, he has consented to dis close soine facts not hitherto known in connection with the mystery "The vase which isnow in my possession," said Mr. Ivps, "was bought by me from the American Art association. which had conducted the sale of the Morgan collectfon. From the outset there was something very mysterious about it. I was given to understaud that I was to see something very rare and precious, but that I would have iso co neep u qwec ancmotteil anyborly about ir. tor a cerrain length of time. Then when my curiosity and interest had boen fully aroused I was conducted alono nito a sfaaded apartment. After the doors had been locked and my compauiou had Jooked under the tableío be suro there was no oue conoealed thcre, a safo was openeri cantiously, and this vase was taken out from unrlerits coverinps. It looked to me like the Peachblov.v whieh had vanished so rnysterionsly. ' ' "One momont, pleaao, " saidfbe anateur Sherlock Holmes, "hov long after j tlie Peachblow was sol'd tor .f IS, 000 to I Mr. Wolters, as Mr. Sutton ailcged, did ! this ocenr?' ' "Frorn rAne months to a yanr afisrward, " said Mr. Ives. "1 bonght the I vaso which was exhibited to me, bat I i said nothing about it for a long time. J j kept it locked in my house Beforo I göt i it I had to promise riot to speak abont it for a ppecif.ed time, but tbat tima has j elapscd. " "How miich did you pay for the vase?" "That I am uct nt liberty to state, " gaid Mr. Ives. "Wheu I bougbt it, I made two promises, one tliac 1 phould uot say anythiug about it for a specified time, the other that I sliould never disclose the parchase price. " "Whr.t is at the bottoai of ali this myptcry?" "I em unable to guess, " answered Mr. Braytoa Ives. "Whether or uot the vase I bougbt was the Peachblow vase, thcro was no veasou that I am aware of why tbe facts should be coiicealed. " Mr. Ivos admitted that the price he paid for the vase was coiísiderabíy less than f18,000, and as au example oV.ori-. eutal porcelain hé considefed itworth v.'hat he had paid for it. He suid that i during the years the vase had beeu in ' his possession many thiii liad come to bis knowledge .about the Peachblow, and mat at times he doubted whether the vase in bispossession was in reality that farnous linio mug. It seems tbat when the vase vvas soid to hira tírider the mysterious circumstuuccs deseribcd there was no gnaranteo that iswas the Peachblow vas;, and that the c-omparatively small prico at which it was offered tended to prove that they wereuottdentieal. Ou the ottíer liaud, there are those who assert that Mr. Ivés Lvlieved he was buying Üie Peachblow vase, and wasat aay 'ate williug to take a 'flier" 011 that assuinption. The faets which he has Bubsequeutly learneci seeúi to (-rovo beyoud anyque.-tiou ili.it lie did ín real iry bny the fameus vase. ana f'hai lus Mivc.-ítment was a jndicious one 'Here ís one fact, ' said Mr Ivés when disenssing the pro aud cons There is a lady ui this .'ity who is 4 frieud of Mrs. jloir. who was the íister of Mrs Morgan This lady freqneutly visiteci (he heuse of Mrs. Morgan, and there ebe saw and handled the Peachblow vase tnany times, examimug ir carefully Cpon one occasiou when vis iting my house she saw rhe rase uow 111 I my possessiou and exclahnêd '1 bave handled that vase many times lt ís (he Peachblowi A carefui esamiaation rxiade by her ouiy coufirmed ihij opiíi ion " "The death of Mr Walters, together with the examiuation of bis cóllectious, have cleared xip some of the mystery whiehsurronndsrthis snbject, " saíd Mr Ivés. "It is dow pretty welt estabhshed thathenever had the Peach blow vase. "