Show I DAILY DAIL Y HASKIN lETTER I I. I THE RESTORED MONA LISA j i By BY- FREDERIO FREDERIC J. J HASKIN t I More dead deadly I than Ute the male a woman f outraged made all art urt lovers J weep p b by backing the incomparable Ro- Ro Venus enu She SIo did It to get set tho tim vote ote t t It IL rc recalls the mo most t fanlOu of oC nil all art t thefts the the stealing of ot tho the Mona Jona Llla LIEa bt by b- byi t the depredations of i v an Italian Hallan to avenge a rf t fN Napoleon a century old Tho complete I t X story t ry of ot that famous mystery only now rna maybo told with authority Smiling the yamo aine Inscrutable table k- k which the tho master genius Leonardo da daI I 1 Vinci cl Imprisoned upon canvas years ea a ago agoto o to the vexation of sen generations of Interpreter MOna I na m mysterious por- por trait r restored to h her r admirers after vanishing under the eyes of or her I guards and eluding the frantic of ofu u patton of art arl lovers again loo looHs down from rom her place in n the tho Louvre Paris th the Interest of her subtle mystic pr e. slon enhanced b by rca reason on o of II her liei r peculiar lr adventure ad- ad venture Haunting Challenge in Face Mona Moria I a Lisa or as the Italians call can her La Gioconda on of at the haunting V r challenge which tho the artist divined In the the- face fac of or his sitter and which he wove t f into the fabric of ot his hia color colo has en enthralled en- en I and fascinated beholders from rota the beginning Many explanatory pages have o been written on the tho meaning meaning- of ot this famous painting and provoked pro by hr its In indefinable eO charm its elusive suggestion tion many an m art has haa brought tho full power of his critical acumen to the task taeK of or finding suitable worth words for forthe the dc description of the pictures picture's strange appeal Each attempt huts fa failed iI e. e and each writer has iLas dwelt with peculiar em- em upon the qualities of or tho Mona Iona smile This masterpiece is 15 one of or the most treasured of ot tho Louvre collection It lla hast been ten t tentatively valued at morn mol than V. V 01 million dolla nt It was he begun lIn b by da daVinci Vinci bout 1203 when tho the ma master stood flood at nt the zenith of or his feline fame and pow power r. r und anti according to it tool took our four our years tar Of of J intermittent labor to complete te rh lh it woman worn n In j whoso likeness 9 there was or orinto into which h the atU artist t wrought au an i giblo compelling 1 questioning In the mind of ot each who stared back at ot It lt lived lI in Florence She Sho f J 8 was Mona rona Lisa d dl Antonio Maria Marla d dl Noldo t a a. native of Naples s. s who wa was i married in 1495 to Francesco dl fl Bartolomeo Bartolo- Bartolo meo Into dl di del a n. prominent citizen of or llo Florence When ho began tegan I her for foj what hit hi since Inc become come of c I IA A one of or tho ho most renowned of nil 1111 the I f worlds world she was 25 S or ot younger D Da x Vinci painter r. r poet enI en en- I lne r. r philosopher and mystic was wa was 51 tit Was Vas It an an unusual woman that the thc t I ripened cJ marter painted or was It n. n force force- coined b his rl rith h. h mind 1 Many times this Question hat has i en put to the lady ot of the ered only by the tantalizing lance glanc of I tJ the thick protecting varnish r wonder when this tha Ion ot of thou their L f treasure was wag discovered on the mor morn morning n 4 I of or August AU I l 1 1911 1511 a 11 Monday on ay all P Paris was vas wrought ht to H a frenzy frenay len The newt news of ot the theft was received d In Irl all parts of or the civilized cl world wIt with the tho same amo feelings of or dismay The picture ml missing from Its place In tho Salon Carro Carre was tho the most beautiful from Leonardos Leonardo's brush and one OIO of tho the most precious ls creations of ot Western e Lcm Cu culture I til Two years car and four months montha passed without J- J trace of tho the Va vanished work All efforts of or the French police remained fruitless High rewards offered for fo tho the return of the tho painting went unclaimed an and o er overy elite duo a as to tho the whereabouts of the UIO thief cud ended ell Just without the Louvre gates at S. S As 8 the tho months sped by while the endeavors olM of the police pollee proved vain and hot even e rumors camo of or u n Mona Lisa in foreIgn l lands Sands all liopo th that t tho the picture would ever r bo vo recovered was given up sip It wa wai cati concluded that the tho work worl hall hail been destroyed f tc of or Mona Jona Lisa was put to the account of ot one one- of or those un uti- uti intelligible acts of oC vandalism which go So to swell 5 the records of human pathology Boundless was the enthusiasm O. thou then which greeted the sudden unexpected rca re re- re a Pl ca ra n of oC the on Thura- Thura i lay y December l' l 11 lOia HIlf at lt Florence In Florence tho the original Mona tona Lisa had sat t for or a a. poi alt trait by by one of or tho thu greatest painters of all times Umes aud and in a 0 dingy Inn at Florence the lost painting was waN found again The Italian authorities obtained I Immediate IIO salon posse of or the tho ho picture which was 18 taken In triumphal through Hal Italy Under tinder police guard I to Rome Roane to tho thio French Ambassador Bar Bar- I r rere rc and arid then thou to Milan whole lh tho ho di ill ill- recto of or the Jouvre Henry Marel Marcel Mar Mar- 1 cel el and tho the director of or paintings 8 M. M l L Lo- Lo prieur came Caine to lake tako charge o of it rho Tho Mona Lisa was vas 11 again Mcl safely housed In i Jast JaHl New v Years rears da day And was sas again hun hung in n its accustomed acc place at ut t the Louvre which place had be bt been n filled durIn dur dur- In lug ing the time lime of Its loss by Raphael's Cas- Cas as- as r The fhe theft of or hl his irreplaceable work was as an extraordinary one Olle In that tho the criminal crim crim- inal hall hail been abl able to penetrate one Dna of ot the host guarded guard treasure houses of oC I l Europe urpo and make malc away avay na with one of oC Its Us I moat must prized arid and ll precious po possessions c. lons and disappear with his hit loot without leaving Ica a single trace behind 1111 theft was an unusual otto one In iii that to tor toi I two yearn car and four foor our months month ho Ito Itol Kept t his sec et th the tue priceless Mona J Usa lla hidden awa away In his garret bedroom In iii Paris only In the tho end to fall all Into the thc hands of or tho criminal authorities au au- through h an act of ot childish Ch caro- caro an almost simplicity Immediately after tho tim er discovery of or thin tho theft It Wt was thought In Paris that the thief had hidden himself l aw uway In the gallery Saturday afternoon rh in I the all night a and id CS escaped lPt d with his lils t spoIl poll Monday morning Th The glass glasH casing and tim thA frame of the tho l picture Worn found leaning o the wall of or a fl narrow narro leading from UI the Gallery des Sept Metres tb the old ohi Italian plc- plc tures tUre are ara hung to to tho thor Court of ot the SphInx The Tho door opening from this part rt of ot Jas glass protected by Iron work rork was Wf locked and at ut the n a tio tion Sa u ct one of tho working orld 11 men tulen Ien in thO I I having ln oN opened the thu at ih tho Uw t of or ora a a. JI person I hom ho cams came noon sitting at tho tho bottum bot bot- turn tum of ot tho the stairway t Ito IIo railed d to to-tako to take further notice Of r this porton other 1 than han that ho was wearing a blouse Q similar I to those thosa worn orn by h the regular guards As Aj Monday Is JJ cleaning d day y and arid are arc barred no suspicion cro crossed his lila mind but bitt that thit the n nym 11 was what ho lie seemed an nn urn cIa Hero the trail ended A print of u. u left thumb upon tho Iho abandoned gla 1 a. a g 8 frame lame Wit was all aU that In III tho tito way tray of a a. clue to tho police M Notwithstanding full riu reports reports of or the matter mattor in and other othor papers nothing more moro of th the criminal was lo lou announced that It would pay francs franc about to anyone who would return tho ho by y September G. G and Ol I frants or or If it the Ule picture was vas brought to lo them b by September I. I It was as further announced an an- alt alt- that no ito questions ue would be he asked d. d The Tue editors received tI s some omo COO OO letters In answer to their announcements Investigated some somo too cases and learned nothing Tho The Museum urn club lu tin Louvre cavo tho thu pollen francs to bo ho used for or the tho obtaining of or tho the paint paint- In ing Tim Tho court of or investigation convened AUgu August l 2 22 and in Its hearings the photographed photo photo- graphed thumb Imprint ed played a Ic leading role No less than 37 7 persons or 01 or- or tiered dered by the tile court to submit their thumb prints for comparison Amon Among those thoo furnishing fur fur- fishing such uch prints printa were the lie directors of ot the Louvre Lou Tho rho thief of or course coun o was not upon the tho list of ot tho those e Investigated ia an Italian tho the real despoiler au as established i by his hit J own con con- and ami the exact agreement of the nn finger er print found upon th tho glass case cise that of his hison own o thumb when taken into nto i custody y by hI- hIthe the tho Italian police pollee cleared lJ up UI tho the murky mst mystery ry lie maintained that thal ho entered the Louvre together with other workmen on un Monday morning muJo mado hl his 1 way ty unobserved d to lo tho the Mona Lisa removed it Il from froni lt its hanging car car- nod It to it-to to tho thu stairway where the wore found cut the thu painting loo c from from Its casing concealed it at in Sn hI hit his bloom and persuaded cd a Ixl passing n workman to op open n the door for him without o much as J a guard rd around Once outside th the Louvre Lou ho Ito proc proceeded to hil his lodging house a nest for a colony of Italian workmen where lie Ie hid the tho picture and went on with his hs regular work worl that of or a L house painter and glazier lie continued to pl ply ph his trade fa for I moro more than two years a thing worth to him a Q tremendous for lor- tune tunc conc conCI I f in th th tho tale false bottom bottom of his wooden trunk before trying to lo this this- po poc c of ot it ft Only was S tho tim SI sij I Ilon of or the police directed upon him JIlin nut Hut how lie he escaped that Is another ther Pe- Pe nIKla rigia hint been employed at th the Lou o oas as L glazier mid hait hiatt with tho work ork of tome o of tho tito t masterpieces piece In October 1911 Ill Prof Pierre Pierro Macel of the des Beaux Arts Alts wrote an au open opeil letter Jetter to tho limo paper pc r suggesting that trace trl of ot the criminal crim erini- inal wa 1 was 1 to be sought Bought among tho the Louvre Tho director of painting took too thin thu obtained obtain tho names of tho o so ito o employed and ami formerly to so u employed em upon which list hial the th niini mime of or la who trim H among lUon tho rest I was wat subject to an tin examination and a ahouse house search The mystery Is that the tho pollee did dill not take th the finger Inger punts prints of thc those thom o men nice for er comparison as had lJ been cn done llano at the first Investigation I siaK downfall t t-ame with his hlo at at at- tempt to ru dispose of or his hi spoil poll Ho lie wrote November o S. S PIS i to fo Alfred Gerl erh owner of the tho It e c Moderna l at nt Florence Flor Flor- once ence a dealer in lit art works offering under tho the name of or Leonardi to tu sell him tho the Mona Lisa which ho lie explained as asa asa asa a patriotic Italian BaHan hu ho felt feit ou ought ht to be returned to Italy the land harsh of Its pro rol ro- ro l This Plus pica plea strengthened to lo one ono Of ci f patriotic bitterness that rich Paris should b he decorated with the th spoils mons of or Ital Italy robbed during tho tunes times of oC Napo Nape leon he Ito maintained after hl his arrest Gerl sol sought ht counse counsel from from Prof Giovanni Gio Glo- vanni annl Poggi director of ur tho Florence Florenco gal gal- herbs As a result of oC this conference ho lie answered time the letter front from en entering en- en heartily into t the 11 writers writer's pro pro- proposals proposals' poal an anti ancl l finally II arranging a meeting in lIal Italy which took place at nt Florence l December ii 11 U. when the lost Mona Jona Lisa was ag drawn from her lf place under tinder the false trunk bottom and returned to th-o th world after her Ion long sc- sc Nor ol ha has the tIme Mona Iolla Li Lisan can smile auntie lost aught of or Its |