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Show STRANGE USES OF PICTURES. Have Been Frequently Diverted from Their Prime P-rpose. Though the prime purpose of pic lures is to please and Instruct, they have at times been diverted to other uses. During the recent hearing of a case at a London police court a witness wit-ness gave evidence that the prisoner who was charged with attempted murder mur-der and suicide, had drawn his attention atten-tion to a couple of pictures on the backs of which, written in pencil, was a statement by the accused, setting forth the reason for his premeditated crime. Ere now pictures have been enlisted in Hymen's cause. That celebrated painter of flower and figure subjects, William Hunt, was on one occasion commissioned by a gentleman to paint his portrait in the attitude of kneeling and holding in his hand an open scroll whereon was written a declaration of love and offer of marriage. The lady to whom this unusual proposal of marriage mar-riage was sent replied with a chalk drawing of herself with a sheet of ?aper in her hand on which was Inscribed In-scribed a laconic "Yes." Pictures have not infrequently been chosen by whimsical testators as living places for their wills. To an Tvn greater length of eccentricity did a gentleman go whon he gave a handsome hand-some sum to Mulready to execute a ! figure subject on the back of his will, which, thus adorned, was framed and hung in his drawing room. As debt collectors, too, they have proved efficacious. Etty, when a young man, rocelved an order from certain Marylebone tradesmen to make a dozen caricature sketches of a resident of the locality who was notably averse to settling his accounts. These portraits por-traits when finished were displayed in the windows of their subject's long suffering creditors, who refused to re-mow re-mow them from the public gaze until their bills were paid. Seeing no way of escaping ridicule save by yielding to their just demands, the gentleman, on condition that the objectionable portraits were destroyed, agreed to discharge his debts. Soon after he settled in London Sir Thomas Lawrence, then a mere youth, was witness to a dastardly assault on a young lady by a ruffian, who managed man-aged to make good his escape, not. however, before he had been well noted by the young artist, who at once returning to his studio in Leicester square, drew from memory a speaking portrait. This, which he handed to tho police, was the means of bringing the criminal to Justice. That wayward genius. George Mor-land, Mor-land, was often sore pre86ed for money to pay his debts. On one occasion he stayed at an inn where he speedily raa up an account which he was unable to meet. He offered a picture In payment, pay-ment, but boniface shook his head. Suddenly, however, hla eye brightened, and he invited the artist to step lrr his yard, whero, he trusted, a meai of settlement might be found. Norland Nor-land did so, and a few days later received re-ceived his bill receipted. The following follow-ing Sunday mine host appeared at church In a truly novel waistcoat, being be-ing loss than the palnter'a payment, which, stretched across his ample chest, displayed to the am a sod congregation congre-gation the picture of a gigantic pig. |