Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 220, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1913 — Find Ancient Statue Stolen From Greek Museum [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Find Ancient Statue Stolen From Greek Museum

BALTIMORE, MD.—A piece of Greek sculpture, the bust -of a child of about five years, stolen from the Nar tlonal museum at Athens fifteen years ago, and said to be of priceless value and 3,000 years old, was recovered by the Baltimore police the other day. The figure was dug up in the cellar of Charles Nemphos, a Greek confectioner at Hampden, a suburb. Search for the bust was instituted here following a visit of Dr. Alexander Vouros* the Greek charge at Washington. It was only after Nemphos had been subjected to a ‘’third degree" qulzsiag by the detectives listing all night that he finally broke down and pointed out the spot where the bust was burled. Under his direction the officers unearthed the head of the figure, broken off at the shoulders. A few more handfuls of earth were upturned and the bust was revealed. “That's all," said Nemphos, with an audible sigh of relief. "I'm glad ycfi got it."

The relic was taken charge of by the police and Nemphos was locked up on ,the charge of receiving stolen goods. According to Nemphos, he came into possession of the figure ten years ago. He obtained it, he said, from a fellow countryman as security forra loan. The figure, which is* of marble, is said to be one of the finest examples extant of the sculpture of the Archaic period. Its age is placed at at least 8,000 years. While ft has & money value of a quarter of a million dollars, because qf its sentimental and histcr ical associations, it is regarded by the Greek authorities as almost priceless.