146 
press. I think you can not get a finer and 
larger pair of horns in the United States, 
than the ones I have. 
Hoping you will understand the figures 
on antlers and that you will see they are 
the largest to be found. Yours truly, 
Ji Tiverett. 
And then this: 
Dr. Palmer, Davenport, Ia. 
Livingston, Mont., Jan. 23, 1890. 
Yours of Jan. 18, 1899 to hand. I think 
the difference is almost too great as to the 
amount I have asked you and what you of- 
fer me for the head;; but have talked the 
matter over with my wife and we know if 
we kee it in a few years we can get more 
than what it cost me in the first place, 
which was $400 of hard-earned money; 
but as times are so hard I have decided to 
let you have the head for $200 and I know 
you will be the owner of the largest elk 
head in America. Will ship to Chicago as 
advised, so you can remit to me and I am 
sure you will be the king of all large ani- 
mals. Yours truly, 
J. Everett. 
The next letter is from a taxidermist in 
Chicago who requests that his name may 
not be mentioned: 
Chicago, Feb. 6, 1899. 
Dr. Palmer, 
Just received the 22-point horns and 
paid $18.05 express charges, just about 
what the head is worth. It is the biggest 
fake anybody could have put up. I don’t 
wonder you never got a good photo. Each 
beam is 74 inches long, by a spread of 78 
inches. Two pair of antlers have been 
set together and both were picked up. The 
horns are unnaturally colored and varnish- 
ed. The antlers are of such enormous 
size that the express company could not 
get the head into any car or wagon and 
had to demolish the crate. 
I don’t think you will keep the fake head 
and wish you would relieve me of it soon 
as it takes more room than I have to 
spare. I can not crate it for less than $5, 
I don’t even feel like doing it for that. 
You can charge the seller more than that 
for he swindled you the worst way. He 
gave you wrong measurements all around 
and said the elk was killed. Let me know 
by return mail what you are geing to do 
with it. 
And this also: 
Chicago, Feb. 8, 1899. 
Dr. Palmer. 
Your card of Feb. 6th received. 
I am sorry that man swindled you, and 
hope you will get even with him in good 
shape. I never saw any such work done 
or thought anybody would sell such a 
thing for a natural killed specimen, If 
EGasoc. 
RECREATION. 
you did not pay him yet, it would be the 
best thing to send it back to him and take ~ 
all, the..expenses C.. OQ. D. > | 
Such antlers are worthless and your elk 
mounted with them would spoil your col- | 
lection, for every hunter or visitor, that 
knows animals, would soon find where the 
size and prongs come from. . 
The main set of antlers, that are on the 
skull are spread very much and on every 
side. Six prongs are added to them. The 
antlers. were partly rotten when found, 
and most of the rough part is now smooth, 
for the rotten parts had to be taken off be- 
fore they could be colored. I hardly think 
that you can get them into your house. 
The head is poorly mounted and the scalp 
is not worth enough to mount another 
head with it. The head must have been 
mounted long ago and the scalp is already 
cracking. 


Here is a letter from another man who 
wishes his name withheld: 
Livingston, Mont., Feb. 11, 1890. 
Dx Palmer. 
I received the card this a. m. Had heard 
about the large head that E. B. Wittich 
had, and heard he had shipped it to some 
one same time as I was shipping some 
heads. The one he shipped was so large 
it would not go into the car. I remarked 
that likely it was another one of his fake 
heads. He sold one a few yeers ago to an 
Austrian count for $600 which went to 
pieces in New York. 
The head sent you seems to be shipped 
by Mr. Everett. This man is a brother- 
in-law to Wittich, and is in the railroad 
insurance business. If they have done any 
crooked business with you I would refer 
you to John T. Smith, attorney. He will 
jar them up in good shape if’ you have a 
They are a dirty, unprincipled out- 
fit and ought to be prosecuted. 
I never saw the head. The better way 
for you is to notify Everett that you have 
found it to be a spliced head and demand 
your money back. Then if it is not forth- 
coming there is timeto act through an at- 
torney. I do not know positively about 
the head but I do know that a spliced 
head has been sold by Wittich at an enor- 
mous price. I think you can settle with- 
out a law suit. 
Then Dr. Palmer placed the matter in 
the hands of an attorney and some days 
later received this letter from Everett: 
Livingston, Mont., Feb. 20, 1899. 
Dr. Palmer. 
I am to-day-in receipt of a letter from 
one W. M. Chamberlin, attorney, stating 


that the head I sold you had been spliced. 
If such is the case I did not know it. 
While I do not claim to be any judge, I 
was sure they was a good set of horns, 

