Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Artifacts stolen in museum break-in
By KELLY DONOVAN/Staff Writer
DAGGETT -- When Daggett Community Services District secretary Beryl Bell
went to the office to feed the fish on Christmas, she was shocked at what
she found.
The front door was open and damaged, display cases in the museum there had
been ripped open and numerous artifacts were missing.
"I couldn't believe it," Bell said. "You never think about something
happening that way."
Many of the losses were American Indian artifacts -- baskets, pieces of
pottery, arrowheads and spears.
"It's just an absolute disaster," Leslie Lloyd, president of the Daggett
Historical Society, said of the burglary.
The most significant items stolen are two American Indian pottery pieces the
society had since the 1940s -- Acoma water urns, about 30 inches tall, with
the bottoms missing.
"Those Acoma pots are absolutely irreplaceable," Lloyd said. "They are just
not made anymore because they are so big. Since they are so rare ... an
unscrupulous collector is going to be willing to pay for them, even
damaged."
The Historical Society, which operates the museum, never had the Acoma
pottery appraised, and Lloyd was hesitant to speculate as to what a
collector might be willing to pay for it.
She said smaller pieces of Acoma pottery have sold for several thousand
dollars.
"We knew they were valuable, quite valuable," she said. "You just sort of
didn't talk about it. We never told anybody, 'Oh, these are tremendously
valuable.'"
Also missing was a basket that had been appraised at $3,500, which Lloyd
said she thinks is a Chemehuevi piece. An intricately woven Navajo sash is
also gone.
Other losses included items like mineral spheres, antique dolls and vintage
model trains.
Bell and Lloyd said the burglar must have arrived with a shopping list.
"I think it was somebody that knew just exactly what they wanted," Bell
said. "They went for certain things and took them ... It looked like a
professional job."
The items stolen were those that would yield the most cash on the black
market, Lloyd said.
To get in and disable the security system, the intruder cut the phone lines,
sprayed foam on the security system, broke a security light and entered
through the back door by prying it open with a crow bar or similar
instrument, Bell said. The fence in back of the building was also cut.
The museum, which is in the same building as the Community Services District
Office at 33703 Second St., will remain open, with tighter security.
Displays that are still there include historic photographs of the area and
various historical artifacts from Daggett. There are also exhibits on the
early days of solar power in Daggett and on the area's borax industry.
Museum visits will now be available only by appointment, by calling
254-2415.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident,
and the society is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the
arrest of the burglar.
Anyone with information can call the Barstow Sheriff's Station at 256-4838,
or the WE-TIP hotline at (800) 78-CRIME.
CONTACT THE WRITER: (760) 256-4122 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.desertdispatch.com/
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
