Saturday Morning, November 1, 2025
Jeepers Creepers, where'd ya get those Peepers?
The slit in the door wasn't much, but enough. Blue uniforms and brass buttons confirmed the gathering. Her eyes darted from one talking head to another. None recognizable. None familiar. No matter. All she wanted was information. Eavesdropping. Her choice of weaponry.
Civil War sepia sketch, 7½" x 6"
Noted on reverse - From Life - Standing on the bank
of the Mississippi River. Drawn by S___ G___
of 161 New York Volunteers, 1864.
There were other ways. Since arriving in Washington, D.C., she had sowed seeds in society, fields of fertility. Nothing creates opportunity like a young face and figure. Men. Such easy prey. Pillow talk their downfall. Bravado their Achilles heel.
Columbus Railway King Special, 15 jewels, 1894. Time, like a river, waits for no one, steamboat or railroad.
A drink or two opened the spigot. This city teemed with espionage, falsehood, sleight-of-hand. Beneath smiles lay guile. Everyone knew the game, few played it well. Where fools rush in. Tonight shone a harvest moon. Troop numbers. Division movement. Artillery count. Details to make or break a battle. She thought to herself, General Robert E. Lee will be pleased with me.
Pair 14k gold cufflinks. Saturday's auction offers a wide range
of gold jewelry and accessories.
The Civility War
This Saturday we continue our immersion into the Civil War. Beyond books, medals, and photographs, we have touched a famous personage. Not a household name today, but then? Wow.
Sterling rosary, cross etched Bell Boyd. The striking 17 year-old was a very effective Confederate spy, escaping military punishment multiple times. Three marriages later, she died in poverty at the age of 56 in 1900.
Meet Maria Isabella Boyd. Remembered better as Bell Boyd, Confederate spy. She wove her magic garnering and gathering vital information right in the belly of the beast.
Elgin pocket watch, Grade 315, Model 3, 15 jewels.
Phi Gamma Delta fraternity - Fijis.
Friendship - The Sweetest Influence.
Her entry into this world began at 17 when she shot and killed a Union soldier. His insults against herself and her mother lit the fuse. A revolver finished the job. The commanding Union officer exonerated her, believing the drunken soldier's behavior was abhorrent. This moment changed her life forever. Into the world of intrigue she stepped.
Catch Me If You Can
Arrests. Imprisonment. Reprimands. A pattern among female spies. Though death was the penalty, the smartest ladies forever dodged the noose. Feminine mystique is a major persuader.
Civil War lithograph record for Rueben Barnes.
Participation included Companies A & B of the 23rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. In his final enlistment, he served Company B,
5th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Cavalry.
He fought at Gettysburg July 1863.
Few soldiers could resist. Pamela Goodman, another example. She, a Union spy, traveled within the Confederacy, gathering information wherever available. Both she and Boyd were soulmates. Following the war, Bell was exiled to England. There she stayed, long enough for a second marriage having been widowed. She discovered her life attracted much curiosity among the populace. She wrote books detailing her exploits and found herself on stage relating the incidents. Within ten years she returned to the states and toured. With Pamela also. Their ability to act as spies translated onto the vaudeville tour. Though exhausted from war, audiences were awed of these women. Fifty years later another female spy would repeat the deed. Mata Hari, exotic dancer, courtesan, and spy. Her life ended a bit differently. Before a French firing squad.
Tomorrow Never Dies
Yesterday were slits in doors and eavesdropping. Interplay among characters was an art form, survival the payback. Intriguing. Dangerous. Walking a tightrope.
Chris Willett - By Lake House Inn, Lake Nockamixon (5" x 7")
Today we suffer hackers. People behind keyboards, sans social skills, plying the trade. No glamour. No allure. No romance. No heroes or heroines. Just a cold stroke of a key. Voiceless. Invisible. Indicative of the twenty-first century. For all the computer world has gifted, much is lost. Where are the Bell Boyd's of today? The Pamela Goodmans? Mata Haris? No wonder James Bond movies sellout. People love people. Interplay the enjoyment. Whether real or fictional. Good or bad. They are the warp and weft. Their attraction irresistible. If only there was a place to still meet them. Hmm...let's see.
Christopher Willett - Lock House, Pt. Pleasant, Bucks County (7"x 5")
Doors open at 8 AM. Auction starts at 9 AM. PA AU 1265L