I'm Edwin Rist and I Bought a Flute Made of Gold, with Feathers! A Note to our Readers His limitation, as always, remained in his financial constraints with some feathers fetching thousands of dollars in online auctions, he didnt have the money to make this dream happen, at first. Edwin is a virtuoso flautist. To find that a portion of them has been vandalized is depressing in the extreme. How one doesnt notice almost 300 museum artefacts missing for that period of time, I will never understand. When Kirk Wallace Johnson, author of The Feather Thief, chanced on the story of how a young flute player named Edwin Rist had broken into the British Natural History Museums ornithological department and stolen hundreds of priceless exotic bird skins, he had no idea that he would be swept up into a world of fanatical fly-tyers, crime, and obsession that would completely take over his life. I was formerly the coordinator for the reconstruction of Fallujah in Iraq for the U.S. government and became close to a lot of the Iraqis who were risking their lives to help us. [source]Capping off Edwins incredible scam, Kirk Wallace Johnson, author of The Feather Thief, which covers this insane story in much greater depth, argues that the Aspergers defense was also complete bullshit. Not bird eggs, exactly. Before any eggs are laid, the Jackdaws will usually roost in the trees near the nesting site. Script error: No such module "Draft topics". According to the spreadsheet, two more skins had been returned by mail since then, bringing the number to 193. At the heart of your book is a young American musician named Edwin Rist. (6 minutes) . Not only that, but hed be able to float his parents some cash, who were struggling as Labradoodle breeders back home in the Hudson Valley. The spreadsheet not only gave me confidence in the Trings numbers but also put the lie to the idea that Edwin was the one bad apple in the fly-tying community. Of all the eccentrics cataloged by Monty Pythons Flying Circus, the most sublimely obsessive may have been Herbert Mental. He was also required to repay 125,150 under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Having already read them many times over, I folded them up and tucked them into my back pocket. Edwins Asperger Syndrome is extremely clear, the report said. But the notes from the interrogation included a timeline of Edwins planning, reflecting that hed first written to the museum under false pretenses in February 2008, fifteen full months before the theft. In the articles quoting their remarks to the court, they painted Edwins actions as impulsive and amateurish, claiming that hed spent only a couple of weeks plotting it out. An even greater irony: salmon cant tell the difference between a spangled cotinga plume and a cats hairball. 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Whats more, when Johnson called out Rist on his behaviour, he completely changed on a dime, all of a sudden acting much more withdrawn, rocking back and forth, and changing his voice affect dramatically. The list of its authors can be seen in its historicaland/or the page Edithistory:Edwin Rist. After Rist was caught, he received a suspended sentence, and was ordered to pay a small portion of a 125,150 fine ($158,000 in 2011 dollars). And maybe he did at certain points. Please be respectful of copyright. Wallace is kind of famous for being not famous! Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser, Maximum two drinks a week, Canada guidance advises, US porn star declared unfit for sex crimes trial, Polar bear kills woman and boy in Alaska village, World's oldest person, Sister Andr, dies aged 118, Microsoft to cut 10,000 jobs as spending slows. Its a bird that is almost impossible to describe, with a brilliant red back, a white breast and these long tail feathers, at the end of which are coiled two coin-shaped, iridescent, emerald feathers. Listen 53:52. As it turns out, Mental collects eggs. Script error: No such module "Draft topics". Spread the word. Surrounded by zip-lock bags jammed with thousands of iridescent feathers and cardboard boxes that held what remained of the skins, he confessed immediately. A free man, Rist graduated from music school, moved to Germany, avoided the press and made heavy-metal flute videos. Let us send you the latest in bird and conservation news. By using rare exotic feathers and following traditional Victorian practises from almost two centuries ago, young Edwin hoped to become the greatest tier of salmon flies in the world. How do we create a person's profile? It is illegal to keep eagle feathers or parts without a permit. Then he escaped into the darkness. In June 2009, Edwin Rist, a 20-year-old American flutist studying at the Royal Academy of Music, smashed a window at the Museum of Natural History in Tring, near London, and pulled off one of. Flies like these are made of very rare bird feathers like the ones Rist stole from a British museum in 2009. Wildlife on the move: from trafficking to rescue and rewilding, Video Story, An adventure across Abu Dhabis diverse landscapes, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. In the end, Johnson fails to make much headway in recovering the dispersed treasures. Viking. [laughs] There were so many elements to that sentence that were so bizarre as to be almost unbelievable. Edwin Rist, 22, of High Street, Willesden Green, London, burgled the Natural History Museum, Tring in 2009. Who else had bought from him? Thirty-five days after the heist happened, a scientist went to go inspect a specimen, but was distraught to find the case empty. employee in Falluja, Iraq, and the founder of the List Project (a nonprofit organization that resettles Iraqis marked for death after working with the American military), first heard about Rists robbery during a trout-fishing holiday in New Mexico: I dont know if it was Edwins Victorian sounding name, the sheer weirdness of the story or the fact that I was in desperate need of a new direction in life, but I became obsessed with the crime within moments. So he set out to learn all he could about Rist, unspooling a complex tale of greed, deception and ornithological sabotage. Its the least you can do. He used the opportunity to take photos of a lot of the birds he would later steal. Oslo. According to the Migratory Birds Treaty Act, it is illegal to own native bird feathers or bits of egg shells, even if you found them in your yard. He may have been the final diner. In 2007, I started a non-profit to fight on their behalf. While most of the feathers can be obtained legally, theres an extensive black market for the tufts of species now protected or endangered. That's the crux of Kirk Wallace Johnson's true story about Edwin Rist, a young prodigy in both the orchestral and fly-tying communities whose greed got the best of him. What if I can help you get the missing skins back? I blurted out, surprising myself. Legal Notices Privacy Policy Contact Us. He didnt succeed, so he ended up bashing it out with a rock. At the end of the day, Edwin Rist is a free man, playing music, and going up on the wall of esteemed graduates of the Hue Jackson School of Scam Artistry. of specimens represented by feathers and skin fragments for each species of bird. We encourage you to research and examine . Franz Lidz. Johnson, a former U.S.A.I.D. Were British. In early press accounts of the theft, police had speculated that the birds might have filled up to six garbage bags. Natural History Museum thief ordered to pay thousands. How do we create a person's profile? The museum didnt even notice the theft for over a month the cops were called after seeing the broken window, but upon investigation, nothing seemed out of place whatsoever. Weve got no evidence or knowledge of how he did it, other than what he told the police, Adams said. Your support helps secure a future for birds at risk. Kirk Wallace Johnsons new book The Feather Thief is a veritable Mental ward of anoraksexplorers, naturalists, gumshoes, dentists, musicians and salmon fly-tyers. In Norway, Kirk tracks down fugitive . Can new ecotourism efforts turn things around? Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results John Edwin RIST (1893 - 1894) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Accessed 25-11-2011, New York Times, The Man Who Stole Bird Feathers. Its completely senseless. I dont know if the museum meant to pass me the document, but it was the hardest evidence I had, opening up several new leads. He was ordered to pay back the money after also pleading guilty to money laundering offences. He was facing ten years in prison for the former and fourteen for the latter some serious, serious time. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Beginning in 1854, Wallace spent eight years in the Malay Archipelago (now Malaysia and Indonesia), observing wildlife and paddling up rivers in pursuit of the most sought-after creature of the day: the bird of paradise. They are from the mid-19th century. BBC News. But when I got back to the States, I realized they were now running for their lives because they are seen as traitors. This is where the gears shifted in my own investigation. And so Rist blew a huge hole in the scientific record. (2021 Podcast Episode) Parents Guide Add to guide . Rist took 299 skins, the money from which he was hoping to put towards his studies, buy a new flute and improve his lifestyle. Pledge to stand with Audubon to call on elected officials to listen to science and work towards climate solutions. We regret the error. This interview was edited for length and clarity. The darkness was complete, and in the distance, the medieval bells of the St. Peter and St. Paul Church began to ring ghostlike through the cold air. Edwin Rist, 22, of High Street, Willesden Green, London, burgled the Natural History Museum, Tring in 2009. Id have to find a way to break through the wall of silence surrounding the Tring heist in the fly-tying community and earn enough trust for people to start sharing their secrets. The sentence was relatively low because Rist was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, using a defense that was first utilized in the U.K. in the trial of Gary McKinnon. Commenting here is a privilege, not a right. Really. If you see a feather, your angel is near and they are reminding you that, with them, you are safe. For a moment, I considered trying to hoist myself up but imagined how the conversation would go if the Trings security guard happened to be passing on the other side of the wall. Jackdaws mate for life, pairing-up during their first year, but not mating until the year after. Many of the scientific specimens he lifted were part of Alfred Russel Wallace's seminal birds-of-paradise collection. Skins not on show are socked away in metal cabinetslabeled with scientific species names organized in taxonomic orderin storerooms off-limits to the public. A sociable bird, the jackdaw can be seen in flocks, often performing aerial acrobatics or repeating its short, loud kya call. Weeks later, on the night of June 23rd, he returned in the dead of night, ready to scale the side of the building, use a glass cutter to get in the window, and collect as many birds as possible. Borat being tangentially involved (by family) is fucking fantastic. The term derives from the hooded raincoats favored by trainspotters, those solitary hobbyists who hang around railway platforms jotting down the serial numbers of passing engines. How do we create a person's profile? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. All the more shocking? As I forced down the ale, I tried to reconcile the many claims Id heard from the fly-tying community with what Dr. Prys-Jones and Adams had shown me. McCormack unlocked the doors and pulled out trays of cotingas and quetzals. He married Eleanor N. Gray on 6 December 1942, in Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Were not American, Prys-Jones said. Though Rist pleaded guilty to burglary and money laundering, he never served jail time. This is a nice site, a place for civil discourse and dick jokes. I hopped in my car and bombed up the I-95 to Boston, the revelation setting my imagination on fire, he writes after uncovering the identity of one of Rists possible accomplices, a Norwegian fly-tier known as Goku. Joshua Hammer, June 1, 2018, Smithsonian Magazine. He lost track of time to such an extent that he missed the last train back to London, so had to spend the night a couple of miles away from the scene of the crime with about $1 million worth of birds in his suitcase, nervously hoping no one would descend upon him. However, you can take them to other parts of Canada because you are the legal owner under Ontario law. He reaches in a third time and carefully withdraws two hard-boiled eggs, which he keeps. The fascinating, obsessive practice of tying high-end flies can consumenot just individuals, but entire institutions. If hed gone to jail, how would it materially alter the situation we now find ourselves in, scientifically? he replied. The birds Edwin Rist stole were valuable and collected in the mid-1800s by one of the greatest scientific explorers of his time: a man named Alfred Russel Wallace. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, by Kirk Wallace Douglas, Viking, 320pages, $19.05. He pulls out another bag and discards it, too. 2023 BBC. Script error: No such module "AfC topic". He was one of the first Western naturalists to encounter birds of paradise in the wild, like the king bird of paradise, which he found on remote islands off the coast of New Guinea. A flutist and a professional flytier. If they had two Bird of Paradise wings but no body, did that represent one specimen? Christian was born on May 30 1852, in Bern, Switzerland. Anyone can read what you share. We protect birds and the places they need. Sneaking up behind him, Mental stretches out a hand, peels back the flap of the mans knapsack and rummages within. Fortunately the Trings spreadsheet included a column indicating the approx no. Which brings us back to Johnsons book. Rist was arrested on 12 November last year at his student accommodation in north London, where he had returned to study after the summer break. Fifteen months into the investigation, 22-year-old Edwin Rist, an American studying the flute at London's Royal Academy of Music, was arrested at his apartment and charged with masterminding the . Hes an alarmingly talented person, who let his obsessions and greed destroy a promising future. Logging companies viewed them as pests and poisoned the ancient trees they foraged in. These guys use the language of addiction and obsession in their posts about these rare feathers. Police were alerted when a potential buyer became suspicious after being offered the skins for sale. Exhilarated by my proximity to the scene of a crime I was now determined to solve, I turned up Public Footpath 37 in search of the spot where Edwin had climbed over the wall. The anorak who set this mystery in motion was Alfred Russel Wallace, the great English biologist, whose many eccentricities Johnson politely sidesteps. It is prohibited under US laws protecting eagles. "He has had a deep fascination with fly-tying since the age of 8, and it has shown no signs of diminishing in the subsequent 12 years. Robert Prys-Jones, the retired former head of the ornithology collection, confirmed to me that recent research into feathers from the museums 150-year-old seabird collection helped document rising heavy-metal pollutant levels in the oceans. And with that, well bring in our protagonist. When Frank Edwin Jr. Rist was born on 3 October 1920, in Klamath Falls, Klamath, Oregon, United States, his father, Frank Edwin Rist, was 40 and his mother, Mary Ann Pauly, was 27. Its a popular practice, and research shows it has real health benefits. I think it was partly because he wanted to see how much I knew, and if he could outsmart me. I distractedly paged through the sheaf of press releases that Prys-Jones had given me, not expecting to find anything new. To paraphrase Monty Pythons Dead Parrot sketch: The imperial woodpecker is no more! In a memorable TV sketch, the character zigzags through a scrubby field, furtively tracking something. June 21 1848 - Lake George, Warren, New York, United States, May 18 1927 - Durango, La Plata, Colorado, USA, Silas Bowen Rist Sr., Hetty Eliza Rist (born Farrand), er Rist, Nelly Ellen Cole (born Rist), Frank Edwin Rist, Charles William Augustus Rist, Margaret Helen Rist, Bertha Viola Hutton (born Rist), J. Roberts (born Rist), Addie Elizabeth Rist, Lester Farrand Rist, Charles Almond Rist, Ellen Frances Prentice (born Rist), Silas Bowen Rist, 1860 - Minerva, Essex_code, New York, USA, Ellen Rist, Charles Rist, Silas B Rist, Lester Rist, June 22 1848 - Lake George, Warren, New York, May 18 1927 - Animas City, Laplata, Colorado, Rist, Lewis Royland Rist, Margaret Helen Rist, Nelly Ellen Cole (born Rist), Charles William Augustus Rist, Bertha Viola Hutton (born Rist), ist), Addie Elizabeth Rist, Lester Farrand Rist, Edwin Clark Rist, Charles Almond Rist, Ellen Frances Prentice (born Rist), Silas Bowen Rist. While the museums curators were relieved that a third of the birds had been recovered with their tags attached, they no longer had Adele to help them search for the skins that were still missing. Indeed, about two-thirds of the way through The Feather Thief, Johnson turns anorak himself, chasing down stolen 19th-century plumes as relentlessly as Herbert Mental stalked the eggs of birders. Wallaces bird collection, found in the town of Tring, in Hertfordshire, is absolutely priceless and, until recently, not especially well-guarded. To me, it was clear that he had gamed the system. Soon,a scramble ensued to recover the skins and feathers he'd sold online onfly-fishing forums. Q: I jumped through your sign-up hoops and you approved me - why isn't my comment there? They are writers, and oddly enough it is unlikely that we would have ever found out about fly tying if they were not. Id have to determine if he had worked alone or with an accomplice. (Podcast Episode 2021) Parents Guide and Certifications from around the world. NPR. Edwin Elmer Rist was born on month day 1885, at birth place, Nebraska, to Christian Rist and Emma Rist (born Hunzeker). 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