Mea culpa!  I erred on two counts in my report to the 07.03.04 MMD
about the eBay Ruth fraud.

First, the organ is a 52-key Ruth, not a 33-key'er.  But more important:
the organ is presently in the collection of Galen Bird, Grandview,
Missouri, not in the Lane Thomas collection, as I was told.

Galen Bird wrote to me: 

    "It is my room and my Big Boy [that was pictured on eBay].  So it is
    my 52-key organ.  I don't know where the guy came up with the pic-
    ture.  I put it on eBay once, but can't remember when; it was several
    months ago.  [The listing] might have had that picture.  It is easy
    to see it is too big for a 33-key organ."

Galen (ogmbird@hotmail.com) is apparently still interested in selling his
Ruth; so perhaps Freddy is not out of luck.

Matthew Caulfield
Irondequoit, NY