The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-16
AT MEMPHIS IN OLD EGYPT.
Something About City that Was Very
Prosperous Some 5000 Years Ago.
But Of Which There Is Little Left but Monu-
nents and Mummies-IngeniouS Meth
DDS of Securing Free Advertising.
Of the indianapolis. Journal

Correspondence Of the Indianap polls Journar
MEMPHIS 1885. My last letter left the reader
on the rail, not far away from old Memphis.
Here let US halt. Very few are the travellers
who visit Egypts ancient capital, but there is
scarcely IN American who comes to Cairo with
out spending day at Sakkara, the old GENE
terry of Memphis, and he, in reaching Sakkara
from the railway, must needs go through Mem
phis Threequarters of an hour after leaving
the station of Boulak- Darker you reach the
little depot of Bedrashen, where donkeys await
the excursionists unless they have gone by rail
with him. The little Egyptian donkey is
wonderful fellow, and know OF nothing more
exhlarating than gallop on one of these grace
ful creatures over the fields and through the
palm groves of Memphis. That is almost all that
remains Of that once proud capital of Egypt viz:
fields and palm-groves constitute the sum total,
except two or three gnfcant villages, the rub
Dish Of decayed houses, and a few remnants of
ancient art which were too large to be carried
away. Memphis was tho largest city of the
Egypt Of the prepatriarchal days. Hundreds of
years before Abraham went to Egypt during
famine, Memphis and the Pyramids were
Ia hourishing grandeur. Jacob and his
twelve children with the exception
of Joseph, who was prime minis
ter of Hypsos king, one of the usurping Pha-
raohs probably remained in the land Of Goshen,
and only saw the Pyramids in the distance, rising
10 the north of Memphis. 1t was fourishing
city 5000 B. c. according to some and Thebes
alone could rival it in antiquity. But how the
mighty have fallen! saw great strings Of cam
r
the site of the old city, but which proved to be
decayed portions of men and beasts, of ancient
houses, straw and "ejectamenta' rich in
ammonia. which, you know, has great
fertilizing qualities 1t is rather humil-
Eating to think that the residences of the
grandees of old Egypt should have become SO
decayed that they serve no other purpose than to
the rice-felds and the Nile,watered
grounds devoted to sugarcane and cotton of the
poor oppressed 'fellah," who is only the modern
descendant Of the ancient Egyptian slave and
mental. Modern Europeans and Americans
build substantial houses Of brick and stone, but
the Egyptian people, thousands of years before
Christ and to- day, whether they be the rulers of
the land or the fellah, or the black slaves inn
ported from the very heart Of Africa, live in
brick mixed with straw, and covered with straw,
or palm leaf thatch. In ancient days only the
temples Of the gods, and the vast pyramidal
and other tombs were made of the undecayinc
granite, or the hard limestone. What was i'm
posing in Architecture and durable in material
in Memphis was destroyed by the Mohammedans
and ioated down the river to be built into the
mosques and fortresses of the modern Cairo
which occupies portion of the site of old
Memphis Memphis is on the west bank Of the
Nile. while Cairo is more than fifteen miles away
on the east bank of the river.
The first time that went to Memphis and
Sakkara was in February, 1870 The main por-
sion Of the party were Indianians, consisting of
Calvin Fletcher, wife and daughters; Stoughton
Fletcher and daughter, Harry S. New then a
boy of sixteen), and your correspondent We
went by rail to the first station out from Cairo
and there mounted the dapper little donkeys
THAT had been carried in one of the cars of our
train from the city, and we formed quite
spectacle cavalcade, donkeycade. wound
under the palm trees and across the site of
Memphis to the Memphian metropolis of SAX
kara We glanced at the PROSTATE colossal
statue of Rameses, the Sesostris of the Greeks
(who the Pharoah that knew not Joseph
and whose son was Menepteh the Pharaoh of the
Exodusi and, hurrying on to Sakkara, we spent
a whole day amid the pyramids ard tombs right
In the desert sands. We went down into the
last resting place of the sacred bul!s-an under
ground structure of several hundred feet-we
examined the polished granite bull sarcophagi of
gigantic size, and after day of exceeding inter
est we returned to Cairo across the fields instead
of by rail. An incident this return journey
took place which is we'll worth relating, for it
shows how much "a man and brother was
worth in the region of Ishmael Pasha. Our
path took US across a certain field where men
were engaged IN planting We followed our
dragoman who had conducted US from Cairo
A portion of the party was far in advance
Suddenly we heard a shout, and, looking back,
there were the fellahs, headed by
big Soudanee slave. making for
Harry New and Laura Fletcher NOW
Mrs. Hodges. Our dragoman put spurs
to his donkey and the rest of the advance followed
suit, making formidable rescuing party. The
workmen, headed by the big Soudanee darkey,
wanted to levy blackmal on Harry and Miss
Laura, and hence their threatening aspect. Our
approach did not make them withdraw; and then
not with any murderous intent, but merely to
brighten the despoing Egyptians, Stoughton A.
Fletcher drew his revolver and made for the big
Soundanee In moment the dragoman, with
terror on his face rode up to Stoughton, excaim-
ing, in English: Don't shoot, sir. don't Shoot
for you will have to pay his master $500 for him.
We got back to Cairo in safety, but we found
what a man was worth in Egypt
And right here let me put another link between
indianapolis and Sakkara. A few weeks ago
received the Indianapolis Journal of the 10Th of
June. l was struck by seeing in conspicuous
place. amongst reliable news dispatches, this
heading, philadelphia Special and beneath |
read this sub heading: antiquities Found by a
Consul. Rare Collection of Antiquities and
Curos Sold Under the Hammer" | give the
heading, caps and ALL just as it appeared in the
Journal Immediately said to myself if this
Especial" is mere advertisement it is pretty
expensive one, and seeing the position that it
occupies, not amongst the advertisements it is
as skillfully done as that lad" which wide awake
Albert Gall got out of the Journal reporter by
having him (said reporter) who must be the same
who cleverly and wttiy wrote "Alibarber" a
few years ago, interview the Turkish noble
man." formerly translator to the Sultan"
who came to Indianapolis and offered his Turk