The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-05-05
MAILING WOMEN oE EGYPT.
Professional Mourners and Their Hired
Lamentations over n Corpse.

Professional Mourners and Their Hired
Lamentations Over a Corpse.
One of the s~trangest occupations in
the world is extensively practiced in
Egypt and other parts of the east.
Women wall in this country for recre-
alton, but they wall there for profit.
To many of them it is n bread-and-bu
ter game, and n queer game it is. Ev-
cry reader of ancient history has read
of the ''N~edabehs," or w%ailing women.
They are the finest actors in the world,
and my experience with them impressed
this characteristic upon me. l had n
letter of introduction to an Egyptian
official, n man of wealth and position.
One evening l made my way up to his
house on the banks of the stately NAH
moudieh Canal. There were n few per-
sons idling about the rich vine groves.
One of them came up to me n said
something, and / attempted to look in
telligent, but failed. l showed the let
ter to this dusky guard and passed on
without understanding of the many
words he had addressed to m e. l went
up to the door, and my ears were near
ly split by the most dreadful shrieks
which aver fell upon the ears of a civil
lied man; l was spellbound; l thought
a Whitechapel murder was being per-
petrated, and there were no policemen
about to stop the disturbance. rang
but no one answered.
After waiting for a long time l
felt impelled to take the law into my
own hands. The large door was open
and there was n magnificent view of
the majestic hall before me. Silently
l crept down. After going about fifteen
yards l came to an open O and the
shrieks came through in a deafening
volume. There was q gauzy curtain
spread over the aperture and l sat
down on n gorgeous divan for the pur-
pose of seeing what was to be seen. l
got a clear view of everything; there
were only six women and n corpse.
The corpse was on n bier and the anna
BILE shriekers were hanging around her,
uttering the most demoniacal yells.
Their hair was hanging down their
shoulders and faces; they were wiring
ing their hands in ~hysterical grief;
tears were flowing down their dusky
faces in regular courses; then they
commenced a m%ournful chant which
was worse than the shrieking. Then
the shrieking commenced again. After
this had been going on for n long time
! felt that my heart was really aching
for these poor, bereft ones. They had
lost a lear relative, no doubt; perhaps
a mother. perhaps n sister; l didn't
know. At that time l had not faith
omed the depths of a woman's craft. l
should think this had been going on
for an hour, when a tall, bedecked
man entered the DON from the oppo-
site side, held up his right arm in a
very dignifed manner, and said in very
good Englia~sh."
Tine scene was changed in the twink
ling of an eye. The tears were van.
ished in something less than a second;
the women trimmed up their hair and
made themselves look quite prim and
pretty. One of them was bold enough to
throw her veil from her comely-looking
face, and l got a full view of it. Then
the women drew into n circle, and with
smiling faces began chattering away
quite comfortably. Rochester Union.