The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-06
MUMMIES, ALAS! DECEIVE.
NO MORE THAN PETRIFIED W0MBH
ARE THEY To BE TR listed.

A Factory Out West Turning Out epsots
mems That Fool Scientists - HnGsnnit1
Displayed nv - Giant Mummy sad =
Fortified Woman, Warranted Gsnuincs
WASHINGTON. Dec. 5.-0ficials of the Smith
sonlan Institution and other scientists in WASH
ington have been called upon repeatedly
during the last four years TO make examinn-
tons Of alleged mummies, and to determine
whether they were genuine. The requests have
come from exhibitors. as well as from private
collectors. The scientists here do not boltavo
that many spurious mummies have been sent -
the largo museums, but they do believe that
there are many bogus mummies In private col
lections. and they have discovered the existenoo
OF II little mummy mandatory In the West
SO far as Is known, there have been no ooun-
~terfeits of Egyptian mummie To make thnm
would be dangerous work. for q trained aroh1-
ologist could quickly unmask the deception
The manufacturers have been turning their
attention more to making mummies of South
western Indians, and of white persons IN the
North and West. The Egyptian mummios
have the higher market value, being worth
$500. while the Indian mummiess are worth only
from SlO0 to $500, according to age and loca-
ton. The manner In which the manufacturers
work Is very ingenious. The firm usually oon-
slsts of two or more persons. TO deceive tha ere
Of the scientist. much moro than q rudimentnfT
huON ltlReO HllhlOlny uiu tLhuoAoky " Io4uAE0us
In tho manufacture OF spurious Indians the
conformation of the head. which differs some
what in different parts of the country. must b
considered. aud the objects buried with the rcd
men must be selected by ethnologic knowledge.
The effect OF tine upon the bones and Tissues
must be very carefully studied and the manu-
featured mummy must be properly smoked and
aged by various processes. such as burytng and
wetting. In all of these things the manufao-
49,. 49, a. ---1-.
fully adept. For instance, in tho one particular
of hair, which almost always remains clinginG
to the skull even after the flesh has disappeared
or dried up, jute Is the common material used
for this purpose. and this, fastened to the skull
OF some cadaver which has been purchased from
the poorhouse or the Potter's Field, il made TO
resemble the hair found on the skulls of genuine
dummies SO closely that even scientists have
been deceived. The skin of spurious mummies
Is carefully prepared. and In one Of the caSoas
which was called to the attention Of scientists
at the Smithsonian Institution. Il was found 10
consist Of n cotton or linen fibre. very finely
spun, covered with a glutinous material which
much resembles the waxen surface seen in the
genuine. In the case of some genuine mumnles
the skin has dried and shrunk until 1t covers
the skeleton like q tight piece of India rubber.
In the spurious mummies the various kindb Of
desiccation are very accurately initiated, and
would be apt to deceive the casual observer, or.
indeed. a very careful student, unless his sus-
picion WAS aroused by some discrepancy % -
proportions.
Prof. w. j.. MCGEE and Prof. Thomas Wilson.
the former the chief of the Bureau of Ethnol-
ogy and the latter the Curator Of the Depart
ment of Prehistoric AnthropoloRy of the smith
sonian Institution. have frequently been called
upon to make Investigations of dummies which
come into the possession OF private collectors
or exhibitors. and In several cases the result OF
the investigation has been the unmaakinR of n
very clever fraud. A case OF much interest 10
that h;n 81 z & giant n mummy ,na Z SO called which lhoh vas
the t3e.Aat Atlanta .nd I ESp9sit ton; f Prof. o M Me- pr1t;
occasion to examine the so-called mummy
III, T'eA es sffSt ' soid a ths very %H Straight ThH 0S story
in regard to Its purchase. and fully convinced
i fHs the they ali b belize after a most most careful a. a
animation OF the skin, hair. skull. teeth. and
object was all it was represented to be. and in
this opinion they were confirmed BY the exami-
on o. the foremost Of American comparative
anatomists. Prof. Goode asked the man IL he
si,3Sc for to the ss, .p. It; naa the WINE Tsn .h ase as. a s, p1s.
hib!tory price, the scientists had no doubt thae
they f9uLd bring down the mans asures ;u a1S
become Sp @. the u property SIty Of 9TH their ,n lns,itI In 1no;t,n,, n
the bones was a little greasy. He communal
Gated this fact to the others and their suspi-
in again looking at the body. noticed a discrep-
ancy in the putting together Of the bones. The
prominent upper end OF the femur seemed too
great. Pro-; Lucas surreptitiously broke on
and bringing them to Washington submit:
ted them TO a number of chemical and
to be properly COMPOSED but upon examining
the hair 1t WAS found to be unquestionaely jute.
The, skin was then soaked In warm water and
work al m piacps with n naRhlR II wAa fOnnd
the qualities OF desIccated human flesh. The sale
was therefore declared off. and The mummy was
afterward seized by the Sheriff for non pay
meat OF dues and rents.
Chicago or Atlanta the mummy OF a child, the
skull Of which haa been split open WITH = Slow
fin followed out OF a tree. The fact OF the TOM
Thing else. aroused Prof. McGeo's suspicious
and o. on further SHami3na =, the body was f9 Ss
cur!os are u less a"S csrefnns msnntactared and
would not deceive the scientific eye. although
o anGy Of T a hSnd R.sI With It e ensani o bb,essyIp.ne times
About three wears ago the alleged body of .
pe%trifed woman was exhibited in q store on
said that its genuineness lad been questioned.
and he invited a number of scientists. about
twenty-five or thirty. to come to his exhibition
room and make a thorough investigation OF the
subject. Three sides ot the mans exhibition
scientific men. and others attesting their belief
in the genuineness of the petriied woman,
T." Mrs. StOne.' as the scientists jocularly called
her. The supposed body lay on its back and
was composed of some material. the texture or
which strongly resembled skin. The hair re-
manned intact, imbedded in the hard material.
Upon, turning the object over 1t was
found that the resemblance TO human akin
ceased. A core. drill WAS, put into the
calf of the right leg and showed Port
land cement and sand. Another bore put 70
work disclosed All ordinary lead gas pipe, which
made up all the skeleton the body possessed
In the manufacture Of this. and. IL Is supposed.
OF other objects OF n similar character, q cadaver
is taken and n mould made. After the mould
has been taken the skin and flesh are removed.
The teeth, hA!r, and skin are petrihed artih-
ciHlly. J., was discovered a~fterward that .
family OF -four or five persons living near San
Francisco had been making a very good living
by turning out prtrited people for sale. A man
and II woman served as the models for the petrt-
fed bodies, and che manufacturer could thus
cater 80 the public taste according TO the poDu-
larity OF male and female retrifactions.
SPOILS FOR 4 MOOSE