Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1900-12-07
TRUCKING THE
EGYPTIANS.
BY M. QUAD.



Copyright. 1900. by G. Ii. Lewis.l
When the firm of Haywood, Stone h
90. Of London established an agency at
Cairo. Egypt, | was placed la charge.
My business was the buying OF rugs,
vases, arms. cloths and whatever else
might ind sale In England. That was
what | may call my general and legit-
innate business. As II side line | was
to pick up bargains In mummies. Up
to the founding OF that agency In Cairo
only few museums In Europe or
America had been able to secure speci-
mems To get hold of n mummy with
history required II couple of years
diplomatic correspondence between
governments, and the cost would run
up as high as $50, 900. Under the laws
Of Egypt 1t was death to disturb the
dead without official permission, and
death to any foreigner discovered try
ing to ship II mummy out of the coun-
try without special license In justice
to the old and respectable house | have
named | must say that they had no
knowledge OF my side line. had
partner In London who advanced the
money and shared the profits. When
I was ready to begin business, we had
orders for 30 mummles.
Let me tell you that | had n crafty
part to play. In a way the branch
was under the supervision Of the
Egyptian government. At the end Of
each week had to submit list of
my purchases. All my shipments had
to pass the customs officials My ware
rooms must always be open to official
inspection. was not told In 30 many
words that all this watchfulness was
to prevent me from dealing In num-
mics, but OF course | knew that II was.
My first step was to brlbe every official
who could obstruct me, and had to
move slowly IN the matter and make
no mistakes. Then an agent must be
found to look up and ship me the
specimens from points In the interior,
and he had to be a nervy AZ well as
AN honest man. He In turn would
have to find faithful men, and taken
all IN all II was bit Of business to
be handled with care. 1t wns six
months before got It under way. and
after once fairly IN II there was not
an hour In which | felt safe from
discovery.
In most eases the burial places In
Egypt are easily to be got at. Most Of
our orders simply called for II speci-
men, and 1t made no difference about
tha or xAh nt M thapn a IA rnanrH
attached. There were few museums
In want OF particular bodies. They
wanted kings, queens, generals or
poets who had been dead from 1900
to 5000 years. 1t IL perhaps unneces-
sary to inform the reader that ! always
filled these orders. After getting a
mummy into my warehouse | had n
way of making 1t ill the bill and give
general satisfaction. My assistant,
who was a native antlquary, native
doctor and villain, was handy at UNI
wrapping and rewrapping and carving
hleroglyphIcs and manufacturing rel
les. If there was fraud In II, do not
seek to defend myself | simply say
that II there IL public demand for
INC vi ~ IN AA' uhty
Of some agent TO supply It M near as
possible and keep people good natured.
In the course OF two years shipped
70 mummles safcly out OF Cairo and
landed them In London, and am
frank to say that my dividends were
considerably larger than those paid
last year by the Standard on compa-
hs n,sia rhn
mummy business was booming, and |
was filling orders for anything up TO
10000 years old on demand when
government official gave me hint that
my business had been tumblcd to. IIe
exchanged his information for my $50
gOldpiece and went his way, and II
was my business to put up n job on the
khedive and square myself. don't
know that any one had given me away
directly, but suspicion had somehow
become aroused and was TO be put
under surveillance and caught red
banded. My shipments suddenly ceas-
ed, and the mummy market became
Gull. After couple Of weeks my as
slstant villain went up the Nile toward
the ruins Of Memphis TO look for
man. II was live man and particu-
lar sort OF man he wanted, and when
he found him the sum Of $50 changed
hands. Then the man died. At least
he was swathed In bandages which
had come from the looms 1000 years
before, scented and splced In Al
style and then put In "A coffin which
gave him nway as having been dead al
most 20 centuries. The hleroglyphics
on that coffin and on manuscript In
closed revealed the fact that the dead
man was the celebrated fakir Sonadi
Hassassan and that when he had slept
his sleep he would awaken and begin
another pilgrimage on earth.
The mummy reached my warehouse
one afternoon, and within an hour a
government official backed by 6lo
search. There had been no conceal
nent. The mummy occupied II con-
spicuous position. They had caught
me red banded In n way, and yet they
could not understand why / had been
30 open about II.
my dear SIR" said 10 the official. II
know the laws Of Egypt. I am not
dealing In mummies. The law does
not say may not restore dead man
to life. At this present hour that thing
there IL a mummy. Tonight at o o'clock
It will be living man"
| what nonsense II thisT exclaimed
the man as he struck the coffin with
his cane. "Do you think am child
TO believe such talesT
81 think you are very smart man"
| replied. but there " yet something
to learn. Read OF Bonadi Hassassan.
He was the greatest magician the
world ever knew He II was who made
/ I.....L.....-A A