Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-11-18
MUMMY CASE A FATAL HOODOO
Death and Disaster Overtakes Its Var
lOuS Owners.

London.-Few tales of occul
fiction have been more extraordinar
than the weird story of mummy cas-
at the British Museum and it's sup
posed deathdealing powers, which ha
just been told by B. Fletcher Robin
son, the wellknown literateur.
The mummy case, which now is re
posing in corner of the first Egyptian
room of the museum, once covered th'
embalmed remains of a priestess of th'
College of Amen Ra, and who lived in
the mighty city of Thebes some 1901
years before Christ. The work is still
in beautiful state of preservation
and depictsl woman of singularly
baleful expression whose dark eyes
stare into vacancy, as though seek
ing there some clew to the riddle of the
universe, while.her hands are peace
fully crossed upon her breast.
1t was in the middle of the sixties
that party of five friends charted a
dahabia for voyage up the Nile and
tarried at Luxer to explore the ruins
of Thebes and the famed temple to
Amen Ra. One evening an Arab call
ed upon a member of the then happy
little party-Mr. D. be is called to con-
ceal his identity-anG offered to sell
him beautiful mummy case which
he declared be had just found. 1t was
the priestess' mummy case. Mr.. ID.
bought it. But as all the members of
the party were keen Psychologists it
had been decided that the ownership
of their respective finds should be de-
termined by lot, and thus it came about
that the mummy.case fell into the
hands of Mr.. W.
It was on the return journey that
the series of misfortunes SO strangely
with 1t began. While one
of Mr.. DIS servants was handling a
gun it exploded in some unaccountable
manner, the charge lodging in the
man g arm. which had to be amputat-
ed; second servant died in poverty
within the year and third was shot.
When Cairo was reached Mr.. w. dis
covered that be had lost the larger
portion of his fortune, He gave the
case to married sister living near
London. Soon afterwards he died.
But from the day that the effigy of the
dead priestess entered it's new abode
misfortune dogged the footsteps of the
family living there.
1t CHANGED that Nine. Blavatsky,
the high priestess of the thesophists,
paid visit to the house one day. On
crossing the threshold her manner be
came greatly perturbed and she told
her hostess that there was some strong
malignant influence in the house and
req uested permission to examine the
various rooms. When she discovered
tho coffin lid she declared it to be a
most dangerous possession and be.
sought it's owner to send it away forth
with. This the lady laughingly refus-
I'd to do, attributing Nine. BIavatsky's
'ears to foolish superstition.
Shortly after this, however, she sent
,he case to Baker street studio to be
photographed, and the photographer
discovered that his camera had repro
luced the features of an apparently |
ivlng woman. Shortly afterwards he
lied suddenly and mYsteriously. Soon
after this happened Mr.. D. turned up
n London and urged the then owner
20 get rid of the case at once. A car
.ier was found to transport it to the
British Museum. He died within a |
week and the man who assisted in re-
moving it to the museum buildings
net with a serious accident. Now,
the misfortunes which |
lave heretofore attended the posses
If the mummy case have ceased.