The San Francisco call., 1904-06-27
Il Mnnmy's Curse.
go - q Th. en-.


n HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT
GARDEN. LONDON. June 1S.-Few
tales OF occult fiction have been more
extraordinary than the weird story OF
3 mummy case at the British Museum
and its supposed death-dealing powers,
which has just been told by B.
Fletcher Robinson in a London news
paper. The narratives truth, how
kver, IS vouched for by the writer.
who, Besides being the intimate friend
Of Sir A. Conan Doyle. is a newspaper
knsn Of much repute.
There IS a painted cover OF the
mummy case, which now is reposing
IA a corner Of the first Egyptian room
pf the museum, but which once cover
"a the embalmed remains of priest
kss OF the College Of Amen Ra, and
Rvho lived in the mighty city of Thebes
some 1000 years before Christ The
work IS still IN a beautiful state Of
preservation and depicts a woman of
Bingularly baleful expression, whose
dark eyes stare into vacancy, as
though seeking there some clew to the
riddle Of the universe, while her hands
are peacefully crossed upon her breast.
A remarkable circumstance was the
result Of a London photographers at
tempt 70 obtain a picture of the
strange face shown on the coffin lid.
To the mans amazement, when print
was taken from the negative il re-
vealed not a dead face but apparently
q living one, with wide open eyes, and
the baIeful expression Of the painted
efigy heightened to one Of intense
malignancy.
1t was Fletcher Robinson, readers
may remember to whom DR.. Doyle
publicly acknowledged his Indebtedness
for the plot Of his Hound Of the Bas-
kervilles." Until recently, too, the teller
OF the following tale was editor of the
London Express. which he left TO as
sumo charge of the society weekly,
Vanity Fair.
Robinson declares that he has care
fully investigated the evidence of the
Affections which have befallen those
who had the misfortune TO incur the
enmity of this Egyptian priestress who
died $500 years ago, and says he has
obtained abundant proof Of the truth
Of the statements made to him,
though, for the sake Of the friends
and relatives of her victims he has
suppressed their names in his narra-
tive.
II was in the middle of the SOS
that a party Of five friends chartered
q dahabia for a voyage up the Nile
and tarried at Luxor to explore the
ruins Of Thebes and the famed temple
70 Amen Ra, which, even in its decay
and desolation, is still probably the
most sublime monument of antiquity
existing. The members of the party
were entertained at dinner by Lady
Gordon Dun and the Consul at Mus
tspha Aga gave a strange native dance
IN their honor.
One evening an Arab, who said he
had been sent by Mustapha Aga,
called upon member of the then happy
little party-Mr. D. he is called to con-
ceal his identity-and offered to sell
him q beautiful mummy case, which
he declared he had just found. 1t was
the priestess' mummy case, which has
now found a final resting place in the
British Museum By what sacrileg-
fous means the Arab obtained possess
sion Of il, or what became of the
mummy, is not known. Mr.. d. bought
II. But as all the members of the
party were keen Egyptologists il had
been decided that the ownership of
their respective finds should be deter
mined by lot and thus it came about
that the mummy case fell into the
hands of Mr.. W.
II was on the return journey that the
series Of misfortunes so strangely as
ISOLATED with it began. While one Of
~ -
Il exploded in some unaccountable man
ner. the charge lodging in the mans
arm which had TO be amputated A
second servant died in poverty within
the year and a third was shot When
Cairo was reached Mr.. W. discovered
that he had lost the larger portion Of
his fortune. Entertaining no suspicion
that the mummy-case was in any way
connected with his financial troubles,
or the mishsps which had attended the
party since il was acquired. he gave
II 10 a married sister living near Lon
don. Soon afterward he died But
from the day that the efigy Of the
dead priestess entered its new abode
misfoI tune dogged the footsteps Of the
family living there.
II chanced that Madame Blavatsky,
the High Priestess of the Theosoph-
lists, paid a visit to the house one day.
On crossing the threshold her manner
became greatly perturbed and she told
her hostess that there was some strong.
malignant influence in the house and
requested permission TO examine the
various rooms. When she discovered
the coffin lid she declared il TO be a
most dangerous possession and be-
sought its owner to send il away forth
with. This the lady laughingly refused
70 90. attributing Madame Blavatsky's
fears to foolish superstition.
Shortly after this, however, she sent
the case to a Baker street studio to be
photographed and. as already told, the
photographer discovered that his cam
era had reproduced the features Of an
apparently living woman. Shortly af-
terward he died suddenly and mystic
riously. Soon after this happened Mr..
d. turned Up in London and. meeting
the lacy who owned the coffin lid,