Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-08-20
! ACARDBOARD A WOMAN
THE MALIGN INFLUENCE OF A NUM-
MY CASE FROM EGYPT.
Queer Sequence of Fatalities and
Hard Luck Experiences That Ap-
peared TO be Unhappy Legacies to
Those Interested In Its Custody.

neAred to lie unhappy ~
Those Interested In It's Custody.
In corner Of the first Egyptian
room at the British museum, behind
the crouching body of the prehistoric
chief who lived before there were
pharaohs in Egypt or pyramids on the
Nile, stands woman nodded from
some ancient form of cardboard. She Is
merely a shell, the cover OF mummy
case. Her hands are crossed above
her breast, and her dark eyes stare
forward into vacancy.
According to the catalogues she Is
No. 22542, a problematical royal per-
sonage and a priestess Of the College
of Amen Ra. She lived In the mighty
city Of Thebes some 1000 years before
Christ.
And about this same coffin cover
there hangs as terrible story as ever
an Edgar Allan Poe or a Balzac or
Kipling produced from gloomy imag-
ination.
If YOU question the attendants In the
first Egyptian room they Will snake
their heads and say nothing But
there is famous professor In the
museum who knows that the facts are
true, though whether they be coinci-
dence or a manifestation Of supernat-
ural power who can say? He says:
"For three months have been gath
ering the tangled threads Of evidence.
| have now In my possession PROOFS OF
the identity of all those who suffered
from the anger OF the priestess or
Amen Ra. But for the sake Of friends
and relatives | have been requested 10
suppress the names.
"About the middle of the sixties OF
the last century party of five friends
took ship in dahabeah for trip up
the Nile. They Travelled to Luxor on
their way to the second cataract, ana
stayed there to explore the ruins OF
the great and wonderful city OF Thebes,
with its avenues Of sphinxes and rams,
its vast hall Of columns and Its temple
TO Amen Ra, which is unequaled on
earth in the subimity OF Its ruined
magnificence.
zone night an Arab sent by Musta-
pha Aga came to one Of their NUMBER
Mr.. D., as we may call him, saying
that he had just found mummy case
! of unusual beauty. What became OF
the mummy the man did not explain
The next morning Mr.. d. bought the
case Both he and his companions
were impressed by its remarKabie
beauty and by the curious face OF the
woman portrayed, a face that was
filled with q cold malignancy OF ex-
preston unpleasant to witness.
"They had agreed that, being all
interested in Egyptology, they should
apportion their finds by lot and so,
though Mr.. D. had been the cause OF
its discovery, he lost tho mummy cover
which passed to a friend. whom we
will call Mr.. W.
"It was on their return journey tha'
the series of misfortunes commenced
Mr. D,s servant was handing him 6
gun. when without visible cause 1t e1
ploded. the charge lodging In his arm
which had to be amputated; seconC
died in poverty within the year;
third was shot, while Mr.. W.. the own
er of the mummy case, discovered oi
his arrival in Cairo that he had lost
large part Of his fortune. He died sool
afterward. The priestess Of Amen III
had signifed her displeasure In yer.
convincing manner.
} "From the date 1t was shipped o.
board the steamer Mr.. d. lost slght o
the mummy case for several years
He did not at the time In any wa
associate the misfortunes that had OF
Cured to the party with Its discovery
but when he next heard of 1t and ma
full information Of the disasters whic
had been subsequently associated VIII
its possession he began to suspect tha
II was not merely chance, not merel
coincidence that had brought so sii
lister fate on all who had dealing
- with the priestess Of Amen Ra.
"On the arrival Of the case In Ems
4 land 1t was given by its owner, Mr. W
to q married sister living near Londol
s From the day the case entered ID
= bouse misfortune followed misfortun
The family suffered large losses, an
the end came with painful trouble
which need not be specified.
"The lady while in possession Oh u
case received one day a visit fro
Nine Blavatsky. The great theos
nbist became very disturbed on ente
,e ing the room, and after few minute
- conversation told her hostess that the
was something in her house possess
of most malignant influence. 81
asked to be allowed to search the hou
and on discovering the coffin hu d
nealed TO her hostess to send away
object which she described as OF u
utmost danger. Her hostess, howeV'
refused, laughing at what she imagin
70 to be an example Of foolish supers
ton.
"Soma time afterward the lady sc
the case to we'll known photograph
IN Raker street. Within q week I
IE chief Of the firm came down to II
lady's house In state Of great excl
an ment. He had, he said, photograph
" W the face with the greatest care ana
~ could guarantee that no one u
he touched either the negative or the pl
tograph in any way, yet 1t was
the cardboard features that looked
g of the photograph, but a living hg;
tan woman staring straight before
- with an expression Of singular male
"a lence. Shortly after the photograph
died suddenly and mysteriously.
ut was about this time that Mr'
happened to meet the owner OF the {,
. fin lid and begged her upon hearing
, 4 story to get rid Of 1t at once,