The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-09-08
ACARDBOARD WOMAN
THE MAIlCN INFLUENCE OF A MUM
MY CASE FROM EGYPT.


peared to be Unhappy Legacdes to
Those Int rest-d In Its CustOdy
In corner OF the first Egyptian
room ut the British museum, behind
the crouching body OF the prehistoric
chief who lived before there were
pharaOIs in Egypt or pyramids Oh the
Nile. stands woman nodded from
some ancient form Of cardboard. She Is
merely Il 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, problematical royal per-
sOnage and q priestess OF the College
of Amen Ra She lived IN the mighty
city Of Tbebes some I 600 years before
Christ.
And about this same coffin cover
there hangs as terrible story as ever
an Edgar Allan Poe or a BalZac or q
Kipling produced from a gloomy imag-
inatiOn.
If you question the attendants in the
first Egyptian room they will shake
their heads and say nothing. But
there is famous professor in the
museum who knows that the facts are
true. though whet or they be q cOinci-
dence or manifestation of supernat-
ural power who can say? He says:
"For three months have been gath
ering the tangled threads Of evidence.
| have now I'm my possession proofs OF
the identity Of all those who suffered
from the anger Of the priestess OF
Amen Ia. But for the sake Of friends
and relatives | have been requested to
suppress the names.
About the middle Of the sixties Of
tine last century Il party Of five friends
took ship ill dahabeah for trip up
the Nile They Travelled to Luxor on
their way to the second cataract, and
stayed there to explore the ruins Of
the great and wonderful city Of Thebes,
with its avenues Of sphinxes and rams,
It's vast hall of columns and its temple
10 Amen lta, which is unequaled on
earth in the sublimity Of its ruined
Htagnilicencc.
"One night an Arab sent by Musta-
plia Aga came to one Of their number,
Mr.. D., as we may call him, saying
that lac had just found Il mummy case
Of unusual beauty. What became Of
the mummy the man did not explain
Tie next morning Mr.. ID. bOui hit the
case. Both he and his companions
were Impressed by its remarkable
beauty ana by the curious face of the
WoiIan portrayed, a face that was
filled with Il cold malignancy OF ex-
preston unpleasant to witness.
"They had agreed that, being all
interested III Egyp.olOgy, they should
app0rtion their fms by lot, and so,
though Mr.. ID. had been the cause Of
its discovery, he lost the mummy cover,
which passed to friend, whom we
will call MI W.
1T was Oh their return journey that
the series of miSfOrtuneS commenced.
Mr.. DIS servant was handing him a
gun, when without visible cause it ex-
plOded, the charge lodging in his arm,
which had TO be amputated; second
died in poverty within the year;
third was shot, willie Mr.. w., the own
his arrival in Cairo that he had lost
large part of his fortune. He died soon
afterward. The priestess Of Amen Ra
had signified her displeosure In very
convincing manner.
From the date 1t was shipped on
board the steamer Mr.. ID. lost sight Of
the mummy case for several years.
at no i'm
associate the misfortunes that had &C.
CURED to the party with its discovery,
but when he next heard of 1t and had
full Information Of the disasters which
had been subsequently associated with
It's possession he began to suspect that
1t was not merely chance, not merely
n coincidence, that had brought so sin
lister fate Oh all who had dealings
with the priestesS OF Amen RIA.
ION the arrival Of the case In Eng
land it was given by It's owner, Mr.. W.,
to married sister living near London.
From the day the case entered the
house misfortune followed misfortune.
The family suffered large losses, and
the end came with painful troubles
which need not be specified.
THE lady while in possession Of the
case received one day visit from
Mime. Blavatsky. The great theoso-
phist became very disturbed on enter
Ing the ROOM and after few minutes
conversation told her hostess that there
was something in her house possessed
OF most malignant influence. She
asked to be allowed to search the house
and on discovering the coffin lid ap-
pealed to her hostess to send away an
object which she described as of the
almost danger. Her hostess, however,
refused, laughing at what she ina gined
TO be an example Of foolish supersti-
ton.
Some time afterward the lady sent
the case TO we'll known photographer
In Baker street. Within a week the
chief Of the firm came down to this
lady's house In state Of great excite
ment. He had. he said, photographed
the face with the greatest care, and he
could guarantee that no one had
touched either the negative or tn. pho
tograph in any way. yet it was not
the cardboard features that locke out
OF the photograph, but living Egyp-
tian woman staring straight before her
with an expression of singular malevo-
lence. Shortly after the photographer
died suddenly and mysteriously.
1T was about this time that Mr.. d.
happened to meet the owner Of the cof-
I'm lid and begged her upon hearing her
story to get rid of it at once. She
agreed, and carrier was found to con-
yey 1t to the British museum. This