The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-18
BY "A. SARSFLELD5 WARD

4 BY a. SARSF
| Copyright. 1906. by Joseph B. BoTlcs2
\ The days business being concluded.
| the stan OF police who pntrol nightly the
Great Portland Square Museum duly filed
| into the building. A man is placed in
each room, 1t being his duty to thor
| oughly examine every nook and Granny;
| haNing done which. all doors of COM
| munication are closed the officer on
J guard In ono room being unable to leave
| his post or to enter another.
The constable in the Etrusc.ll room
| glanced into the various sarcophagi and
cast the rays OF his bulls-eye lantern
ltombs. Satisfied that no one lurked
there. lie mounted the steps leading up
to the Roman gallery. Then a singular
thing occurred.
| From somewhere within the darkened
chamber beneath there came the sound
of n hollow cougi!s.t
| BY no means deficient in courage. the
constable went down the steps In three
| bounds. his lantern throwing discs OF
!, light on stately statues and gloomy
| toinbs., It was upon casting the rays of
| his bull eye into the last sarcophagus
| that lie experienced n sudden sensation
| OF fear. 1t was empty: yet he distinctly
remembered. from his previous exaini-
| nation. that n mummy had lam there.
VERY strange.' muttered tine sergeant:
and moment later his whistle was
sounding.
From all over the building men came
running. for none OF the doors had yet
been locked.
..Ther re seems to be some one concealed
| In the museum: search all the rooms
! again." was the brief order.
The constable Disappeared. and the SER
| rcant. accompanied by the Inspector.
vent down 10 examine the Etruscan
| room. Nothing WAS found there. nor
were any or the other searchers more
SUCCESSFUL.
"a mummy in the end tomb!. exclaimed
the curator or Etruscan Antiquities when
consulted the next morning. My dear
sir. there has. been no mummy there for
nearly MONTH"
"But my man states that no saw one
there last night declared the nspec-
| rhc curator looked puzzled. Turning
to an. attendant. he SAD WHO WAS in
| charr, Of the sEtruscan room Immediately
! before six last night?
| II was, SIR
Are You sure that no ono concealed
! himself? "a
The man looked startled. We'll, sr."'
she said hestitatingly. I'm sorry i didn't
| rcport it before but when the head atten-
dant called meat about twenty-five min
utes to six, there was some one there. a
l.Scnt in a seedy3 frock-c oat and a high hat!
and I dom. remember seeing him come
| out
"Did you search the roon,?"
Eyes, sir; but there was no one 10 be
scent
"You should have reported that matter
at once
The words had but Just left his Fps
when q museum official, well-knoWn
ANTIQUARIAN expert, ran up In q perfect
frenzy of excitement. Good hcavens!1 ne
gasped, "The Rienzi vase has gone y
| s..'What!" came an incredulous chorus.
The circular top Of the case had been
completely cut out and ingcniously re- re-
! placed, /. and a plausible imitation Of. the,
vase substituted.
Never before nor since has such a
| scene been witnessed In the museum.
| 1t was at this juncturc, and whilst every
| body was speaking at once, that one
OF the party standing close to 6. wall a
cabinet, suddenly held UP u warning
finger. "Hush!" he said; ''listen!''
| A sudden silence fell upon the room,
| so that people running about In other
apartments could be plainly heard. and
| presently, from somewhere behind the
| glass doors surrounding the place, CANE
a low, moan. electrlfying the already
/ excited listeners. Tho Is keys 3f wcrae
promptly Forthcoming, and there was
| madeN Sthe Z second astounding discovery
OF the cvcntful morning.
a man, gagged and bound. vas im-s
prisoned behind n great mummy case!
Eager hands set to work to release
! him, and restorntives wcrc applied, rs
| lie seemed to sbc In a Very weak condi-S
zion, IIa w,ls but partially dressed.
On rcgaining his senses he had disap-4
pointlngly little to tell: q fIc was Con-
| stable Smith. who had boon on night
duty In tho Egyptian room, Some time
\ during the first llour, and not long after
4 tile, alarm in the basement, he had been
mysteriously pinioned as he paladed
\ the apartment, He $caught no glimpse OF
Ibis opponent who held him fror.i behind
in such u manner that he was totally
unable to defend himself, Some sweet
smelling drug had lie en- applied to his
i Snostrils and he remembered no more
until regaining partial nsciousnessS In
Il the mummy case That was the whole
Of his Testimony.
The matter was carefully kept on OF;
Il the papers, although tho museum.
i throughout many following days, Il osi-
i lively bristled with 0etectlves.N AS the
Il acOndstWeek drew to " Y close q and the
/ EgYptian room still remained locked,
weil-inform \ persons hngnn to NV Whisper
Il AM \, scandal could no longer 70 avoided.
4 1'heres ear u he no doubt TINT, In many
anirters. Constable Smiths share In the
|aproceedings WAS rega rdol With grave
a II I was ri this critical iuncturc whom
Il ii soe med inevitable tim + tho loss Of tho
World FAMOUS Rinrzl must he lnntlcS
known to sail mi the lcs that