Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-10-05

vine PrOWuence 10 DrlHB Inc iopo
army back into the province Of NORTH
Carolina.
| TO BE CONTINUED.
MuMMIEs MADE TO ORDER.
A Man Has Been In the Business q
Years--How the Fakes Are Mace.
Making mummies is the peculiar oc-
cupation Of a man in Los Angeles, Cal
Mr.. Fisher-this is the able craftsman's
name-exposes his whole process, from
the beginning to the end, without max
ing the least secrecy about II.
| He works In a shop on main street
Of the city. In the show window are
sample mummies; also a sign which
reads: "Come In and see mummy
made"
He charges 10 cents admission and
does a good business. A writer for the
Pacific Monthly inspected the mummy
plant and has described the industry
lie. explains that Mr.. Fishers present
frankness Is due to the fact that he Is
going to retire from the mummy trade
+ After having hidden his art for more
than a quarter of century" says the
visitor, "he has chosen to give prac-
tical lesson In 1t to whoever cares to
learn It,"
The whole factory outfit consists OF
great rough. table and one or two
smaller ones upon which several num-
mics are lying In different stages OF
development.
The first step taken in the manufac-
ture is the preparation Of simple
plank, the vertebral column, which
gives stay to head, body. legs and all,
and to the end of which he nailed one
or two short boards representing the
feet.
Then a bag Of sacking, correspond
ing in form to the shape Of the body, Is
placed around the plank and stuned
with excelsior. The ribs are reproduc-
ed by means Of bamboo straps. The
arms and fingers consist of several big
and some small sticks.
All these things are attached to the
toutsfde OF the bag. The rough body
thus produced is covered with a thin
coat Of plaster to the extent or sae
chest and abdomen, or wherever else
any part of the body Is intended to
show.
On top Of this plaster a coating OF
glue is put and fluffy tissue pasted
on, which is again covered with glue.
The body at this stage Is Of yellow
ish color and in touch and appearance
resembles almost exactly a fresh hu-
man carcass.
The head Is next placed In position
and covered with glue and tissue in the
same way as the body. The eye holes
are painted dark brown inside and COW
cred with q piece or two Of the same
material with a small slit in the mid
die, which gives a marvelously good
representation Of the sunken, dried out
eyes Of the real mummy.
A few hairs are pasted on top of the
head, the teeth are made out Of small
bits Of horn, and the head and neck
with the exception of the face, are
wrapped with several layers Of thin,
ragged cotton, held together by bands.
The whole body is treated likewise.
leaving such spots as 1t is desirable to
show the skin and bones underneath.
Then the form, which has been part
| ly painted before the outer covering
was put on, Is dyed once more. together
with all the rags and bandages. and
when perfectly dry presents the exact
appearance Of the real old Egyptian
mummy.
Finally, the body is strewn all over
with gray dust, or powder. which part
ly fills all the holes. If there was the
slightest ground for scepticism left be-
fore this removes 1t entirely.
The writer has seen hundreds OF
mummies. but even on closest inspec-
ton he was not able to discover any
thing in the artificial product that was
not exactly in accordance with all he
ever observed in the original mummies
The very shape Of the head. the ex-
preston Of the hollow eyes, the shrivel-
led lips, the bits Of skin and bone ex-
posed; the wrappings and all, are such
as exactly to resemble the genuine ar
ticle. Standing in the very workshop
seeing them made, and hearing the
makers explanations, it is hard to
realize that those weird figures should
be limitations.
II the artist tells you that he has
been working in his line Of business fol-
twenty mine years, that he learned his
trade in a regular factory long ago
and that he Is able to turn out several
mummies a day, you will perhaps agree
that even your keen eye may have been
deceived, especially If you will CAL
culate what this one man alone has
done in his line.
| Many more genuine" articles issue
from the same deft hands, but they are
| Of comparatively minor interest: mer-
maids, Alligator Boys" and similar re-
markable and fabulous creatures are
manufactured here, as we'll as Indian
war relics and curios that will astouno
thousands hereafter. But, as the clev-
er sculptor remarks. the world will be
deceived, and a man would rather pay
so cents to see one of these products
In show or museum than pay II
cents to see 1t made.
/ A CAUTIOUS SCoT-A Scotsman
went to an English race meeting ant
boldly staked a sovereign. Strangely
enough, the horse he backed proved
a winner, and he went to the "bookie'
to claim his winnings. The sporting
man begrudgingly handed him five
sovereigns. He looked at each ont
very carefully before placing 1t IL
his pocketbook WELL" snarled tht
"bookie" with snarl, 'are you afraie
they're bad?"
"Oh, no." said the Scotsman. "bu
was just lookin' to make sure tht
: bad yin gie'd ye wisna among them'