The Washington times., 1906-08-19
ANCIENT VOLUME
BROUGHT TO LIGHT
Book Six Thousand Years
Old Found Among
Papers.
ANTIQUES OF HIGH VALUE
Collection Of a Lecturer Who Has Dis
appeared Is Revealed BY a
Law Suit

IN3IANAPOLIS. Aus lS-A suit hled
in The superior court by William II.
Turner against Preston A. Perry.
former lecturer. and others. has brought
% light the existence In Indianapolis OF
collection of rare books and paners
valued at $4,000 and containing speCi-
mems 10 DE found nowhere else.
Tho collection is in the possession Of
the Columbia National Bank. where il
was placed by Mr.. Perry as security
for money which he borrowed Mr.. Perry
has disappeared. He was last heard OF
in hospital I'm the East but since that
time no clew has been obtained OF his
whereabouts.
Used in Lectures.
The books We're collected by Mr. Perry
IN his travels, When he was a lecturer
he used the collection as illustrations
e.. his talks. II consists of nine trunks
Of valuable books. one other trunk OF
pictures and Valise Of papers. Speci-
mems OF some Of the books can be found
only In the British Museum.
Principal among the rare books is
volume In Egyptian characters. THE
Book of the Dead" written 1900 years
before the birth Of Christ It is on papy-
rus. Illuminated in Colors and is suppos-
ed TO be the biography of a physician
who lived in those times, One of the
illustrations is of the heart of the ply
sioioH being weighed IN the balance
of Jehovah
In the collection Is a Bible with the
chain by which il was attached 10 the
pillar OF an early monastery. when
Bibles were SO rare that they could not
be ntrusted TO the people. The book
&.
lions. each page written with ink ana
the illUStrdt tiOns illuminated with Cul0rs
and gold. The chain by which the Bible
was attached is stiu fastened 20 rhe
From Medieval Times.
The collection OF missaIs Is unusually
large ana representative of ancient and
medieval times. Many of them were
written hundreds OF years before the re-
formation and exhibit the rare degree
az art among the mouasteries Of those
times. They are written on vsllum and
date back nearly 1000 years. Each page
contains. besides the Latin words of
Tie mass handsome border OF illum-
luatuu. and the illustrations facing the
beginning OF the canon Of tile mass are
master pieces.
There are q number OF later Bibles and
Itstameuts- one of these is ia early
Gaelic and is very valuable. In the col
lection also D. 4 book or poems written
joy negro girl slave who was OI the
plantation of George Washington.
Although these are only a few OF the
Tarest books iI. the collection, almost the
entire loL presents volumes just as inter
,StiuE and would ha counted most val
u.ble acquisition by the largest mus
Gums in the world The collection OF
Iicgres ana papers is not SO valuable
as the books.
The suit brought by NIT. Turner was
10 close a lien he has on the books Mr.
Turner lent a large amount on the books
and declares that after the claims OF
the Columbia Bank haN been adjusted
hs is next in line for payment. III. W
Fisher ard C. D'AntTemout also have
claims aEgTeEatinE 400. NIr. Turner
says i'm his suit that a foreclosure is ask
ed because ne has reason TO believe thar
Fisher and D'Antr-mont are irving 10
Indiana.