Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-18
Queer Curios Sent to
the National Museum

The National Museum. with Other
freaks. was once offered what was hello
out TO be the death mask Of Lord Palm
erston. The letter written by the mar
who owned the mask declared that some
OF the hairs Of the lords beard had ad
hered to the plaster of the mask, and thai
they had grown.
Creditable periodicals have published
the story Of what Is termed the mos,
freakish offer ever made to the New
York Museum OF Natural History. The
offer was made in a letter which came
from woman In Arizona. The museum
promptly refused the offer
My husband is petrified,'' the letter
read. He had baen buried two years
when we. exhumed him and found that
he had turned to stone. II your museum
does not want him, I shall sell him as
phosphate. He was no use to me in
life and would now like to turn him into
cash."
1t is said that not long ago the Carnegie
institute in Pittsburg received a letter
from a German who wrote that he had
once been the court barber to the en-
peror and offered for the small sum of
$4,000 to furnish the museum with a
complete set Of hair clipped from the
heads Of the German royal household.
The apple which tempted Eve to the
fall has been offered to a museum The
owner was a New Yorker and wrote that
ne possessed the original fruit. in a pet
rihed state. Two bites had been taken
from it, he said.
The body of a hen with a human face
was once offered for sale to museums.
When one curator. whose curiosity was
aroused, examined the specimen, he found
that the bird had not secreted horny It's
sue enough to form the beak. This bit
OF curiosity cost the curate express both
ways.
Side by side with the offer OF the orig
inal Eden apple stands the one made by
a Texan OF pair of rusty scythe blades.
These blades, he contended were the orig
tnal ones which were bound to the wheels
or the chariot of Queen Boadicea Of the
ancient Britons, who in this manner now
ed down her enemies
Bankruptcy would be the portion OF the
museums Of the land If they accepted
every one of the curios which are Of
fered to them. And this holds good even
II every specimen were offered to them
free. Postage. expressage and stationery
are not inconsiderable items. and then
there would have to be cases provided
for their exhibition.
Petrifactions and Indian collections are
among the things offered most constant
~ to museums. Fortified potatoes, ap-
pies. pieces of wood that have turned to
stone. all have their exaggerated values
In the eyes OF those who own them and
attempt to dispose of them to museums.
Mummif1ed animals are also very fire.
quently offered for sale.
An excellent example Of a mummified
cat is now at the Army Medical Museum
Of this city. having been donated by
government clerk. The clerk. so the story
goes. was walking near the navy yard
when he noticed some small boys with a
queer-looking object. Upon investigation
he found it to be the mummied body of
cat, found in the ruins of one of the
oldest houses Of Washington, which was
being wrecked. The animal was excel
1ently preserved. the fur being in good
condition. The clerk purchased the speci-
men for % cents and sent 1t to the mu-
scum. where. making the exception to
the rule. 1t was accepted.
Indian collections are often offered to
museums by the heirs Of the collector,
who, having no use for the specimens
themselves. seek to obtain big prices for
the war bOnnets and arrow heads
The New York Museum of Natural His
tory. 1t Is said. has on file a letter In
which q petrified buffalo eye is offered
for sale. The owner Of the peculiar rock
declared that he was crossing the plains
in Wyoming. and. coming across the
skull Of buffalo. lifted it and out drop
ped the eyeball. which had become petrt-
fed.
OF the class Of petrifactions offered
there Is no better instance than the story
fered to an eastern museum a peculiarly
shaped piece OF stone. The man con-
tended that the stone was a petrified
liver. human liver. he declared. or at
least an apes liver. He insisted that at
any rate when the museum frowned upon
his offer 1t was the liver OF a pri-
mate. The greatest And in years." he
proving the authenticity of the
human race In reality the piece of
stone was block OF petrifed wood