The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-17
THE JERUSALEM SENSATION.

THE JERUSALEM SENSATION.
The dispatches a few days ago were
sensationally vivid and sharp on certain
rather dimly defined allegations oi great
finds by British expedition. under the
MOSQUE of Omar at Jerusalem. 1t was
said that this expedition had found
Solomon:s crown, the ark Of the cove
nant the golden caudlcstick, and oth-
er articles of great interest and 'rc-
mendous value from the ancient world
We stated at the time that these hnds
were absolutely impossible, but that
they would undoubtedly give rise to
unlimited fakcry III the future on the
mart of persons who will claim TO nave
received in some occult or roundabout
wsv certain Of these articles The ark
was never in the second temple. Solo
mon s crown has long ago vanished,
the seven branchcd golden candlestlck
was one of the trophies taken by II
tus when he captured Jerusalem IL
was afterwards taken to Constantlnople,
and when that city was sacked by Chos-
roes it was carried to Persia, and all
trace of it has been lost from thence
forth. That it. could have been re.
turned to Jerusalem aud placed under
the Mosque of Omar is impossible 1t
is therefore in the highest degree I'M
proba BILE that this British expedition
found anything of value in It's eAca'
vations
AS to the company that is putting up
money for that expedition, we find
rather censorious account Of IT IN Inc
independent, which says that the ex'
pedition, carried out by Captain Par
ker and a number of English army of
6cers in Jerusalem was treasure
hunting expedition pure and simple,
an absolute disgrace 10 English civil
zatiou.'' 1t says that none of the party
had the slightest knowledge of hlstori'
cal or archaeological research, or cared
in the least for historical material. The
party went to Jerusalem in 1909 with
permit from the Turkish officials at
Constuutinople to acquire land and
build a hospital or school. Two mem
bers of Parliament at salary of El0O
month accompanied the party. 1t
was generally understood that they
were looking for the treasure of the
Israclitc kings. They have lived i'll
the greatest secrecy, have spent large
sums, chiefly in clearing out the old
tunnels and excavations about Sloan.
If they have found any objects of
scholarly interest, such finds have not
been made public. Even if they had
dug under the floor of the Mosque six
successive nights as reported, it is un'
believable that in that short space of
time they could have found anything
of special value.
Certain representatives. of the Turk
ish government were being paid for this
expedition Gl00 month for hush mon
ey, or ohicis protection. The company
employed an Armenian lawyer, and
spent largely for various other outside
purposes. II was not difficult under
these circumstances for the Turks In
Jerusalem to come to the belief that
the Governor and the leading officials
there had been bribed by these English
men. The idea that treasure is buried
under the Mosque is not singular Peo.
pie all over the world believe in buried
treasures here and there. and in sa
cred places especially the belief in
such hidden treasure is almost universal.
Very likely the insiStencc upon this be
lief and its general prevalence con
vinced the English that there was some.
thing III ii. If they found anything
at all, no matter how small It's value,
the natives immediately came to the
conclusion that the find was of I'M
mense value and Importance. The first
digging was at the supposed tomb OF
the kings. Nothing came of this, how
ever, and it is possible. AS The Inde
pendent suggests, that the active spir-
its in this expedition bribed their way
into The depths of the Mosque, but i.
is not at all likely that they found any
thing. The dispatches stated that the
party had hastily gone to their yucht