Evening star., 1911-05-26

possible to locate the royal tombs. un-
der the direction of one who bad made
the suggestion. The government there
| fore, notified the Englishmen that they
must bring their work TO an end In three
years. so that overlapping privileges
might not be granted to competing par.
ties. So 1T was that when they retArned
| in the fall OF 1910 they worked through
last winter although we had an unusual
| amount of rain. and until their reckless
course brought on the panic which mas
just caused them to fee and almost bring
ing about a massacre.
1T appears that they have q secret ar
| rangement. to which all who have part
In 1t agreed to give 80 per cent OF what
ever they find to the government. and 1t
is now whispered about that they expect
ed to find f4O,0OO.O 600. When the
NJ. P.s were obliged to return to Con-
stantinople to attend the sessions. VINO
but the pasha (at f1oO per month"; and
the commandant Of the gendarmes should
become their successors as inspectors and
daily attend their excavations.
Uprising of the People.
Just as the Mohammedan pilgrims
| were arriving by thousands for the -Neby
Mousa (prophet Moses procession. which
was instituted by them hundreds OF years
ago for political purpose. and counter
poise to match the large number OF
Christian pilgrims who assemble here for
the Easter festivities. report got abroad
and spread like Wildhre that English ex-
plorers had clandestinery been excavating
at night in the noble sanctuary Of the
Mosque OF Omar. 1t was alleged that
they had penetrated even into the Sa-
cred Rock and the Well of the Spirits.
through the connivance of the sheiks,
who act as guards and the mosque at
tendants and the police who were in their
employ. Then report got abroad that
they had carried off the crown Of David,
ho ponii dod rir 0f n1o he
| two tables of stone containing the law
| and the sword of Mahomet The people
| forced the hands of the authorities, the
| sheikhs were cast into prison, the mill
arrested. and they hurried off to their
| yacht at Jaffa. After Illuminating their
| vessel and announcing that they were 60
| ing to hold a reception on board in honor
of the officials they slipped away at
night. Their Turkish lawyer, who was
| brought from ConStantinople in their
service at their arrival. was detained and
is now under surveillance in Jerusalem.
| Every bit Of their luggage was opened
and searched before they were allowed to
go out.
"A commission was appointed. consist
ing of nine members. who were to investi-
gate and report. The people suspected
that the governor was implicated, as he
had been in the pay of the Englishmen.
1T became known that on two different
occasions Englishmen had applied to Con-
stantinople for permission to excavate the
mosque precincts. which have always
been jealousy guarded and it had been
denied them.
"A confession was extorted from the
son of the head sheikh. that Englishmen
had worked for nine nights, coming there
In fezes to avoid detection. They opened
up the hitherto inaccessible well of the
spirits. penetrated a passage. which was
described by Ganneau about 1874, in the
surface of the sacred rock, and running
downward north and west They cleared
out the rubbish for several meters and
discovered a basin whose plastered in
terror plainly showed marks of the differ
ent levels Of the liquid (blood) that had
stood in II, and were only prevented by
the public excitement from going still
farther. The son of the sheikh confessed
| also that they had opened and entered
| the stables of Solomon through a rock
hewn passage running southwark.
The exposure was caused by another
| secret. coming there after midnight to
sleep, as he had visitors at home. Find
ing European strangers there and work
going on he made his escape and told the
story.
Alleged Cipher in the Talmud.
"A.certain Finnish government surveyor.
by name Juvelius. who developed great
love and knowledge Of the Talmud and
Hebrew. seems to have been at the bot
tom of all this matter. He claims to have
discovered that by reading every seventh
letter in certain passages in the Talmud
much after the fashion Of the Bacon
Shakespeare cipher. the key is furnished
for the recovery of the boards Of treasure
in Solomon's temple. He seems to have
been able to influence the Englishmen to
make the excavations and furnish the
money. and they seem to have been able
to convince the Turkish government that
such an amount of treasure was to be
found that they obtained the most un-
trammeled permit ever granted.
In Turkey everything pertaining to
antiquities and excavations is now reg
ulated and controlled by the department
of public instruction. When the minister
of that department heard that these ex-
cavations were going on In Jerusalem,
| about which he had not even been noti-
fisd. he appealed to the minister of JUS
tice, who in turn addressed himself to
the prime minister They were told not
to interfere in the matter as the permit
had been agreed upon between tn chan
cellor of the exchequer and the prime
minister.
This had been done so quietly in Con-
stantinople that when the deputies from
Jerusalem returned here after parlia-
ment had adjourned and were asked as
to the object OF the excavations they said
that their colleagues had left and they
had not even known where to or what
for, and that an Interpolation of the
president of the chamber had simply
elected the unilluminating reply that they
were referring to some business which
was not of public import.
Trifle Starts a Panic.
THE tension on the minds OF the peo-
pie OF Jerusalem was so great and 50
we'll realized by the military authorities
that patrols were posted along the walls
and in every street. Last Friday. being
the last day Of the feast, when upward
of 10000 people were assembled in the
mosque grounds for the benediction and
dismissal a quarrel between two sweet
meats vendors and the hastening OF the
police to intervene inflamed the imag-
ination of the crowd that 1t Stampeded
A fearful panic ensued, the peasant Wom-
en- and pilgrims pouring out of the walls
of the inclosure and running toward the
city gates crying Massacre! Massacre"
The business places were closed up in a
few minutes, every family arming itself
and barricadng it's house. 1t is said that
the Russian compound was completely
shut up 1t is also stated that the bar
racks were at once closed, lest with the
great number Of soldiers absent attend
ing the many Christian festivities, the
arsenal might be seized and the soldiers
kept at bay by the cannon being turned
upon them
1.-The widest reports were circulated
that the sheikh had been killed: that the
governor had been dealt with by the mob.
roads in every direction to stop and re-
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