The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-11-16
.
+ A MODERN BLCEBEARD.
Chicago Tribune.)

1900 years coming. Egypt IS not 10
be blamed for failing to serve news
promptly. for a man who engaged In
such a wholesale business as Amun-
oph was bound to keep the printers
on the stone slabs pretty busy. The
printers got away behind in their
work. and besides. if Amunoph's rep
utation is to be believed. they didn't
dare advertise too many of his private
affairs. He had the drop on them. be-
ing king.
Anyway. Egyptologists are just
learning that Egypt's printers in the
stone age We're like the reporter who
had all Of the story but the facts. They
knew Amunoph was a brutal man.
with a penchant for getting rid OF his
wives and friends. especially his wives.
faster than the high priests could get
him married. but they dreamed
that he was dealing in carload lots.
1t SO happened that a half dozen muir
ders at the palace on a bright May
morning v feazed EN-.
Amunoph was descended from a
vigorous line of fighters. notably the
four Thothmeses. none Of them cham
pions, but all of them with good fight
ing blood in their veins. There was
Amunoph started out friendly
enough until he became king, and
then he took off the lid. Prof. James
Henry Breasted, of the University Of
Chicago, among other students Of an
cient history and Egyptology, has just
discovered that all al not serene in
the palace during the reign Of Am
unoph; in fact, recent developments
show that Amunoph holds the wife
murder record for all time.
Amunoph was having a party one
niOht It vyo ana nf fh0Sa Stap q ff1irS
common enough in these days. but
then they were viewed with suspicion.
Having been invited to n of the
kings parties there was no lodging
1t for a previous engagement.
While the salad vas being served
the walters brought in a coffin n or
two cubits in length. and in it the
wooden eftigy of a dead body. perfect
ly initiated by the kings own private
sculptor and painter. 1t was handed
to Amunoph, who gazed admiringly on
it and then passed it around to the
quaking guests.
Look upon this" he said. then
drink and be merry. for such as thou
seest it will thou be, after thy death"
Now that was where the joke came
in-"after thy DEATH" The guests
knew right away that there was go
ing to be something doing for them
in the near future, 81 they began to
wind up their little business matters
1t came on the following morning. be-
fore the king and his assembled fam
lily. consisting Of a couple of hundred
wives. The men. whose names pos
terity does not know. went through
the ordeal without a murmur. But
they had had a good time the night
BEFORE anyway.
The performance made a great hit
with Amunoph. and he began looking
around for novelties in this line. 1t
seems that. he had had for his first
wife IA venerated heiress named Nito-
cris. Her advent into Amunoph's
family was quickly followed by scores
of others. many Of them prettier. more
attractive as to figure. and invariably
better able to amuse. his higness.
All she had on her rivals was a little
Egyptian money, but she didn't have
it long. for no sooner was she the
wife of Amunoph than her money was
his. too. OF course. that was under
stood.
AS Amunoph looked over the field
full of dead bodies-the mortal re-
mains of the men he had wined and
dined the night beforehand caught
sight of Wife No. 1. Nitocris. loung-
ing around on the outer edge of his
presence. wondered. no doubt, if she
was going to get by. No. she was not.
The frolic was on.
Amunoph beckoned his attendants.
See that yonder woman. Nitocris.
whom I first took unto MYSELF" he
asked. See that her life is taken
from her-now. in the presence of
these. my prettier and more gracious
wives"
Amunoph yawned during the epil-
ogue. which had its little moral for
the other wives. who. we are told.
"counseled among themselves as to
the best way Of restoring the good
humor of his grace"
Then Amunoph began tampering
with the rules. Every up-to-date
method then in existence was brought
into play. Amunoph. it. has lately
been learned. even hired men of orig
inality to conceive a novel means by
which he might kill a couple OF wives.
looking for all the time.
Murders were being pulled off in
every corner of the palace. OF course.
the king did his best to keep all his
engagements. hui he could hardly be
expected to do more than an ordinary
mans work. He attended the death
bed scenes of his ~favorite wives. while
the others who did not stand so high
in his estimation had to get through
II alone as best they could.
In the meantime Amunoph was get
ting married a dozen times a day.