Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1923-04-14
DEATH Of LORD CARNARv0N DUE To VENGEANCE
Of THE GODS FOR HIS Disturbing THE SLEEP
Of THE BLACK PHARA0HS, SAY THE 0CCUL lists
Tommyro Say Scientists Who Ndcue Idea Of Evil Spirits and
Poison in Tomb Of King Tutahnkamen Being the Cause
Of His Death-Insect Bite Caused Carnarvon Death

hoHuoii, April O.-Oenulne regret Is
expressed here on all sides at the death
of Lord Carnarvon. The loss to Egypt.
olosical research is felt to b eseverc
and many tributes are paid to the per-
sevci ance that brought him osuccess
, the final fruits of which however he
was not destined to enjoy.
His death has given strength to the
, belief held by number OF supersti-
tious people that the hand of Nemesis
pursues the disturbers Of ancient Egyp
tian tombs, but Psychologists not only
Ciscredit the idea of any supernatural
tlctor in Lord Carnarvon's death, but
regard the suggestion with impatience
Sir Earnest A. Wallis Bulge, keeper
Egyptian and Assyrian antiquities
at the British Museum, in an inter.
view today described such theories as
"bunkum."
"lf there is anything in the venge-
ance idea he said, everybody in this
country who possess an Egyptian relic
would be accursed. know of no such
thing. Miss Marie Corelli' has stated
that she possesses n book, translated
from the Arabic by professor to
Louis XVI, which stated that Egyp-
tian tombs contained boxes of secret
poison presumably put there to harm
those who should venture to invade
the tomb. The book is in the British
Museum, and M. Vatir the translator
referred to died in 1867 and could not
have been a professor to Louis XVI.
u have never heard of any excava-
tor of tomb finding boxes OF poison
The Egyptians paid great respect TO
the dead, but their own people robh-
ed tombs from the earliest times right
down to today"
SUPERSTITION ANNoYs
SCIENTISTS.
Dr. H. r. Hall, assistant to Sir Earn
est strongly supported the keepers
opinion. He declared that the venge
ance idea, believed by some persons in
England had no acceptance in Egypt.
THE modern Egyptian" he sad,
"rares nothing about such things.
Moreover l can find no trace that this
theory of vengeance has ever been
held"
AS regards Marie Correllis rare :
Egyptian book The Egyptian History
Of the Pyramids" DIR. Hall said:
1T is the work of a medieval Arab
writer, and it is of no authority what
ever The book is more or less a col
lsction of fairy tales"
1t was pointed out by DR.. Hall that
even supposing such poisons, as are
mentioned in this book, had been plac
ed in the tombs, their power must have
vanished after the passing of thous-
ands of years.
Another high authority on ancient
Egypt dealt in more detail with super
stitions beliefs. He said: 1.-The idea
about ruin and disaster being prophe
sled for diesecrators of tombs is only
met with occasionally in papyri Some
papyri have been found in tombs con
tanning a curse, but this is not peculiar
to the ancient Egyptians. If there haG
been such curse, and it could have
psychologists left today.
THE American Professor, Reisner
has explored thousands and thousands
OF tombs in Egypt. Then there is Pro-
fessCr Petrie; also Professor Elliott
Smith. who does nothing but examine
mummies. Nothing has happened to
any Of them. They must be very lucky
DcOple.
- do not know of any Psychologists
who believe in these superstitions, o.
that they have any powers of venge-
ance, as some people seem to think
they have. Any one who does believe
in them is not scientific EgyptoIo-
gist"
AS to the secret poison theory, this
was described as rather ingenious and
extremely materialistic.
The Daily News, commenting on
Marie Coreili's letter to New York
newspaper in which she discussed the
vengeance theory, says:
'"rhis kind of talk may be permis-
sible in Marie Corelli novel, but it is
inexcusably SILLY in serious state
ment to the press and must cause I'M
necessary pain to the family Of the
dead man"
Tie Star says:
Against any such fantastic theory
there is the cold fact that for sixteen
years Lord Carnarvon had devoted him
self to Egyptian research, of which
the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen was but
the elimination.
SPIRITIST CONTRADICTS DOYLE