Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-05-25

have migrated from India and settled in the
iungles OF what is now Cambodia. The race,
known as the Khmers grew conquered and
prospered until they ruled Cambodia and far
beyond About 700 years ago they suddenly
abandoned their capital city OF Ankor and
several others. Though they founded new
ones the Khmer organization decayed. and
today explorers speak of the lost civilization
Of the Khmers," but the present Cambodans
have preserved much of it,
Whether it was a Divine Command or an
epidemic of disease, sometimes its equivalent
which caused the Khmers TO abandon their
capital is not known, but the place is supposed
10 be under a holy curse which kept every
one from going near it until the jungle had
swallowed 1t up.
Yet everyone understood that much trea-
sure had been left behind the greatest Of all
being the Emerald Buddha.
According to ancient accounts it is a life
size statue five feet four inches high, COM
posed entirely of huge -emeralds cunningly
set and joined.
It is estimated that there is hardly enough
money in the world TO buy such a of
emeralds at present prices But to dump such
an enormous supply on the world all at once,
would smash their value
1t was a sacrilege to touch any Of the
Ankor treasure, and anyone caught looking
for it was given the death penalty.
The first mention of the Emerald Buddha
is in book by Chinese traveller Tcheon-
Ta-Quon who visited Ankor in 1896 as an
Ambassador of China. Old Quon was con-
sidered romancer, and nobody believed there
had been such civilization until the French
explorer Moura pushed through the jungles
60 years age and looked on the tremendous.
sculptured pile of the Ankor Wat or temple
city of the Khmers.
Quons description of the Emerald Buddha
is follows.
And in Yachodhapura, which is the great
capital of the Khmer people, and the finest
city in all Asia, there is a statue of the Lord
Buddha, sitting upon the coied cobra, which
is the emblem of the race. And his statue
was fashioned out of emeralds cunningly
matched and cemented together that the
whole work seems as one solid emerald and
shines with a green light so intense. that none
but the faithful may look upon it,"
According to other legends the statue was
hidden in a crypt of the great temple and was
guarded by a white cobra of immense age. 1t
is a fact that the deadly cobra is very COM
mon among the ruins
Several adventures have tried to discover
the Buddha and have met death from the
cobra or some other cause Major Forsyth,
an Englshman, is supposed to have discovered
the crypt, but he died before he could leave a
record Forsyth with companion, Captain
Saunders went TO Ankor in 1908 with the
object of surreptitiously securing the idol.
They were missing for three days when
Captain Saunders was discovered about a mile
away from the temple.
He had fallen from great height both
legs were broken and he had suffered internal
injuries. He died a few hours after he was
found Before he passed away he told a
French doctor that Forsyth had obtained a
clue to the hiding place of the emerald Buddha
The two officers followed the clue until
they reached a passageway in the foundation
of the great temple. They went down into a
vault and there under the glare of their
flashght squatted what seemed TO be statue
carved out of an immense emerald Before it
was a bowl filled with jewels
The Major walked forward and Just as he
was dipping his hand in the bowl the head OF
an enormous white cobra appeared at the
side Of the image and sank its fangs into him.
The Major cried 10 Saunders 10 save him
self and he fled Saunders ran on wildly
until ne fell and received his fatal injuries.
More recently two young Frenchmen.
George Malbreaux and Louis Chevasson. made
a desperate attempt to steal some Of the
treasure of Ankor. They are said to have
succeeded in removing nearly million dollars
worth Of valuabes from the temple
On the return journey their native attend
ant discovered the jewels I'M their baggage and
told the French authorities
The treasures were recovered and the
Frenchmen sentenced to three years