TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Star, Issue 14036, 17 April 1909, Page 2

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

[From Ons Special Correspondent.] y '-LONDON, March 5. THE MUMMY’S REVENGE. In the Egyptian room at the British Museum stands the wooden cover of a mummy, and the story told of that cover is strange, sinister, and even terrifvimr. Curses are rather at a discount nowadays, but if ever a thing was under a curse, active and malignant, it is this, harmlesslooking coffin in the Museum, Ever since it was removed from its tomb it has brought ill-luck, accidents, and even tragedy to these who have had the handling of it. The coffin in the Museum dates from the eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt. It became the property of a party of travellers in Thebe- about- iB6O. What had become of the mummy was never explained. There were five friends in the party, and their troubles began almost at once. The servant of one was handing him a gun, when, without visible cause, it exploded, the charge lodging in his arm, which had to he amputated. A second member of the party died in poverty within the year, a third was shot, and a fourth lost a large part of his fortune and also died. Eventually the case was brought to England, and was given by the fifth member of the party to a married sister. From the day the case entered the house misfortune followed misfortune, and the family suffered large financial losses. The owner was begged to get rid of the cover, and to send it to the British Museum. This she did, but the carrier who took it died within a week, and the man who assisted to remove it broke his arm. Since it has been in its present case, with two other cover's in the Egyptian room, two of the attendants in the room have died. Ihe late Mr Fletcher Robinson, who went to much pains to verify many of the facts here recorded, added the comment on them that it is certain that the Egyptians had powers that we in the twentieth century may laugh at, -yet can never understand. Not long after he verified and recorded the history of - the coffin Mr Fletcher Robinson himself died at an early age, after a brief illness. A LITTLE BIT OF GREENSTONE. I have a story which is a- sort of complement to the British Museum mummy yarn. It concerns a little slab of greenstone which brought disaster in its train. Some years ago a New Zealander to whom I did some small kindness whilst he was in London sent me a piece of greenstone mounted as a watch charm. Greenstone, he said, was “ lucky,” and he hoped that his gift would bring me all sorts of smiles from Dame Fortune. I attached the charm to my chain, and awaited events- with equanimity, for I had no belief whatever in the efficacy of a bit of jade to produce results of arrv sort.

On the first day I sported the greenstone I fell down over a banana skin into some inches of mud, spoiled a new overcoat, and bruised my hip so that I walked lame for weeks after. A few days later the charm detached itself from it mounting and was given up as lost. However, on the morrow the servant found .it in the garden, and put it in her pocket. That day she fell over a pail, and was laid up for a week. Meanwhile she had given the charm back to me, and I had it remounted and put it away. Of course, I had not associated possession of the little bit of jade with either the girl’s or my own accident. A year later I gave the charm of my better half. She wore it for some days without mishap, then lost her purse, and with it a couple of pounds, and wound up by having her dress set alight by a careless smoker in a bus.

Again the charm broke adrift from its moorings, and was put away,.onlv to be given some months later to' the son of a friend who had been given a watch and cnaiii for a birthday present. The lad had worn the charm a few days onlv when he was seized with scarlet fever, and nearly died. Whilst he was ill his father look the charm to a je\reller to have the mounting strengthened. On his way home with lv m ' us pocket lie was knocked down by a cab, and was rather badly damaged about Lie head and ribs. . When his son.got,well again he wore the . charm for a time without anything untoward happening, but ■within a month he was in hospital as the result of a bicycling accident. Inat was six years ago. Soon after coming out the lad went to Folkestone to recruit. and was nearly drowned whilst wearing the little bit of jade. Neither he nor his father attributed his run of ill-luck to the greenstone charm, but a month or sc later lie met with another bicycling accident of a rather serious character, and during his illness a younger brother took “ French _ leave ” and wore the watch and charm. 1 he very first clay he wore it he lei! when jumping a ditch' and nearly tore his eye out on a piece of barbed wire. ■ i'he youngster thereupon swore that the greenstone was at the root of his own and his brother's misfortunes. The father laughed at the assertion, but, remembering his own experience, mentioned the matte” to me. I then called to mind my own afflictions, and comparing notes we agreed that, to say the least of it, there had been a number of coincidences in the matter. Of course, he wasn’t impressed a.nv more than I was, but, strange to say, neither ho nor any member of his family, would wear the charm again. It disappeared mysteriously a little while after the younger boy's declaration that it was a mascot of the wrong sort. A few days later their servant-girl was " sacked ” for some flagrant act of insubordination or other. The next think they heard about her was that she had been rather seriously injured through falling down some area steps. My friend thereupon declared that she must have stolen the greenstone, but he could find no proof of the girl’s iniquity except her accident, and '’my own private opinion is that his younger, son matte away with it, for he was undoubtedly strongly convinced that it was a thiim of evil. ° THE LATE “JOE” THOMPSON. The announcement received in London this week of the death at Funchal, Madeira. of Mr “Joe” Thompson, the. wellknown Australian bookmaker, came as a sad surprise to most people in the sporting clubs, tor, although he was in his seventvfirst year and had been seriously ill prior to going for a voyage to the Cape in December lari, the sea air and the climate of South Africa had seemingly done much to restore him to health On the way home again he arrived at Funchal about a fortnight ago, and was understood to be remaining there until winter had departed from England. Of his career prior to his coming to England in 1888, Mr Thompson said in the course of an interview held with him several years ago; When I was fifteen I signed as an apprentice before the mast. When I got to Australia I ran away to the gold diggings. That was in 18*55. I dug a good deal, but I did not find much cold, so I went back to sea and sailed three times round the world. I tried gold digging again, but as I could not live on earing bark I went to London to see my parents, only to find they had gone to" America. I returned to Australia again before the mast at Is a month, and I 'landed in Australia with exactly Bd. I went digging again, and rubbed along for two years. In 1859 I tackled the Turf. I had only about £ls capital, but there were only four bookmakers in Victoria then, and as I had a bit of luck I got on all right. I started on the hill”at Melbourne—which means I was a readymoney bookmaker—and I never looked back after. I have never known a man who started with capital make monev on the rails. I do not believe such a thing exists. All the men who have made fortunes “ laying them ” have commenced, as we say, “ with a bit- of string.” In 1861 the Melbourne Cup was instituted, which started with £SOO added money Now the added money is £IO,OOO, which shows you that the same principle applies to successful meetings as to successful bookmakers. I continued readymoney betting fill 1863, when I went into the paddock. -1 never owed a man a shilling, and I never asked fortune. The .result was that my business grew upon me, till I came to take a prominent part.

and some said I led the Ring. In 1888 I came to Engknd to finish the educatin' of my children.

In England ‘‘Joe” Thompson -was knowt personally to nearly everyone interested hj racing,, and for twenty years was one d . the leading bookmakers in Tattersalls. Hi/ operations were on an extensive scale, anc his laying of- double-event bets was yearly a feature in the speculation that took placi in connection with the-great races of tin season, handicap and “ classic.” In con uection with the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire, his t operations were usually very heavy, and one of his biggest bets on these big events was the £50,000 to £SOO he laid the late Colonel North against his horses Old Boots and St. Simon of the Rock. One of the “doubles” that msterialised was £IO,OOO to £SO Burnaby and La Pleche for the Cesarewitch' and Cambridgeshire of 1892. He also laid three doubles” of £IO,OOO to £SO Uninsured for the Lincolnshire Handicap, who won in 1904, coupled with Ambush 11., Detail, and Inquisitor for the Grand National," but these “playful doubles,” as “Joe” called them, turned up trumps for the layer. Apart from bookma-king, Mr Thompson took a keen interest in everything appertaining to racing, and it was in part owing to his advocacy that the u crew’s nest” for the stewards view the races from was constructed at Nowbury. He was also the originator of the “fifteen-minute rule” relating to objections, and used to point with nride to the fact that objections * became j-mch less after that- rule came into force. The ‘ Sportsman ’ pays tribute to Mr Thompson thus; “He was ponlar with his confreres . . . and that popularity remained with him to the last. He will be greatly missed in the Ring, as well as by backers, and-though the vein of caustic wit he possessed was occasionally worked with much effect, he was a good friend, a genial companion, and a thoroughly kind-hearted man. He was a striking example of what energy can effect, and the link he personally formed between sportsmen of the Old Country,and those of Australia is one of the pleasantest recollections in connection with his career.”

A GREAT LESSON IN ADVERTISING

Mr Haldane has got the 11.000 men that he required to complete the strength of the Territorial Army hi London, and this result of two weeks’ booming and advertising is really a very remarkable tribute to the power of the 1 Daily Mail.’ * When that journal undertook to raise 11,000 volunteers in London for the Territorial Army most people thought it a forlorn hope. A fortnight ago the percentage of the fixed territorial establishment in the County of London was the lowest of all British counties, and the ordinary methods of recruiting were proving hopelessly Inadequate arouse the interest of the London public. Then came ‘An Englishman’s Home,’ the now famous play, with its dramatic appeal to Young England to prepare for the defence of hearth and, home. London wag stirred at List. Its indifference gone, the next step was to enlighten its ignorance. Nobody seemed to know anything about the Territorials. Nobody ■kpgw.wsrhere to enlist, how to enlist..wliatjto '-expect on enlisting. The 1 Daily hlail/.cat c the,;,ieque*t of Lord Esher, undertook to enlighten the public on these points and get the 11,000 men required. The x-esponse was immediate. One-of its. earliest effects was the magnificent gift by an anonymous reader of the ‘Dailjf Mail*’ of a cheque for £IO,OOO. Large employers of labor were approached, and without exception responded with the most generous and enthusiastic assistance. Conferences were lield with mayors of boroughs, and arrangements made for them to deliver addresses calling for recruits at,. local theatres and music halls. The .crowds who throng the football fields in the movement, the * Daily ; •MajL’ 1 thousands of leaflets among the young men spectators.

Applications from men who wished to join poured into the office, but the response was not limited to tliat. Hundreds went nightly to the several headquarters and offered themselves direct. The stream grew till in one night alone over 1,000 were sworn in, and the daily average since the appeal was made has been 500. The lowed was over 300. Commanding officers, following tlie lead of the London Scottish, assisted by readily arranging route marches for recruiting purposes. Mr. Sandow made a generous offer to make men rejected for slight defect of physique fit to he. enlisted.' ’ | '-The result of all this activity is that the j London battalions rank to-day among the strongest in the country, and will probably soon Lead the list. “The County of London, says Lord Esher in a triumphant letter to the commanding officers, “ Is now as proud of the Territorial Force us the Citv of London was of the Trained Bands. The old sleepy methods jof recruiting have been proved, as far ns London is concerned, to be out of date and useless. Modern conditions of national life demand enterprise and advertisement. We are not creating these j conditions. They havc'beeji created foi j us. To ignore them SieaTis defeat and faiirre. . . . \Ve have been criticised and mocked at for appealing for soldiers through the Press To this we are, and shall continue to remain, profoundly indifterent. They laugh who win, and: we, have won. - ’ ’