DID TUTANKHAMEN’S CURSE INDUCE SUICIDE

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7197, 21 April 1930, Page 3

DID TUTANKHAMEN’S CURSE INDUCE SUICIDE

Lord Westbury’s Death NINTH TRAGEDY CONNECTED WITH OPENING OF TOMB The death of Lord Westbury, who jumped from the window of his seventh floor flat in St. James’s Court, has induced further speculation upon what has been called the curse of Tutankhamen. Seven yeafs ago tho peace of the tomb of the Pharaohs was disturbed when excavations were carried out by Mr. Howard Carter, and since then there has been a growing list of tragedies among thoso who were associated with the opening of the tomb. Lord Westbury’s son and heir, Captain the Hon. Richard Bothell, was secretary to Mr. Carter during the excavations, and was found dead in his room at the Bath Club, Mayfair, last November. He was tho ninth person identified with the work at the tomb to die suddenly, and Lord Westbury is stated to have worried and grieved over his loss. Others associated with the excavations who have since died are:— Sir Archibald Douglas Reid, who agreed to X-ray the mummy. Professor Laffieur, of McGill, University, who died after visiting the tomb. Mr. H. G. Evelyn-White, who committed suicide and left a note intimating that he thought the curse was on him. • M. Bencdite, a French archaeologist, and his colleague, M. Casanova, who both took part in the research. Colonel Aubrey Herbert, half-brother of the late Lord Carnarvon, who attended tho opening. Mr. Jay Gould, the American railway magnate, who died from pneumonia shortly after visiting the tomb with Lord Carnarvon. Mrs. Evelyn Waddington Grecly, who committed suicide in Chicago after visiting the tomb. Prince Ali Bey, a wealthy Egyptian prince, who was shot mysteriously soon after visiting the tomb. Hallah Ben, the prince’s private secretary, who died soon after. He went to the tomb with the prince. Dr. Jonathan W. Carver, who assisted Mr. Howard Carter to open the tomb, was killed in a motor smash recently. Six French authors and journalists who described the tomb and its contents.

The Inquest At the inquest on Lord Westbury, who was 78 years old, Miss Mary Terras said she had nursed Lord Westbury and had been with him ten weeks on night duty. Ho did not have great difficulty in sleeping unless he had something worrying him. He usually had a draught.- On the Thursday night she gave him a dram and a half of bromide at 8.30, and l-24th. of a grain of heroin. He slept very well on that, and about 12 woke up for a little time and had a drink of barley water. He went off to sleep again, until 2.30 a.m. He had some Ovaltine l-24th. of a grain of heroin at 3 a.fu. He settled down again after that. Later ho awoke again after that. Later he woke up and was very quiet, comfortable and drowsy. At 7 o’clock ho asked the time, had a glass of barley water, and she shook his pillows and he turned on his side, said he was very comfortable and thanked her. A little later he said it was too early to wake up, and told her to go out of his room and not wake him till 8 o’clock. As she had different things to do. She put some coal on his fire about 7.10, put on his coffee and came back to see to tho milk and things for breakfast. Then she heard the awful crash . Nurse Terras continued: “I heard a noise and ran to his room, thinking he had dropped something. I heard a crash of glass. I found his bed empty and the window open. It had been closed. The washing-stand had been moved and the curtains dislodged. The ■letters produced were found on the dressing table. I ran downstairs at once, but they would not let me go further.” The Coroner: Did you know he was likely to commit suicide? —No. He often thought he was ill and that he was going to die, but never anything like that. The Coroner said that one of the letters left by Lord Westbury Tead: “I really cannot stand any more horrors, and I hardly see what good I am going to do here, so I am going to make my exit. Good-bye, and if you are right all will be well. Your affectionate —” The Coroner added: “No doubt poor Lord Westbury had been suffering very much and had great difficulty in sleeping. He also was old and depressed, and lost his son not very long ago. He appears to have kept his feelings very much to himself, as one would have expected.” The Coroner then recorded a verdict of suicide while of unsound mind.

Relics to Be Kept It is now stated that r-ord Westbury personally did not believe in the much-talked-of curse of the ancient kings. His most treasured possessions were relics from the tomb of Tutankhamen that had been brought to London by his son. Lord Westbury had no dread of keeping in his house these relies, which include beautifully wrought ornaments from the tomb, quaintly carved old Egyptian figures and many little decorative mementoes, showing with what costly, magnificent ritual the kings of long ago were buried. He was immensely interested in them. “ These things were kept by Lord Westbury for love of his son,” said Mr. Guy Bethell, a cousin. “Lord Westbury did not believe, and the family does not believe, that any curse was attached to them, and there is certainly no likelihood of the family disposing of them or sending them to a museum on that account.”

Famous Egyptologists, too, have little belief in this curse of 7000 years ago. Sir Ernest Wallis Budge expressed the view that those who have died would have done so in any case, and that there was little to support the curse theiry. This is Mr. Howard Carter’s opinion: “All sane people should dismiss such inventions witTi contempt. So far as the living are concerned, curses of this nature have no place in the Egyptian ritual.”