INCA GODS IN LONDON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22718, 2 November 1935, Page 6

INCA GODS IN LONDON

RECOVERED FROM LAKES Centuries ago, when the Spanish invaders laid waste the empire of the Incas, they sacked the ancient temples and hurled the gods of the natives far into the lakes of South America. Three of those gods, each less than 12 inches high, made of hardened copper embellished with curious, unintelligible hieroglyphics and incredibly ugly, are now in London —and they are for sale, wrote a special representative of the Evening News last month. They were retrieved from the lakes some years ago by Mr Ernest Dutchman, a London man, smuggled out of Bolivia, and here they are. Mr H. M. Cowtan, of Seymour street, inserted this personal advertisement in a newspaper:— " Inca Gods for Sale.—Write Cuzco, 43 Seymour street. W. 1." ' " Cuzco" is Mr Cowtan; he explained that he chose the pseudonym because it was the name of an ancient Inca city in what is now known as Peru. Mr Cowtan told part of the story of the three gods for sale; Mr Dutchman, who has an office in Finsbury Pavement House, Moorgate, told the rest. Both have spent considerable time in South America; they first met there in 1919. That was when Mr Dutchman got possession of the gods. Mr Dutchman said:—

" One god was recovered from Lake Taraco, in the province of Pacajes. Bolivia. A second was recovered from Lake Picara, three miles away. The third came from Lake Calapata, near the ancient Inca city of Tiahuanaco. Although_ one is not allowed to take out of Bolivia any of the Inca treasures, ( managed to get these out. "I was offered £IOO each for them by a professor to whom I showed them on, my way home. I refused. As I have many souvenirs of my trips to South America, I have decided to sell these gods. I have asked my friend Mr Cowtan to sell them for me." "And how much do you want for them?" he'was asked. " I do not know what the true value of them is," Mr Dutchman said. "I do know that they are very rare and therefore of great value to collectors." The possession of these gods is reputed to bring bad luck. Mr Dutchman admitted that they never really brought him good luck. Mr Cowtan, who has had them for nearly two months, had a spell of bad luck when he first got them. "I am not superstitious at all," Mr Cowtan said, " but I won't be sorry when they are sold."