Hes OCOJH" mote if
nYSTERY surrounding an ex
traordinary experience of e
prominent Boston lawyer leads
lu the conjecture that our dear-1
est friends after their deatn
trlve to assist us 1n our hup'
and to relieve our distress.
By the seeming intervention since his
death of the late Dr. Swan Mows Burner., i
of Washington, D. ('., who was the first!
husband of Frances Hodgson Burnett audi
fatu of the original "Little Lord Faun
tleruy, keepsake lost by Mr. Edgar O. j
Achorn, the Boston attorney, ha been re
turned to Mm.
The doctor and the lawyer kki lifelong
friends, snd cherished an unusual com
radeship, broken only by the doctor's
death last January. Shortly before Dr.
Burnett died Mr. Achorn lost In Aahevlll.
N. C, a silver matchiKix, a gift from Dr.
BurneU. Dr. Burnott dltKl with knowledge
or his friend's loss, a fact -which may have
Ignlricancs wUh what followed. To Mr.
Achorn the low of the souvenir was nine a
Intensified by the loss of the (fiver. Jle
has been mystified by Its restoration, for It
was handed to h m without explanation by
a tranger. beJItved to be Hindoo, while
he sat by the Nile bank contemplating
the ruins of Karnak. In Hie ancient capital
of Egypt.
How the matchbox got from North Caro
lina to Egypt, who Hie unannounced
Oriental was, how the tinder knew the
loser In fact, the entire remarkable oc
currencetranscends the lawyer's knowl
edge. That the recovered matchbox is ab
solutely and beyond dispute the selfsame
souvenir that he lost In the woods at
Afhevllle Mr. Achorn Is posltlvs. Beyond
that he offers no testimony save a precise
description of his expetlence. To him the
mystery jf the matchbox sesms Inexplic
able, although psychicaj Investigators and
kdepts In occultism may gather from hi
evidence additional data for their b-llef.
That Mr. Achorn's experience will be of
wide .interest may be assumed from the
various prominent atllliation of both men.
Dr. Burnett aalds from being of world
wide prominence In his profession, hiving
been an eminent eye and ear specialist,
was a man of deep culture and Intelle tual
attainments, with fondness for the tine
arts. He had occupied the chair of oih
thalmology in the medical department ot
Georgetown 1'nlversity. Was a former
president of the Cosmos Club slid was
president of the Washington Literary So
ciety. As a student of Japanese work he
had collected oae of the finest private col
lectlons of Japanese art In America. As a
bibliophile he collected many rare old vol
umes, among which may be cited his gift
to the Congressional Library of a complete
set of the first American edition of Shakes'
pear.
He was thoroughly conversant and had
read much In Eastern religions, having
tkken a deep Interest In such subjects
from a philosophical standpoint, and to
his Intimates he had proclaimed himself a
Buddhist.
Tktlr Friendship Crttt.
With Dr. Burnett, Mr. Achorn shared an
Interest In aesthetic study and culture
Thoroughly cosmopolitan, the Boston law
yer hai spent much time In research Into
Scandinavian folklore, has given to the
literary world an Intimate study of Ibssp
and has delivered many commemorative
addresses In various cities.
Kindred tastes and iymosthl.a hid
welded a friendship between the doctor!
and the lawyer surnaeslng ord nary c m-
radeehlp. Over a period of fifteen to twenty'
years this friendship had mellowed. Among I
the most churmlng contemplations of tie'
memory of his friend, of whose purity and'
weetness of character he speuks Wita,
reverence. Mr. Achorn ha told friend
of his pleasure derived from the many dis
cussions he and Dr. Burnett used to pro-
lonff in the doctor's llbrarv at Vdai1nsrtr.n
Throughout winter evening, a the Are- riJ"J "c-ern lor him? .
piace softly glowed, the two would discuss .jj. "' lo,t matchbox, the where
problems of religion and philosophy.' Dur- Ziivl. p iWhleh ilr' Al-','orn could noil
tng such confMentlal chats, on may a 'cvinf7.r to hum" ul 'n a higher
sum. Dr. Burnett doubtlees expre.eed his lng ih, nir,'i.? '''-' surpass-;
conviction, rtgardlng .out exl.tenc, and humal! mlnda " '"J
the progress of the soul after the death ' Dr. Burnxrr a . ,1, , . . .
of the physical body. With Buddhl.u. Achoru r'n.tan" Ti yonder Ji
held that the development of the soul dur-, their friendship, .mi Tn the i l
lng its tenancy of the body determined Its very fond of smoking no more upbrunrluta
nut progressive stage of being. article oould have been chosen. Kor sv-'
Insomuch as Dr. Burnett had discussed Vi and many tinie a day Mr
uch question with hi friend while llv- CTrn w"ula the umtuhbox. never
1. k ..m th. v.,. perhaps, without thlnklus ,f if,-
he would seek expression If after the
Isath of his body
ot communication.
hi soul found means
la this connect lo. the unusual lncid-.r
of the sliver matcneox nuy be held ta
have psych. 0 signllioaiice
.
v ' u'aiima II losing the
uatwuuoa soui 01 i 'r. Burnett
learned dunng its earthly evols. I
had
If bis
soul persisted after physical death, as Dr. ,
..VT V'Z T"! """""w that It
would, by means of whal physical agencies
couia It demonmrate Its continued exist-,
net topic of concern . .... .!.
mtna would, oy creaentatjAn ta tv,. n
r - - u LO .1 L ' , 1
- -- mw uttu
1 If f A.....vn .1 . 1 ....
CWEIiBSHE 20HFVENHR. HOST EW MR. ACHORW . 1 N
ASHEVILLE, WORTH CAROLINA RETURNED TO HIM BYA
rr.
mm
a t : ... ,:
if
fr.eud, raveal 4hat the sltsnfr nnA -till
" cfJ'r last Mr. Achorn left
7777 " Jonu.ias house party 1
at coaotry home of a fr.eud f. V.V! .
lout from AahaWUe. The iiu,ml.. " . Z
n,,i.ft . TTZI,. ,71 v "rnJr;
in 77 . ,akn
that at that tm Jm, used the i,ixt";,I' .
mat tim tut used the mu-u..
light a
eojelte. HU chagrin
the treastured eouvenlr the .... 'V
bad accaaiCU to mh it maub u. .n...- .
impreasleu
He Inmiediatelv iTT i i ton rweivd the d .stressing nv that iiuwrur, ui .Mr. Achorn loss and of li:
.... . oaronea his hi- daar irien.i maa ,i.i.t exceeding anx.atv 10 rsaovor his idut.mi
okottes without euooess.
back to Bostan Mr Juniey.
Washington a DMitJoT . PPM l
.. .77 .. l.. w vjs-.i with
.. .. . ; . r-. relate
.... . . .. . I . . .. . , . "
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to.
4-1
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On Deccni'icr !1 tile two friend parted,
little kno i.a tn.i: t.,ev then looked into
aoh ot.ier's eye for tne lost time.
Soon af:.-r ilr. Achoin's arrival In Bos
The lawyer sa.led ironi New York last
February t for a Mediterranean cruise on
th steav.er AraUo In the rarty was
nam othevr who had been of the house
,.,n I
' ,, .t
jPSArty a aVauevUle wivsa tb ufcotboxof
AT StADNAEl,
Mi-
0
si A.
v:
1
ft
f
m-tchbox,
was lost. Of the (UciU a-t the house patty
were pers jus tro;n Dotioil, OiucaiJ and
Toledo, but they haj returned inuiu Jiai-.:
to tner resi.ue homes. Ti.ei kn-w.
Ti.ai anv them might have been im
plicated in mysteriously returning
th
matchbox Has been eliminated by
careful
Invest KSticn. but especially because n,.iiM -
, . . .
Uisua woul have made praoUoaJ joke
EGYPT!!
f
1 f
1
"-Of:
Ar.,
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n
C 4
7:
t
6
f t ? a
t'f
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i
I.
of a matter of delicacy and sacred fri. nd
shlp. Had any of the I'hi'.stmes cotenu
1, ;.rne.l of the finding of the matchbox in
the Ashevllle woods l.e would have lose no
tune 111 hotll.VU, tl:c disll t-.etl loael'.
A conjecture that Mr Achorn did not
luae tha Fiiatr.l,t,.,ic hur niiur,lurM.I it r,,1
himse.f eair.ed it to Ka-vi-t In soma one
fit hia FKickta 1 nlim.ar jt,j,i!ntulu ,,i,r,.,d.
,v.i ,.. . , , . , . . , ..
a. i.ne.tt u u uiuee.i m; icprotjuuie. n 0
0avld u matoubox tutoltually la tie
ere
6
i k :
I right side pocket of his trousers, with keys
and small change. This mode of carrying
these articles was a personal eccentricity.
'any deviation from which would have Im-
mediately attracted his notice. Every suit
hud ban minutely searched at least
twenty times. There wei no holes III any
of t.'.e pockets, as even the suit linings
, eru carefully hunted. The winter gray
suit which Mr. Achorn wore an the tiiorn-i
lng when he lost the matchbox was worn!
up to the time of sallliK. Mr. Achornj
alone knows bow many limes lie anxluualy;
'and eurluusly emptied the pocket of thl
milt. When he sailed tie packed tills suit
In a trunk and wore a lighter weight bins
serge suit, whloh had not teen at Ashe!
ill.j but which had hung In a closvt at
home since the preceding October. Ufi
other wearing apparel which had been!
pi. ,1 nt Ashevllle and which w as taken on
ti.s cruUe abroad were dark overcoat
.Ijil ia even ll dleaH suit i .11 rie I In a
',-athcr suit case. These garment had all
In en K peatejly uhd can-fully keaiclied.
The evening suit iiad been worn on ttie
cruise
nearly every evening at dinner
through
uil the tour of p-ln. Algiers.
Ureece. Turkey and Palestine.
Mlde.l
i,, it ti .. m!.t,-M.r, i.uld not hm u,.a
,
riotic. The overcoat was atoo ae eararvdlj
scrutinized during the voyage and it wa
not. at Luxor, where the matchbox wa
lecov ei ed.
Uiirlnif the trip up the Nile the overeat
was left In the steamer, 4tu miles away.
Mr. Acuorii wore the blue serge suit aiid
U positively convinced that he did not
carry vlio matchbox about him.
Of what was u-bout to happen other
Americans then travelling in Egypt ire
able to contribute interesting side light
on the mysterious transaction. Says Mr.
John Ji. Stevens, of Nowark, X. J.:
"Three days before Mr. Achorn's ar
rival 1 also had stopped at Luxor, und
while there was accosted by a Hindoo,
who insisted In a pleasantly courteous
manner on telling me something that was
about to happen. I confess that 1 was so
Impressed by hi Confident claim of mvstlc
power and the soft, spiritual gleam in
his handsome eyes that I shrank Horn
venturing Into the reedin of the future."
What a charming scene It wan In the
ancient capital of Egypt, where Mr
Achorn recovered his souvenir! Those of
the western world who have no u
there can Lttle ltikMir.na. ,.r tit.tia ruu.. i,
jlmpresslou of romance and mysticism.
iiie garden about the Hotel at L.ixor
answers the description of the garden so
happily described and frequently referred
to lu "The Ourden of the ChHla." "I w.sn
you could have seen It as 1 did un sev
eral n.ghts." write a traveller, "under
the moonlight, with it magnificent ruyai
palms. Its profusion of tropical plants and
tlowers, Its enohantlng walks and re
treat, Its Egyptian coloring In fragments
ot pillar, cap and statue from the tem;,l,.s
close at hand, and In the face of those
who came and went and all thl brooded
over by the spirit of the desert and haunt
ed by the ipeotie and memories of a
clillixatlon three thousand years ngone.
If one might believe that th return of
the matchbox had any occult significance,
especially because of Dr. Burnett's love
for the beautiful, there 1 no place where
this Incident might more fitly have hap
pened. After dinner Mr. Achorn was sitting in
the magnificent hotel garden of Luxor
enjoying with friends th coming of nUht
over the historic ruins in the desert The
un had sunk beyond the western hills.
The travellers watched how the lengthen
ing shadows crept over the eastern slopes,
though a golden glow still spread over the
placid Nile and brightened hero and there
th grim cliffs behind whioh have slept
for thousands of years the ancient
Pharaoh und their queens, at rest in the
Huuse Of Osiris, god of the dead. The
Americans listening to the evening chorus
of frogs by the river and to the braying
of donkeys and the barking of dogs, loud
sound. ng In the heavy night air, were fast
succumbing to the weird and melancholy
night scenes in this mysterious and anc ent
place so far from their native land, li iu
tiiul as It was to the vision the whole
, scene overwhelmed the Inner soul w ith
.potent mystery. Suddenly ..i attention
of the garden group was attracted t an
approaching Oriental, differentiated Irom
the Egyptian hotel attendants by a long
robe and a turban. As he neared the
group, the man, who was taken to he a
Hindoo, centred hi gaze upon Mr. At hoi n.
and. approuchlng very near, extended h.
right hand, as he did so, declaring In a
low voice:-.
"This Is your matchbox."
Taken o completely unaware the
amazed American curiously clutched the
matchbox from the stranger's hand lie
turned, muttering Inarticulate Wolds of
surprise, to say, "Where did jou get"
But the Hindoo had departed. He had
vanished Ulte as quickly as he had ap
peared to the group.
It was no apparition. Fur others In the
garden had sueu the stranger. Be.ng ab
sorbed In the surpi-te of the matchbox,
however, and interested In the profound
erf, nit the Incident had made upon the
Boston lawyer, none had noted the strang
er's departure. Who he wus or whence he
came no Investigation disclosed.
Mr. Achorn Immediately pronounced the
matclubox to bd the one tie had lost In
AshevlUe during the preceding I'hr stma
week. It jsUlern of hall-turned leuvea
growing from a double scroll was readily
recognised, a weie Its details of dns.es
und lefy vinos, friend with the lawyer
wore doubtf ul of the idontllu atli.n, but
the owner showed them a dent in the side
which he had mado by accident by ttr.k.ng
It with a rttle during a hunting trip ;n
Mexhxi.
"l can further verify It," he said. "If it
be mine the .nalde of th lid is burned
black from an accidental tlr.ng of
match"
The recovered matchbox lid Inside was
Are blackened.
Can It be now muses the lawyer as he
contemplates h s doubly valued souvenir,
that our di ad friends preei aa interest
in our worl ty d sir ., and nave power to
pss-tarta physioai wesideraT
V
li
-aWU given by tier granumotaKar, wsue : miim - -