Mummy Dummy 4: Mummy Magicians

In the past, some mummy dummies thought they were quite clever. They believed that people would flock anywhere to see a mummy. They also thought they would become rich. So some people became "mummy magicians" and conjured up mummies out of thin air.

For example, many Native American mummies were supposedly discovered in the area surrounding Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Some, those from Mammoth Cave itself, really were found there; others, reported by owners of nearby caves, were clearly hoaxes. But these false mummies were often advertised in hopes that large numbers of people would pay money to visit the smaller caves. The author Angelo George wrote that one cave was said to hold the mummies of a man and woman

dressed in Roman costume, and each holding in the arms a child — the man one of 10 years, and the woman a babe of 1 or 2 years. ... A petrified monkey, as perfect in shape as if alive, was [also] found in the cave.

Other caves in the area reportedly had mummies and Egyptian pyramids. It must not have taken too long for people to realize that Roman and Egyptian mummies were hardly native to American caves. And some of the "clever" mummy magicians were obviously disappointed.