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May 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 31/05/2010 6:15 PM Page 32 32 The Skull of Doom The Skull of Doom (deceased); Jane Harvey Houlson (Father’s sec. April 1938, after a life-threatening jungle dec.), Capt. C.C. Joyce (Brit Museum dec); Dr. honeymoon, luridly reported in the Hearst Continued from Page 31 Gann, Mr. Tuke (British Painter) and myself, newspapers in May, and written in the same beside help. Also father’s brother-in-law Mr. style as Land of Wonder and Fear and Danger He and Lady Richmond-Brown explored George Hudson who came along to take My Ally. many Middle American areas, collectively and photographs. (OC 276, folder #11) Within two months of the very public in behalf of the Museum. Some of this was According to Mitchell-Hedges himself, “divorce,” Lady Richmond Brown wrote financed by Lady Richmond Brown, some by Dr. writing in his 1931 book Land of Wonder and George Heye, the founder of the Museum of the Heye, the founder of this museum. (OC 276, Fear (p. 16), the party who “first discovered” American Indian, requesting the return of the folder #11 - 8/11/67) Lubaantun “consisted of Lady Richmond Cuna collections from Panama that she had By 1971, Dockstader was thinking about Brown, the late Mr. H.S. Tuke, who came with donated to his museum. Heye, on a trip to exhibiting the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull at us in order to depict on canvas the true Alaska, responded politely, saying the Museum of the American Indian, but he was atmosphere of the tropics, Dr. Thomas Gann, Your letter of June 28 has been concerned about Phrenology (1970), a book and myself.” forwarded to me here. I must confess at some with ties to Dorland, written by Sybil Leek, a Gann, who had actually published notes surprise at its contents, for my impression was British witch. Leek claimed that F.A. Mitchell- about the ruins in 1903, presumably led that the Indian textiles were a gift to the Hedges had brought the skull from London to Mitchell-Hedges and his party there in 1924. In Museum, and our exhibit of the same has Central America, and that it may originally have his book Mystery Cities; Exploration and always borne your name as the donor. (OC 138, belonged to the Knights Templar, whose main Adventure in Lubaantun, published the folder 32 – 7/12/1938) temple was in central London. This upset following year, Gann noted (pp. 128-129) that In December of that year, Heye wrote to Dockstader, who wrote Anna asking about the Frederick Mitchell-Hedges and Lady Brown Mitchell-Hedges, skull’s origins. I found no response from her. had arrived a few days ahead of him, but: I had a most surprising letter from Lady In March 1972, Dockstader wrote to not knowing either Spanish or Kekchi, Richmond Brown...she said she would like the Anna that the Crystal Skull would be the had been unable to hire any labour for cleaning Chucunaque specimens that she lent to the centerpiece of an exhibition called “The Skull in bush over the ruins, so had been marking time Museum returned,...I had understood that these Indian Art,” but he still had questions: till I turned up. Both were feeling rather gloomy, were a gift. (OC 138, folder 32 – 12/28/1938) I’ll not beat around the bush. Just as on the previous day Hedges had been obliged Midge responded in a January 16, 1939, recently, J. Eric Thompson heard that the Skull to shoot Michael, a pet ape to which they were letter denouncing his former benefactor, was here at the Museum, and wrote a friend both very much attached as he had eaten some I should ignore the letter from Lady R.B. about it, apparently in answer to that friend’s sort of poisonous irritant leaf in the bush, which definitely the entire Chucunaque specimens query. In turn, the friend sent Thompson’s brought on diarrhea, vomiting, and intense were a gift from us to the museum. I had no comment on to me. It was such a surprise, that I pain. His end was, however, painless, and he knowledge that Lady R.B. had personally lent, am typing it here.... “The crystal skull was was accorded the honor of burial beneath one of given, or sent, any specimens to your museum. acquired by Mitchell-Hedges in an antique shop the ancient Maya pyramids of Lubaantun. In fact I cannot imagine where she could have in London sometime around 1928 [sic]. The One would suppose that if Gann saw fit collected them. It’s just absurd. London dealer who owned it was Sidney [sic] to mention Michael, the couple’s pet monkey, This may be why Mitchell-Hedges Burney. J. J. Braunholz of the British Museum that he would have noted the presence of wrote Lady Richmond Brown out of his told me he had seen the piece displayed in the Mitchell-Hedges’s daughter, Anna, but neither recollections of their expeditions after 1925 in shop before Mitch bought it. There was no he, nor Mitchell-Hedges, nor Lady Richmond Danger My Ally; but since Mabs died in 1946, provenience on the skull--it was generally Brown ever mention her in connection with this his version of events would not be contested. assumed at that time to have been North Italian. visit. That is, until Frederick Mitchell-Hedges’ Mitchell-Hedges not only recast Lady Sometime later Mitchell Hedges published an 1954 book Danger My Ally in which he wrote Richmond Brown’s role in his memoir, but also article about the Skull in a local newspaper in or, perhaps more accurately, rewrote the history sought to create more mystery about his Skull of Bournemouth where, I think, he was then living. of his Lubaantun expeditions. Doom: “How it came into my possession, I have The story of the skull’s origin in that article was Altogether our excavations extended reason for not revealing” (Danger My Ally, p. different; I forget the details, but it had nothing over three years.... In 1925 Mabs’s [Lady 243). Anna’s explanation of this statement to to do with Lubaantún. Richmond Brown] place was taken by Jane Dockstader was that her father bought the skull Notes in British Museum files indicate Harvey Houlson and the following year Sammy, at Sotheby’s because, that archaeologists and curators there worried after several years in London, New York and about the director of the Museum of the France--where she lived with some of her The Skull of Doom American Indian exhibiting the skull without relatives and, incidentally, learned the art of Continues on Page 33 knowing its actual history. Although there was a manicuring and hairdressing--joined us. This great deal of hesitancy, it would seem, about was our last visit. As far as I know, no white The ‘X’ Zone - www.xzpneradiotv.com calling into question the veracity of the man has been there since. Mitchell-Hedges family, the BM’s Eric The above statements are fabrications. Thompson apparently found a way to get this Numerous newspaper accounts describe Lady information to Dockstader. Richmond Brown and Mitchell-Hedges on Anna responded with a “Statement of expeditions from the early 1920s until the early Fact” on official-looking typed letterhead, 1930s. She bankrolled nearly all of their travels, “Anna Mitchell-Hedges F.R.G.S., F.L.S.” It she purchased their yacht, Cara, and donated reads: their finds to the Heye Foundation’s Museum of The Rock Crystal Skull was discovered the American Indian. A June 11, 1930, New by me upon one of my father’s expeditions to York Times article noted that Lady Richmond Lubaantun during 1926/27. I found the skull Brown was sued for divorce by her husband, Sir itself after we had cleared a very heavy wall, Melville Richmond Brown, naming Mitchell- which had fallen on the altar, which we also Hedges as co-respondent. Despite her moved. The rocks were so heavy we were only companion’s marriage to Lillian Agnes (Dolly) able to move about 5 or 6 a day, not having the Clarke, Mitchell-Hedges and Lady Richmond- equipment at hand today. It was therefore Brown traveled together for at least a decade. another three months before I found the jaw, The final split with Midge, as she called him, which was about 25 yards away from the skull. seems to have occurred when Mabs discovered This was my father’s expedition therefore the he’d bigamously married a dancer named Rock Crystal Skull was his. With us on this Dorothy Copp in New York in 1938. Ms. Copp expedition was: Lady Richmond Brown quickly “divorced” Midge in New Jersey in