Page 20 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Febrary/March 2020 Edition

20 Fictional History of Mitchell-Hedges Skull

The Fictionalized History
of the Mitchell-Hedges

Crystal Skull

Continued from Page 19

By 1971, Dockstader was thinking about
exhibiting the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull at
the Museum of the American Indian, but he was
concerned about Phrenology (1970), a book
with ties to Dorland, written by Sybil Leek, a
British witch. Leek claimed that F.A. Mitchell-
Hedges had brought the skull from London to
Central America, and that it may originally have
belonged to the Knights Templar, whose main
temple was in central London. This upset
Dockstader, who wrote Anna asking about the
skull's origins. I found no response from her.
In March 1972, Dockstader wrote to
Anna that the Crystal Skull would be the
centerpiece of an exhibition called "The Skull in
Indian Art," but he still had questions:

“I'll not beat around the bush. Just
Rock Crystal Skull was his. With us on this of his Lubaantun expeditions.
recently, J. Eric Thompson heard that the Skull
expedition was: Lady Richmond Brown
was here at the Museum, and wrote a friend
(deceased); Jane Harvey Houlson (Father's sec. “Altogether our excavations extended
about it, apparently in answer to that friend's
dec.), Capt. C.C. Joyce (Brit Museum dec); Dr. over three years.... In 1925 Mabs's [Lady
query. In turn, the friend sent Thompson's
Gann, Mr. Tuke (British Painter) and myself, Richmond Brown] place was taken by Jane
comment on to me. It was such a surprise, that I
beside help. Also father's brother-in-law Mr. Harvey Houlson and the following year Sammy,
am typing it here.... "The crystal skull was
George Hudson who came along to take after several years in London, New York and
acquired by Mitchell-Hedges in an antique shop
photographs. (OC 276, folder #11)” France--where she lived with some of her
in London sometime around 1928 [sic]. The
relatives and, incidentally, learned the art of
London dealer who owned it was Sidney [sic]
According to Mitchell-Hedges himself, manicuring and hairdressing--joined us. This
Burney. J. J. Braunholz of the British Museum
writing in his 1931 book Land of Wonder and was our last visit. As far as I know, no white man
told me he had seen the piece displayed in the
Fear (p. 16), the party who "first discovered" has been there since.”
shop before Mitch bought it. There was no
Lubaantun "consisted of Lady Richmond
provenience on the skull--it was generally
Brown, the late Mr. H.S. Tuke, who came with The above statements are fabrications.
assumed at that time to have been North Italian.
us in order to depict on canvas the true Numerous newspaper accounts describe Lady
Sometime later Mitchell Hedges published an
atmosphere of the tropics, Dr. Thomas Gann, Richmond Brown and Mitchell-Hedges on
article about the Skull in a local newspaper in
and myself." expeditions from the early 1920s until the early
Bournemouth where, I think, he was then living.
Gann, who had actually published notes 1930s. She bankrolled nearly all of their travels,
The story of the skull's origin in that article was
about the ruins in 1903, presumably led she purchased their yacht, Cara, and donated
different; I forget the details, but it had nothing
Mitchell-Hedges and his party there in 1924. In their finds to the Heye Foundation's Museum of
to do with Lubaantún.”
his book Mystery Cities; Exploration and the American Indian. A June 11, 1930, New York
Adventure in Lubaantun, published the Times article noted that Lady Richmond Brown
Notes in British Museum files indicate
following year, Gann noted (pp. 128-129) that was sued for divorce by her husband, Sir
that archaeologists and curators there worried
Frederick Mitchell-Hedges and Lady Brown had Melville Richmond Brown, naming Mitchell-
about the director of the Museum of the
arrived a few days ahead of him, but Hedges as co-respondent. Despite her
American Indian exhibiting the skull without
companion's marriage to Lillian Agnes (Dolly)
knowing its actual history. Although there was a
“not knowing either Spanish or Kekchi, Clarke, Mitchell-Hedges and Lady Richmond-
great deal of hesitancy, it would seem, about
had been unable to hire any labour for cleaning Brown traveled together for at least a decade.
calling into question the veracity of the
bush over the ruins, so had been marking time The final split with Midge, as she called him,
Mitchell-Hedges family, the BM's Eric
till I turned up. Both were feeling rather gloomy, seems to have occurred when Mabs discovered
Thompson apparently found a way to get this
as on the previous day Hedges had been obliged he'd bigamously married a dancer named
information to Dockstader.
to shoot Michael, a pet ape to which they were Dorothy Copp in New York in 1938. Ms. Copp
Anna responded with a "Statement of
both very much attached as he had eaten some quickly "divorced" Midge in New Jersey in
Fact" on official-looking typed letterhead,
sort of poisonous irritant leaf in the bush, which April 1938, after a life-threatening jungle
"Anna Mitchell-Hedges F.R.G.S., F.L.S." It
brought on diarrhea, vomiting, and intense pain. honeymoon, luridly reported in the Hearst
reads:
His end was, however, painless, and he was newspapers in May, and written in the same
accorded the honor of burial beneath one of the style as Land of Wonder and Fear and Danger
“The Rock Crystal Skull was discovered
ancient Maya pyramids of Lubaantun.” My Ally.
by me upon one of my father's expeditions to
Within two months of the very public
Lubaantun during 1926/27. I found the skull
One would suppose that if Gann saw fit "divorce," Lady Richmond Brown wrote George
itself after we had cleared a very heavy wall,
to mention Michael, the couple's pet monkey, Heye, the founder of the Museum of the
which had fallen on the altar, which we also
that he would have noted the presence of American Indian, requesting the return of the
moved. The rocks were so heavy we were only
Mitchell-Hedges's daughter, Anna, but neither Cuna collections from Panama that she had
able to move about 5 or 6 a day, not having the
he, nor Mitchell-Hedges, nor Lady Richmond donated to his museum. Heye, on a trip to
equipment at hand today. It was therefore
Brown ever mention her in connection with this Alaska, responded politely, saying
another three months before I found the jaw,
visit. That is, until Frederick Mitchell-Hedges'
which was about 25 yards away from the skull.
1954 book Danger My Ally in which he wrote (Continued on Page 22)
This was my father's expedition therefore the
or, perhaps more accurately, rewrote the history