The first week at Luxor was very quiet. Weigall [chief inspector of
antiquities in Upper Egypt] and Badstreet [The Morning Post] were both there
on our arrival. Mr & Mrs Valentine Williams [Reuters] came down the same
time as Lord Carnarvon. Morton of the Daily Express arrived a week later.
After a week of quietness in the usual daily visit to the Tomb by all the
Press correspondents and the usual wait on the parapet for general news of
the clearing of the various articles from the outer chamber, our rivals
began to get restless at getting very little news. Valentine Williams spent
many hours up at the Tomb and generally remained behind in the afternoon
after the other Press men had gone back to Luxor, in the hope of finding
some channel of information. Finding that I also stopped late, he twice
asked me if I would be so kind as to escort Mrs Valentine Williams back to
Luxor – apparently an excuse to try and get me out of the way.
Having refused the good office of escort and with the arrival of Morton of the
Daily Express our Press Rivals after a week of being nice to us all, now
changed their tactics. Morton arranged a meeting in his room at the Hotel
attended by Weigall, Valentine Williams, Badstreet and an Egyptian Press
man, the outcome of which to quote a remark let fall by Valentine Williams
“to do everything possible to break The Times agreement”. Weigall apparently
wiring Egyptian authorities at Cairo protesting against The Times agreement,
and many champagne dinners were given presided over by Mrs Valentine
Williams who apparently was now becoming a sort of News Editor for the rival
Press. Engleback, deputy inspector of antiquities, joined in the champagne
dinners and had apparently thrown in his lot with Weigall and Co, as Press
visits to the Tomb were arranged every Tuesday after this, and Weigall &
Co were allowed in the outer chamber each Tuesday proving they had an
official permit signed by the Minister of Interior.
Combine against The Times now a real opposition.
Each day on return from the Tomb the Press correspondents would adjourn to
Weigall’s room and apparently get Weigall’s views from the scientific point
of view, discuss a general abuse of Lord Carnarvon and The Times and then
disperse to cable their day’s story. As the day for the opening approached
the Combine were getting restless – apparently getting little news – hence
Weigall’s silly remarks with regard to the statue which the men on the spot
are all agreed that Weigall is absolutely wrong.
Combine now getting rude and not even a good morning for The Times staff. On
the Thursday night before the opening of the inner chamber I went out after
dinner to find my postal official to get him to hold up the mail for 30
minutes later on the Friday. At a shop he was generally to be found in the
evenings, Valentine Williams and Morton were standing at the door talking.
As I passed and finding my postal man had not arrived, I strolled up and
down. Valentine Williams who apparently had been busy champagne drinking,
stopped me and wanted to know why I was following him about – which
apparently showed the Combine were getting anxious. To this silly question,
I remarked “Don’t be silly, as if The Times would follow you about or even
care to know what you were doing; in fact, we have all the information about
“Tut” we require and it is hardly likely any information you have is of any
use.” Williams was apparently fuzzled and went for a night drive with
Morton.
Friday was the great day at the Tomb as it was apparent to everyone that some
opening would be made on Friday or Saturday before the Queen and Allenby
went up on the Sunday. At 8am all Press men were on the way up. Weigall
remarking to a friend “I’m not leaving that Tomb for the next 48 hours”. All
correspondents were sitting on the parapet at 8.45am and never left their
position until 4.30pm. Lord Carnarvon and party entered after lunch and the
breaking down of the inner chamber could of course be heard from the
parapet. One of the native workmen collared by the Combine during the
afternoon said 8 mummies had been found, another workman said 3 mummies has
[sic] been found. This confusing information was sufficient to spread all
over Luxor that many mummies had been found and the Egyptian Gazette came
out next morning with splash headlines of “Three Mummies Found”. This
spurious information specially sent out by Mr Carter as a blind confused our
rivals very much, but of course they must have known some sort of shrine had
been found by 3pm, enough to cable an Evening paper flash that the shrine
had been found, but their source of information – an Egyptian official -
must have given them a hazy description of the inner chamber, because they
described a huge statue of a cat which was about 6 inches high, and a
wonderful chariot which was just a broken wreck.
All the Press got back at 5.30pm and from then until eleven o’clock at night
were busy chasing to and fro gleaning any information that might be
overheard at dinner. Mrs Valentine Williams being the chief gleaner,
learning apparently that a Press man M. Fath representing the Egyptian Press
might have got The Times story, she cornered him and even to use Fath’s own
words, squeezed his hand. But as the Egyptian Press held out until the
following day after which they came with a rush for The Times service, Mrs
Valentine Williams got no information in that quarter.
It was not until after 8.30 that the Combine had got some sort of news to put
together and were at the Railway Station as late as 11pm cabling home,
whereas I bought down the first story from the Tomb at midday and Mr Merton
the remainder at 3pm, so that Weigall’s story about no Times people at the
Tomb on the opening day was one of his best lies, because Warhurst the
photographer was there until 4.30pm. I was there until midday and Mr Merton
until 3pm.
Sunday on the visit by the Queen, Mrs Valentine Wiliams was caught looking
over Mr Merton’s shoulder looking at his writing pad. Merton, noticing this,
wrote on his pad, “it is unladylike and rude to look over my shoulder” –
exit Mrs Valentine Williams. Throughout this Tomb business, Weigall and
Badstreet were both very annoyed people. Weigall because he thought he was
the only authority on the subject. Badstreet because he had been beaten on
the first discovery, hence all their abuse. Weigall left the Saturday after
the opening, Morton followed before the paper containing the big story
arrived. On the morning the papers arrived, Badstreet collared the lot
immediately they were put on the hotel file and left the following morning,
so that with the exception of Valentine Williams not one of the combine
remained to read their “scoops” which they had been talking about for days
after the official opening.
