The morning was foggy, damp and dark in London, one of those to which
dwellers in the Metropolis are so accustomed in the short December days.
In “Red Mullet’s” sitting-room off Oxford Street--that same room in
which Gwen Griffin had endured her imprisonment--he and Doctor Diamond
were seated.
A fortnight had passed since the red-haired man’s visit to Horsford, but
in accordance with a promise made he had, late the previous evening,
telegraphed to the hunchback, and in response to the message the latter
had left Peterborough by the up-express at nine o’clock that morning.
“Well, Doc,” the tall man was saying as he lay stretched lazily in his
chair smoking a cigarette. “I’m giving away my friend in order to
oblige you, and I’ve had a lot of difficulty, as you may imagine. My
friends are a pretty tough crowd, as you know. But I’ve fulfilled the
promise I made to you, and all will be well providing that young lady,
Miss Griffin, only holds her tongue.”
“Then you’ve really obtained a copy of the document for me--eh!”
interrupted the ugly little man, his face brightening quickly.
“Yes. I was very nearly caught in the act of taking it. It was kept in
a safe, and I had to get hold of the _key_ by a ruse. I kept it a day,
and got a typed copy made. Then I retained it to its place.”
“By Jove, Mr Mullet, you’re a real friend!” cried the Doctor, starting
up. “As you know, we’ve been handicapped hitherto by not knowing the
context of the document. Ours has been all guesswork.”
“Well, it needn’t be any more,” remarked the red-haired man with a light
laugh, “for here’s a complete copy. You’d better read it out. It’s a
very remarkable statement.” And he produced a typewritten manuscript
which the Doctor, after clearing his throat, eagerly read as follows:
“THE TREASURE OF ISRAEL.
“Revealed by a Hebrew Cipher in the Old Testament.
“I, Peter Holmboe, graduate of Helsingfors University, in Finland,
late Professor of Hebrew at St. Petersburg University, and now
resident at Langenfelder Strasse, 17, Altona, Germany, make oath and
declare as follows:
“Curious, and perhaps improbable as it may at first appear, I claim to
have discovered the actual whereabouts of the hidden treasure of the
Jewish Temple, which includes among other things the Ark of the
Covenant, the Tablets of moses, and the enormous treasure of gold and
silver known to exist before the capture of Jerusalem by
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.
“_The Secret_.
“The secret of the place of concealment is contained in a cipher which
runs through certain chapters of the Book of Ezekiel, and which
clearly relates the whole story and gives absolute and most complete
directions with measurements by which the spot is indicated. And not
only this. The same story, in a much more abbreviated form, is,
curiously enough, also repeated in the same cipher in certain chapters
of Deuteronomy.
“It is a historical fact that when Nebuchadnezzar seized Jerusalem
nearly the whole of the treasure of the Temple had disappeared, and it
would seem that into the Book of Ezekiel the secret was incorporated,
so that the treasure, which formed the war-chest of the Jews, could be
recovered at the coming of the Messiah.
“Many points are, of course, highly interesting and curious. Perhaps
my discovery--which, by the way, was by pure accident--will create
much controversy and arouse great excitement among scholars and
archaeologists. Nevertheless the cipher exists, as I am ready, under
certain conditions and on certain financial considerations, to
indicate its existence to any competent Hebrew scholar who may be
appointed to investigate my discovery.
“_The Cipher_.
“For many years I had been greatly interested in the various
astronomical, astrological and cabalistical signs and cycles so
apparent in the chronology of the ancient peoples. In the Bible, and
more especially during the five hundred or so years before Christ, I
found evidences of the astrology that was used in the division of
time, and therefore set to work, using the comparing method in order
to obtain an insight into the different ciphers most universally used,
and also into the methods of concealing secret messages and
statements. Many of the ciphers used were highly ingenious and most
difficult to decipher. The Jews in Jerusalem used them, so did the
Jewish Greeks in Alexandria and the Buddhists in India, as well as the
Gnostics, etc.
“I had been studying certain curious expressions in the ‘Mischna,’
which seemed to me to contain certain hidden meanings, when one day,
in studying the Book of Ezekiel in the original, I was amazed to come
across an expression which, habituated as I was to the presence of
ciphers, told me at once that a hidden message was contained there.
“After countless failures through several years, I one day applied one
of the earlier known cabalistic ciphers--which, by the way, is so
complicated and ingenious that the whole message must be deciphered
before the first word becomes apparent--and, to my intense
astonishment, on making the complete decipher I found myself able to
read a clean declaration (extending through nine chapters) of the
secret hiding-place of the Great Treasure of Israel!
“The cipher declaration opens with an intimation of 490 years before
the arrival of the Messiah, and continues as follows:
“‘_The lapse of years are nearing its filling. The relief of the Doom
will come in spite of all. The people’s right is nearing. The Period
of the Blood-Debts and that of the Suppression will lose its power_.’
“It is then stated that Moses’ tablets, the archives of the Temple,
the Ark of the Covenant and ‘the Chair of Grace between two cherubims
of fine gold,’ ‘the insignias Urim and Thummim with two rubies of
extraordinary size surrounded by a multitude of other precious
stones,’ the ‘written archives of the earliest period of the Jews’
till about B.C. 600, ‘the great treasures of the Temple, gold and
silver vessels, coined gold, and precious stones of every description’
were all ‘_concealed beneath the earth in a dry-room in connection
with which is a series of water-tunnels_.’
“The secret declaration goes on to give the most complete details of
how the treasure may be reached. It is stated that there are three
entrances, one of which is impossible as it is inaccessible, being
closed up by masonry in a labyrinth of caves; the second is also too
difficult. But the third is accessible by draining the water and will
not present much difficulty.
“The cipher continuing, declares:
“‘_The tablets shall remain in their hiding-place till the arrival of
the Messiah, who alone may open their place of concealment, in order
that He may furnish proof of the faith, and if necessary the treasure
shall provide a war fund when the Messiah conquers the world and
establishes his residence in Jerusalem_.’
“The cipher concludes by declaring:
“‘_Six curses, yea! sixty times six curses, shall be upon the head of
any one who dare to attempt to violate the treasure-house_.’
“That the messages, each identical, run through both Ezekiel and
Deuteronomy is indisputable, and I am quite ready to explain them,
provided my secret is properly protected.
“Among the many curious and interesting features which go far to prove
that the treasure is still lying undisturbed, I may perhaps indicate
the Biblical fact that, after the Babylonian imprisonment, the tablets
of Moses were never again exhibited in the Temple. Yet did not
Nehemiah convince himself that they were intact and in good condition?
“We know that Nebuchadnezzar received certain vessels from the Temple
at Jerusalem (Ezra, i, 7-11) but no mention is made of the tablets, of
the Ark, or of any other of the things mentioned in the cipher!
“Again, when Titus destroyed Jerusalem he did not obtain the Ark. On
the Arch of Triumph still existing in Rome are representations of the
candlesticks, but there is no representation of the Ark.
“Through the whole prophecy of Ezekiel I can point out many evidences
of the existence of the treasure.
“And, finally, it is extremely curious that the Crusaders searched
actively for it, but mostly in the neighbourhood of Engeddin.
“Whether the treasure of Israel still exists or not, the cipher
declaration stands out in black and white, one of the best known and
most difficult of all the various modes used by the ancients for
concealing messages.
“I claim that it is a most amazing discovery which must be of deepest
interest to the whole civilised world, and should be at once
investigated. I have not, of course, space to give complete Biblical
references, etc. These I will supply later on, if necessary.
“Any Jew who may be consulted will no doubt scorn the idea of the
existence of the treasure. He will do so because he will argue that
no cipher can exist in a book inspired. Again, he may declare that
all the treasure was all carried off to Babylon. This is, I maintain,
disproved by historical facts.
“Again, there may be considerable argument as to whether the Books of
Ezekiel and of Deuteronomy were written about the same period.
According to the latest theory, Deuteronomy was written before
Ezekiel, nevertheless this discovery of the same cipher record in both
now conclusively proves that they were written at very nearly the same
time.
“Further, I am aware of the Talmudic tradition which states that the
treasures I have enumerated, with the addition of Aaron’s staff, the
pot of manna and the flask of anointing oil, are hidden beneath the
Temple Mount. But the cipher in question shows plainly that they are
not concealed upon the site of the Temple, which is now occupied by
the Mosque of Omar, but at some considerable distance away.
“_The Key_.
“As regards the key to the cipher and the manner in which to decipher
it, I have, believing my existence to be now short-lived--for alas! I
am suffering from a disease that I am told is incurable--placed the
key, with such directions as are necessary to read it, in a place
where it will remain hidden until such time as I have arranged with a
capitalist or syndicate of financiers to despatch an expedition to
secretly purchase the land in question and excavate for the holy
relics. To them alone it will be revealed.
“The key, which will disclose a statement that must cause the whole
world to be surprised and thrilled, is divided into two parts, the one
useless without the other. One part now lies in one city and another
in a second. Therefore, for any person to attempt to discover the
truth without first entering into business relations with me will be
utterly impossible. And even if both keys were illegally obtained,
the requisite knowledge could not then be ascertained without a third
direction, that can be supplied by myself alone.
“If I live, then I hope to search and recover the sacred objects. If,
however, Providence wills my death ere my task is done, none shall
complete it; for none shall ever profit by the secret which the Unseen
Power has revealed unto us, a statement of which I have herein written
and signed by my own hand.
“(Signed) Peter Holmboe, _Professor of Hebrew_.”
The following note, with the impression of a rubber stamp, was appended
in German:
“Sworn before me, Karl Weizel, notary public at 38, Neuer
Junugferustieg, in the Free City of Hamburg, on the eighth of July, One
thousand Nine hundred and Seven.”