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Herb Ringer's AMERICAN WEST
"Oh...It's from
King Tut's
Tomb."
About
a year before his death, I spent some time with Herb at his home in
Fallon, Nevada. He lived in a 42 foot "Smoker" house trailer that he
purchased in the early 50s. One night as he regaled me with stories of
the Old West, I noticed a small plastic cylinder
on his kitchen table. It appeared to be stuffed with tissue, but knowing Herb, I reckoned there must be more
to its contents than toilet paper.
Herb's deteriorating eyesight made it difficult for him to see any
small object so I described the small plastic container. "Oh yes...You might as well have it. I can't even see it anymore."
"Well what is it?" I asked.
"It's priceless," Herb replied.
"Okay, Herb," I said, "but what is it?
"Oh...It's from King Tut's tomb."
This is the story Herb told me.
In
the 1920s, Herb's father Joseph Ringer played the french horn for some
of the most celebrated orchestras in the country. One of Joseph's
fellow musicians traveled to Europe in the summer of 1925 to play with
an orchestra in Vienna. But during a break, he took a side trip to
Cairo. Tutankhamen's tomb had been discovered the year before and
locals had been hired, at pauper wages, to do most of the heavy
digging. Subsequently many of the diggers concealed small artifacts in
their clothing and sold them on the streets of the city. Herb's friend
purchased the small vessel and returned to the United States at the end
of the summer, he gave the artifact to Herb for his 10th birthday.
Is it really from King Tut's tomb. I've never found out.
I know it's at least 85 years old and that it was one of
Herb Ringer's treasures. That's enough for me...JS
Herb at his home in Fallon. If you look closely, you can see the small plastic container and the treasure that was inside it.
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