Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1831-03-03
NO 10

Nesr This ancient village about five or sin
years ago. some Individuals repairing the pub
lie read, found II cons enient 70 use The STONE
| covering human skeletons. In removing the
! stones human skeleton Of unwual size was
! discovered. The stone being carefully pick
cd oil il was ascertained that the body had
been lain al fnll length upon the grounu. and
bread, fiat stones carefully sst round il. sew,e-
thing IN the shape Of coffin This skeleton.
as Il lay, was measured by Capt Oliver. who
assured the aulhor that its length was nearly
e.. and the bones Of enormous size. The
skull when discovered was entire. and was
from abou; three quarters TO hall an inch in
thlckncss--thc teeth Of proportionate size.
and all perfectly sound. This ancient village
probably covered an area Of about Two acres.
and the surrounding lands are naturally Of
OF thin soil; yet Capt Oliver informed tho
writer that bis best low grounds do not ex-
coed in fertility and productiseness this spot
of land.
In the progress of this work, the author
will have occasion to notice other particulars
in relation TO Indian antiquities.
This hriei account Of Indian wars and In.
dian settlements, presents TO the mind some
Interesting reflections. What causes of war
could possibly arise between the southern and
northern lndiansa Considering the immense
distance between them, il is subject of GU.
rious speculation The residence of the Ca
tawha tribe was IN South Carolina, that Of
The Delawares high up the Susquehanna, in
nsylvaniat--httlc short of seven hundred
miles apart.
II appears to be the opinion Of some phil
osophers that it is inherent In the nature Of
man TO fight, This opinion Mr. Jefferson
seems to aoubt. and suggests that il arises cut
wE fhn 81.
man. But there really appear strong reasons
10 believe that there Is natural state Oh hos
tlity Of man against man. We would con-
Glade that nations in a state Of nature, at an
immense distance apart, with trade or COM
merce, without clashing OF interests, could
hardly find causes Of war in any other source
than in that restless and turbulent disposition
so common to all mankind, and that thirst
for glory (as il Is falsely termcd) which pre-,
walls among their lcatars.
The subject Of Indian settlements is still
more Interesting On examining these ancicnt
repositories OF the dead, the reflection forces
itself upen the mind, that this unfortunate
race of people were once the rightgul owners
of the country, and that they were driven OIL
by superior force. II was no way wonderful
that they resisted, with all their power, tho
intrusion OF the whites upon their rightful in
reluctantly yielded this rigiitful possession Of
their lands to iatruding strangers, who had
no lawful claim to the country But perhaps
this was The fiat Of heaven. God probably
created this globe with the design that IL
should sustain the possible number OF his
creatures; and as man in state OF civil hfo
increases with vastly more rapidly than .
people il state Of nature or savage life, tho
design of heaven was probably better accom-
pshcd in permitting our ancestors to take
possession Of the country, Be this as il may,
1T is melancholy sight to see the graves OF
this unfortunate race Of people torn up with
the plow, and their bones reduced to dust,
and scattered 10 the winds. II is 10 be re-
GREETED for another reason: If those mounds
had been permitted TO rtmain undisturbsds
they would have stood as lasting monuments
in the history Of our country.
*The Catawba Indians still reside, on tho
Catawba river, in South Carolina, but now
reduced TO less than 900 souls They own q
tract Of country IS miles square. OF fine land,
and yet they are poor, miserable set Of peo-
pie.
The Delawares are now far TO the westof
the Allegheny Mountain.