Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1836-02-27

ing the watch word 10 the guard stationed
at every corner Repeated, tho fruitless
attempts. are daily being made 20 FIRE the
business parts ST the town. The public
functionaries have supplied every family
with L. $. muskets, and the males are gen
orally called upon to protect their own and
their neighbors' firesides. Every boy even
is armed, and the exasperated citizens have
vowed revenge upon the incendiary villains
If ever they shall get them within their
grasp. About 30 persons have been ar
rested at different times, and now in jail to
await their examinations"
The American Monthly Magazine con-
talns very interesting article on the sub
ject of antiquities Of North America, in
which is detailed an account Of an exceed
inoIy Interesting discovery Of human
skeleton, in the town of Fall River, Mas
saChusetts, about eighteen months since.
The skeleton was armed with breast
plate, a species Of mail, and arrows Of
brass, and is opposed to have been either
one Of the race, who Inhabited this coun-
try for time anterior TO the SO called alb
origlnes, and afterwards settled in Mexico,
or GlartImala, or one of the crew of a
PhGnesian vessel, that, blown out Of her
course, thus discovered the Western world
Tong before the Christian era. The fellow
ing is the account given Of the discovery
of this interesting relic Of antiquity:
In digging down hill near the village,
a large mass ofearth slid of, leaving in the
bank, and partially uncovered, human
skull, which on eXamina ton was found to
belong TO body buried in sitting pos
ture; the head being about one foot below
what has been for many years the surface
of the ground. The surrounding earth
was carefully removed, and the body found
to be eEve!oped in covering of coarse
cloth, made of fine bark, about the tex
lure of a Manila coffee bag. On the
breast was plate Of brass, thirteen inches
long, six broad at the upper end and five
at The lower. This plate appears to have
been cast, and is from one eighth to three
thirty-seconds of an inch in thickness. Ii
is so much corroded that whether or not
anything was engraved upon it, has not
YET been ascertained. 1t is oval in form
the edges being irregular, apparently
made so BY corrosion.
Below the breast plate and entirely en-
Circling the body, was a belt composed of
t.rass tubes, each four and half inches in
in i:ngtIi, and three-sixtecnths of an inch
in diameter, arranged longitudnally and
close together. the length Of a tube being
the width of the belt. Tue tubes are of
TIN brass, cast upon hollow reeds, and
were fastened together By pieces of sinew.
This belt WAS Sd placed as TO protect the
lower parts Of the body below the breast
plate. The arrows are Of brass, thin, flat
and triangular in shape, with round hole
cut through near the base. The shaft was
fastened to the head by inserting the latter
in an opening at the end of the wood, and
then tying it with a sinew through the
round hole mode of constructing the
weapon never practiced by the Indians,
not even with their arrows Of thin she'll
Parts of the shaft still remain on some Of
them. When first discovered. the arrows
were in a sort OF quiyer of bark, which fell
in pieces when exposed to the air.
The skull is much decayed, but the
teeth are sound, and apparently those of
a young nun. The pelvi= is much decay
ed, ard the smaller bones OF tie lower ex-
iremIties are gone. The nteguments of
the right knee, four or five inches bel W
J and above, are in good preservation, appe-
rently :he SIZE and shape of life, though
quite black.
J, Considerable flesh IS still preserved on
the hands and arms, but none on the shout
ders and elbows. On the back under the
belt. and for two inches above and below
i, the skin and flesh are in good preserva
ton, and have the appearance Of being tan
ned. The chest is very much compress
sed, but the upper viscers are probabl,
: entire. The arms are bent up, not cross
: ed So that the hands turned inwards, toucl
, the shoulders. The stature is about tiv
= and half feet. Much of the exterior en-
. velope WAS decayed, and the inner az
: peared TO be preserved only where IT ha
: been IN con,rac: with the tones
: The preservation cf this body NAV b
: the result Of some emba.ming process
n and this hypothesis is strengthened by tn
. fact that the skin has the appearance c
having been tanned; or il NAV be the IL
cidental result. of the action OF the salts
= the brass during oxidation; and IN $ h,
c poihcsis is supported by the fact that III
= skin and flesh have been preserved onI
e where they have been in contract viii
r or quite nef-, the brass; or we rnay ac
c count for the preservation of the whole b
C surprising tho pre>ence of saltpetre in ii
. s3il al the tine fthe depos.;e. la eth,
4 VA tns. p-aSerylfioa of the remains