Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1845-11-13


broken. The conclusion, then, is Irresistible,
that This was place of sacrifice, in which the
bodies al first enlombed were burned; or, in
case they consumed naturally, there was GER
tainly hunt something as sacrifice.
These are The facts, which show that there
have been two SETS of intermenls in these iombs
The first and oldest was at the bottom of the
Mound, and was accompanied by sacriicial
burnings The second were burials made by
persons who came in an aGer-time, and reopen
ed The mound, TO deposit their dead. That the
second burial was re-opening of The tomb
seems to be proved by The fac, that The mound
was originally composed in homogeneous strata
of earth. the top Of which is gravel layer near
iy a foot thick. Al the top only, this seems 10
have been deranged, and made helerogene eous,
as in the ordinary throwing up of graves. Il,
has been said thai because The mounds were SO
of this can be seen, by asking where did na-
,ure ever produce, on perfect plan, circular
parapeis, with regular cones in them? Be-
sides, the strata not The strata of The sur
rounding soil. they are palpably artificial,
and The mounds palpably Iombs.
3. These fomJs do not furnish eu,dence, That
Tie different bmiois were by different nQtions, or
races Of people. On the contrary, the various
articles found in all the graves. and very nearly
all the mounds, are of The same kind aud char
acler. They are Ratchet, arrows heads, crock
cry ware, pieces Of metal, IsingIass, or Mica
&c. Such a very grea' similarity convinces
us, that in constructing all the monuments,
whether of War, Peace, or Burial yet found in
the Valley Of the Mississippi, there have been
engaged bun one race Of people.
a. This people were not possessed Of The Arts
of high CiuiliSation. In respec. 10 the evl-
dence furnished by these mounds, the PROPOSE.
silion is obvious. There is IoIhlng among
them beyond The rude arts OF Savage Life; and
no, hing hpvond what our North American In.
dians no, known 10 accomplish. II the fab,
rica,ors Of these stone haichels knew how TO
manufacture iron, would they waste their lime
and labor in polishing flint! Would they take
such great pains 10 make stone arrows? Not
only this; but they have left in these tombs
lead ore, but not manufactured lead In one
word, they have exhibited nothing but the la
Dor of the hands in their arts. They have
shown neither the ingenuity nor the intellect Of
civilization
S. There IS eutdence Of antiquity, but not Of
gerry grrat antiquity. The recenl burials, by
The fact Of their containing Catholic Crosses,
have been made within The period in which the
Catholic missionaries commenced their opera
lions among the Indians. But when were the
mounds built! And when did these Sacrifcial
burials take place? We are willing enough 10
concede any remote antiquity to them, but i, is
more philosophical 10 ask, within what period
might they have been erected
Five or six hundred years are enough TO give
full maturity to the most venerable patriarchs
Of the forest. Grant tha, these may be found
on The tops Of parapets aud mounds. Grant
'ha, 'hree hundred years since. whcr The Calh-
olic Indians buried in Them. they were then, as
now, ancient remains, unknown TO tradition
Grant that these aged Trees were then upon
them, and these bones then decayed. Whal
'hen! Ii is easy 10 see ,ha, all This may have
heen done in thousand years. Ii is absolute
fy certain .ha, il may all have been done, and
lo-i in the obscuri'y Of antiquity within The era
lof Christianity. Mr. Steven. thinks this was
l,he fac, with The ruioed cites Of Mexico; and
there /, strong and unanswerable facts in favor
/ of ,ha, opinion But This is moi high antiquity.
Ii is in truth. recent epoch in the history of
the world
Thus, much Of the mystery and poetic ro-
nance which seemed 10 envelope this subject,
and give il the interest Of an unhreaded and
apparently impraclicable path through The wilds
anuqni,y Is likely 10 he dissolved like olhe,
miss, inio thin air. We shall never know The
le'ailed history ol The aboriginal race Of Amer