Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1853-08-02
A CatacOmb Of Mummies in Ken.
tucky.

| A Cat0COmD OF MUmm1eS IA Acm
tucky.
Lexington, in Kentucky, stands nearly OF
the site Of an ancient Town, which was o
great extent and magniicence, as is amply
evident by the wide range Of its circlmvalla
tory works, and the quantity Of ground i
once occupied.
There was connected with tho antiquities
OF this place, calacomb, formed in the
bowels Of The limestone rock, about fifteen
feet below the surface of the earth, ada
cent TO the town Of Lexington. This grtant
object, so novel and so extraordinary TO This
county, was discovered in l775. by some ol
the fist settlers. whose curiosity was excited
by something remarkable in The character
Of the stones which covered the entrance oI
the cavern within. They removed The stones
and came to others of singular appear
ance for stones in natural shape, the
re moval OF which laid open the mouth Of a
cave, deep, gloomy and terrific, as they sup.
posed.
With augmented numbers, and provided
with light, they descended and entered,
without obstruction, spacious apartment, ;
the sides and extreme ends were formed in.
10 inches and departments. and occupied by
figures representing men. When alarm sub
sided, and the sentiment Of surprise and dis.
may permitted further research and inquiry,
The figures were found 10 be mummies,
preserved by The ar! of embaIming, 10 as
great state Of perfection us was known
among the ancient Egyptians eighteen hun.
dred years before The Christian era which
was about the time the Israclites were in
bondage in Egypt, when this ar. was in per-
| lection.
Unfortunately for antiquity, science and
everything else held sacred by The ilumned
and learned, this ineslimable discovery was
made at a period when bloody and in
ve,erate war was carried on between the
Indians and the whites; and the power of
The natives was displayed in so savage a
manner that The whites were filled with
revenge. Animated by this vndictive spr.
it. the discoverers of the catacombs de-.
lighted 10 wreak their vengeance even up.
on the mummies, supposng them TO be of
the same Indian race with whom they were
then at war.
They dragged them out to the open air,
tore the bandages open, kicked the bodies
into dust, and made general bonfire Of
the most ancient remains antiquity could
boast. The descent 10 this cavern is grad.
ual, the width four feet, The hight seven, and
the whole length Of the calacomb was found
10 be eighteen rods and half, by six and a
half; and calculating from the inches, it
was sufficiently capacious 10 have contained
al least five thousand subjects.
." could never" says Mr.. Ash, from
whose travels we have taken this account,
" learn the exact quantity it contained the
answers 10 the inquiries made respecting &,
were: 'Oh, they burnt up and destroyed
hundredSp Nor could he arrive al any
knowledge of the fashion, manner and ap-
purel oil The mummies, or receive any 9TH
information Than they 'were well Tapped
up Blu, moi being conlenled with the un.
certain information Of persons who, 1t seems,
had no adequate knowledge Of the value Of
this discovery, he caused The cavern TO be
cleaned for such fragments as yet remained
in the inches, on shelving sides and on the
floor The quantity Of remains thus gath.
cred up, amounted to forty or fifty baskets,
The dust of which was ligh, and pungent as
10 affect The eyes even to tears, and The nose
10 sneezing, 10 troublesome degree.
He then proceeded on minute invesliga.
lion, and separated from tho general mass
several pieces of human limbs, fragments Of
bodies, solid, sound, and apparently capable
of external duration. In cold state they
had no smell whatever, but when submit.
ed 10 the action of fire, gave out an agree-
able effluvia, but was like nothing in its
fragments 10 which we could compare it.
On this subject Mr.. Ash has The follow.
ing reflections How these bodies wero
embaImed, how long preserved, by what
nations, and from what people descended,
no opinion can be formed, nor any cacula.
lion made, but what must result from spec.
ulative fancy and wild conjectures. For
my part, am lost in the deepest ignorance.
My reading affords me no knowledge, my
travels no light. have neither read nor
known Of any Of the Nouh American Indians
who formed ca,acombs for their dead, or
who were acquainted with the art of EN-.
balming.
The Egyptians according to Herodolus,
who Aourished four hundred and fifty years
before Christ, had three methods Of en-
balming but Diodorus, who lived before
Christ in The time of Julius Caesar, observes
that the ancient Egyptians had fourth
method Of far greater superiority. The
method is no, described by Diodorus ) it had
become extinct in his lime, and yet | cannot
think it presumptuous TO conceive that The
American mummies' were preserved after
that very manner, or al least with mode
of equal virtue and effect.-Pries american
antiquities,