The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-06-28

The HANNER.-The hammer is the uni
versal emblem of mechanics. With it ART
alike forged the sword of contention anc
the plowshare of peaceful agriculture-the
press Of the free and the shackles of the
slave. The elcquence of the forum has
moved the armies Of Greece and Rome TO a
thousand battle fields, but the eloqueuce o:
the hammer has covered those fields with
victory or defeat The inspiration OF song
has kindled high hopes and noble aspirations
in the bosoms of brave Knights and gen lie
danes, the inspiration of the hammer has
strewn the field with tattered helm sud
shield, decided not only the fate of chiv alric
combat. but the fate of thrones, crowns aud
Kingdoms. The forging of a thunder bolt
was ascribed by the Greeks as the highes,
act Of Jove's omnipotence, and their my.
,hoogy beautifully ascribes to one OF their
gods the task of presiding at the lsbors of
the forge. In ancient warfare the hamm
was a powerful weapon. independent of the
blade which it formed. Many a stout skull
was broken through the cap and helm by a
blow of Vulcan's weapon. The armies of
the Crescent would have subdued Europe to
the sway Of Mahomet, but on the plains of
France their progress was arrested, and the
brave and simple warrior who saved Chris
tendon from the sway of the Mussulman.
was named Martel--'the hammer"-how
simple. how appropriate, how grand. 1.-THE
hammer. The hammer. the savior and
bulwark of Christendom. The hammer is
the wealth Of nations. By it are forged the
ponderous engine and the tiny needle. 1t
is an instrument OF the savage and the civil
lied. Its merry clink points out the abodes
Of industry. 1t is domestic deity presiding
over the grandeur of the most wealthy and
ambitious, as well as the most humble and
impoverished. Not stick is shaped, not a
house is raised, a ship floats. or carriage
rolls, wheel spins. an engine moves. a
press speaks, viol sings. spade deves,
or a flag waves. without the hammer. With
out the hammer, civilization would be un
known. and the human species only as de-
fenceless brutes--but. In skilful hands. di
rectei by wisdom, it is an instrument OF
power, of greatness, and true glory.
EXPLANATIONS OF INDIANA Bones AND
RELics.-Las. Thursday. in Perry town
ship. on a farm belonging TO Calvin Fletch
er, Sen. skeleton was exhumed. When
discovered by band of workmen repairing
the road, it was lying in gravel bed about
a foot below the rface Of the ground. on
the slofing bank If bayou that makes ou,
Of White river. In constructing ditch by
the side OF the throughf4re, the skull was
crushed into gould like fragments by pas
sing ploughshare. The rest Of the frame
was lifted more carefully with pick and
shovel but in spite Of the pains taken many
breakages occurred, owing to the dryness
and brittlepess OF the bones. These were
let petri6ed. but very posns and earth
stained. A scientific gentleman who exam
ined the sheletou supposes it to be that of a
Dung man twenty five years of ago. aud be
tween fivS und six feet in height. with q
breadth of shoulders. The
teeth f5perfect, and speak Significantly Of
"a day wien hot coffee and sugar candy
were unknown.
Several objects Of antiquarian curiosity
were found deposited with the body
Among these were a half dozen buck norm
arrow tips, and one two splints from the
bones of deer's leg sharpened probably
for the same purpose. There was also
stone deer skinner made Of hard. blue slate;
and fiat smooth beveled stone Of the same
material, apparently used in dressing leatE-
er. Near these was a small granitic hammer,
not larger than a hens egg with faint lndlcat
ions of groove about it, and very much IN
shape after the fashion OF the noiuie mauls |
found in the old copper mine shat of the
Lake Superior region. But the most inter /
esting relic was the fragment of an earthen
jrr. This, judging from the sherd obtain
ed, was a haring mouth vessel indented
with dots around the edge, and braced /
about its rim tor the breadth of an inch I
with three or four lines of rude ornamental I
tions The pot was poorly bound, and the
clay from which it was moulded contained .
quite a per centage of silicious gravel.
1t is curious that nothing of the metallic .
kind was found with the skeleton-neither .
copper Ratchet, silver brooch. nor gold nose
ring; SO there is no inducement for a Pixies .
Peak crowd to rush to the spot and rip up
acres in search Of buried treasure. There |
was even want of those flint arrow and .
spear heads SO common 10 the Indians Just
passed awsy. From this and other indi
cations, at the hazard Of our reputation as
az antiq uaran and ethnologist. We venture
the guess that these the remans Of a
ace prior to the red man who vanished be
fore the advancing tide of our civilization.
We almost forgot to mention that two
wears ago in the same gravel bed, three
skeletons were discovered. These were
passingly noticed in the Journal of that date
but as no relics Of any kind were found /
with the bones. but little stress was laid up
on the matter. Probably this grassy bank
served as the cemetry OF people along
since gone to 1.-The Happy Hunting
Grounds
General Orders, No. At
ADICrASr GENERAL's OFFICE, /. V. NJ, !
TndianaDolis June 23 1862