New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-11-19
Ohio Antiquities.
THE GREAT AMPHITHEATER NEAR NEWARK coLLEo
TIoNs OF RELICS.


Newark o. oct "a Correspondence Of the Buffalo Expressr
About two miles southwest from Newark, in an
| original forest, from which the underbrush has
been cleared, are the county fair grounds. About
seyenty-fye acres are inelosed within high close
fence. Inside Of this inclosure are the most per
feety preserved ancient earthWorks OF TINS Vlc1nl-
4 ty. | had heard much of them, and what deemed
4 must be exaggerated accounts Of their magnitude
and extent. was, therefore, prepared to be dis
| appointed. Upon the contrary, and when had
entered the gate and stood before this Cycopean
tlabor Of q forgotten people, my mind was Tiled
| with wonder and astonishment
1. Advancing little distance upon the perfectly
| level ground, was at the entrance of an immense
amphitheater, hundred times more capaoous
than the coliseum of Rome. The entrance is forty
two PAGES wide, fanked on each side by very deep
/ trenches, beyond which rise stupendous ramparts
| of earth. These trenches and ramparts extend
| parallel forty-tWo PAGES, at which point they d
verge right and left, following the arc Of erce,
which it would complete but for the entrance way,
The trench continues Of the same depth around
the whole circle or amphitheater, and the ram
part of nearly the same height Upon its top 8
carriage might be driven its whole extent but for
the great trees-oak, birch, maple, elm--whlch
grow upon it and throughout the whole space.
Some Of these trees have been cut within few
years, and show by their annual rings d record of
undisturbed possession of over five hundred years.
What tales if there be tongues in trees, these
giant oaks could tell, of beings born and buried
here. pacedas closely as could around one OF
the QeGaylng monuments OF tQeSe IOfesG hiDSSy anu
could make its circumference with not less than
eight long strides The distance around the am
phitheater, measuring along the top OF the en-
bankment, is nearly one mile. The space within
contains about thirty acres. The surface OF the
land without is irregular; within, it is perfectly
smooth except that the center slightly elevated,
sIop!ng therefrom towards the trenches. In the
center is an oblong mound, pointing towards the
4 entrance which looks to the northeast On each
side Of this oblong mound are lateral ones resem-
/ bling wings, which have given the group the pop
ular name of " The Eagle, Y from its resemblance
to bird with wings expanded The body IS sixty
4 PAGES long, and from extremity of wing to wing
4 ninety PAGES Riding on horseback along the ont
side ofthe embankment, found il still SO high,
after yielding to the wash OF nameless centuries,
as to hide the roofs Of the temporary fair struc-
tures within.
This wonderful work Of antiquity passed here
A under the common name of The Indian Ford.a
/ Although had never famiarzed myself with the
llearned specnlations of saVans upon the subject
it impressed me ut once upon beholdingit asbeing
A the work Of a mighty people, and devoted to uses
of strange worship. Had it been designed fol
defense, other locations, combining natural ad-
:, Yantages, would have been selected, While the
essential provision of nature for SO vast an army
as would be required to defend such citade
must not have heennegleeted. For a place of de
fense-unless Gen. Pillows tactics were in vogue
LIN those early days-the ditch must have beer
upon the outside of the rampant. 1t seems more
natural to suppose that the center was altar Of
Esaerihee, and the space about it sacred to the
4 priests and their stately professions and cere
\ monials, while the trench was a sacred boundary
4 beyond which none but the eOnsecrated nigh
II pass, and the high slopng decliyity beyond it au
dienee- ground for multitude of worshipers and
4 pilgrims gathered here as place of peculiar
sanctuary from the shore of distant seas.
The country abouthhere for miles is thought tC
have been once densey populated, from the dis
turbed condition, foreign material and household
Il implements found in the soil. Entertainments o
i much less distinctive character, in the form o
lnirn nor md fprfh pnn he fro cd
A hundreds of acres in the surrounding fields AM
neighboring forests. One of these is in the shape
I5of an oetagon, connecting with circle by par
allel embankments, the latter containing say
A twenty acres, and the former more 1t is appa
rent that all belonged to one system, probabi,
A combining both worship aud defense.
Il Dr. l. N.1Wison, of this place, has an inte
resting collection Of relics taken from the mound
il this region, among which are perforated cop
per plate and two copper rings, the latter takel
from the stone mound, one hundred and eighty
two feet in diameter and forty feet high, abou
eight miles from here. Mr. VIM. NJ Cunningham
and Joel Dennis, Esq, also have interesting cot
u lections,
These valuable relics of vanished race ar
much scattered and their worth seemingly NO
appreciated, and perhaps may not be until tim
shall make their authorization impraetcable.
Should the State Agricultural Society be locate
here as has been proposed, a tire-proof structure
will be constructed and museum of these in
teresting relics especially belonging to this regio
i
iI By far the iinestand most valuable collectioni
(. in the hands Of gentleman of taste and culture
81 who appreciates the value of their preservation
Ar. David N. johnson has fitted up in his oil
I family homestead, among the beautiful hills nea
Coshoeton, about thirty miles from here, gothic
Y study which includes ihrary-room, well stored
: chemical laboratory and saloon, the latte
filed with cabinets of fossils, petritactions, mine
Y rails, shells, and large collection Of Indian an
Z tiQuites gathered not only from thisregfon, bu
= throughout the West Among the Indian antqui
7 ties are The two famous stones with Hebrew in
: scriptons, Of which SO much has been said an
: written. II authentic, they are the most impoT
Y tant discoveries Of the kind ever made upon thi
u continent.
Nh. Johnson showed me letter from Professo
+ Dwight, OF the American Ethnologioal Society
I written February, 1862, declaring them, after
:, careful examination, to be genuine and authenti
relics, notwithstanding tho rideule and suspicio
{ thrown upon them by the skeptcal, and enioine
Y HIM TO preserve them with the greatest care. On
I Of these was found in the great stone Trimmed wit
/ the copper rings.
L Whoever looks for friend without iun1erEeC
It tions will never find whathe wants. WeleFe oul
e selves with all our faults, and we ought to loy
!. our friends in like manner,