Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-11-23
tFrOm the Chicago Times. November 81
Highly Interesting Disoovery-The
Remains. of an Extinct Race Dug
Up at Chicago.


! Professor William Stimson, who has long
been connected with the Chicago Academy of
! Sciences, and has been one of the most prom
| inent and active among our citizens in giving
1T high standing among other institutions of
its kind, short time since, while passing Mr..
! Thatchers farm, just beyond the town of
Harlem, and adjoining Haas Park, discovered
hillocks which he suspected might belong to
the mound-building period, and might contain
valuable mementoes of the past age. A few
days afterward he obtained permission of the
owner of the farm to make examination of the
mounds, and last week he, together with
Charles Keunicott, made personal examina-
tion of the premises, and uncovered the earth
to the depth of about three feet. They had
dug but q short time when human bones were
discovered, which, upon examination, proved
to be of race at present extinct upon the
continent of North America. PerseverihS
efforts of several days were rewarded with
the finding of se7eral other similar mounds
and tho remains of twenty human beings
Two entire skeletons were found, with the ex-
cepton that one of them lacked two cervical
bones, and the other few of the bones OF tho
hands and feet. The bones themselves were
very friable. and required the most careful
handling to prevent their falling into dust
again.
The bones Wkich mark the peculiar char
acters of the beings who once possessed them
are those of the Uranium. 1t is we'll known
that the heads of Europeans and all dcscen.
dents of the Caucasian race are usually much
greater in length and breadth. They have
what is technically called the dOlicho cephalic
skull, which the Iroquois Indians, who in
habited America at'the landing of Columbus,
possessed-square heads or skulls, which ar
chnologists call brachycephalic. The skulls
found at Thatcher's farm are of the brachy>
cephalic type, and this fact stamps them as
being at least as old as the first discovery of
America 1t is said that the influences of
civilization have entirely changed the shape
of the Indians skull so that the present tribes,
no matter how much isolated from the white
man, present no cases of the antique Indian
head
Another evidence of the antiquity of these
remains is the position in which they were
found. Professor Stmson was obliged 10 re-
move a large tree which grew on one of the
mounds to reach the skeletons. a cross section
of this treo disclosed eighty-seven rings, and
since botanists claim that the evidences Of the
FIRST fifteen years growth of old trees has been
obliterated, it follows thaIthis tree was at least
one hundred years old.
The mounds were about two feet above the
surface of the prfirie, were ovafin shape, and
were about four or five feet wide, and from
ten to twenty feet in length. They were each
surrounded by we'll defined trench Before
reaching the remains, layer of hard blue
clay was penetrated, and the bones we're found
rcposing in n bed of gravel. The remains
were found three feet below the surface.
The tnmbs of the "mound builders" as they
are called, are supposed to have been con-
structed by the ancestors oil the ancient AZtecs,
or by the Aztecs themselves. The remains
are usually found arranged in regular order,
and accompanied with tools, weapons, and i'm
plements, by which their great antiquity is
inferred and, to some extent, measured: The
mounds discovered last week by Professor
Stinson contained no tools or weapons; or at
least none have yet been discovered, although,
as the researches have not terminated, 1t IS
not impossible that these objects may yet be
found. The remains were apparently thrown
together btomscuously, as if the rites OF
sepuliure had been hurried-perhaps at the
close of battle.
From all the circumstances, it is believed
that when the beings were buried there the
place was the margin of the lake, and thus
the phenomena are closely connected with
another interesting series of questions rela>
ting to the lake and its physical condition and
boundaries before the shores we're discovered
by the Europeans.
On yesterday another mound was discov-
cred, circular in its form, and larger and
higher than the others. 1t has not yet been
Investigated so as to determine what is the
character of its contents.
The subject will be laid before the Aca>
DENY of Sciences this evening. when, it may
be expected, some new light will be thrown
upon the matter.
People should remember that It is only
great souls that know how much glory there
is in doing good.