The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-17

visit 20 an Indian Mound Mt Sc I,ouis-Tnter
eating Disco verter.


eating Discoveries.
The st. Louis Democrat has the folio wing
sketch, which will be found interesting to the
general reader, as we'll as to the antigua
rian:-
The mound is about mile from the ferry
landing. 1t was originally forty feet in
height, oval in shape, and about three hun
dred feet long. The greater portion of it
has been cut away and carted off. On the
summit of the portion left standing is a large
elm tree, probably sixty or seventy years old,
and near this is an oak Of about the same
age. About twenty years ago there was a
dwelling-house on the top of the mound and
graveyard on the side. The workmen have
dug up the bones of three races buried in the
mound-frst, the whites, whose remains are
partially decayed, the coffins showing that the
more recent interments were not more than
about twenty years ago; second, the bones of
Indians, with skulls entire, indicating period
of interment perhaps hundred years dis
tant third, the remains of the ancient race
of mound-builders, much decayed, the skulls
being in fragments, and the smaller bones
entirely decayed.
The bones of the whites were caref ully
placed in pine coffins and reinterred in
suitable place. Some of the skulls had the
hair on, looking comparatively fresh. There
was the skull of woman with long hair,
tastefully plated, and looking as though the
heads had been dressed by some Elms of a
former period. The skull of an infant had
crumbled to dust, leaving mass of silky hair
matted together These human remains filed
seven or eight large boxes.
The bones of the Indians were treated in q
manner characteristic of the intercourse, be-
tween the whites and the red men of the
lorest-they were rudely shovelled aside, and
any one desirous of adding to his anatomical
cabinet was free to help himself to what re-
mained of 'the poor Indian" Some very
large thigh bones were amongst this assort-
ment, and there was found a jaw bone of
mammoth size. bSome of the skulls were per-
feet, while others were broken and separated
into several parts. Professor Marsh, who has
in his collection thirty skulls of the ancient
mound builders secured perfect skull, re-
sembling that of an Arrapahoe Indian.
The remains of the first or lowest strata
attracted more attention than the others.
The b6nes were very much decayed, no skulls
being found entire, and the hair having dis
appeared. These bones were found in two
vaults-one square structure, the other of
crescent form, and both about fifty feet
across. No measurements were taken, and
distances are only estimated.) One of these
vaults was near the southern side of the
mound, the other about the centre, and both
more than thirty feet below the original apex
of the mound. The crescent vault was CO.
slabs of limestone rock, of different
sizes, and showing no marks of
tools. The roof had been supported on
wooden columns, and the sides were lined
with wood; but all the wood work had de-
cayed, and the roof had fallen in, disarrang-
ing the bones, so that they appeared in con-
fused heaps. In the vaults where these
bones were found were many relics of the
race who first occupied the ground-entire
jug-shaped vessels of ungazed earthenware,
stone hammers, hatchets, and chisels; oblong
beads perforated in the centre length wise
marine shells, arrowheads, vases, pieces of
flint, etc. Many of these relics had been
carried off by the workmen and by visitors,
and it is difficult to estimate the quantity of
material contained in the mound. Arrange
ments have been made, however, for securing
to science all interesting relics that may here
after be found in the progress of the demoli-
ton of the mound.
Not the least interesting of the objects
brought to light were the eight cedar posts
previously mentioned in this paper Two
of these posts were on exhibition at saloon
near by. They are much decayed, a great
portion being rotten wood, but some posts
are still sound. No sign of knife or ak is
visible, the ends being rotted away. They
appear to have been cedar logs placed in the
ground at a distance of sixteen feet apart,
and they stood under the ceptre of the
mound. The purpose for which they were
placed there is a matter of conjecture. Char
coal was found in many places in the mound.
Although nothing very remarkable or new
was found in this old mound, yet the relics
are of great interest to the antiquarian and
paleontologist.
Indian mounds are SO common in the West
that many people pay no attention to them;
yet there are others who would like to know
something of their origin aud uses. The
Big Mound, recently dug down in this city,
told its story and gave rise to disputes among
scientific men. There are other large mounds
in this vicinity that remain untouched.
Monks Mound, near East st. Louis, is 700
feet long by 500 feet broad at the base, and
is 80 feet high, covering upward of eigh
acres of ground, and having 20, 600, 600 cubic
feet of contents.
Many of these ancient structures are un-
doubtedly of sacred origin; but the most
common monuments in the Mississippi Valley
are simple places of sepulture. Some OF
these, like that at Grave Creek near Parkers-
burg, West Virginia, and that at Miamisburg,
Ohio, the one 20 and the other 6S feet in ver-
teal height, no doubt mark the graves of
personages of high consequence amongst the
builders of these monuments. The common
notion that these mounds contain vast heaps
of slain, and are the memorials of great bat
ties, is wholly unsupported by facts.
A still more remarkable variety of earth
works are those commonest in Wisconsin and
lowe, which bear the outlines of men and
animals, constituting huge JdssO-Tetie0os on
the surface of the earth, and challenging oui
wonder by their number, variety and extent.
One of these, on Bush Creek, Ohio, is in the
form of a serpent, over one thousand feet in
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