Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-09-19
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES.
Indian Mounds Indian Relies,
Skeletons, Etc.


HEAD QUARTERS ANTIQUARIAN SooErY,l
E'sFARM, SHELBY County, TRSS.,.
aaaa5l sfira. September IA. lS7l.)
To the Editor Of the Public Ledger .sl
| have had nothing of importance to
communicate since coming up here until
the last few days, and now our explora-
tions are meeting with such success that
cannot refrain from giving yon some
items. You are aware that our investi-
cations are conducted under the aus
pices Of the Archaeological Society of
New York. For several years past they
have intended sending party of skilled
antiquarians to investigate the contents
of the various groups of mounds scat
tered along the lower Mississippi Valley,
but principally in the vicinities of Mem
phis, Helena and Napoleon. This sum
mer the party was organized under the
direction of Prof l.. P. Ebermeier of
Boston, the corps consisting of the Pro-
fessor, DR.. A. p. Jacques, his son, Mr..
Alfred N. jacques, and Messrs. b. X.
Eldridge, Chas. w. Stone and Fred X.
Norton, all gentlemen who are well
known among antiquarian students, and
| must not omit the gentlemanly and
good natured Secretary, Mr. Randall p.
Hoyt, whose special guest ] have the
honor to be.
Having secured the necessary
Greeks" to handle the pick and shovel,
with tents and regular camp equipage, we
started from Memphis on the 2Gth of
August and arrived at our destination
after about ten hours travel over hilly
country, with fair roads. Since then our
laborers have been hard at work driving
entries into the mounds, which are no
mole-hills, but genuine little mountains,
some twenty-five feet high and none un-
der twenty feet, and nearly eighty in
diameter. Last Friday evening the Pro-
fessor announced that the direct incis-
ions would be made into the mounds on
Saturday, and early the next morning
we were out and at work. The largest
mound was selected as the first to be
opened. Openings were made on four
sides simultaneously, and we were fully
rewarded for our patience, and | for one
was overwhelmed by the magnitude of
our discovery. The older gentlemen
were quiet, but labored under strong ex-
citement until we gained admission TO
the chamber, when all gave vent to their
feelings by whoops which an Apache In
dian might envy. The chamber was
walled with an adobe brick about eight
inches long, four inches thick and six
inches wide, and were coneave
on the inside, to correspond TO the
curvature of the room, it being eleven
feet seven inches in diameter and ten
and one-half feet high in the center, the
entire room being dome shaped, In the
eenter, ON sort of altar raised about
sixteen inches, were four idols facing
outward to the four points of the
compass. These images are two feet
four inches in hight, and all seated on
thrones or chairs similar to the old Atzec
gods of Mexico, They are composed of
a stone taking polish as fine as the
best Carrara marble, and evidently were
once white, but have had some fluid
poured over them which has given them
a bloody cast. Ranged around the room
were the skeletons of fourteen person
ages, the smallest of which measured
eight feet and one-half inch and the
largest niue feet six inches. The femur
of the latter measured nine and-three-
quarter inches in circumference. They
were all seated on a projection of the
wall, running, round the room like a
bench, with inches sunk in them for
seats. The skeletons were retained
in an upright position by means
of a thin copper band, highly
polished, passing under the arms
and fastened to the walls by means
of copper nails of good workmanship.
On each of these bands are inscriptions
in hieroglyphics, which have not as yet
been deciphered. This was evidently a
royal party, as all wore crowns of more
or less magnitude. These crowns were
made of gold, copper and iron-the
frame work of iron, entirely hidden on
the outside by the copper and gold, which
are of strands interviewer closely, and
of the most beautiful handwork | have
ever seen. On the hands of each were
gold rings which were retained on the
fingers, as the hands and arms rested on
the shelf or bench beside the inches
serving as the arms 10 chairs. Before !
each skeleton was pile of vases, trink-
cts and rings as if they had fallen from
the laps when the fabrics had rotted in !
which they were clothed. That they
had been clothed was evident, as on the |
of the skeleton on the right
hand Of the greatest magnate was the |
remnant of silk scarf of bright colors,
which soon faded on exposure to the air. |
The vases, rings and trinkets viii be ex-
posed in Memphis during the winter for
a day or two, before sending them to
their future depository in New York.
No such beautiful workmanship can |
now be found in our jewellers cases as
these exquisite productions Of an age
coeval, perhaps, with Moses or even
older viii write you more in a few /
days, although the Messrs. Jacques will
prepare full and illustrated reports for
Harpers of next year. Yours.