Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-10-28
For me Watchnar
Ancient Civilization In Vermont.

In the spr ng Of 1871 Mr. s. Goodeli Of lras-
| burgh found q coat of mail, rolled together and
| lying at Che foot ~ = largo birch tree It was
much couodod by rust upon the outside, and
seemed to have lain in that position very great
| length Of time II was made of steel rings about
/ ono-fourth Of an inch In diameter locked together
in the way steel ring purses arc made hut much
thicker and instead Of being brazcd or let Open
were all nicely riyctcd. The wire was about the
size Of q coarse knitting needle The form Of the
article was like that " a shirt reaching down be-
| low the hips, with the collar made Of several
thiclncsscs of brass wire put together in the same
way, the ends Of the sleeves aud tho bottom being
bordcrcd also with the brass rings. The collar
was open before sufficiently for passing the head
through when II could he fastened 30 as to se-
curely protect the chest and throat Il was cyi-
IDENTIFY designed to protect the woarcr against
spears and arrows, and perhaps the sword also
but by whom and when il was LEFT is open to COM
lecture It is now In the National Museum. ut
Washington u C.
Some twenty year ago. while party were at
work repairing the Central Vermont milrpad at
swanton, one Of the workmcn discovered pccu-
liar withholding stone as he supposed, in the
bank lie struck II with his shovel and picked il
up IT, heit still further attracted hs attention
and he threw itup to the oycrsecr for his cxamin
alton The oyerseer found it 10 be a chunk Of
lead much corroded, and covered with spruce
gum, upon the ends this De removed with bis
knife and found the lead hollow, in the iutcriorof
which he found paper rough and old, hut writ
ten over ON one side with words which he could
not fully make ont but which were aftcrwarl.
read and fac-simile made oi The writing q copy
Of which Is now in the State Cabinet, where the f.
original was placed by DR.. Hall OF svanton, sub /
jcci to his control and was 10y him taken and the |
fac-simile left la lis place, in 1873 understood |
from him that the owner is a lady in burlington |
and it is 10 be hoped that She viii donate the same
u the State Collection The written manuscript |
being in ancient English, reads as follows
NOVEMBER ~. 1861
This is the solemn day must now die. This is |
the Goth day since we left the ship, an have per-
Ished and on the banks ct this river ! die. So
farewell May future posterity know our end
ions GRAYE
Many suppose this the trick Of some insane per- |
son or rogue and that 1t ought not to receive ere
dence, but the arguments in H. favor are, To
many minds conclusive as 10 It's antiquity. It is /
deemed certain that it was honestly found rs
above stated apd also found several feet from the |
surface IT, exact history can probably never be |
known.
In isA Nh NJ Mott OF Alburgh, cut hcm- |
lock, which stood joe heu,loel grove about three
fourths NJ a mile from thc hike. The tree was |
about twcnty-eight inches inche. in diameter
After the tree WIS cut. Mr. Mott noticed bulge |
near the butt, which be Thought might injurc |.
the stick which ho desired, and so cut of |
ia. az 10 b.
for wood when hc came to split it hc found axe
marks in the interior, showing that it had when
small, been hcwcd on four sides, making it
nearly square for eighteen inches, over which
marks had grown two hundred and forty grains
that could be distinctly counted. 1t WAS probable
there were several more but as many as above
stated were distinct It seems not improbable
that this was marked by Champain when he dis
covered the lake in 1909, or by him in some Of
his later visits to the lake it seems lac visited it
several times before his death in 1855.
Mr. Mott preserved this specimen for several
years, hut one day while from home his hired
man burned il.
In January, 1872 Hosea Garfield cut hcmlock
tree about two and a half feet In diameter, ON his
place a mile north Of the village in sheffield. 1t
grow On the highland, and was apparently sound,
though somewhat shaky, as is usual for henocl,s
to be- When the tree fell, about eighteen inches
Of the heart pulled out and remained hanging on
the stump rev ealing axe marks at the upper end.
This led Mr. Garfield to investigate, and he cut
out the mark 1t seems that when the tree was
about four inches IN diameter it Was cut more
than half down with a sharp axe, This came
near destroying the life of the tree and the
growth is marked by knurly growth rather
than by regular grains until this mark WIS nearly
healed; outside Of this growth there were counted
distinctly two hundred and hfty-six grains. It
seems probably that the mark was made two
hundred and seventy-fye years ago at least This
is earlier than it Is supposed that men with steel
axes travelled in Vermont yet OF course some ships
crew might have touched upon the coast or been
shipwrecked here, so as to give the possession Of
an axe 70 the Indian BE 1t rs it may, it is m in
interesting item in the ancient history Of YER
mont This axe mark may he seen In the state
| Cabinet
should other relies Of ancient date be found, we
trust the friends Of history will place them here
also, that they may be preserved
CURATOR SrArK GARNET
IA