The Republican journal., 1874-06-11
BELFAST, NAME THURSDAY II,
An Ancient Cemetery.

An Ancient Cemetery.
The scientists of Clarksville, Tenn.
nave been thrown into a great state of cX
cltement by the report that the recent higl
water had washed up the bones of some
ong-departed race, at a spot near what l.
called Seven Mile Ferry (about sevel
miles above Clarksville), where it ha
long been known that there is an Indial
graveyard. So soon as the news became
known, DIR. Daniel T. Wright, an eminen
| physician, former professor in the Shell
by Medical College at Nashville, formed
party to investigate an affair which pre-
sented such an excellent field for research
They found, on reaching the spot, that
several complete Indian skeletons ha(
| been eXhumed, together with great mum
Der Of detached bones and fragments OF
bones Among them were some ainfan1
skeletons, in which, however, the bones
of the head We're very imperfect, as is
necessarily the case from the incomplete
development of these bones in young chill
dren. The party brought home with them
three OF the adult skulls, Dr. Wright re-
tanning one in his possession, which, speak
ing scientifically he classed as strongly
marked specimens of the dOIchO-ccpl,a7ie
| prog190thats type, but tor the information
Of general readers they will be described
as follows: The heads are long wher
measured from the eyebrows to the back
OF the head, with very receding toreheads
and the bones of the face forming the
Jaws and nose are very prominent, project
ing from under the brain-pan so as to con
vert the nose into a snout and the Jaws
into u iowl. giving Il thoroughly bruta
contiguration to their features. 1t may be
said incidentally that the type phrenolo&i
cal and physiognomical, is generally asso
ciated with savages of & terocious, blood
thirsty character
Great numbers of flint weapons have
been found near the graves. and some in
teresting specimens of pottery. marked
on the exterior in a pattern closely resem
bling the fine corrugations on the bark 0
the beech. The graves are carefully an,
substantially constructed. each separat,
one being inclosed above, below, and OF
all sides, by slabs of the slate stone, com
mon in the nci ghborhOod. In one instance
four OF five skeletons We're found Will
their heads all close together, and thei
feet radiating towards all points of tn
compass.
The most interesting relic obtained is
leaden bullet, which was found impacte
among the shoulder bones OF one of th
skeletons 1t had been flattened and
densely covered with closely adheren
bony matter; circumstance which goe
to prove to the satisfaction of any slrgeo
that the man survived his wound and live
for Il long time-probably for vears-wit
| II ID,1I L.
found in large cavity filled with cha
coal, ashes and fragments of bark mor
or less burnt. In this cavity was also di,
covered Jumps Of clay partly baked, show
ing concluslvely that it was the spot Q
which formerly stood their ovens for blb
ing their vessels. Among the flint weapon
found were many in an unfinished cond
ton, accompanied by the scales and ira4
ments Clipped off in manufacturing I'll
! doctor draws from what he saw the follow
ing deduction
That this is the burial place attached +
permanent settlement of Indians. 'Ill
numbers alone of the graves preculin
the idea of a few corpses being burie
while on L hunting expedition, and til
only other suppositlon on which the as,
citation Of numbers can be accounted tc
is that they have been the victims OF
great battle. But this hypothesis is -
cluded by many considerations. For il
stance, the elaborate, substantial charact,
of the graves and their systematic arrang'
, the vicinity of factories for pottery an
flint implements.
,, The mode of burial after battles ma
be witnessed in some OF the mound, nC
cit
! found in promiscuous piles without Orde
; or arrangement, and no protection eXceI
the earth piled above them. This, thel
must be the burial place once attached ;
a permanent Indian village, though
what period it is difficult to conjectur
, The celebrated Daniel Boone once passe
a winter in this neighborhood, and did nC
see an Indian here during the whole of til
, time, and was afterwards informed til;
! there were no permanent Indian SETTLE
ments hereabouts-the country only ben
used by various tribes ut certain seaSol
as hunting grounds. If we could only %
, rid of the bone-encased bullet before a
| luded to We would trace this village an
J its now forgotten denizens to the pre-hi
| toric ages OF the Western continent, whc
the red man alone occupied it all. Whi
stray Caucasian could have planted til
t tell-taIe bullet in the shoulder blade Of tht
Indian now eNhumed? 1t must have bee
long before the Robertsons or Donclson
established tie white race in Tennessee
OF the Booncs in Kentucky Perhaps
, was sent by the hand Of some straggle
from the French settlements on the Nortl
ern lakes or the English settlements i
Virginia or from the Spanish forts il
Florida. We can come to no historical
conclusion beyond the rather vague chro
biological inference that this shot was fire
subsequent to the appearance Of the whit
race on the American continent, but lon
prior to their permanent settlement in tn
valley Of the Mississippi