The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-11-10
From the Montpelier Journal.
ANCIENT CIVILIZATION YER.
MONT.

together and lying at the foot of large
birch tree. 1t was corroded by rust up
on the outside, and seemed to have lain
in that position a very great length Of
time. 1t was made Of steel rings, about
one.fourth of an inch in diameter, locked
together n the way steel ring purses are
made, but much thicker I; and instead OF
being brazed, or left open, we're nicely
rivcted. The wire was about the size OF q
coarse knitting needle. The form Of the
article was like that OF shirt, reaching
down below the hips, with the collar made
of several thickuesses of brass wire put to.
gc,hcr in the same way, the ends Of the
sleeves and the bottom being bordcred al.
so with the brass rings. The collar was
open before sufficiently for passing the
head through. when it could be fastened
so as to securely protect the chest and
throat. 1t was evidently designed to pro.
tee, the wcarer against spears and arrows
and rorh.re tho ..-e-i -i~e, b~t ~ -Ls-,
and when it was left is open to coDject-
ure. 1t is now in the National Museum,
at Washington, DC.
Some twenty years ago, while party
were at were at work repairing the Cen.
trail Vermont railroad at Swanton, ,one Of
the workmeu discovered peculiar white
looking stone, as he supposed in the bank
lie struck it with his shovel and picked
it 10. Its heit still further attracted his
attention aud he threw it up to the over.
a
found it to bc chunk of lead much cor.
roded, and covered with spruce gum, up
Oh the ends this he removed with hi.
knife and found the lead holl,S, IN The
interior Of which he found paper, rough
and old, but written over on Que side witt
words which he could not fully make ou
but which were afterwards read aud
fac. >milc madc Of the writing. a copy o.
which is now ia the State Cabinet, where
the original was placed by pr. Hall o.
Swauton. subject 10 his control, and wa
by him taken and the fac simile left 10 it.
place, in 1873. understood from hin
at the owner is LADY in Burlington
and it is to be hoped that she will donate
the same to the State Collection. The
written manuscript being in ancien,
English, reads as follows:
November 20, 1864.
This is the solemn day must now die
This is the Goth day since we left the
the ship all have persisted, and on the
banks Of this river die. SO farewell.
4 May future postciiry know our end
JonN GRAVE.
Many suppose this the trick of soln,
ins me person or rogue. and that it ough
not to receive credencc; but the arguments
in its favor are, to many minds, conclu
} sive as to its antiquity. 1t is deemed GER
tain that it was honestly found as aboy,
: stated, and also found several feet from
! the surface. lis exact h>'ory can proba
bly never be known.
, In 1861. Mr.. VI. Mott, of Alburgh
cut u hem uck, which stood 10 a hcmloc
! grove about three. lourths Of mile fron
Q the lake. The tree was aAcut twenty
, eight inches in diameter. After the tire
e was cut, Mr.. Mott noticed a bul re nea
5 the butt, which he thought might iujur
>, the stick which he desired. and so cut o
I about six feet oft, which be drew to hi
I house for wood ; when he came to split
o he found axe marks N the interior, show
i inc that it had, When small been hewe
n on four sides, making it nearly s4uaT
!. for eighteen inches over which mark. ha
5 grown two hundred and forty grains th'
II could be distinctly couuted. 1t was pr,
C bahlc there were several more, but ,
mauv ~ above stated were di-tiDct.
>, seems hot Improbable that this was mari
e ed hy thamplain when he discovered Il
0 lake 10 1909, or by him in come Of h
y later visits to the lake, a. 1t seems |
e visited it several times before his deaf
e in 1855
;. Mr.. Motl preserved ,h. >pecimea II
h several Years, but one day while fro
t home hi, hired man burned it,
is Ia January. 1872, Hosea q Garfield. c.
'e a hcmlock tree about two and half fe
le ia diami,rr. Oh hi, place a mile north
1t the village in sheffield 1t grew on Il
=. highland. and was apparently soun
at though somew hat shaky, as is usual 4
80 hemlocks 10 be- When the tree fell,
+. bout eighteen inches of the heart pull,
II out and remained hanging on the stun
II revealing axe marks at the upper en-
=, This led MIR Garfield 10 Investigate, a,
Y. be cut out the marx. II seems th
lr When the tree WAS about four inches
he diamiter il was cut more than half do'
e. with sharp axe. This came near i'
re-. troying the life oil the tree, aud I
growth is marked by knurly grow
X. rather than by regular grains until Il
ed mark was nearly healed outside of Il
m. growth there were counted dl>linc 1
he hundred aud i!ty.six grains 1t see
'es probably that the mark was made I
he hundred and seventy.hve years ago
I'll least. This is earlier than it is suqpos
y. that men with steel axes Travelled in V
Of mont. ye, Of course some ships or
les might have touched upou the coast
Dm been shipwrecked here, 60 as to 6
be. the possession O. an axe Ia an In
The an. BE it as it may, it is an interest
nn item in the ancient history of Nermc
"N MS axe Hlih may oc St'h III 'uO ''
l1r Cabinet.
icb Should other relics Of ancient date
sn, found, we trust the friends of history !
ter place them here also, that they may
ns preserved.
Is CuRAroR STATE CABNI
no a., The Atlantic Monthly Tor Novem'
M ',, contains the following:
Fiction Mr. lIowel's new novel
l., Foregone conclusion. Nfli-NN.
'oo ' II. James Jr.'s Eugene Pickering;
on Guernsey's Miss Georgine's Husband.
ian Personal and Character Sketcl
,h" M Mr.. Robert Dale Owens How | Cam
" Study Spiritual Phenomena M
Twain's' A True Story Nlr. George
~ Eggles,on's A Rebels Reeoliecti
Of VI; A Little Brief Authority
ni. III IL L -