, 1877-09-06
Discovery of Several Skeletons,
ArroW-llcnds. ana Pottery.
Unrecorded Evidences of q Prehittorsc
Occupation.
Several Tun1uli 10 Be Yet Inves-
tigated. !.

worthy OF tho maine t1ayo been nladr ,iat thts
time to clucitlatc tho myster1cs hidden nwhy tn
these strange rc1cs Of tho pnst. 'rnc osganzel
expedition sent out by tho Smithsonian Institute.
sonlc yeara ago. operated moatlY along the Ohfu,
Missouri, and Mississippi, md on the hanks Of
streatns Immediately tributary to them. The
grand field for exploration nlmnst at our
own doors has bccn neglected. wofully, although
within forty mics of Chicago there are burtal-
mounds which lurntat, the richest rcsults.
III tlls connection tic words "burtal-
mounds - are used asivtscdly, for the rctca:cllcs
made In this nelghburhood within the past few
days have been In mounds used rs places Of
tepuiinrc. All along tho Valley Of the MLssis-
s'pp!, from the lakes to tic Gulf, there have
been discovered d succession of carthwt,rks, un-
toubtedy thrown up for defensive purposes,
md constructed equally without doubt,
y ps9e, possessing soIc ,'an., r'te
These consist of etnbanAtncnts with an extcrf-
Or ditch and wctlcunstFucted approaches; SONG
times uf series Of dtehcs and elnbnnliMents
fot.,,l In Western virrinfn, Ohio, d md Missouri
Then thcro arc tho sMriilcal nr altar.ln0unds,
always regular In salape, ,octagonal, ll"xarossa.
Of otherwise geomctrlcally accurate III fortna--
pssaps s e H arsss iss Il sGaicd s IL no s p
stu Ut. Louis, nnl COVERS upwards OF cfgstt
acres, IL zoo feet long BY TOO feet broad ut tl,u
DaSe, &nu ninety tcct high.
TIE r0x RtyE1s MOUNDS
many many Tcspssis: Thcy icy sssA aro e circ,,1ar, % or
TO thirty;tivc feet in width ut the base,
examined, arc composed OF homogeneous Garth,
differing iii character from the soil on whcl,
they werc constructed. They ars found kIng!y
and in twos and thfccs, and in tho latter ca:u
III every instance they nfn ft4ataI oil n
ridge OF bluE In the Immediate vleinity
OF the river, and carn secn,s to hare
been taacu to- select the highest point
this neighborllood, of the Bymlollcal mounds
common in Wisconsin and Iowa, and not utl-
known IN Ohio. Tho latter wcr,a nlf Of grent
eizp, In the shape u sespcnts, be ars, and deer,
atil are supposed to have been In tended for pur-
poses Df aCfcuse.
For y long tl.no past there l,as been grow
ing feeling III tfls county that some attclupt
Ut Geneva, tho county scat Two niles irou, here;
turn reside, thc subject la, often Gcer
ss ss1ed some eyer r.r, Twe 81 hcxs nfss ,.ss ssi
Fo1 Lake Tor . yatatiou. and sino tlcso Il.
plorcd Il mound. Tt.ls had pref fo,lsly bren dug
over In random fashion, anu large quantity OF
homes found, nntl tho result NJ thu inter tlvcs-
feet skull and few large bones wore found, but
all were III poor statu OF preservation. Tire
"l1nd," however, Ind ono good GfIl,rt, In that It
stirred up tho citizens, md about q week ngo q
party Was mntle up
10 ExrLoRH uoeap
on the fatm Ut Jofn Fcrsou, one milo north OF
1t. Charles, on the Elgln road. The party eoi-
sistGd Of Pr. F. Il; Blacktna!n, 7. r.. Ward, J.:
u. lloYt, George Turner, and Henry l'trce, all
Of 1ct,cya, and they INST with tn1ch success as
will doubtless serve to insi.atc them to further
researches.
within hail fnI rft ,r,,
manner on tho first occasion, tfas o,mplc plcted,
most of tho gentlemen Oh oSe-1h,tncl be-
Ing present, rs also Prof. Samuel Clarke.
Of Johts ilopkiaa University, Baltimore. md
In fine preservation md 1Iryc ngnnler Of
tldgh-boilcs, bo,les Ut the ARIA, ycrtt brN. utld
tlo like. With good tnnny ilo re'or less perfect
flint arrow-hcads, and q nuatscr of pieces OF
pottery, wcre obtained.
The mound olcucl was tho soutlicfnmost OF
three on tho Fcrsot, fariu, and was situated un q
ridge on tho west side of tho Fox River, whcE,
10 distant sonc iU0 feet A s,nult st5caln know1l
as Ferson's Greek strikes tlw river Il fczY rols
further north, aud tho low ground On the west OF
appearance OF having been ft<',esriy ovcr'owrd
moFe than flEtccn feet to slfametor ut this base,
and perhaps tilEco feet lugil, being 2O feet
further north 4. straight line. Thc southc11i
two arc each about thirty feet wide ut tho base,
aMd from four and half to five feet hIgl'.
Thera arc no trees or my OF thu mounds.
Operations Wcro connt'necd hy digging .
trenel, from tho northweas tuTt,cr aud wt'un this
haa BEEN curved In atoutt .fvo feet The FIRST
lind wns made. At i}!ls point ttieru waa
slight depression. vhero # is said
little random digging WIS Aono several
Two and llaif fect beiow tho surfare wcre
fund the scapular, h''lIcTus, anl part OF the
clavicle Ut enid Ut prtAmbly /. years. a1so
some Ut tho feet or ilnger bones. Tho skull was
ulssing. ....-
down to the original ground level, which was
caa!iy determined from tho ditlcrenee In tho
soil. Tho mount pEotHr eolsststcd ot D light
WIS blank loall. In tho ccs,tru u tho moulu!
on the Original surf.Ac. ur ruther In a hole Il
tton,, was found what the explorers,
ns thu representative for whose accommodation
the tumulus wns originally Greeted Thu eous-
rlcte Skeleton. with the exception, of son.u rIbs
a1id THO dngcls 2na feet botas, VILE carefully e.
llMcd, and tho skull was got out tl1 very goo3
shapc. md proved 10 ho Ut great elze utl With
q magnificent granlh development. i rough
comparison with other skulls found nearer ulu
top t,f tho mound anh With ordinary Caucasian
e ths '@ia sund esaic The tsoisa 4, Sse =
Iroad and HIGH, Tho lead well well % slapetj, J.
a as Il. Il s:yt Sssty t!% 'st'sgar u tho apEts!
skull. The baae is 1r6ad aud tho bones thin.
A peculIasfty Of slls .uppc: Jaw was Tint tho
wls4ana-tecth thous'! iuil-forMed. hayu ,lot
pushed through, ulM thu rt,of Of the mouth was
very narrow A1d e,.lal!. ~, In 70 way uocs tho
there has been no tattcntng Ut tho skull.
below whsre tho nas,oao was found, perhaps
It's northeast ruFner, thu explorers c4n,o uful
Nos. T. !, and 5. These we're .tde by sllu, fasing
No. 4 was g,t out u ,lcarly perfect ~ any
specimen well could be, even tho under iaw
belug found. Tie teeth wvrs III beautiful
state Of preservation, the doube oucs and those
/ Ut tho under jaw especially ~.
THIS HEAD DifYERED
greatly from this first adult skull found, both
lu stu aud othrr characteristics. The turclea1
was pnetc4 aud narrow, aud the head rose n.uro
abruptly. Measurement showed that tho ctr
cunlfercncc Of thia WAS txu and half inches
less tnan that OF No. l. The bonca we're murh
thicker and tho density very much greater.
htye1ll other skulls were obtained, hut uous In
| such good shape.
At least live skeletons were unrasthcst, ~
well ~ quauttty Ut laryu houef, whieh it vus
Impossible TO provide IN ovnef for. There were
sh!glrbones !n psofusion, t!bla, aud abaia, tho