Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-11
OHIO SCIENTISTS HAPPY.
A Head, Carved Before the Days OF
the Mound Builders, Found at
Dayton.
Dayton ~JOurnal.l

One of the most curious relies,
probably, that have ever been found
in the Miami Valley, was discovered
one day last week at the residence of
Mr.. Julius 0gler, on Buckeye street.
1t is a small sculptured stone head
about the size Of a coeoanut. The
work is roughly done, and bears ap-
pearance OF very ancient date. The
material is a piece of white sandstone,
the surface black with age, weighing
in all six to eight pounds. The fea-
lures have a. half MOngolian, half
Egyptian cast, the nose is partly
broken, and one side of the head has
been destroyed, though not so as to
affect the face. The lips are open or
so cut as to show the lines of the
teeth. Last spring a year ago Mr..
0gler was digging a cellar on the lot
on which his house stands, and the
earth was thrown up on one side,
where it has remained since. A few
days ago his son, while playing in this
earth, picked up a round stone in.
crusted with clay, and on cleaning it
found the head, which he showed to
his father. Mr.. 0gler related the cir
cumstances to Mr.. John L. Sinks and
showed him the stone. Mr.. Sinks be-
came interested in the subject and left
the stone at Pretzinger's drug store
for the examination of Mr.. Adolph
Pretzinger, who has paid considerable
attention to American antiquities.
MIR. Ogler says there is a slight hollow
at that portion of the lot where the
cellar was dug, but none Of the land is
made ground, it never having been
filed in.
During the last few days the stone
has been examined by a number of
gentlemen who are interested in the
subject Of American antiquities, and
it is regarded as a very curious and
anomalous relic. DIR. Jewett, who is
familiar with all the works that have
been published on the subject, said,
after looking at the stone, that it was
entirely different from anything he
had ever seen in the way of Indian
sculpture, and that it was not of
Indian origin, was further evident
from the cast of the features and the
beard at the chin. 1t might be, he
thought, nothing but the crude work
Of some %stonecutter, and had been
thrown aside in the lot, but the evil
dence as to its age was against this
supposition. For, if there had been
no filling on the lot on which it was
found, it must have been buried for
an i~ncalculable period of time. The
head was evidently attached to some
block or pedestal, from which it has
been broken off. At the back of the
head there is a small portion of this
pedestal as smooth as sawn stone, and
if it were a piece of sawH stone its
recent date were established at once.
The evidence as to its being a gen
uine relic, however, is so strong as to
O%verturn any supposition that the
stone was sawn, and the method
among all primitive nations of rub
blng the work smooth by grinding
would readily account for this. No
such stone as this, DR.. Jewett says.
is found south of Berea in this State.
Mr.. Pretzinger thinks the features
differ from the purely Egyptian, and
resemble some specimens of ancient
American sculpture hat were illus
trated in the Popular Science Monthly
not long ago. He pointed to the fact
that while the work is crude it has a
completeness in connection with its
evident antiquity that precludes the
idea that it is of recent date. 1t rep
resents a certain type of face that the
artist must have been acquainted
with, and not the chance expression
that might have occupied the mind of
an apprentice. Both Mr.. Pretzinger
and DR., Jewett agree that in Indian
sculpture, or in the relics found of the
Mound builders, there is no sculpture
Of adults among which this specimen
can be classed. If it is genuine its
origin extends back untold ages pre-
vious to the existence of the Indians.
and their predecessors, the Mound
builders. A theory suggested by Mr..
Pretzinger is that it may belong to the
period when the Miami river formed
an outlet of the great lakes to the
Gulf of Mexico. Biologists state that
an examination of the river bottom of
the Miami shows that it must have
been at one period a stream of greater
volume even than the Mississippi, and
to this period Mr.. Pretzinger suggests
that the relic may belong.
No further search has been made as
yet to ascertain If any other portion of
this stone can be found. Mr.. Pretz-
niger, however, who is thoroughly in
terested in obtaining what further
eveidenco he can showing its genuine
ness or otherwise, will make what
efforts he can to bring about the re-
suit.
sTRANGLING YOUNG WOMEN.