Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-11-13
WONDERS OF THE MOUNDS
Curious Discoveries i'm the
state of Kentucky.

state of kentucky.
DR.. F. Stinson writes as follows to
the Evansville journal:
Below give the result of an arch.
geological search made during two
weeks rambling through the hills and
valleys of Perry county, Ind, and
Breckenridge county, KY.
First, found in the bend of what
is called Holk's bottom and Tobin's
point, fire-pits, quite number, at an
average depth of ten feet below the
surface. In these pits were ashes,
fire Goals, arrow heads and stone axes.
In one Mr.. Tobin foun. a tanners
fleshing-knife, and two pieces of
French silver coin only dating back
little over 6 hundred years, show
ing about what date these fire places
were last used, and that ten feet of
SOLID dirt had formed on top of them
in less than one hundred years. On
the surface, above the pits of fire.
places, there were abundance of signs
of camping grounds covered over
with tlnts, mussel-shells, etc. Great
quantities of arrow-heads have been
found on the surface all over the
bend.
next went in company with Jas.
j. Wheeler tC what is known as Ce-
dar Lick cave, situated four miles
north of Rome. Spencer county.
Here We found the aborigines had oc-
cupied this cave or rock house as q
dwelling for, perhaps, centuries, for
we found ashes and burnt earth for
three feet deep all over the bottom Of
the cave, which was 80 by 40 feet.
Buried in these ashes had been found
human skeletons, arrow heads, axes
and fragments of flint.
Some $50 yards from this rock
house we found two holes drilled in
sandstone, 8 inches in diameter at
the top, tapering to the bottom, %
inches deep. These are called NOR
tars. and, by-and-by, l learned of
seventy-tive of these mortars in
Breckenridge county, KY, all about
the same pattern. In some of these
nortars were found boulders, but no
where were pestles found that could
have been used for pounding corn in
these mortars. next visited cave
situated about two miles north of
Hardensburg, Breckenridge county,
KY. on Harden's creek. This cave
or rock house was 40 by 20 feet in
diameter.
Mr.. H. Clay jolly dug into this
cave in the year 1872, when he
found eleven feet of ashes all over the
bottom. In the centre and at the
bottom was an altar, built on sand
stone, based upon stool of sand
stone. The altar was 26 by 2S inches
in diameter, "a inches high, concave
, on the top and filled with ashes and
tire-coals. On two sides of this al
tar lay tier OF human skeletons, ten
in each row.
Then on top of each tier lay anoth-
er one, with some 10 inches of ashes
between; until there were IL ~ feet
OF skeletons and ashes in depth, cov-
erlng the top of the altar with ashes
some feet-supposed to be about
, so skeletons in all, and z, 400 bushels
Of ashes.
+, Upon or over the Uranium of each
of these skeletons lay a fiat rock,
each skeleton showing signs of having
! been burned about the waist before
interment. With the exception of
those burned portions the skeletons
were remarkably we'll preserved,
ashes and salt petre preserving them,
b, their teeth sound and entire, all of
e the incisors pointed or serrated. At
the lower part of the chest were nu-
0 merous relics, most Of which were
D ornaments composed Of camel coal,
-. she'll and stone.
: By the side OF each of these skulls
p was found wisp of hair or queue
z some IL inches long, tied in three
places. Then, commingled with the
e ashes and skeletons, were found great
e quantities of relics, such as t1ints, ar
low-heads, axes, scrapers, pelters
It and knives, some of which procured
V from Mr.. jolly and brought home
" with me.
This wonderful development in this
e cave is very peculiar, and as YET
v without parallel. Hence, it is ex.
tremely interesting to the archaeolo
gist and scientist.
With the above before me, / arrive
at the conclusion that the customs
n and habits of the aborigines of Amer
: ica are hard to find out, and are cal
e culated to puzzle the brain of The
d most eminent archaeologist or eth
Il nologist; that it is very difficult to
; designate between the so-calleG
c mound builders and Indians of the
u eighteenth century.