Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-06-29

The Ruins of an Indian Village I'm
earthed near Indianapolis.

AoPoiCoH VI Inc 1n01an8pOl1S
journal recently visited 1.-THE Old
Bruce Farm" situated on White river.
about twelve miles north of that city.
lt was purchased from the Indian ma
tives and first settled by Mr.. John
Bruce early in the present century, and
has been heritage in The Bruce family
since then, being now owned by Mr.. j.
A. Bruce, who resides on College
avenue. The recent prolonged rains.
together with the continued washing of
the river have washed OUT adeep gully,
the cut being from five to eight feet
below the former level, and laid bare
the raius of an ancient village, the
existence of which was never even
suspected by the residents of the
neighborhood.
MIR. John Baer, who new lives on
the farm, and has known it for ffty
years. conducted the reporter to large
field in the bottoms" which has been
partially washed away by the recent
high waters. The unwashed portion
OF the field Is in grain, and until one
reaches the border of the trench cut
through it there is nothing about its
appearance that is especially attractive.
White river, lowing over a deep
channel through the forest of tall.
white sycamores, makes a horseshoe
bend, at the center Of which it strikes
the Allisonville road, at high bluff.
and turning thence, in the adverse
curve runs over broad ripple, where
its turbulent waters, leaving their
proper course, have washed away the
soil, and left bare the ruins. They are
peculiar in some respects, and, while a
persons first impulse is to strike them
with pick or shovel, his second is
guided with feeling of rever-
ence. which urges preservation and
protection. The princiapl part of the
antiquities are some earthen ovens.
There are perhaps dozen of them,
some opened and some yet intact. They
are distinguished in the earth by a
small cluster of stones encircled by a
ring of red-burDed clay, about three
feet in circumference. Beneath the
rocks on the top is strata of sandy
SOL which covers course of sooty,
burned and broken stohes. These
stones rest upon bed of ashes and
charcoal, which lies in the bottom of
the hole or oven, about two feet below
the original surface of the sell. The
circle of red-burned clay is about four
inches thick, and indicates that the
ovens were used often and for long
time. Those that have been opened
are remarkably well preserved. The
ashes, SCOT and charcoal appear as
though the fire had just expired, and
DO not show in the least their age of
many centuries. The coal is dry, crisp.
and dusty, and the fibres are still so
perfect that the species of wood can
De distinguished in some embprs which
have not entirely burned. Who used
the ovens, and when, nobody knows.
The field has been in cultivation for
fifty years, and the unusually large
trees had then made il famous as the
scene of many Indian traditions. All
these great trees grew upon the soil
which little by little had buried the
ovens many feet beneath the surface
of the earth. Earthen pots, stone axes,
oodklns. arrow heads, and spears have
been discovered on the strata of the
ovens. which are thought to belong to
the stone age, and cause the ruins to
be much more valuable on account of
being remarkably well preserved speci
mems of a race and age long since ex-
tinct in this part of the country-per-
haps existing prior to the Indian.
liz some of the ovens there are bits
OF bone mixed among the ashes, but
they had evidently been thrown in
after the fire had gone out, aud are in
such small pieces that it is impossible
to distinguish the species of animal to
which they belonged. 1t is. however,
probable. on the theory that the holes
are cooking ovens, that the bones were
from beasts of food that had been kill
ed and eaten beside the oven where
they lay, and could easily be dropped
into the ashes.
The existence and contents of the
ovens have given rise to some peculiar
theories on the part of some country
people who have seen them. One man
was found who believes they are pot
terry -kilns, AID supports his argument
by the presence of the bits of crockery,
etc., which he says came there through
misconducted "burn" of the green
ware. Several men were met who did
not think the ovens were filled up, but
were always six or eight feet deep. and
were used as places of torture. They
emphasize their argument by the pres.
ence of the bones, which they say are
these of human beings. Their theory
is that these perpendicular furnaces
were heated to great degree, and
while yet full of smouldering fire the
victim was plunged into them and up
On his body were thrown the stones to
increase the torture and horror of the
do0fh