Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-10-25

What May BE Indian Hero.
giyphics Found ON Rocks
in MuskOka.



About two months ago Mr.. Areus,
an intelligent farmer who lives in the
Muskoka district, about four miles
back Of Lethbridge, discovered on his
farm some stones with extraordinary
characters engraved or cut on them.
The stones had besa displaced nom
an eminence where they had been
piled, evidently with some care, BY
the uprooting and falling ofa tree near
them. Mr. Arens perceiving that the
stones were Of some archaeological
value, communicated with Mr.. Hirsch-
fielder, Of this city, asking him to ex
anime them. Mr.. Hirschfelder visited
the place last week, and returning on
Monday evening brought with him
several specimens Of the rock bearing
the characters. As he has made a
study OF reading hierogyphics and has
spent many years collecting archmo.
logical specimens these recent dis
coyeries have much interest for him,
and indeed, for all who are aware
of the probable Importance Of them.
The rocks are of hard sandstone
and evidently contain some iron ore.
The characters, or hieroglyphics, on
them are, to all appearances, artificial.
They are on the fat surface Of the
rock, which has evidently been pres
pared previously to their being cut
there The stone is Of = dark color,
and as the characters are white. they
appear very distinctly, every line be-
ing quite visible. The filling in the
characters appears to be of limestone,
and is somewhat softer than the rock
itself, 1t does not penetrate into the
stone further than ths cutting Of the
characters. The. characters, If natu-
raj, certainly are not similar to veins
found in such rocks. This principal
characters are about two inches in d.
lmeter. They represent stars and
scars in the rock. One fact which
argues strongly in favor Of their being
artificial is, that there is large guam
tity of similar rock in the district en-
tirely free from such characters
Mr.. Hirsohfelder said last night: II
am not certain yet whether the char
acters are natural or artificial, not
having examined them sufficiently to
arrive at a conclusion, but il | can
prove that they are hieroglyphics the
discovery is the most important Of
its kind ever made in America.
My opinion is that these FIVE fg.
ures are. TO represent the Five
Nation lrOquois Indians, but | will
not be certian Of this until | can
prove that their geological position is
correct. On the next piece Of stone
you see there are seven characters
which, | think, indicate seven other
tribes Then on this other piece all
the tribes on the two first pieces ap.
pear to be confused and mixed up,
which probably represents a general
melee between the two groups on the
two stones. | can plainly see what |
take to be tomahawks flying about
through the air. The stones Indicate
great age, and, if the hieroglyphics are
artificial, they must have been made a
great many years ago. II | can prove
that the geographical position Of the
Five Nation lroquois agrees with the
positions Of the characters on one Of
these stones | shall believe that the
hieroglyphics we're placed there to
represent these Indians, and that the
other characters are TO represent 4
battle, which took place somewhere il
the vicinity where the rocks were
found, between them and some other
tribes" Mr.. Hirchfelder stated thai
be would not venture to give any def
mite opinion about the rocks until he
had time to make a thorough exami,
nation Of them aud refer to works OF
hierOglyphics