The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-12-27
An Arctic Mummy,

It having been limited that Louis
Sioss, Secretary of the Alaska Com
nercial Company, was in possession of
one of the curious specimens brought
iown from Alaska by Prof. Jacobsen,
Of the ROYAL Museum OF Berlin, who
made a valuable collection Of interest
ing objects while prosecuting his arch
Biological researches in that region
recently, Chronicle reporter called on
Mr.. Sloss Yesterday and was shown the
specimen. 1t is kept under lock and
key, not vet being prepared and
mounted for scrutiny. The object
proved to be mummy, claimed by
Prof. Jacobsen, as well as other scien-
tific gentlemen. to be st least five hum
dred years old. 1t was found on Green
Island, a few miles north Of Kodiak.
Although perfectly preserved and 30
singularly 0rotesaue as to transfix the
beholder with wonder, its value lies al
most entirely in tbs great scientific in
terest attached to it as relic OF ancient
life in that comparatively unknown
region. The specimen is male, about
five feet six inches in height, and bear
inc a close resemblance to a Japanese.
Though the flesh is desiccated and the
dried to the bones in some parts of the
body, the outline is very generally pre-
served. The face has look of despair
and anguish depicted on 1t and the
teeth are protruded. One hand is
clasped upon the heart and the lower
limbs are curled up in peculiar man.
ner.
Capt. Melville C. Erskine, who has
sailed the Arctic seas for the past
eighteen years, being interviewed on the
subject, remarked:
81 never saw such fellow in my life
as that Jacobsen. He is a most
thorough worker in the interest of sci
ence, and would leave no stone I'M
turned while conducting his researches. "
"Where is the professor now?" was
asked
ION his way to Berlin, with six spec
linens of mumies and lots of other stuff
that he found in different places.
''In what condition did he find these
mumies?" queried the reporter.
80, in ali shapes" said the captain.
'Some in baskets, some in straw mat
ting and others in furs and skins
"How were they preserved"
They were found in caves, you
know, and these seemed to possess a
remarkable power of preservation, as
yet not fully understood. But there
they were kept, in an almost perfect
state, for long centuries"
"Do you think they are so very an
cient?" was next asked.
II consider them prehistoric relics OF
a people whose traditions antedate
those of the present generation by hun
dreds of years, and I'll tell you why.
Within sixty years only Christian burial
has been practiced by the natives. Be,
fore that time the bodies of men were
disjoined and burned, and those OF
women were cast into the sea. No such
trouble as embalming was gone to by
these people then, assure. The race
preceding them was no doubt superior
one, and no traditions now exists con-
corning Them"
''Do any of the Aleutin group afford
such specimens?"
81 have heard that such was the case.
Captain Henning secured few scraggy
pieces of human remains from the
island of Four Mountains, which were
sent to Europe ten years ago. But
these and the Jacobsen collection are
the only ones discovered thus far, and
the latter, in fact, may be said to con-
tain the only perfect specimens.
Captain Erskine went on to say that
the Aleutian Islands had never been
properly surveyed, rendering naviga-
ton difficult and dangerous. Few
travellers, therefore, visit the smaller
islands and whalers never touch except
at Buralacka. and that rarely. A thor
ough research in this region would GER
tainly prove of vast interest to the sci
entific world, and this should be made,
and probably will be before long.
A sustaining argument advanced by
a scientific gentleman in regard to the
theory of these mummies being of 3
prehistoric race was the fact that they
were found on the older islands. There
was no doubt of the fact that many OF
the Aleutian chain were of compare
lively recent volcanic origin, and the
mummies were taken from the old
islands near the mainland Fran
cisco Chronicle.