The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-12-25
A IMuMMlFlED MAN-MoNKEY.

Its Queer Occupant.
Probably the most startling discovery
in the history of these searches for
mound builders relics was stumbled
upon accidentally by workmen excavat-
ing on the bluff at Second street. One
of them. Thomas Maley. who lives on
West Twenty-second street, encountered
something that offered determined re-
sistance to his pickax while he was Dig
ging near the edge of the bluff. After
few vain efforts to dislodge the OBJ
struction he called to his fellow-work-
men, among whom were John Ed
wards, also of Twenty-second street,
and Edward Wakeman, of Wyandotte.
The united exertions of three of the
men caused the clay at this point to
loosen from the bank and fall down the
side of the bluff. As it crumbled to
pieces there was substance about two
feet square that remained intact. Think
ing it strange that stone of such regu-
larproportions should be found in bank
Of pure clay and at depth ten feet from
the surface, Thomas Maley followed it
down the embankment and struck it
with bis pick-ax. To his establishments,
it erumbled to pieces under the blow,
and then he observed that instead of
stone the foreign substance was kind
of cement. He called the attention of
his fellOW-workmen to the discovery,
and while they were all standing around
the pile of crumbled cement, crushing
pieces in their hands, one of them
noticed crouching figure in the pile.
He at first started back, but seeing that
it was motionless he reached forward
and picked it up. 1t proved to be the
mummified body of diminutive man
monkey 1t was doubtless embalmed
and buried in the cement tomb shortly
after its birth by the ancient mound
builders, who, supposing it to be some
supernatural being, had worshiped it as
god. When rudeIy disturbed by the
workmen this morning, after its quiet
repose for centuries, the mummy was
badly shrunken by its immense age.
When embalmed it was doubtless an in
FAINT half a foot long, but now it is
shrunken to much smaller dimensions.
The little creature is as light as cork,
and its brown skin is drawn tightly
over its frame. 1t was found in the po-
sition of prayer. as it had probably been
arranged by the superstitious mound
builders, who thought it some super
natural thing. Its hands and feet are
drawn tightly up under its chin and its
head is bent forward, while its long
bony tail is curved over its back. The
creature has high forehead, large eyes
and prominent chin.
The workmen, not appreciating the
Importance of their discovery, continued
their work, only laying the mummy
aside. The traces of the ancient sep
| ulcher were soon effaeed and its erun-
bled ruins buried under a bank of clay.
| The aboriginal occupant might soon
have shared the fate of its tomb, had
not DR.. I'll. G.. Baker chanced to drive
| by. Noticing the crowd of curious
! spectators he drew near and heard the
| strange story from the workmen, and
saw the little mummy. Offering the
workman who claimed the antiquated
little stranger trife for his prize, the
| doctor easily obtained possession. With
in few hours all the scientists and am
tiquarians in the city were examining
the relic and giving their theories as to
its character.
The general impression appeared to
be that the mummy was the offspring
| of some aboriginal who, terrified at its
| long tail and animal appearances, had
! it smothered in the tomb of cement.
| The workmen were visited, and from
them a description of the ruined tomb
| was obtained. One of them said that
/ to the best of his observation he thought
the subterranean sepulcher had been
! formed by digging square hole in the
| clay, filing it with soft cement, and
1 then pressing square block of wood or
straw in the center to make the hollow
space to be occupied by the mummy
| When this block was removed, and the
mummy inserted the tomb only needed
its upper layer Of cement to imprison
the mummy in what, to all practical
! purposes, was solid block of stone.
The scientific gentlemen welcomed the
little dried up stranger as a visit
or from the ages when the great
undiscovered America had yet to
hear the first Indian war whoop. The
discovery of this mummy is only
sequel to other discoveries of mound
builders relics at the same point. A
few months ago exeavators at the point
turned up stone hatchets and other
relics of an extinct race. The scientific
gentlemen in Kansas City have not
only taken an active interest in the
discovery, but they are already pre-
pairing TO send description of it to the
scientific society in st. Louis. The
case will undoubtedly attract the at
tention of the scientific world, for it is
the only one of the kind in all the his
tory of researches of antiquaries. 1t is
probable that further inves LEGATIONS
will be made about the bluff where the
tomb was unearthed, and still more
startling discoveries may result. An
effort has been made to secure the
mummy for exhibition in the Dime
museum, but it is likely to be reserved
for scientific purposes. Before its i'm.
mediate future is determined upon, how.
ever, it win be on exhibition at DIR,
Bakers office, where curious people
can see it Monday morning = Kansas
City Star.