The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-06-11
INDIAN MOUNDS.
Some Recent ExpIoratioas Among
Remains Of al Unknown Race.

Remains Of al Unl<noHn Race.
The explorations of Indian mounds
under the auspices of Prof. Cyrus
Thomas, formerly Of Illinois. says the
Washington correspondent of the CoaET-
serJoarfs0L, have been very successful
this year, as they were also last year.
At least five thousand specimens are
added to the collection of the bureau of
ethnology, of which Maj. Powell is the
director, each year.
One Of the very interesting Indian
mounds opened this year is situated in
East Tennessee. This is 22O feet long,
1S5 feet wide, and feet high. Ninety
one human skeletons were found in it
at all depths from foot and half to
eight feet below the surface of the top
OF the mound Quantities of beads
were found in this receptacle, and
among the coarser varieties were some
genuine pearls fashioned into beads.
In this were also found the best CHS
el-shaped stone instruments, polished
ceit, ever discovered in q mound. The
best specimen of polished bone instru-
ment Prof Thomas has ever seen
come from mound was In this collec-
ton. It Is fashioned into q small awl,
and is SO fine and delicate that Prof.
Thomas thinks it was probably used by
women in sewing buckskin articles.
There was also human bone, q part
of the forearm, fashioned into an imple-
ment or ornament. It looks as though
it might have been used to scoop np
dry food or something of that kind.
One of the most curious discoveries
ever made In a mound was made in
this one--four round, hollow cop
per balls, with beads inside, which
are wonderfully like sleigh bells,
and tinkle like them when sha-
ken. Among other articles found
in the same place were buffalo teeth,
sea shells artifcially cut into various
shapes for use or ornament, masks of
stone, highly polished biscuit-shaped
stones, about the size of the biscuit
eaten in Kentucky, which stones, it is
conjectured, were used in playing a
game; pottery, one curious specimen
being made to simulate 8 moccasin,
and one in the shape of duck, with
head and body quite well defined, fol-
lowing the natural shape, but having
This has puzzled the learned Prof.
Baird, who had never before seen any
such creature in nature or art as
pottery from mounds it may be re-
marked, were especially fine in 1884,
and promise to be equally so this year
from the articles already secured.
A mound in Ohio has been opened
this year, and large quantity Of char
red corn was found at the bottom of it,
which is thought curious discovery.
Prof. Thomas himself opened sim
gular mound in Pennsylvania this
year, the other end of which was open
ed sixty years ago by man who is
still living, and who has talked with
Prof. Thomas about his attempts to ex-
plore it. He says when he found the
human skeletons he got frightened and
reEreated, and never resumed his work.
Many skeletons were found in that
mound; and Prof. Thomas tells with
great interest of one he discovered at
the very bottom of the mound in the
bottom of stone vault in a mass of
charcoal. This human skeleton had
close by it cane of split reed, evident
ly of Southern growth, which cane was
| wrapped in bark and plastered clay.
When exhumed the cane was found to
have twined around it silver foil as
thin as paper, evidently native silver,
which has been examined and has
1
Near the top of mound in the same
| field four skeletons We're found which
had evidently once been inclosed in
wooden collins. In the same mound
was brass kettle with an iron handle,
| but below that burials evidently an
| cient had occurred. In this exact To-
| cality once lived Corn Planter and his
Seneca Indians.
| Among the other treasures found in
| 1888 in mounds is part of a stone bust
evidently representing woman's neck
| and the front part of her head, The
| contour of the face is beautiful, the
shape being a perfect oval. The front
of the throat and neck is perfect, show
ing that the original copied must have
had a plump, full form. This year, in
| mound near where this was discover
! ed in Georgia, there was found the
| part of the head evidently broken from
this. When put together the parts
fitted exactly, and the material Of
which the several parts are made i:
precisely the same.
In mound in West Virginia some
copper plates and ornaments were
found which were evidently native cop
per. hammered by the aborigines witt
tools fashioned by themselves. A
skeleton was found in a mound in tina
State, which mound was thirty-tivG
feet in height. The skeleton was in ;
vault made of wood, and had on eacl
arm six copper bangles, and also wore
on his neck shell gorget.
| A very remarkable pipe of polished
soap-stone of precisely the same kinC
that Beverley and other chroniclers o
Virginia have described as used by tn,
Cherokees has been found in a mounC
in that State. 1t smells as strong o
tobacco as if only used yesterday.
East of St. Louis a wonderful speci
men of pottery was last year found il
a mound. This is a large bowl, OIL
which appears in relief human head
life size, with all the features distinctl
marked. The face and even the teetl
are painted, the latter being red
Strange to say, the cast of the feature
more resemble those of mulatto thai
those of any type of Indian known t
this continent.
just about year ago a mound wa
opened near Cartervi1le. Ga, which
one of a group which Prof. Thoma
thinks was visited by De Soto in 1916
because the largest one in the group
which is sixty feet high, corresponds i
, many particulars with the one descriE
ed in the history of Florida, written
Garsilaso de la Vega, lineal descend
, ant of the Incas of Peru, and frs
I printed in the sixteenth century.
! The Oldest mounds are now believe
; to be those in Ohio and Arkansas
Specimens were in 1884 brought froI
mounds in Georgia, Virginia, Yves
, Virginia. Iowa, Tennessee, and Mis-
souri,