Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-12-30
KgHHRnnc INDIANS AnE THB
STONE ACE
Interesting nsminfscencss Of LEGAL
History.


kditsys Of the ksnss5se Journal
Along the banks Of our beautiful Kenne-
bee river, ia the town Of gsssaisoro there
A. ones a large tribe Of Intizos Of the
sassmore race; frofa one Of the sat-
tribes, ''ksnebis,7 the river takes its
name. Sanding AZ the station O. the VI. c.
X. X at kisers.ds ard locking soafs, you
will zee little rnountsia called Mt Tom,
on the top Of which nesrly a cestgry ago
vas the remnants Of rude baking. Some
tbsnk il vas built by The early settlers,
~hIIs Others claim IL ~4' built for a mis-
sion post. On tie top is az oak tree vhieh
marks the sp0t- Some yesrs since the
Sabbath school had pienis GA this li,tls
sroinsncs, when the zane EiYsizn biga
vas given to it--a name With a double
aesninz. peculiarly suitable, for il i, To-
deed. a beautiful place. Al It's base On The
north poln, eItenis Into he RIVER form
log an eddy, called Thatcher. Ed3y. While
from the summit the river sis~ Is exceed
insIy delightful. sIops1g gently towards
the soath to the Seven Mile Brook which
sas called BY the Indians MasoE-gem-ah
goo so0s is lsrga Daiial ground,
the elysiam Of the departed -ssamores.
Not vsstigs Of the pO~srfai race who
peopisd this region and 5stei in these va
ters, can nov be traced, save by al ocea-
.ionsl impleIaeng of basbandfy nos and
! then turned Up by the f1rEOs and the FREE
qncnt DsssriGiog Of skeleton, By which
~e knos this locality "a. once the home
Of Ihe ssgszs, thsse broad helds once his
hantiBz grounds Here they may have light
ed their council fires, Or for ought se know
the fierce var sb0Op may have resoanded
sDoug these hills asd valleys Il Is said
dead men tell 30 tales, add yet fJr t1e long
ago history Of this lmD-edafe locality Ne
have only 70 tarn 10 the multitu .e Of tke le
tons that from time 10 Jme have teen e.
b u ned . u the soil Of tiis slope These
erumbllBg remnants ~ humanity tell rs
certainly ons Of tNo thlngs. Either
fierce battle was once wagei here between
the saysses ard III ir tcss, or else It ~as
spot dt-igaed by them for burial plac.
the latter theory We think more probable.
Let US turn sgnio 70 the bones Of these
" Red Men" an see shas story they tell Us.
First they we're buried in very light
sandy soil 10 which excavations could
easily be made by their Implements,
the soil also being sach that
dec0m IMPOSITION would not take place as
quickly ~ in other soils, which seems 10
have rendered 1t desirable place for such
a purposz'. 2Ud The manner or posture
In which they we're buried indicate that ult
. mi. mains had been ,akeg which would
NOT he in he case Of battle. SRI One
body vas inferred AT a time. or rather no
two seem 10 have occupied the same grave.
a. voutI he romn,on after a baitlr. some
having been found In a remarkable state
of pressrvatiyn. while others erutablr ITO
fragments. An. Warriors and cfillren
found A resting place here side by side.
The eopper atornrnents of the chief. tie
tiinty arrow heads If warriors, the beaded
orpsment. of the less distinguished, the
abundance of wam1um with others. and
the brch-hark shtoui of the little child.
are facts which 70 10 prove that this spot
was designed by The Red Mn AS al en-
trance to their 'happv hunting-vround "
in 1854, | think. when excavations we're
being made for the Portland 4 kennebec
Railroad. a number Of skeletons were o.
hnmed, and later when the road WIS
strai ghit ned At this point. the luiiah ii sum
VA. again disturbed.
The qu, stion as to what the imme.ss
quantity o. wampum which has been found
about these Iisinterred skeletons consisted
OF, is still unsettled It was long supposed
il consisted Of pieces of the coneh and
mussle shells. Some THINK il consisted Of
the backbone of a certain hsh, while otigefs
give II vegetable origin. The word wnm-
pun signifies white. Palfrey SAYS. yam
pun was of two kinds, one being white and
the other black or of a dark purple color
# consisted Of cylindrical pieces Of the
.t.if. - ,..,.,,,u. Rst,.s ou.rtuy 81