Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-01-04
INDIAN GRAVES A-PlENTY.
Places In Connecticut Where Hicgers Find
no End Of Bones aud Relies.

The whole of this section of Con
necticut seems to have once been a
vast burying ground, either of Indians
or some extinct savage race. Many
skeletons have been dug up In this
city and vicinity during the past few
years. and new specimens of wonder.
fully well preserved bones and bodies
are constantly being disclosed. On
Prospect street the skulls Of several
Indian women have been uncarthed by
laborers while digging for sewers aud
house foundations, and al Seaside
park "A dozen or more Indian graves
have been opened. I'm these graves
are found pipes, beads. arrow heads,
drills, knives and various trinkets
such as savage men and women use
TO adorn their belts. On Golden hill
many skeletons have been eXhumed
within a year or two, and il is almost
impossible to dig a post hole N trench
without coming in contact with hu.
man bones.
The town of Stratforl comes in for
a large Share of renown on account of
the many strange graves which have
been opened. Curious pieces Of pot
terry, bearing rude orulmcntaiion, are
frequently taken from Suatford
graves, and gorgeous trinkctS. which
are tii'gyCIt fgpGI those found ia other
places, show that the tThnS IN the scv-
Cral districts were quite u ike in their
habits aud modes 1T ori#.mcntltiun.
Bordering On the sound. m Lower
Statiora. and near Tie - l.itualisi>
Hole, - called because a company OF
S~piNtUg.lSIs forty years ugo dug for
many days and nirut, in search of
Capt. Kids buried gold, there r.
mains the distinct evidence of an In
dian village, and numerous graves q;
dead savugcs have hCcn thrown open
by men WHO have more care for tie
study of extinct people than for the 4.
cred preservation of their last resting
places. The village OF the braves YVES
situated on the edge of II great marsh
near the present lordship farm. in
some places the clam and oyster shells
are nearly two feet deep. These beds
indicate a long occupancy of the re-
gion.
Charles Gray is one Of the most ell
thusiastic relic hunters in the village
of Southport. Near the Westport
town line he found several skulls,
which III some instances are quite per-
feet, with full sets of teeth i'm sound
condition. In one Indian grave he Sc
cured a number of valuable and curl
ously wrought tobacco pipes, made of
a peculiar kind Of white stone, and
they appear To have been colorcd in
the same mauner that mecrschaum
pipcsar made brown by long use. In
another grave, beneath a huge oak
tree, Mr.. Gray has unearthedthe skele-
ton of an Indian which had been bur.
led IN a sitting posture. The bones
are evidently those of an adult squaw,
and with them were found a genuine
Indian dinner pot and a samp mill,
which consists Of a rough mortar and
pestle of stone. These were at one
time subjected to great heat. The
supposition is that these implements
were from time 10 time thrown into
the fire as offerings Of worship, and
buried VITA quantities of hickory nuts
and clam shells, both of which have
been found III great numbers in seye-
raj of the Indian burial grounds.
At Fairfield, near the residence of
Arthur Bennett, and not far from the
line of the Consolidated railroad. some
very curious Indian tools and orna-
ments have been found in the graves
Of the people who hunted and lished
in the prolific streams and forests Of
this part of New England. In all of
these graves, which are filled with
sand and gravel, there are vast guam
titles of clam and oyster shells. There
seems TO be something about the soil
which preserves the bones intact and
without decay. Even the hair Of most
of them remains long, black and
glossy.
In Sandy Hook, a few miles north
of Bridgeport, there are three Indian
mounds. which are said to be COM
pletely filed with the relics of the
race Of savages which once made west.
ern Connecticut its hunting and fish.
ing ground. These mounds are from
six to ten feet in height, and vary from
five TO twenty rods in length. They
are on private property. Members of
the Bridgeport Scientific society have
endeavored 10 obtain permission TO
open these mounds, but on account of
superstition or some other cause land
owners will not allow the resting
place of the extinct race to be disturb
oil - Httlropapt n,pn o., Na,v