Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-04
"A RACE OF GIANTS
Who Wrote Their History in Piles Of
Earth Instead of Books.
WHO WERE TIE M0UNDBUILDERSP
The Facts Cleaned By Some Explorations in
West Virginia.
SOME SPOTS STILL TO BE EXAMINED
WHO WERE TIE MoUNDBUILDERSa
ONE SPOTS STILL TO BE EXIMINED

/ fCORRT9POHDERCE OF THE D1SPATCH,I
KINeEooD, W. VA, Dec. 3.-We-e the
mound builders Of America differently con-
atructed from men Of to-day7' Were there
mere gisats among them than there are
now among the white race? Or were they
fading race Of giants leaving their foot
prints behind that other races might know
they existed? Their history was not writ
ten In books, but builded in their mounds,
which held their works of art implements
Of war aud working utensils.
The forearm and the Shinbone of the
negro are longer than that Of the white
race, and it is said he cannot jump as far as
his white brother, other things being equal,
bscause his heels leave the imprint further
back than the white mans. These things
we know are distinctive of the African
race.
Had the mound builder as defined en-
anatomical distinction? Were their skulls,
as rule, formed differently from ours?
These questions forced themselves upon
nay mind when I examined q skull found IN
the Castle mound, which contained i've
Wormian bones, and heard the history con-
nected with the mound. This mound is on
what is known as the Castle farm, about
five miles south of here, and was first
opened in 1884 by Hon. James G MeGrew
and others They found peculiar shaped
stone pipe, q stone relic in the shape of an
hour glass, which was neatly aud mechan-
ically made and no doubt had been used for
the purpose of recording time.
Theory of a Historian.
Historian Wiley says of this hour glass:
'Tt might have been captured and placed in
the mound for safe keeping by an Indian, as
the mound builders are supposed to have left
Egypt when the sun dial was used and be-
fore the invention and introduction of the
hour glass"
In 1881 an exploration Of this mound was
made, and in the bottom was layer Of
bones, men, women and children having
been buried, in sitting posture, in a cir
Gle, with their feet out. Bits of charcos
scattered through ashes, also the bones
showing to a greater or less extent the eff
fects of fire, tell plainly the story that they
burned their dead-were cremationists.
Above this layer couple of feet is a second
layer, buried in the same manner as the
first and directly above it, in the top, are
found other remains.
Every skull found in this mound con-
tanned Wormian bones, /. e., extra bones
found In the sutures of the bones of the
Uranium, and named from CLAUS Wormins,
who il said to have first discovered them.
Although they ara generally found on top Of
the skull, they are quite rare. Occasion
ally q skull Is found containing one or two,
but one Of these skulls lad five OF these
extra bones on the top sutures OF the skull.
A great many skulls were found in this
mound, but they were so brittle, from the
effects of FIRE, no doubt, that they could not
be taken out without crumbhng to pieces.
The top of every skull showed the
WormianA
The skulls were long and narrow, with
low foreheads and long, narrow iaceA The
wonderfully large bones found interpreted
through the bottom layer show that there
were giants among them at least 7 feet high,
while the majority would indicate heights
of 5 feet inches to 8 feet.
A Fading Race OF Giants.
II 1t Is speculation then to say that they
were fading race Of giants with these
data, what OF the scientific men who con-
struet whole skeletons, even giving US the
contour in outline Of prehistoric animals
when they have but one or two bones to
start from? The mound builders sought Q
warmer cline in the sunny South, likely
forced to do 80 BY the on-coming Indian. A
few pieces of incinersted bones, some arrow
heads, Indian hatchets, etc, were found oD
the farm Of Isaac Elliott, two miles from
hera
The late Dr. Trippstt had q very fine
specimen of the Indian hatchet 1t was
made of the very hardest granite, beauti-
fully bespecked and very smooth. He had,
also an arrow head of white flint, almost
perfect in form. The doctor also owned
very small arrow head about the size of
mans thumb nail 1t is exceedingly sharp
and the most perfect ever seen in this
country. When found it had a film Of
on it and was bitter and pucker-
ing to the taste. It required an acid solu-
lion to remove and was thought to ba
poisoned arrow.
The smallest specimen OF an Indian
Ratchet found here was made Of granite
and was &bout two inches BY one.
Many years ago there were three mounds
IN the Andrew Golf farm in this county.
rwo of them have been torn down and but
,ne remains There is another en- the old
McGill farm and one near here which await
he exnlorar