The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-02-21
RELICS OF RACE.
Many skulls and Curious Objects Dug FROM
Mounds In Ohio.

Many Skulls ana curious ODJeNAo DN@
Mounds In Ohio.
Hundreds Of skeletons. many Of them wear
ing copper masks, are among the curiosities
that have been obtained from a group Of an
cient mounds near Chillicothe. Ohio. forming
the most remarkable find Of antiquities ever
made in this country. Specimens. nlustfat-
ing the discovery. have been on e1hlDlIlOh Il.
the National Museum az Washington. NJ
so much on account of their value ana Dea"'y
as for the immense quantity have thotreasuIes
excited astOnishment. demonstrating Ine e.
lstence in former times Of a great aOorl9lHal
population in that vicinity. Among them are
pearls. not merely by scores aud hundreds,
but by hundreds Of thousands-dOzens Oh
them as big as English walnuts. ana NJ Ior
crown Jewels, we're they not spoiled Dy uocay
and blackened by fire.
With the other objects, illustrating the
character and mode OF living of this ancient
people. are thousands Of skulls. Respecting
them there Is much mystery. lnasmuch as
they represent two entirely opposite types
anthrOpOlogically. Some OF them are rouhu
and bullet shaped" while others nave an
elongated form betOkening "A different race.
Scattered thickly through the remains were
pieces Of Jaw bones. prepared by manufacture
IN an extraordinary fashion for when there
seems to be no reasonable accounting. Not
only the JAWS of human beings. Dut those o.
many species Of animals were thus tredteu'
the bone being cut through SO as 10 leaEe
the %alveolar part III a thin since hoiulhg tno
row of teeth. The method followed was the
same. Evidently the work was done WITH q
saw which must have been SO extremely thln
and sharp that the marvel Is how sayases
could have obtained the necessary tools.
Among other curlOslties are tools ana orna-
ments made of copper. Some OF the olDJectS
are of strange forms, the uses Of which can
hardly be- imagined. For example, for what
nurpose could a hollow metal bird with many
pertorations be intended? There are things
which look like small vessels OF various shapes
also. but likewise with a number OF holes III
each. Not "a few Of these are wonderfully ar
tistic in design. and the same may be SAID OF
numerous carvings In soft stone. such assoap-
stone and serpentine. One Of them. a pipe.
represents with exquisite detail = duck riding
on a fish. No traces have ever been dlscoy-
cred of any sayages III America who DID not
smoke tobacco.
Some relics are expected shortly by the
Smithsonian Institution from a wonderful
CITY of pigmies which has been discovered In
Peru on the summit OF a noun
tain iii the Andes. The mountain IA be-
lieved by the natives to be the home OF wicked
spirits and ghosts. which accounts for the
fact that 1t has never been explored until re-
Gently. According TO the story. there was
once "A race of very little people which lnhab-
llEN II Va NAN Il 80 0FN8Nf 80
they were driven t. the mountains by other
tribes, and they built a walled Owl tor pro-
lection against their nemle who were can
nibals. After being besleged for a long time
they were all captured or killed.
The ruined city Is surrounded by a wall
twelve feet in height and three feet in thick
ness. In the middle IS a natural rock. tower
ing upward 200 feet. on the top of which was
the citadal. The elevation OF the summit is
about l5, 600 feet above the sea. Az "a rule the
pigmies built their houses around quadrangle
lar courts about 20 feet long toy 3 feet wide.
Sometimes the dwellings, were two stories
high and sometimes three. The three-stOry
houses are about . feet high. the easements
being below ground. IN most cases the
rooms are not more than 3 feet sluare and
are nicely plastered with some kind Of ce-
ment. Ordinarily the doors are little more
than O foot III height.
The houses were rooted with fiat slabs OF
stone. vol cemented. over which earth was
spread 10 keep out the rain. lach room con-
talns a fat stone IN the middle. which, II -
presumed. was used as q centre table. Zach
court has a gateway opening INTO tho street.
The streets average about two feet IL width,
In three OF the courts were holes opening into
circular rooms below ground. each SIX feet In
dlameter. which may have been utilized as
dungeons. Several mumiied adults We're
dug up. wrapped up in some kind OF wicker
work. The tallest WAS not more than twenty
seven inches in height. Although It Is known
that tribes OF small people live in Airlca, this
is the first recorded discovery of a pigmy race
ON this continent.
The National Museum has a very remark
able collection of mummies. obtained from
ali parts Of the world. Not least interesting
OF them is one of n young child, which was
found in a cave in Mexico. so perfectly has
it been preserved. merely by the dryness OF
the air. no artificial process having been re-
sorted to, that the very eyeballs are intact.
Probably. II 1t were dlssected, the internal
organs would all be found distinct and merely
desiccated. Many races on this continent
have made a practice of mumiIylng then
dead. but they have rarely made use OF
any embalming processes. Instead. they
have usually stored the corpses away IN cave,
where, in place of decaylng. they Lave dried
up. Some years sgo. DIR. Dali, OF the Smithso-
MAN Institution visited certain burial cayerns
in Alaska. which were packed with thousands
upon thousands OF mummies. each one
swathed IN %wrappings ana bound with cords
into a compact bundle. Some Of them lie
brought back with him 10 Washington.
Thoy are not agreeable objects to look upon
when their wrapplngs are removed. the knees
OF each individual being drawn up under the
chin and the faces horribly distorted.
Not long ago the National Museum re.
ceiyed from the French Government a most
interesting series of casts. They are forty II
number. and they were taken from the heads
of AS many Chinese pirates. Not IN any civil.
lied penal institution or colony can one be-
hold such terOclOus types Of Grim mai physi
ognomy..