Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-05-17
RELIC OF rue cLwr JEWELLERS.

RELIC OF IlE tIlif DNtihfh>'
A SHORT time since the dispatches
contained a brief note In relation h the
finding OF some m0mmiiied remains
Of the New Mexico slif.iwelier-.
rhe following fuller details appeared
IN the Chicago Tfibuns;
"The remains OF child found IN one
Of the chambers supposed To have boon
Inhabited by the cllG dwsllers, near the
ella Hot Springs, In this county, have
jus, been sent TO the Smithsonian Insil-
tugion At Washington. Tho body Is IN an
oxcollont state u preservation, and is
that Of a child about four years old.
when found 1t was wrapped In cloths
and bound TO piece OF wood about two
Fec, In length. The legs were drawn up
about In the position Of a child creeping,
aud the forearms were raised 10 that the
hands were near tho shoulders, with tho
palms toward the front. The fists were
tightly clInchcd.
"The body Is very light, the flesh hav-
ing been thoroughly dried on the bones,
and tho skin Is very much shrunkon.
The body closely resembles an Egyptian
mummy, except in color. Tho skin Is n
very ligh, brown, perfectly smooth,
and 20 well preserved that the pores can
DO disiinctly seen. Tho finger nails
arc perfect, and tho tooth were intact
when It was discovered, but those have
boon takon out. The nose, oars, and
eyes are gone, and the skin Is broken on
the right knee aud ono OF tho wrists, OK
posing bonos, sinews, and dried flesh.
Tho head Is covered with fno. soft, black
hair about two inches long. but It is very
small In comparison with the body. It ~
no larger than that OF we'll developed
infant three months Of age, and Ia very
nearly round.
"rhe chamber In which II was found IL
one Of a large number near the ella Hot
Springs, all OF which are hown out OF the
solid rock. Many OF those chambers
have been explored, but they arc dlfilcul
u access, and a number OF them have
mover been entered by oven tho most
reckless Adventures. Some Of these
chambers are so high In the clin. that
they cannot be reached by ladders, and
arc protected In such manner by over.
hanging rocks that they cannot be
reached by ropes lot down from the top
Of the cliff, and no ono has yet been able
to explain how tho clin jewellers 70, Into
them.
"rhorc Is no doubt but that they were
inhabited, for in nearly every one Of
them have been found either bows and
arrows, stone hammers, axes or corn,
but the body which has jus, been sent to
Washington Is tho first ono evor discoy-
cred In one OF those chambers, and, 30 far
rs known, IN tho first one discovered
which may reasonably DO supposed to be
one OF the extinct race OF clifl-d wsllsr-.
What disposition the cliff.dwellers
made Of their dead Is not known, but IL il
quite certain that thoy were not In tho
habit Of leaving bodies In their dwellings
or In chambers ofslmilar construction In
or near their towns. Il Is not known
whether they, like tho Egyptians, were
rhiiAoh III Nno htt VI preserving tutlf
dead, bu, 1t is to DO presumed that they
were not. 1fthey had been II is probable
tina, there would have boon large NUN.
Dor Of bodies found which had been so
preserved, as the clin.dwellcrs must have
been quito numerous In this part OF tho
country.
Large numbers Of dwellings have been
found in Now Mexico, Arizona and
only ono preserved body has been found
aud that In all probability was leit alive
and died Of starvation. The custom Of
wrapping up papooses and fastening
them to boards prevails among the
Indians to the present day, and was nc
doubt In vogue among tho clin-dwellors
IL Is believed that tho child whose body
was found noar tho CHA hot springs wa'
loft in this manner, aud that for some
reason no one ever returned To 1t, and II
died OF starvation.