The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-03-29

US In the examples OF rude workmanship
ofvarious sorts with which the hand of tune
has dea t gently and which still exists,
silent reminders of unknown races.
Fletcher VI. Noe, who has rooms in the
Cvclorama building. has some of the best
specimens of antiquities TO be
found in the country. There are in
stitutions which may have more; there
are private collections which may possess
more complete series, but for numbers
and value com bined Mr. Noe is especially
favored. His rooms are perfect curiosity
shops. One enters the door and finds
himself in room OF small size, but liter
ailv lined with curios and antiquities.
There is scarcely apartment OF the study
of the antique which is not represented.
And the numerous examples of trst-class
specimens OF the best among them are
very bewildering.
There are pottery and implements from
the memOria and burial mounds of the
mound hui ders, and it Is some of the
specimens of the pottery which the SEN
TINEL illustrates today.
The Mound Opened.
A mound has just been opened on the
Little river. in Pontsett county, Arkansas.
1t was one hundred feet in diameter and
about thirty feet high Trees are grow
ing upon its summit two aud one half
feet in diameter and there were other evil
dences OF tie greatest antiquity.
In the mound were found
1877 perfect skulls, adult. and, with
one exception, well formed. The skulls
are different from most that have ben
taken from the mounds In the Mississippi
valley in that they are fiat on top and
pear.shaped. That is the top OF the head
Is broad ana fat. instead of slopiug back
from the forehead. a. most OF the mound
skulls do. 0ne has large bunch on The
side OF the head, giving the effect
OF an angle. 1t is thought to be
the skull OF an idiot. The skulls are
at the worlds fair, and will be
shown in the Peabody collection. proba-
bly, going 10 the museum of the Peabody
inststute later ArchaolOgists think it is
the best series OF crsuia ever found.
There were no imp ements OF chase or war
found ia connection, and the probability
is that it was simply a burial mound.
The method OF opening was TO cut
trench Jour feet wide into the middle OF
it, then dig under, working each way and
carefully shifting every shoveliul Of
earth thrown out. so that no curio OF in
,erest should escape the excavstors. I'm
mense quantities of something like
wampum was found, small pieces of shell.
round and about one-quarter of an inch
long bv perhaps an eighth OF an inch in
diameter / is male from the center bit
# shells which are round and soft. A
small hole was drilled in the middle
lenRthwise for the purpose of stringing
probably. But ii the bits found in that
mound were ever strung the material used
for that purpose was entirely destroyed.
The wampum was IN piles, mixed pro-
miscuously There are several di erent
colors, but 1t is impossible to say neither
that has any significance.
Three Hundred Pieces Found.
More than 800 pieces of pottery were
taken from the mound, few specimens
very rare. One is decorated snake
bowl, used in some cere monisl probably,
ten inches in diameter aud seven inches
deep. On one side was the SNAKES head
ana on the other the tail, with CORFU ga
tions intended to represent rattles. This
bowl is painted, not by painting on the
outside, but by mixing the red Ochre
with the clay from which the dish was
constructed. Red ochre is very plentiful