Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-12-23

The system OF trade which existed an.
cicntly among tho indians Was surpris'
ugly efficient and satisfactory. Ahorig'
inal drummcrs actually nAdp their way |
ON foot from the gplf OF Mexico 10 The |
head waters Of the Mississippi river.
The products Of tho native mines VI |
copper, flint aud mica WIRE distributed |
IN a manner sufficiently husiuess,like 70 |
be worthy 0f q morc advanced CIVILIZATION, |
Dried oystors and otlgr shell fish were
shipped inland, just as the same mol
lusks are sent from the Atlantic coast
To cities VI the interior today. Thus seas
shells are found IN the inonds OF Illinois
aud Wisconsin, while articles VI native
Wisconsin copper occur In the tannh 81
Wcst Virginia.
'eTyiat the monnd huildcrw were great
emokcrs Is proved by The large number
Of pipes found IN their mounds AMI
graves SO numerous are these and 80
widely distributed that plpe-making aud
plpt~unoking may be considered ~ q
marked characteristics Of that ancient
people. This VIII serve Ia u way ~
supplementary eyidence that they were
lnians' Tor the Indian Is par cNceuehce
tho man who Smokes, aud The Wpe Is
essential 10 his happiness ! should not
forget 10 mention that moSi lptoresllng
testimony respecting the manner nj living
OF The builders Oi mounds rs afforded by
ninnE Of thclr eaehes, centuries old and
llnhod with bark which have hcen found
tn contain largo quantities ot corll. Nlaise
was The chief food product of HE Indiana
ui antiquity as tho cantents Of The
mounds show, In the tumuli clay ycssps
with pfuls Ot cuhs are discovered also
Jumps OF clay bearing the impression Of
ears Of corn, and even charrcd oav aud
colr.
''lhc bureau Of cthnology has worked
on this problem Tor the last ten yenrs
with gN9t enVrgy and earnrstnrgs The
work hNs been thoroughly done and
leaves no room for doubts ma 10 the ac-
cnrpcy ~ Us results. II has utterly OK.
nloded old theories gs 10 more ancient
Imagined 10 have been responsible for
The creation Of The monuments 10 uuea-
ton. II has been demonstrated that tho
uhiccts yielded by the pmul which nre
not OF unmislaRnbly Indian manufacture
were obtained of tho whites Tho few
| exceptions have been proved frauds he.
ruusc u was impossible 20 Dig into an of
the hunlrnls Of thousands of mounds
! scattered over The country, Nuical unnr
| Va as many different localites AZ could hp
attacked have been Investigated They
SOON TO Zee of every conceivable shapo.
| though The usual form II low broad,
| roundtDppcd cone, Some Of hcm attain
| q height of eighty or Uiurty foot. with %
! diameter OF three hundred foot az tho
base. Others are Ike walls fram twenty
| 90 forty feet wide and threc or inur feet
! high runclhng maximum l,mgih Of iiine
| hundred fcct, Those latter were soldWn
used for burial purposes aud their pur
pose remains mystery
The most Interesting Of these works
are the so.rallcd eillry mounds. repn'-
frniine birds and many Kinds " mann
mal., which are confined almost wholly
la Y "a mn 4 .Isn
The whole 1f The valley NJ Prairie dn
| Chen township Is dotted over with these
| nucleHt 0uimals-dcrE hears. rahlHts,
Huilerrl elk, etc, IN drovps. an HEADLINE
~ the Southwest like the river They
ore enduring evidences NJ q dense popn.
lnilon and long occupancy In past timp,
Some Of the birds have aprcad Of n5U
feet from wingtp 10 winr.tip m,
mounds which were formerly supposed IA
represent men are probably swnllow-taiol
hirls,
The supposed clophnut mound which /.
important. hcailsc such likeness wunld
| lnditnto that mo unthnla Of tho wor,
hnd hyod 80 long ago az whu heasts
Of thc elephant family Wimod ile ,,ln
| tiuunt 81 probably O hrur, Onr OF tht
most remarkable features Of These pfli
iacs rs the Initiative cnrVing nnd round
ing Of tln bodigv uf The animals. Look
ing over specimen which has suNriy7
but little wearing away by weather N
other giuHv n II dlilicult 10 pit Il,
Of the notion That thc bndor. actnn'l
had tbs animal lying before than Whri
tl'y constructed The mound
Among fhc general conclusions wllhl
have been arrived nt us % insult Of thii
inNOatigntiou, ! would mention that ih.
mounds of most elaborate plttrrna, sue,
ns tlc ellircs, nrr tho oldest. Thoa
ui late times nsaumcl simpler forms
/ Il
hc3nl PURPOSES an error wh,i lila pos
s,Hsod angiAr vitality being nroepiel
BY onp writer nfter another, Hhrr 4
no doubt that The tribes which huilt thos
works wep' fclontHry IN The main. nh
Z Indians did not adopt HE lthhlt 81 rnnui
, Ing until after they had been ,Esurh,s
by iArr whites. Before The tamuFlnn IN
. vndun they were, sc a rule agricultural
! ! Hy No mrftng depending wholly on ia
Z Ciiase for foy'l, after the manner Of Nh
\ most primitive savnges, they cultivate
the land. 1rncos Of diiosr Kitchen an
market gardens, In wlnch Tins tnri
com. sin remain. They were laid on
IN gcometncal liiaN, though their mOder
descendants have rclinguished this car,
I, M method, nnd practice no SPECIAL Onle
, IN their plnuilug. Tho aboriginal vi
, Of corn however, WAS q small mound ]
y itaif, suiicipnt for nnny sillliH. aud wa
!, used for several yeaip IN Succession.
4 'srhe question az 60 whrnce the II
\ dian orgigmlly oamc " still in dispui
I and likely 10 ruinin 40, DR.. BfiutDl
. a recognized authority thinks they ma
n have made tlilir way thitlicT froin ~
n tone. during or before the great fec agl
I bv NJ Of lhmi connection which on
+ erisi,,l o, The NorlheTp Atlantic. Oth'
Il oihnologiais arr Of le opinion that SIN
Z Of tbrm arrived from Die Atlantic fu
q o,llors from the Pacific side, long isol
j, ton on tlis continent moulding thm
{. INTO homogeneous rner. ihn peep
h we,. always split % into tribes, IMci
r 4 no truth Ia the attractive notion ihi
a once a mighty natlpn gcculae,1 the walls
4 OF the Mississippi, with iiu fruniier No
tlcnenfs resting on the Lake eliores %
a Gulf coast. RESTING IN iile valley 81 u
u AtD1inclhan rnnge and skining the hrGa
II plas Of tlie Weat-a uaiion with !
h. systl.m Of government AMI rfliep
II which bra disappeared, ieiFlng b,iilf
n Il no ayideDfe Of its glory, power ~
4 s,s,tut. save the mounds and sliat th'
y, contain,
q GAZETTE ADVERTISERS