The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-11-14
CtALDEAN SWORD IN MEXICO.
a Find Which May Throw Light on tho
Peopllng OF This Continent.

Peopllng OF This Continent.
There will shortly be presented to
the savants Of Europe and America
relic Of antiquity rescued from the dust
Of the dim dawn of human life in the
western world, which promises to at
once throw light on the origin of man
Oh the western hemisphere and prove
the open sesame to further reading Of
the early races of the Garth in the far
east In rocl,-hcwn tomb in southern
Mexico there hos been found q bronze
and hammered iron sword bearing on
its blade and handle in rich inlaying
of silver characters of record and rep
reservations of life distinctively AS
syrian and Grccian. The characters
on one side of the blade arc cuneiform,
says a writer in the st. Louis Globe
Democrat; those on the other cannot
be identified; possibly they ore Hittite.
The first, fourth, sixth, eighth and
eleventh letters in the easily recogniz-
nble cuneiform characters of Chaldean
antiquity ore exactly alike rs craven
upon the blade; the first, fourth, sixth,
eighth and eleventh letters In the
mystic inscription on the reverse ore
also identical. 1t is in the possession
of Senor Gonzale M. Moliner, q de-
scendant of one of the oldest and most
illustrious familiee of Spain, who is
resident in the City of Mexico. He
will soon lay it before the Smithsonian
institution in person, and until that
time 1t will not see the light Of re-
search outside OF Mexico. The sword
and It's scabbard Of bronze are massive
md we'll preserved. In total length the
sword lis twenty-six and one-half inches,
with blade Ct nineteen inches. The
roughly hammered iron blade shows
the crudity of the early days Of the
iron age, but the exquisite inlnying Of
silver on the bronze bears testimony to
the cunning Of the silversmiths who
wrought the weapon. To all appear
nnces, and according to the inscrip-
tions, it was royal arm, for on its
ample hilt it bears in horizontal lines
the. crowned head Of its evident
!wearer, while below, In cuneiform
characters on the blade, are apparently
the title and name OF the sovereign.
The sword and scabbard weigh twelve
pounds, of which the sword alone rep
;resents two-thirds Of the total.
The story Of the discovery Of this In
tercsting relic is o romance. Seven
years ago curiosity dealer in the City
of Mexico purchased 1t for few paltry
reals from an ignorant Indian from
Merida, in the state of Yucatan, In
southern Mexico. The dealer supposed
1t to be nothing more than on old Roman
sword, such as were often worn by the
Spaniards nt tho time Of the conquest
of Mexico. The Indian said he found
it in the depths of tomb which he
had penetrated, and that, with
bronze spoon, now also in the posses
sion of Senior Moliner, it was the only
thing Of interest he had found. Tho
sword and scabbard were incrusted
with half an inch Of oxidization
from their long burial, md on being
cleaned up were offered for sale to
tourists along with the customary
more or less valuable stock In trade Of
an enterprising curio dealer. For one
reason or another it remained in stock
until recently, when 1t by chance
caught the eye Of Senor Moliner, who
has made an intelligent study Of an
tiquities, both in Europe and America,
and who st once bought 1t at curio
eo1a r,rica