Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-23
TEN THOUSAND YEARS OLD
Relic of the Fire-WorshipperS
Found in an Indian Cave.
OF FLESH OR ALABASTER
The Records Show That 1t Was Made by Fire.
Worshipping-Tribe That Once In
habited This Country.

said Agent Agee of the Southern Express
company yesterday afternoon to State
Herald reporter. However, continued
Mr. Agee, Il don't carry them on my per-
son, and if you want to see them you
will have to accompany me to my Office"
Two of Mr.. Ages friends Joined that
gentleman and the reporter on the way
to his office.
Here said Mr. Agee, to his visitors,
as he took from a secure depository
carefully wrapped package. Here is
curio that is claimed to be second to
none in America" AS he spoke the COW
erings were removed disclosing an or
namental antique vase.
Venetian marble with Corinthian
carving" exclaimed the reporter
AS to the material there is a diversity
OF opinion" said Mr.. Agee, with smile,
though you are right beyond a doubt
as to the carvings, which are unmiStaka-
bly, Corinthian.'
Where did this come from and what
is its age?" the reporter asked.
Listen and l will tell you the story of
the antique SO far as l know it," replied
Mr.. Agee.
1T is claimed that the vessel now be-
fore you was in existence before the
Ptolomy's, and that
Ten Thousand Years
would not cover it's age. 1t came into my
possession through my friend, Col. Will
liam Townes, of Mecklenburg county,
Virginia, who has intrusted it with me
for the purpose of placing 1t on exhibit
ton at the Atlanta exposition.
ut is claimed that this is an acanthus
fire urn, or as it is sometimes called, a
flesh pot. This urn has been in the pos
session of Colonel Townes for nearly
forty years, having been given to him in
1856 by Col Mark A. Burnett, who in
turn received 1T from Col ChriStoDher G.
Haskins.
In reference to the vase or urn's age.
classification and origin, 1 will read you
the following account of the relic from
Sundays issue of the Richmond Times,
to which I am referred by Colonel
Townes:
The Discovery.
In the latter part Of the last century
Colonel HaSkins, who resided near Has
kinS' Ferry, in the county of Mecklen-
burg, while walking one day on the
banks of the Roanoke river, had his at
tention attracted by round, white OBJ
ject projecting from the bank where a
sudden bend in the river had washed
away the earth. He Immediately investi-
gated the matter, and upon digging into
the bank found what appeared to be an
Indian grave, for besides the white OBJ
ject, which turned out to be the flesh pot
above alluded to, were tomahawks, ar
row heads and bows.
Colonel Haskins too the urn home
with him, and washed from it the
dirt which had accumulated in it's inter-
stices during the long years that 1t had
laid buried in the bosom of the earth,
and found it to be a vessel about AK
inches in height and Az inches In dame
ter.
In color 1t resembled clarified beeswax,
darkened by age, or a sort of very dark
cream color. Outside it was curiously
wrought by hand, the delicate figures
upon 1t reminding one of Corinthian carv-
ing, and the inside was evidently taken
out by picking it with sharp tool for
the marks 1T left are plain and at the
bottom inside the round plug left after
digging around it was broken out. leav-
ing it rough for about inch in diameter.
Colonel Haskins kept this curious find
for many years, thinking it was an ar
ticle manufactured by the Indian tribes
which infested that locality, and finally
gave 1t to Colonel Burnett, who as above
stated presented 1t to Colonel TONNES in
1856. The colonel realized that it was
something of a curiosity, but had no idea
that it was anything out of the usual run
of relics left by the departed Indians.
and he kept 1t upon the center table
in his parlor where 1t made a pretty
ceptacle for visiting cards and bric-a-
brac. There 1t remained for consider
able time, until one day 1t was seen by
=
Roanoke. Va, who al once recognized it
as a curiosity of great value.
"What is it's value? ?" the reporter asked
Colonel TONNES values the vase at $751;
0OO"
Upon examining it the professor at
once affirmed that it was a f1eshpot and
that it was brought to- this continent in
the unWritten past by the fre-wOr-
shipping ancestors of the Mound-Build-
ers, from whom it was taken by some
tie
him. 1t was composed, said Professor
Arm. of the fat of human flesh, solid-
fled by some process known to the an
cient ffre-worshippers, and was used by
them for the reception of diSmembered
portions of the bodies of the worshippers,
who were accustomed, as the urn was
passed around at their religious exer-
cises, to cut off pieces OF themselves,
such as toes, fingers, ears. or even por-
tions of the nose, and to drop them into
the vessel, which, when breathed upon
by the priest was an atonement for sin,
according to their belief Professor Arm
stated that full description of this pc
culiar vessel could be found in Stephens
Persecution of the Saints book
which is now extremely rare The pro-
fessor strongly advised Colonel Townes
to have the vessel examined by experts
and its claim to being a fire-urn- fully
established.
In conformity with this advice the urn
was sent 10 w washington, and an eminent
ethnologfst there suggested that 1t came
from Phoenicia, having been brought
here by the ship of Hiram King OF Tyre.
Its origin cannot be of recent date, as
the vessel bears upon it the marks Of
having been made entirely by hand, and
il could not have been the work of In
dams, for it is totally different from the
class of work done by them, of which so
many traces remain. The carving upon
the outside of the urn is done by mas
ters hand. every line being perfect, and
the proportions true to hairs breadth
Colonel Townes does not profess to be
an ethnologist or archaeologist, but he is
firmly convinced that the opinion ex-
pressed by Professor Arm is correct, and
that his treasure cannot be less than TO-
900 years old. He believes, however that
the professor is mistaken in suppOsing
the urn to be composed of the fat of hui
man flesh. He thinks 1t is composed of