The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-11-30
Rare COLLECTION Of Indian RoliO..


to examine and study all important collec-
! tons from the region mentioned, and to
see as much of the territory as possible.
During a visit to Tuckerton recently,
Mr.. Gushing learned through Messrs. Jill
son & Cox, that large collection of min
erals and Indian relics could be found at
Mount Holly, and it is his purpose in a
few days to visit this place and examine
them.
This collection is the property of Will
liam Wright, of Union street, whose fan
cy runs in this direction, and for years he
has been searching this and other sections
in quest of trophies that once belonged to
the red skins, whose tribes have been OBJ
liberated by the 1eeting hand of time.
Mr.. Wright's labors in this direction
have been very successful, and now he
has, perhaps, one of the largest and most
valuable collections of Indian relics to be
found in the state. His efforts to obtain
them have been so jealous as to secure
him the valued assistance of many friends
who frequently contribute anything of
interest which they find.
At present Mr.. Wright has over 1000
specimens. They are carefully catalogued
and conveniently arranged for inspection,
and great pleasure to him is the oppor-
tunity to show them to his friends. This
whole affair resulted In gratifying person
al pleasure. The collection is remarkable
for its completeness, and is made doubly
valuable by the condition of many of the
relics, some Of the most important being
preserved without injury, which is seldom
the case.
A clay cooking bowl is an object of much
curiosity. The sides are stained with
grease and the edges are only slightly
broken. 1t is rare specimen on this &C
count.
A tomahawk is shown, and this Is said
to be one of the finest specimens ever seen
by collector of this kind OF antiquity
1t is highly polished, beautifully shaped,
and the work of chipping it down shows
that it is the work of lost art. There are
over a hundred specimens of this char
acter in all sizes, and scattered among
them are stone balls, around which
grooves have been cut, and these were
used as slnkers on fishing nets. The
methods employed in those ancient days
to successfully accomplish the making OF
these crude but necessary implements,
which are all Of stone, would probably
tax the resources of an artisan of the
present day.
Numerous celts are to be seen. This is
small hand instrument used for skin
ming animals. One in particular is the
best specimen ever seen. 1t came from
Orange county, and excelled anything OF
its kind shown at the Worlds Fair.
A clay pipe, very antique in shape and
highly priced for it's decoration, was found
at Smlthville. The Indians were quite
skilful at carving, but they never made
two sides of anything alike. There is an
other pipe of red stone, found on the SEN
eca farm near here, and 1t is surprising
how it ever reached New Jersey, as they
are invariably found in South Dakota.
They were used as pipes of peace. A
handsome pipe, with the stem broken,
was thrown up on the banks of the Ran.
cocas creek recently by a government
dredger. On the sides are engraved OBJ
jects resembling animals. A double soap
stone pipe is a wonderful piece of inge
nuity that was picked up in this county.
Some poor Indian who has lost his spirit
stone may find it on Mr.. Wright's table
1t is a beautiful crystal stone, and they
were put in graves to light the departed
ones through the happy hunting grounds
1t was found in grave at Chestnut neck,
three miles from New Gretna.
A genuine flint knife some six inches
long that resembles dagger, came from
Parker's Landing in the oil regions. 1t
has been carefully worked down to a fine
edge.
A small mortar and pestle and paint
cup, that were used to mix the paint
when the Indians were going on the war
path, are to be seen. They came from
South Carolina.
The finest jasper spear in the collection
was secured in Mount Laurel township.
There is group of seven skinnlng
knives that were found under an old
stump near Centreton. Also a last on
which moccasins were made. The shoes
for either foot were shaped by simply
turning the stone oyer.
Banner stones are exhibited. These
have holes drilled in them in which is in
serted a pole and on which was carried
the colors of the tribe. Some Of these
banner stones were used as record stones,
and one of them contains thirty-two dis
tinct marks, representing the lives of as
many people.
Another interesting relic, and one which
has some local history, is receptacle for
cracking grain. II is a wooden mortar
resembling peck measure, with heavy
stone pestle. The hole was made by
burning it out. This belonged to Indian
Pete, or Peter jackson, who brought his
family from Belvidere to Lemontown,
near New Lisbon, where they settled
They came here at the solicitation of a
brother of William Lippincott The
journey was made in a canoe down the
Delaware and then up the kancoeas
creek. This trophy was secured from
Charles Smires, of Browns Mills.
One of the best specimens of an adze
ever seen came from 'Bucto. 1t is very
peculiar in shape, has keen edge, and is
highly polished.
There are several jars of yellow and
black jasper and white quartz, all being
clippings from the manufacture of imple-
ments.
Several Sioux war clubs, tomahawks,
and string of joints from human fingers
are shown. The latter we're used by the
Indians to gamble with.
A copper box and chain, which contain
ed tobacco and wampum, was found at
Burlington when ground was broken for
McNeal's foundry.
OF the relics from thirteen bodies found
IN one trench, Mr.. Wright has the bones
of an infants arm, q inches long, and also
charm worn by the child, which was
found lying on its mothers breast.
Ann Roberts, the last of the Edgepil-
lock tribe of Indians aged 103 years, died
two years ago at Indian Mills She knew
nothing about her ancestors, and when
one year old her father gave her away to
the white people. This old lady knew
Mr.. Wright, and desiring to contribute
something valuable to his collection, she
cut off her hair and gave it to him when
she was one hundred years old. AS this
relic cannot be duplicated, 1t is regarded
as most precious.
There is fine specimen of buckskin
canteen. 1t is we'll made, of excellent
shape, and contains cork to which is at
tached string.
There is a handsome catlinite pipe,
beautifully carved, that was purchased of
one of Sitting Bulls tribe and presented
to Mr.. Wright by Charles H. Parker, of
Burlington.
Of the two pipes of peace that were
sold at the Worlds Fair, Mr.. Wright &C.
cured one of them from Sioux chief,
named Rain-in-the-Face. During it's pur-
chase this Indian said that while in the
Custer fight he shot white man, at whom
he was so angry that he cut his breast
open, took out his heart and bit piece out
of it.
The various crude instruments on ex-
hibition show that the Indians never
drill holes straight They start in a slant
ing direction on one side and then meet
the hole in a similar manner on the other
side.
Mr.. Wright has beautiful garget stone
that was found in a grave at West Creek
! twelve wears ago liz was worn around the
neck and used as record stone. There