The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-16
INDIAN SKELE TONS'
Arcnaeologist Walk I'm
earths the Remains OF
Aboriginal In
habitants.
BONES OF FIVE BRAVES
Interesting Result Of Research
in the Lenni-Lenape
Country.
BONES OF FIVE BRAVES

% dlcpdtCtI Z III INt5WaTK 'tLV6I-
ing News":-
Earnest Walk, the w~ell-known archaeo-
loglst, and professional searcher for the
Smithsonian Institution and the Museum
OF Natural History of Harvard University,
has just preparedsive Indian skeletons for
the articutator. The human bones are
those of members of the race of the Lenni-
Lenape Indians, who occupied the Della
ware River Valley $50 years ago. They
were found about one and one-half miles
below this city, and will probably form
one of the most important exhibits at the
institution.
Although he has dug up the bones Of
over 100 Indians in this vicinity, and can
tell more of the tribal history of the saw
ages who occupied the Delaware Valley
than any other man in the world, Mr.. Walk
says he is unable to explain his latest
great find to his own satisfaction. The
skeletons of the five Indians were found
in the same grave. He knows they are the
bones of the once proud and human Lenni-
Lenapes just as we'll as if they had left a
tablet giving a written history of them
selves. The archaeologist knows this by
what he found near the grave. He can
ACdO LIE u al Ay lhC al
he finds beside or at a certain distance
from the Indian skeletons, and in this way
he is able to distinguish the Lenni-Lenapes
from the Crossick Indians.
The five skeletons were found last
summer just below Dentzville, where Mr..
Walk had located an ancient village of
the Crow Lake tribe of the Lenni-Lenape
Indians of the South Valley of the Della
ware. After several weeks digging, each
shovelful of dirt taken out being sleved.
the searcher had dug a long trench, and
at the foot of the hill had made discov-
cries indicating to him that there had
been a burial feast at THAT point at some
remote date.
Mir. Yak says that when one of the
Lennl-Lenapes died he was buried near
his dwelling pace With most of his
earthly belongings. His grave was usu-
ally dug between his habitation and the
nearest stream of water. Between his
feast was always celebrated by the liv-
ing. A huge fire was buIt, over which
were hung pot in which was cooked the
the dead Indian had owned a dog, this,
made into a sort Of a resembling, the
the pots, crockery, bones Of the animal
cooked and all the earthly belongings OF
the departed warrior, except his bow and
1H0 iAo olOIO lAlcL n, 4
thrown in a grave eleven feet northeast
OF the head of the deceased.
It was the broken cooking utensils n
animal bones which he discovered that
told Mr.. Walk that by digging eleven feet
southeast he would find the remains Of
some noble redman, who was buried in
quantity and character of the stuff found
convinced Walk that he was about to find
the bones Of some big chief, but instead
ne was ~astonished TO find the skeletons
Of five Indians. Reading the signs, Walk
IS unable to say how the Indians met
Ineir death. He, had never before found
more than, one skeleton in a grave. All
were the bones of the. male, Walk saws
tnat the men We're not killed in battle,
Warlike people. Judging from the sur
~roundings Mr.. Walk concludes that the
men whose bones he found were the vic
Tins of some epidemic, and it is because
he is unable to explain this epidemic
that Walk is annoyed.
One of the skeletons shows that the
owner or the frame must have been fully
SIX feet i've inches in his bare feet when
alve. The others were also stalwart fell
lows, and Walk concludes that they were
IN the prime of life at the time of their
taxing OF, because the teeth in the laws
OF each skeleton are perfectly preserved.
Mr.. Walk says that during all his search
ing he has never found but one cripple
among the Lenni-Lenape Indians. This
was last year. In the upper Delaware
Valley he found the body of a young man.
who, in life, had evidently been a hunch-
back, as on examination he found the
spine was curved.
These Indians wore but one class of or
naments and they were manufactured of
stone. Many of these Walk has
found during his diggings n several of
his hnds are now in the museum of the
university. They were small, oblong
pieces, highly polished, and through one
end is drilled a hole, so that the trinket
could be attached to the ribbon of grass
| worn about the neck.
Walks search for human bones is tedious
work. When it is said that 1t requires
nearly one year to xarnine two acres of
land, 1t can be seen that patience is an
essential quality in the makeup of a pro
fessional searcher after unwritten history.
Much of the digging is done with a ma
| sons troWel, on knees inc hands, and in
this way Walk says he has found but one
piece of unbroken pottery. He uncovered
that two years G in the bed of a small
creek that empties into the Delaware
River near this city. He came upon it
while digging with a trowel- It was lying
on it's side and was full of dirt that had
been washed into it by the waters of the
stream. The vessel was SO thoroughly
saturated with water that it was soft and
in order to get it out whole. it was neces-
sary to uncover it gradually and allow
it to lie exposed to the sun and air until
it became hard. It was a delicate job and
Walk worked hard at it a week before he
managed to get it out. 1t was a perfect
specimen, bearing crude lines, which
| showed that the makers had some idea
of decoration. Walk calculates that it is
about two hundred and fifty years old and
is considered to be a most valuable speci-
men.
A few years ago Walk was a saloon
keeper in Chambersburg. d suburb of
Trenton, and devoted his spare time to
the study of geology and botany. He
spent weeks wandering up and down the
banks of the Delaware River, hunting for
arrow heads, stone implements used by
| the manufacturers of ancient pottery,
and whatever he could find as evidence
race of Indians. He uncovered some val
liable curiosities with his shovel, and on
the top floor of his house he fitted UP a
room which he filled with specimens of
Indian war implements and human bones.
To this museum he invited the patrons
of his saloon now n then, and discours-
ed to them on the habits and customs
belonged. His listeners Didn't always un-
derstand exactly what he was talking
| about, but they enjoyed looking at the
curiosities and talked about them. Walks
reputation as a BON hunter began to
| spread until 1t reached the ears of the
and the managers of the Museum OF Nat
ural History Of the University. The lat
ter finally made Walk a liberal offer to
| enter their employ as a Seslrcher for In
dian relics and evidence that would clear
| up the mystery that surrounds the char
acter of the early Inhabitants of the Dell
aware River valley. He sold his saloon.
| and is now recognized as one of the best
81 GU uoIuM ne YIoM eql uI usm p5lsod
| engaged in the United States.
This Is Your Opportunity.
4 ~, c1o1{~& ~ +on o1rfaa 1911 - $3.50