The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-11-29
DOMESTIC MUMMIES.
Colorado Samples That Are Fully ~
Good as the Imported Articles.


Few people in Colorado. perhaps. are aware
OF the fact that within this state are found
the remains Of prehistoric race, preserved
by a system Of smbslming which. while some
what different from that Of the ancient
Egyptians. has proven equally effective in
combating the rsvsges OF decay. Many know
that southwestern Colorado was. hundreds
OF years age populated by . race of cliff dwell
lers and the ruins Of their homes on the Rio
San Juan, noar Mancos. are annually visited
by thousands OF inquisitive tourists. II is
not generally known. however, that these
people attained such . degree Of perfection In
the art Of preserving the remains OF their
dead that even now, centuries after they were
placed in the tomb, the only indication Of the
lapse of time is in the withered and dried.up
appearance Of the akin.
In the rooms of.ths State Historical Society,
at the Capitol building. are four of these
mummies. the most interesting specimens
vet discovered. Those who have read with
interest the results Of the labors Of arcbaeolo-
gists In Egypt, whose every discovery Of this
character is discussed In the journals and
magazines throughout the world. will be re-
paid visit to the Capitol building. We're the
history Of this strange people known and
their records preserved, the four mummies
in the rooms If the Historical Society might
prove TO be the remains of family equally
royal and renowned in their own country
with Rameses or Cleopatra in Egypt. That
they form a family group is evident. There
the father and mother and two children,
probably 0 to years OF age. Not all the dead
OF this race were thus preserved. In an ad-
joining cave are hundreds OF human bones.
representing the remains Of those who did
not rank high enough in the cliff .dwellers'
world TO be thus carefully protected from the
effacing fingers OF time. 1t Is, therefore, not
improbable that this family was of the royal
blood.
The extraordinary fneness Of the embalming
wrappings is a further evidence OF this fact
Unlike the ancient Egyptians, this wrapping
consists, not Of many folds but single gar.
ment cal efully sewed TO shut ous che air
The mbalming robe In which the remains
are shrouded is composed Of n groundwork
of cord made Of the fibre Of the Yucca plant,
and closely woven. In this are interviewer
feathers, or rather the finest down, from
some species OF bird. Each feather is care
fully woven III an upright position, and so
closely are they placed that neither air nor
water can penetrate the cloth. To make one
of these robes with the crude methods en-
ployed all being done by hand, must have
been labor OF years, and 1t is probable they
were of almost priceless value. Tens Of
thousands Of feathers would be required for
each robe.
This feather cloth is evidently indestruct-
ible, showing no signs Of decay. II is Of a
light brown color, with occasional streaks Of
white.
OF the mummies. .ithose Of the mother and
children are the best preserved. The wo-
mans long black hair hangs down over her
shoulders, and teeth and skin are in a perfect
state Of preservation. But the most remark
able specimen is that of one Of the children,
which appears to have been sbouti3 years of
age. We're it not for the peculiar parchment
like appearance Of skin, 1t would seem that
the child had been dead but few days Even
the lips have not decayed. and the fact that
the eyes are missing is not noticeable, for the
closed lids are still intact. Hair and eye
brows are preserved seemingly as in life. gThe
frontal development of the head Of this child
is most remarkable, bulging out over the
eyebrows, a quite unusual case with this peo-
ple The head displays every indication Of
more than ordinary intelligence.
new born infant, from which the wrapping
has been entirely removed, and in which
there is not the slightest trace of decay.
They were diminutive race, the remains
of the two adults measuring not more than
four feet in length.
These remains were discovered in a tomb
cut in the solid rock and carefully sealed at
the mouth. As in the tombs OF the royal
Egyptians were placed jewels and articles Of
gold and silver, 80 in this were buried evil
dences Of the belief that the dead would re-
quire in the future state some OF the things
to which they had been accustomed in life.
The cliff dwellers did not work in the metals,
but with these dead were inferred articles of
pottery and basket work and war imple-
ments of bone and flint to aid them in their
Journey to the unknown. About the burial
places stone slabs are set in the ground and
arranged in circles or parallelograms, and on
those are inscriptions chiselled or painted In
the picture language. These appear also
upon the walls OF the tomb mentioned. Here
is an opportunity for the savans to unravel
the secrets of the dead, and he who deciphers
these inscriptions may give TO the world os
startling and interesting n story as was ever
unearthed by the most ardent archaeologist
who has labored in Egypt.
Who were these strange peoplef The ques-
tion has never been satisfactorily answered.
Some hold that they were Of the Aztec race
Others that there was once a great Pueblo
empire in the Southwest, OF which they
were a part, while still others assert that the
cliff dwellers were separate and distinct
people, OF whom no posterity now survives.
From their knowledge Of the secret Of the
preservation OF the dead, however, supposed
until these discoveries to be peculiar to
Egypt, IL is not iheredible supposition
that they are branch Of some race which by
some means crossed the seas to this country.
When this migration occurred, IL ever, ca n
not be intelligently guessed, as the best au.
thortes are unable TO determine whether
the cliff dwellers fourished only centuries
ago or were contemporaneous with'or ante /
dated tho oldest races of the'old World Den
YER Evening Post.