New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-16

Gushing Of the University Museum and Bureau
Of Ethnology at Washington. has deni itied As
ceremonial battle-aXc. intended for hating
slicwise in wooden handle. This axe. ac-
cordng to printed label. was given to Dr.
Morton by Or. William Blandng In lSlJ. 1t was
found near Camden. : G.. the source OF nearly
all the most highly finished objects With the
axe are three unfinished banner stones made
Of sOaIStoue. These banner-StOnes the use N
which has been one of the unsoved problems
In American archaeology have recently been
shown by Mr.. Gushing to be ceremonial axes.
1t Is an interesting fact that his conclusion
the outcome of his study OF the war axe IN
the Morton collection. A large terra Gotta pipe
bowl. with 4 double row OF red impression deco
ration on either side, is accompanied by the fol-
lowing label: Taken from an Indian graveyard
on the plantation Of Resale King. In Liberty
County. Ga. The skeleton was found in a sitting
position, with his hands in his lap. holding TINS
pipe and two balls.
Another terra Gotta pipe. with junction ridges
and lozenge shaped lines. Stimulating. as Mr..
Gushing has pointed out. lacinSs derived from
pieced tube of gourds or large canes comes
from Kershaw. s. c. Captain Eastmans pct-
ure gives a very Incorrect idea OF the original
and illustrates how little Importance was at
tached some fifty years ago to the accuracy now
considered essential In Schoolcratts volume
the Rev. George Howe gives description OF
these clay pipes. probable crucibes used by
the Indians for smelling gold Another large
Indian pipe is OF soapstone be ing copy or that
material OF the clay pipes before described.
faded label is inscribed: This pipe was dug up
at the Friends Graveyard. Camden. :. c.. about
two feet below the surface. the site of an ancien!
Indian town. half a miles from Wateree rex
sentcd to me by Colonel J. kershaW w Dlaiu
ing"
Another very large soapstone pipe is in tn,
form Of bear. and has tubular bowl Oth't
specimens from South Carolina bear the hanlf
OF DR.. Gibbs and DR.. Barrett and include amonp
other beautifully finished objects number OF
polishing mullers o. high finish for paint
grinding and other purposes. The gems or thf
collection. however. are number OF dsc0idi'
stones Of marvellous perfection OF form. They
made of quartzite. one white and translucent
from four to five inches in diameter, and having
symmetrical cup-shaped depressions both
sides. in one broken through and on another
with hole worked in the centre. with arrowk5
marks running diametrically across. These ara
none other than the implements for the game
of chungke. a celebrated amusement among the
Southern Indians. Adair describes it as follows:
1.-THE warriors have another favOrite game, called
chungke, which with proprety Of language may
be called running hard labor They have
their State House square piece OF ground
we'll cleaned, and fine sand is carefully streWed
over It when requisite to promote switter
motion to what they throw along tho surface.
only one two at side play at this ancient
game. They have stone about two myers
broad at the edge and two spans round; each
party has pole about eight feet long. smooth
and tapering at each end, the points nat Ihey
set off abreast OF each other at six yards from
the end of the playground; then one of them
hurls the stone on its edge in as direct ma
as he can a considerable distance toward ina
middle Of the other end Of the square. When
they have run few yards each darts his pole
anonted with bears oil. with proper force, as
near as he can guess in proportion to the motion
OF the stone. that the end may be close To ina
stone.
when this IS the case the person counts two
OF the game. and in proportion to the nearness
Of the poles to the mark. one is counted unless
by measuring both are found to be at an equal
distance from the stone. In this manner the
players will keep running the most part OF the
day at half speed. under the violent heat or
the sun stalking their silver ornaments. their
nose finger and ear rings their breast arm and
wrist plates and all their wearing apparei.
except that which barely covers their middle
All the American Indians are much addicted 10
this game, which to US appears To be task
Of studied drudgcry. 1t seems. however. to be
Of early origin. when their fCrefathers used di-
versions as simple As their manners The hufllh@
stones they use At present We're from time i'm
memorial rubbed smooth on the rocks and with
prodigiOus labor. and they are kept with the
strctest religious care from one generation %
another and are exempted from being buried
with the dead They belong 10 the town where
they are used and are carefully preserved"
1t will be seen from this that the stones at
the University are tribal treasures from one or
the old Indian towns of Carolina. Mr. Andrew
Macfarland Davis has shown that the game Ut
chungke in one form or another was pretty well
known to the Indians of TN" whole United States
Among the Apa hes. as IN many Northern ana
Western tribes. ii is played with hoop instead
OF a stone. like game is known to the Ainu,
OF japan.
DR. Samuel G. Morton's collection contained
still other objects than the North American
stone implements, as is illustrated by the beau
tful silver figure Of a woman from Lake 1Iti-
caca. in Peru. now in the possession Of his dis
tnGusbed son. DR. Thomas G. Morton. Of Phil
adepha The acquisition Of the collection by
the University is most fortunate for science and
IT will form. with The celebrated Morton col'ec-
tion Of skulls at The Academy. a lasting me-
mortal Of its former owner
LIVING REYT FREE.
From The Philadelphia Record