Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-01-31

Die genius In reproducing facsimiles OF
objects of which he may find mere frag-
ments. His eden" or work-room at
Brooklin when THE AMERICAN represen-
tative called, was a wonderland, while
the barn connected with the house, in
which all the relics from his investiga-
tions in Brookiin were stored, as we'll as
many from his Florida explorations, was
veritable museum in itself. In soap
boxes piled high about the floor were
promiscuous collections of relics which
will some day enrich the National mu-
scum at Washington, but before then Mr..
Cashing has before him the monumental
task of properly classifying each article.
When it is known that from last sum
mer's work ut BROOKLYN, Mr.. Cushing had
somewhere about $500 relies, each with
a story OF its own to tell, and each to be
assigned to a definite period, some idea
may be had OF the task before him.
As said before. most OF these articles
will go to the National museum, but
where articles are duplicated, they will be
made up into smaller collections for col
lege or private collections.
HIS WORK AT BROORLIS.
Mr.. Cushing talked enthusiastically
with THE AMERICAN representative of
his work at BROOKLYN during the last sum-
mer. He says 1t is really continuation
OF his work In Florida. He came to the
Maine coast first because the climate
took up the explorations here as a sort of
recreation from his more exacting Literary
work on his Florida reports.
For the first two summers, the work
here was nnimportant, and little informa-
ton OF value was obtained, but last sum-
mer the work was taken up more system
atieally, and as II progressed interest in
1t deepened, and finds OF an important
nature were made.
He discovered that this site had been
occupied not only by indians, but at a
much earlier period by an entirely differ
ent people, possibly, said MIR. Cushing, the
Beotuks, who were the predecessors Of
| the Algonquin Indians in this region, and
perhaps the aborigines, OF whom the
present Esquimaux are supposed to be
the descendants. Many OF the relics
found date back to period certainly as
remote az 1000 years.
THE SKELETON IN ARMoR.
While the Older relics are OF the great
est chronological value, one OF Mr.. Cush-
| ing's most interesting finds was the skele-
ton in armor, which gained newspaper
notoriety. Mr.. Gushing says the skeleton
| was undoubtedly that OF a white man,
from the fact that he was buried prone,
and not in the sitting posture in which
Indians were always buried. just beside
the body was the body OF an Indian
buried in the sitting posture.
Little remained OF the armor; 1t was
| encrusted with an inch OF rust, and ernm-
bied To pieces when moved. There WAS
sufficient evidence, however, to show that
the body had certainly been encased in
armor, and besides this there were the re-
| mains Of tho ball and spike OF a haiberd,
or battle-axe, and the muzzle OF bell
mouth biuuderbus, familiar to the present
generation only III ld-feshioned pictures
| OF the colonists.
Mr.. Cushing does not share the opinion
which originated in some newspaper
writer's vivid Imagination, that the white
man in armor died In a hand to- hand
conflict with an Indian, but inclines TO
the belief that the Frenchman lived
among the Indians on friendly terms, and
was buried with the honors of his rank.
Had he been killed, his armor and war
implements would undoubtedly have
been coutiscated.
| Mr.. Gushing said the skeleton was that
of a Frenchman, not only because the
| French were the earliest explorers in this
| region, but because OF tomahawk
punched with a maltese cross, the Jesuit
trading sign. BY the means of this cross,
or rather the manner in which 1t was
punched, Mr.. Cushing was enabled to fix
the period at which the Frenchman lived
on Campbeli's island as the earliest OF
French exploration. Other silent wit
nesses to the same effect were the frag-
ments OF copper kettles, which had been
cut up and used as ornaments, Sand not
used for the purposes intended as the
later Indians soon learned to do.
REMAINS OF PERMANENT VILLAGE.
Until last year Mr.. Cushing found no
tion OF camps on the shore, during the
fishing season, but last year, on Camp
bells island, ne found the remains o, a
permanent village, which in two months
produced more relics than had been found
in the two previous years. There was also
evidence that the village had been occu-
pied at two different and quite widely
separated periods-one prehistoric, and
of quite remote time, the other coming
down to the earliest of French explora-
ton.
The evidence that this was at both
times permanent settlement was found
in the fact that not only were there evil
dences Of several interments, but there
was far larger number Of ceremonial APP
planes. The same thing is shown by
the tools, among which were several ice