Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-11-03
COMMEMORATIVE EVIDENCE.

CoRROBORATIvE EVIDENCE.
Since that remarkable record Of the
early Inhabitants OF America-the
Book Of Mormon-was first published
there have been numerous discoveries
In different parts Of this continent,
which are verltable testimonies Of the
truth Of It's historical variations North
and South and Central America have all
furnished relics OF the past, in the shape
OF ruined cities and temples. acQue-
ducts, canals, pottery, weapons OF war
hieroglyphics, skeletons and remains
of civilized ana seml-civlllzed he and
arts, that M IN with the theory and
corroborate the testimony found In the
Book Of Mormon But the religious
portions Of the record are so inter-
woven with the history It contains, that
neither can be taken from the other
without destroying the entire work
That which sustains one part also bears
up the other and gives evidence Of
the truth OF the whole volume.
one Of the most recent developments
in This line Of evidence. IS published in
the New York World monthly for Oc-
tober II Is Of such interest to readers
who pay attention to the antiquities OF
our country. and also TO believers in
the book revealed and translated by the
gitt and power Of God, for the benefit
OF mankind IN the latter days, that
We reproduce It in full as follows; It
is entitled Tables OF the Law in
Michigan Mound"
"Wyman, Mich. Sept 6.
"A tablet craven IN an unknown
language with what appear 20 be the
Ten Commandments is the most inter-
esting OF many extraordinary anuqul-
ties dug from mound north OF this
village, and now lying about I'm farm
houses and barns.
other curiogues from the mound
are sarcophagl containing what appear
20 be burned human remains, flint
spear heads scratched with rude pic
lures suggesting Noahs flood. pottery
ornaments and weapons.
Are these things relics OF the mys-
terious civilization that dominated this
land before the Indian arose 70 tram
pie It under foot7 Only an archaeolog-
ist can answer the question That the
curiosltes were not planted by some
practical Joker is proved by the fact
that great pine trees some centuries
old have grown over the mound since
the articles We're buried there
mo inhabltant Of this region can read
the inscriptions on tablets or sarc0-
phag, but in "a general way VIII rec0g-
nize the characters and style Of deco
ration as resembling Egyptian or AS
syrian ANTIQUITIES, This TO the lay
mind, deepens the mystery and recalls
the scientific theory recent'~ exploited
in the Sunday World that the Ameri-
can Continent was the cradle OF the
human race, and that the tide OF emil
grafton was from Alaska 10 Asia, in
stead Of vice versa
"Wyman u numbering town with
two saw mills AT the country there
abouts has been numbered on $50 thor
0ughly that nothing but leg.ous 90 pine
stumps meet the eye IN every dlrec-
ton.
More absorbed in thinking % the
timber supply and the problem OF live
lhood the local folk were only mildly
interested when $. O. Scoiford. then
a painter living IN Edmore four miles
south dslnterred from the mounds
some curious objects the Ike Of which
had never been seen before.
"SCotford is known as an eccentric
character Of a rather inventive mind.
and his discoveries were viewed with
scepticlsm But other persons began 10
Dig ana ind similar cUrlosItles The
largest collection Is that Of Hiram J
Rich. A farmer near Wyman. WkO has
several dozen of the relics stored IN his
barn. where the writer inspected them.
IAN excepting the flint spear head
are 81 burned clay. They were not
placed haphaZard In the mounds but
each one was confined IN a small cham
Der OF red clay When taken out the
clay was damp but quickly dried
The tablet that seems 20 contain the
Ten Commandments Is patterned after
the tablet represented In the familiar
engraving Of Moses on Mount Sinai.
Arabic numerals are not used 20 deslg-
nate. but lines Ike those used 20 tally
scores I'm playing cards. The tablet IS
about a foot long and nine inches
broad
"No less suggestive Of biblical lore
ls the flint spear head. II Is almost
nine inches long and six broad and has
n Nat nolshed surface on this are
scratched various scenes deplctlnr the
Hood. Men are holding their arms above
their heads as N 20 ward on the drs-
cendn- water. Scene No. 2 shows the
ark on q mountain, and In the final
scene troops or animals are filing out
"The sarcophagi, or rather, funeral
urns containing ashes invite conlec'
ture From n foot and n half high 20
two feet long their breadth and heIghth
average eight inches. The ld Is stuck
on nv some unknown process. and is
usually adorned with a reclining Ion
ar rarther with that peculiar head,
dress which adorns the lion N E=yp-
liam SCULPTURE. The outside OF the sar-
c1rNagl is covered with hieroglyphIcs.
ON tho inside ashes Of human bodies
and bite ~ human bones are found.
similar discoveries were made at
mounds hard hv Crystal Lake some
miles away. and at other places