The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-14

says l4idl IL Is the most luStt uCt4CNc NUN
a scientific point of view of anything
found in the territories in a decade.
How the Miners Made the Discovery.
The miners who came upon this valuable
find We're wandering along dry creek
that once fed the ella river-forty miles
from Phoenix. They were trying the rock
with their hammers as they went along.
when they sped huge boulder that had
been rol ed against the face of mass OF
rock and sealed there. 1t Is strange that
it had not been found before. The miners
got out their rock axes and broke the
boulder away from its fastening. The
mouth of a small cave cut in the fiinty
wall was revealed. The miners thought
of great crooks Of gold that IN eht be
stored within, and that possibly some or
Montezumas fabulous wealth was hid
den in the cave. The hollow in the rocks
was about seven feet deep and four feet
high. 1t was evidently made Durpose.y
for the burial OF the body found there
and no other mummy has ever been found
within one hundred miles of this lonely
scpulchre. At the rear of the little cave
the miners found what appeared to be
chamber in the so il granite floor. The
mouth of the CHI mbcr was seal d. When
the cement-lke substance was broken and
the fiat stone lifted it was seen that a
a smell of resin and balsAm when the as
tonshed miners began carefully to re-
move the body from where it had no
doubt lain five hundred-perhaps seven
hundred years.
The body was evidently that of child
apparently the offspring of prehistoric
royalty The little body was wrapped in
an unknown balsamic plant and then
sound with bands of yucca and straw
smeared on spots in the covering, where
ii seemed that air might penetrate. The
miners. fearful that harm might come 20
their find did not remove any of the
mummy coverings. and carefully brought
them and all that they found in the
tomb across the country to Yuma. Here
the wrappings were removed by skilful
hands and amid eager watching by an
assembiage of local scientists. When the
coverings had been removed it was found
that the body was that of small girl
about five years Old, There is no doubt
that she was of a noble family. and that
her costly and elaborate burial instead
Of cremation, was made for some extra
ordinary reason. Wrappings that filled
five bushel baskets We're unwound from
the remains. AS the bands were remov-
ed baked peanuts and mesquite beans
relied out Both beans and peanuts were
a 4
they had been placed there a few months
before. \ child'ssspiayt hing-a curious
bone affair. three inches long and one
inch wide, with holes through it and with
pieces of animal hide dangling from It
was found placed between the arms of
the bcdy. The color of the dry parched
skin was similar 20 that of an Egyptian
mummy. The little shriveIed hands were
clenched about bits of mesquite wood, and
hf-Ir L
finer than that of any modern Indian. dow
cred the head. The legs were drawn in
the position of a child creeping and the
forearms were raised so that the hands
were near the shoulders. with the palms
toward the front, similar to all Peruvian
mummies. The finger-nails lwere perfect
and the teeth intact The noso ears and
eyes We're gone, and the skin was broken
on the right knee aud one of the wrists,
exposing bones, sinews and dried flesh
Other Discoveries of Mummies.
Two years ago four very fine mummies
were taken out of La Canyada canon. six
~ miles northeast from Phoenix Two of
them subsided into dust after contact with
the air, but the othre two were taken to
Harvard University in fairly good condi-
ton. They We're, those of four chiefs
among cliff-dwellers. The large mount
tomb
them showed that One arm had seven
huge bracelets made from shells. such as
are found nowadays only In Labrador
and that discovery has always been a
poser for chronological students seeking to
learn whence the Toltecs or Aztecs came.
In the upper region of the ella valley
there are hundreds of tombs yet unopened.
but they are sepulchres of the cliff-dwell-
ers. These death chambers were cut
tIr<S. och. H.
crudest tools into granite walls 100 and
SEQ feet above the bed of a canon. Some
are so high that they cannot be reached
by ladders, and are protected from above
by the overhanging rocks. so that they
cannot even be reached by means of
ropes.
The cliff-dwellers. as rule, did not
resort TO mummifying their dead but
preferred to burn the bodies and deposi.
the ashes. together with some household
utensils or perhaps a gewgaw or fetish
beloved by the wearer while In life
The Papagoes of Northern Arizona and
Western New Mexico in burying, erect a
corral of rock some two or three feet
high. with a roof. The body is then plaC-
eli inside In sitting or reclining pos
ture, together with saddles, brides, and
similar objects which belonged to the
dead person. Then the funeral rites of
the tribe are observed, lasting sometimes
a week. BY this time the dead Indian is
thought to be well on his way to the
happy hunting grounds and all save the
widow Danish melancholy in their native
drink. But the widows are always wild
ows as long as they live, and are sup
ported from the common fund, and are
the common drudge of all.
In the mountain districts sepulchres are
found built of rough but carefully hewn
rock and placed layer upon layer, stair
step fashion Each step contains "a row Of
dead warriors, while the female popula-
ton were given yard near by under
loose piles of cobble-rock These burial
PAGES while not so ancient are yet be-
yond the memory end traditions of the
Indians of the present day. As they are
few and occur only in isolated regions
ana on fortified points, they may possibly
De the remains of a wandering band of
savages from the North or East.
\ Remarkable Prehistoric Monu-
The Smithsonian Institution scientists
say that the most remarkable prehistoric
monument In the Southwest-mny be i'm
an the country--hs a black. barren butte
on the lower GIN river, about fifty miles
east of Yuma. 1t Us not wonderful from
any architectural standpoint. There are
no marvellous hierog.yphics nor immense
pieces of engineering work which battle
the minds OF modern scientists. IL ia
only plain. bald rocky point. uglier AID
f.1Ht .fas