The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-09
OLDER THAN THE INDIANS.
Bones of Prehistoric Men Unearthed
by the Recent Tennessee Floods.

Pulaski Citizen.
After noticing the more material destruc-
ton wrought by the recent flood. there are
interest and fascination in studying some of
its freaks which appeal more to sentiment
and the student. Ancient graves were
washed up at several places. The editor
visited one of these Monday. On Dave
Wade's farm, between his residence and
Richland Mills, the food washed up what is
called the "old Indian graveyard" The
burying place was located on a knoll rising
gently from the creek and evidently sup
posed to be above high water by the pre-
historic people who buried their dead there
with such care. But all trace of a grave
yard had long since disappeared and not
even a tradition remained among the old
negroes in the neighborhOod.
The field was worth $50 an acre before the
food and last year sixteen acres, including
the old graveyard. produced fourteen bales
of cotton. The land had been In cultivation
long before it came into possession of MIR.
Wade, and, as stated, there was neither
trace nor tradition of a graveyard.
But when the creek spread over the bot
toms as never before, this knoll extending
great destruction by the swift current flow
Ing across il. The soil was swept away and
when the flood receded the graves were ex-
posed. We cannot tell how deep the bodies
81 Sine IL ~ S
graves are yet uncovered, nor how many
were swept away. leaving no trace. About
a dozen graves were left exposed. Some of
these were evidently graves OF adults and
some are graves OF small children.
The vaults We're formed somewhat similar
to vaults in graves of to-day. Thin slabs Of
limestone, evidently brought from some dis
lance. perhaps across the creek, are placed
edgeways along the sides and ends. The
graves are about two feet to six feet in
length and ten TO sixteen inches wide, in
6ianffnO fh0f thn hn6fpC vraFn hurried on the
side as they are too narrow TO permit a
body to lie fiat on the back as we bury; and
persons who first looked into the graves say
the skeletons were lying on the side. The
body had been placed in the vault which
was covered by other fiat rocks. and thus it
was expected by the mourners and loved
ones who placed IL there that the body
would rest undisturbed TO the end of time.
But when the flood exposed these carefully
prepared vaults, they were soon opened and
in the absence of other souvenirs, the bones
of these ancient people were carried away.
A seashell was found i'm one grave, but the
others contained nothing but decayed
bones.
The Indians who occupied this country up
to about 100 years ago, did not usually bury
their dead with such care. They simply
opened a grave, wrapped a blanket about
the dead body. laid II in the shallow grave
and filled in the earth. students of ethnol-
Ogy claim this country was inhabited by a
race of Misunderstanding people, commonly
called the mound builders" who were
driven out by the Indians. These mound
builders are believed to have been superior
to the Indian in many respects. but they
worshiped idols while the Indian wor-
SHIPPED the Great Spirit"
The graves recently washed up on the
Wade farm may have some connection
with a discovery made about thirty years
ago in the bluff on the opposite side of the
creek. Dave Imam who then lived at the
Mrs. Hays place, went to some dogs that
had chased a rabbit into the rocks on the
bluff. Among the rubbish he found two
/ small CLAW figures. one the form of q man
the other a woman. They were In sittine
posture, perhaps four or five inches high.