West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-01-16
WAS IN AN IDOL 7
Traditions And SurmIses on Unwritten
History or the Past Ages
ny oREN FREDERIC MORTON.


terest some persons very much al
though there are others who would
hardly take the trouble to look at
il twice.
1t is a block of wood carved into
the likeness Of man, but without
feet, the legs being joined directly
to pedestal which is circular and
has hole through the middle. The
effigy is 3 feet 8 inches high and
weighs SO pounds The material is
thought TO be chestnut, but this is
not certain. At the rear the object
is in much the better state of pres
eryation and it is very evident that
the carving was done with skill and
accuracy. But in front the surface
is much worn and furrowed by the
action Of the weather and is conse-
quently rather defaced. The fea-
lures can no longer be distinguished
and little is missing from one side
of the head. On the other side,
the ear still remains. The forearms
extend forward in the act of hold
ing up some animal, the outlines of
which are very visible, although it
is quite impossible to say what sort
of animal is intended.
Who made this effigy and for
what purpose1 No one can now
tell. The story of It's discovery
throws little light on the matter.
1t was found by two boys in a
horizontal crevice in the face of
precipitous bluff goo feet high and
situated IL miles up the Kanawha
from the city of Charleston. The
cave was extremely difficult to get
into and the boys could hardly tell
how they got the effigy out. A fiat
stone was lying upon it, and boy
like they threw it over the edge of
the cliff. This stone was not Of the
same material as the rock formation
of the cave.
When wood is protected from the
direct action of the elements, it will
endure for a surprisingly long time.
1t has been known to remain in a
good state of preservation for two
and three thousand years, and in
other instances perhaps much longer.
Even in the rather damp climate of
Norway are we'll built log houses,
many hundreds of years old, and
not long ago a viking ship which
must have been near a thousand
years old was dug out of mound.
An image similar to this one was
found in Kentucky. An antiquarian
who has given the subject a good
deal of thought, is of opinion that
this figure is not the work of the
Indians, but of a different people.
In support of his view are several
rather remarkable facts.
The Indians on the Ohio river
had tradition that very many
years ago, large number of white
men came from the east and settled
on the river. They were driven
westward and nearly exterminated
in battle at the falls of the Ohio.
A few hundred took refuge on an
island, but were killed to the last
man. Several we'll known Indian
chiefs told this tradition and many
human bones have been found on
the island referred to. Some In.
dians of the Sac tribe visited St.
Louis in 1900 and OIL being told
that Kentucky was settled by whites,
they expressed their surprise that
anyone should live in Kentucky,
since it was filed with the spirits OF
slain white inhabitants who had
lived there long before and who
possessed arts which were unknown
to the Indians. They claimed that
the word Kentucky means river of
blood.
These traditions seem confirmed
by mysterious remains. % miles
above Charleston may be raced a
stone wall eliptical in form and or
8 miles in circuit The inclosed
area is divided by cross wall. In
the center are two runious stone
towers and an extensive burying
ground with the bodies facing cast,
a mode which was not used by Ell
ther Indians or mound Builders.
Opposite Point Pleasant has been
found another stone work Of which
the Indians could give no expla-
nation
In the State Of New York was
found some years ago apiece Of sill
yer containing the date, A. D. 600.
Other relics are on record which
are even more pulling than this.
Yet they point TO the strong proba.
bility that many years before the
final coming Of the Europeans TO
America, there was considerable
numbers Of white people here.