The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-07

theIc IN no part OF the country that N richer
N Indian relics than are Pennsyt, ania
The wyoming Valley In Pennsylvania h
the only place found which Ia anything
like cleaned out. II haa been gone through
with fine tooth comb.
~ IL astonishing tho number OF collect
ors there are there. The museums send
them out and they seem 60 be supplied
with no end OF money. They will pay al
they think has any hist rical or ethnolog-
zeal value. Besides these there are q
number OF private collectors out there who
are exceedingly alert.
There are a number of these private
collections. and some of the owners have
the genuine collectors suspicious of other
collectors. They won't even let you see
what they have got, for fear you will steal
something, went to one old fellow who,
! was told. had very fine collection. but
he would not let me have SO much az a
glimpse OF It.. / assured him I had no
notion Of stealing things, and offered to
let MN tie my hands behind me when
went in. But it was no Use. His utter
lack OF faith in the ability of the collector
to keep from piiferiag was too deep rooted
to he shaken.
When left home on this last trip had
all told, somewhere in the neighborhood Of
$500 Indian specimens alone gathered
on the trip $500 more specimens, making
the total OF my present collection OF Indian
relics about 5000 specimens In grave
in northumberland county, Pa, found a
very fine specimen Of paint pot with the
marks OF the paint still on It, and in that
same county. as well az in Snyder county,
l got fine collection of stone hatchets.
spear heads. pestles and mortars. as we'll
asa number Of much rarer articles.
The Indians generally buried their
ID hn IA 10 -. i
may know the places occasionally by traces
of mounds. or course they had poor inn
plements to dig with, and the graves were
shallow and heaped up above the level OF
the ground You always find the skeleton
in sitting posture, with the knees drawn
up to the chin. With the dead they buried
various Implements. and 1t 10 only in these
specimens.
II carry with me a long iron rod, with
which | sound what from surface indica-
tons looks as though 1t might be burial
place, 1t is like prospecting for gold
With long experience l have got so ] can
generally tell whether the rod is striking
stone or bone. In one place got sixteen
superb skulls, one Of them with cleanly
marked tomahawk cash across the fore
head. That was on one of my earlier trips
when was on horseback and had no wagon
in which to carry my finds.
:! paid farmer to pack up the skulls
and ship them to me. When they reached
home there were only fifteen skulls The
one with the tomahawk CASH the one that
was worth more than all the rest, was miss
ing. 1t was no use making q fuss about it
Maybe it was mistake, but l will say that
the farmers. some Of them in q country
rich in archaeological deposits, are becom-
ing rapidly alive to the value Of specimens.
Il regretted the loss OF this skull very
much. There is a skull in the museum
Of the Wyoming Historical Society in WI likes
Barre which has a clean-cut tomahawk
cash in it, and it Is priced very highly. But
the one found and then lost was much
finer specimen.
"Out in Snyder county, Pennsylvania,
found fire Indian burial ground which
has never been touched. l was so much
impressed with it that l bought the land
about an acre and a quarter, on which
later on. Az a rule, there is little difficulty
in getting the privilege of digging in q
locality that promises relics The owners
OF the land for small sum are generally
willing to let you dig as much as you want
AS for the trip itself. it was delightful
Yet we worked pretty hard. We had our
were about exploring and digging. the
greater part Of the day. We did good dea
Of our travelling by night and rarely got
more than five or six hours sleep In the
twsnty-four, which is ample II you sleep
sound, and when you have put In as many
hours to the day ~ We did, you generally
do sleep sound
I'VE bivouae ked wherever We CHANGED to
be. Sometimes we paid farmers for the
privilege Of camping cur little caravan on
their land, but generally we found places
where we were free to camp and well
come. The advantage in travelling at night
is that it is cooler, for one thing, and then
in going through cities and large towns
We attracted less attention.
There was nothing particularly striking
about our outfit, yet it was just enough
out of the ordinary to excite curiosity
But people out in Pennsylvania are getting
used to the seni-gypsy form of summer
travelling. I was surprised at the number
Of people fell in with travelling long dis.
tances with horse and wagon. Generally
they carried tents with them and pitched
them al night by the wayside, but the
specially constructed covered wagon is far
better. 1t is like an overland houseboat
and by all odds the most delightful way
of inland travel that | know.
"But If you plan to rely upon the country
hotel for bed and board you are leaning
on broken reed. To say nothing Of Their
being generally very bad, il you are belated
at night you find them locked up and your.
self an outcast, and If you are not there al
Just the hours when they have their meals
you are minus your grub. The handouts
they are able to serve YOU are such as no
man can eat and not undermine his con.
otit