Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-08-01
A GIANT TRIBE.
Bones of Prehistoric Indians Found
I'm MARYLAND

Bones of Prehistoric Indians Found
In Maryland.
Skeletons of prehistoric Indians, nearly
eight feet tall, have been discovered on
the banks OF the Choptank river, by en-
ployees of the Maryland Academy of
Science. The bones are at the academy's
building in Franklin street, where they
are being articulated and restored by the
academy expert, John Widgeon. They
will be put On exhibition in the fall.
The collection comprises eight skeie-
tons, OF which some are women and chill
dreu. They are not sll complete, but the
larger bones have been found, and there is
at least one complete skeleton of an adult
man. The discovery is considered one of
the most important, from the standpoint
of anthropology, in years.
The bones are believed to be at least one
thousand years old. The formation of the
ground above the graves gives every evil
dence of this. During the excavations the
remains of camps Of later Indians were
revealed These consisted of oyster shell
heaps, charred and burned earth and frag-
ments OF cooking utensils. These were
fully ten feet above the graves which con-
tanned the gigantic skeletons.
There have been other discoveries in
Maryland OF bones OF men OF great size.
A skeleton discovered at Ocean City sew
eral years ago measured fraction over
seven feet six inches. This skeleton was
in burying mound, and beads, man
a. ,..
1t. This dead Indian was probably one OF
the tribe mentioned by Capt. John Smith,
who in July, ieos, made voyage OF ex-
ploration of Chesapeake bay.
Speaking OF the Indians in the history
which he wrote, Captain Smith said of
this tribe, called Susquehsnocks:-
"But to proceed, sixty of these Sssque-
shanoeks came to us with skins, bowes, ar
rows, targets, beads, swords and tobacco
pipes for presents. Such great and well
4 proportioned men are seldom scene for
| they seemed like giants TO the English,
yea, and to the neigh bors, yet seemed of
/ an honest and simple disposition, and
/ with much ado We're restrained from
adoring us as gods. These are the strang-
/ language and attire; for their language it
| may well become their proportions,
I sounding from them as voice in a vault.
I Their attire is the skinues OF bears and
wolves; someshave cossacks made OF bears
heads and skinnes that mans head goes
through the skinnes' neck. and the ears of
the bear fastened to his shoulders, the
nose and teeth hanging down his breast,
another beare's face split behind him, and
at the end of the nose hung paw, the
half sleeves coming to the eibowes were
the necks of beares and the arms through
the mouth with pawes hanging at their
noses.
zone had the head of a wolf hanging on
chain for jewel, his tobacco pipe three
quarters of yard long, prettily carved
with bird, deare or some such device,
at the great end sufficient TO beat out ones
braines; with bows, arrows and clubs
suitable to their greatness. These are
scarce known to Powhatan. They can
make neare six hundred able men, and are
pallisaedoed in their townes to defend
them from the Massowineks, their MORTAL
enemies. Five of their chief Werowances
came abroad us and crossed the bay in
their barge. The picture of the greatest
Of them is signified in the map.
ssThe calfe of whose leg was three
quarters ofss yard about, and all OF the
rest of his limbs so answerable to that
proportion that he seemed the goodliest
man We ever beheld. The hayre, the one
side was long, the other close shore, with
ridge over his crown like a cookies
combe. His arrows were five-quarters
long, headed with the splInters OF a white
crystal like stone, in forms Of heart an
inch broad and an inch and half long or
more. These he wore in wolves skinne
at his back for a culver, his bows in the
one hand, and his clubbs in the other as is
described
At the point on the Choptank where the
I bones were found, there are steep shelving
! cliffs of sand and gravel that extend to
the waters edge. Beneath this bank is a
layer of mari. The graves are in the sand,
few feet above the hard mari, and have
deposits of twenty to thirty feet OF sand
and gravel above them.
: peculiar feature OF the discovery il
! the charred state of the bones OF the
: women and children. Those of the men
: are untouched by FIRE. This seems IL
indicate that the Indians cremated the
! bodies of all except their warriors.
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, Seacoast Missions.