The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-12-10
RELIC HUNTERS
Are INTERESTED
Skeleton on Jacoby Farm
May Lead to Excavations
In SITTING POSTURE
Remains of Long Buried In
dian are Unearthed.
In Recent Years Excavations Have
Uncovered Several Skeletons
A Matter for Conjecture.

While engaged in digging a clstern
to have his shovel turn over a human
Jacoby, who resides nine miles south
east OF the city, near what is known
as Kings Mills in Richland town
ship. Unlike the grave digger in
Hamlet, there was no one present
when the skull was thrown out OF
the excavation to recognize it, and
the identity of the person who was
buried there so long ago, is left en-
tirely to conjecture. The owner of
the skull may have been a 'Fellow
of infinite jest" and he may have
been one of the sterner sort who
takes the problems of life more
seriously than did Yorrick, but fing-
ers will be poked through the sockets
in which his eyes were set and the
place where once wagged his tongue
will be viewed with great curiosity.
MIR. JaCoby determined sometime
ago to dig a cistern at the northeast
corner of his house. Wednesday, to-
gether with his farm hand, he began
work and after going down a dis
tance of three feet, he was alarmed
to find that he had been working
over the grave of some Indian who
had exercised his squatter's right
long before he knew aught of the
country. AT that depth, he came up
on the skull of an indian who had
been buried there in sitting posture,
or more in a kneeling posture, but
as none of the Indians were noted for
their piety, and none were known
to worship their deities in a lneeling
posture, 1t is supposed that the SHIFT
ing of the soil had changed his posi-
ton from sitting position to that OF
kneeling.
The skull was exhWmed very care
fully and little further search dis
closed a number of the other bones
of the body. Most of the bones were
in rather poor state of preservation,
but Mr.. Jacoby succeeded in securing
IL
OF the hand and wrist, almost whole.
The skull and lower jaw were we'll
preserved as were the teeth, which
were worn down quite low, indicating
that he whose form was 'laid in the
cold ground" possibly with many
tears" years and years ago had
reached a good old age.
The bones were rather small. The
skull was under siae and these facts
taken with the Indication that 1t was
not the skull OF young person indi-
Gates that the Indian was either a
woman or was one of a tribe of first
Americans, who were not of the
stature we are used TO ascribing to
the Noble Red Man.
Some years ago, directly north OF
the place where the skeleton was
found Wednesday, along the bank OF
little stream which arises from
large springs a short distance east
of the Jacoby home, number OF
skeletons of Indians were exhumed.
These were found about one hundred
wards from the house. AT that time
1t was thought that the bank, whicn
Is now covered with orchard. was
burying ground for some tribe. In
all six skeletons have been found In
the bank and this new discovery
leads to the belief that there are still
Others which will be unearthed with
further excavation.
How long the remains OF the In
dian have been in the ground Is only
matter of conjecture. The land
along both sides of the MILESTONE at
this point was entered by Henry Wor-
line, the grandfather of Mr.. Jacoby'
almost a century ago, and since that
time it has been in the Jacoby fam
ily continuously. When the land
was entered, this knoll was covered
with a dense forest, and there was
no sign of burying ground. The
first skeletons were found about 1880
and to all appearances the disinteg-
ration of the bones was at that time
as, great in the case OF the skeleton
which was nearthed Wednesday.
The tribe to which the Indians be-
longed is also a matter OF conject-
ure. 1t is known that the Wyandot
tribe invaded this section OF the
county, from Delaware county about
1765 and it is entirely probable that
the remains as those of some mem
bers of that tribe, but the condition
of the bones of the first skeletons
which were exhumed in 1880 would
indicate that they had been buried
longer ago than 1855. One thing
which lends color to the belief that
they were Wyandots, is the fact that
few implements OF warfare and no
trinkets have been unearthed with
the bones. The Wyandots were not
noted for their warlike tendencies