The Prescott daily news., 1908-10-20
MOUND BUILDERS'
 RELICS AT HOPE
W. P. Aeee, of that City Said to Have the
 Best Collection in the State

without doubt the largest and probably the most valuable in the state. Although ne mas only been engaged in the work for a. bout four years Mr.4 Agee has secured thousands of Specimens of pottery, stone, Implements, spear and arrow headsAand, other
 relics of the mound builders. out of which he mas selected the most perfect specimens to place in his present collection. He has sold thousands of specimens, but he
 has retained the best and rar- est relics for his own collection Southwest Arkansass was at one time one of the richest fields for the investigations of archeo- logists to be found. nsthe entire country, but it was 9badly ne- glected and as a consequence much of the most valuable re- mains of the mound builders was destroyed. This territory was formerly covered with mounds, but practically all of them have been leveled by the blow and their contents broken and seat tered. There are few mounds left in this section of the state which have not been explored, MT Agee has control of these mounds and expects to explore them as soon as possible.
 In making his collection, how ever. MT. Agee has not confined himself to this immediate vicin- | ity, but has purchased individ- ual specimens and private col lectionS from persons ill all parts of the state. He recently purchas ed part of the Riley collection at Atkins, which was one of the largest in the state.
 Mir. Agee is probably the most enthusiastic collector of mound builders relics in the state. Aid ed by his son who is about as great an enthusiast o.l the sub. feet as his father he mas secured a large part of the state in his search for rare and unusual specimens. During the four years that they have been en- gagged in the work. MT. Agee and his son have gathered hundreds of pieces of pottery, together with probably 3O,OOO spear and arrow heads, tomahawks, axes. war clubs, pipes and miscellan- eous articles left by the mound builders, He has sold large part of these specimens, but he still has in his collection about 15O pieces of pottery, about 5000 ar row heads, 400 spear heads, 200 tom ahawks and innumerable pipes, clubs and miscellaneous ar ticles. These represent the choice part of his entire collee- tion and some of the specimens are very rare and valuable.
 MT. Agee states that he has had two reasons for spending, so much money and time in gather ing his collection, The first be- cause he is greatly interested in | the subject and enjoys the work and the second is that he does not want to see these valuable relics taken from the state. He states that he expects to place his collection on exhibition eith- CT in this city or at the state capital, when he can find a safe and suitable place for such purpose but he declares that he will never sell the collection to anyone who will remove it from the state.
 In his collection of pottery MT. Agee has several specimens which are different lroh. any that are to be found in the collections Ill the state. Most of the vessels are elaborately decorated some, with red paint and others with engravings. Some of the designs engraved upon the vessels are in tricate and elaborate and show the highest degree of skill. Many of them bear the figures of anil mals or reproductions of the human face. Some of the finest pieces of pottery were taken from a group of mounds in Mll- Ter county and these pieces are all of a distinctive character be- ing perfectly modelled 'with a small base and swelling top. Of the thousands : of arrow heads which ne mas secured, MT. Apee places tho greatest value upon a collection of about 800 heads which were found togetn- CT in grave, which was appar- en4lv the last resting place of a