Morris tribune., 1920-08-13
l3 INDIAN SKULLS
FOUND AT BARRETT
Lars o. Hjelle Unearths Gruesome
Evidence of Redskin Battle of
Years Ago

U4OO" AdhS E1SEd1u. - w ul1S ulS
ging out an old oak stump under his
house, Lars o. Hjelle of Barrett un-
earthed a skull. He dug a little
further and unearthel several more.
A total of thirteen skulls and a
number of other bones were found
within an area four feet square and
about three feet deep just beneath
the roots of the old tree. One of the
skulls had a clean cut fracture pro-
badly made by a tomahawk. An
other had two of these fractures in
the back of the skull. One of the
bones of the pelvis of one of the
skeletons had a stone arrow head en-
bedded in it three-quarters of an inch
deep. DR.. F. w. Powers said that
the shape of the skulls indicated be-
yond doubt that the bones were
those of Indians.
When the first report of the find
was made, it was thought possible,
that the skeletons buried close to-
gether in a single grave, might be
those of the NOrsemen whose mass
acre is mentioned. on the historic
Rhinestone found near Kensington.
The Rhinestone was found less than
a days journey from Barrett, and
the number of skulls founds checks
very closely with the number of
Norsemen killed by the Indians in
what was probably the first visit of
white men to the Mississippi valley.
The shape of the arrow indicated
that it was not a Sioux arrow, and it
it entirely possible that the skeletons
were those of a party of Sioux In
dians killed in battle by the Chip
pewas, and hastily buried there.
The fact that only one arrow head
was left, and that one deeply en-
beded in the body, would indicate
that the men had been buried by
their enemies who had first removed
all weapons, and buried them in a
mass in a single grave. One of the
skulls showed evidences of the scalp
having been cut off.
The tree which was growing above
the skeletons, is believed to have
been at least a hundred years old.
1t was an oak tree, with trunk over
a foot thick. It was cut down three
years ago when the house in which
Mr.. Hjelle lives was built. The
house is situated near the pavilion
on the shore of Barrett lake
The roots Of the tree grew around
the bones and in among them. One
large root had grown through one
of the skulls, breaking open the
bones of the skull with it's force.
Other smaller roots grew in between
the skull bones.
Bones of every part of the body
we're found, although the skeletons
were in no case complete. What be-
came of the other bones belonging to
the skeletons is matter for con-
lecture. Wolves might have carried
parts of the bodies away, or other
bones might have decayed more
rapidly.
Most Of the bones we're in excellent
state of preservation. The teeth in
IuO Ohu11O WS1S Ill CACS11SuI COIOl-
tion. The front teeth in nearly every
case we're broad, and all the teeth Of
the older men were worn down to a
large extent. Only one tooth in the
entire lot showed evidence of decay.
Judging from the teeth there we're
eleven full grown men, boy of fif-
teen or sixteen, and another boy
about ten or eleven years old.
It is impossible to say how long
the bones had been buried there, but
it is believed that it must have been
considerable length of time.
W. H. Goetzinger has notified the
State Historical Society of the dis
covery The skulls and bones taken
from the excavation are now in the
possession Of Mr.. Hjelle and DR.. F.
w. Powers in Barrett.