The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-07-16
STRANGE PEOPLE ROAMED
PLAINS OF TEXAS
Ruins Disclose Fragmentary
knowledge of Former Race
.... And Habits

Austin, Texas, July 14.-[By The
Associated Press]-Evidence tn a
Texas was inhabited by prehistoric
people different from the Indian who
roamed the plains when the first
white man came has been unearthed
by James e. Pearce, professor OF
anthropology OF the university OF
Texas. The early inhabitants, he
said, lived a nomad-like existence,
roaming from one part Of the wilder
ness to another and killing, with rude
stone weapons, animals and even hu
mans for food. In cooperation with
the Smithsonian Institute bureau OF
ethnology. Prof. Pearce has been in
vesttgating the mounds for more than
a year, he reported.
1.-THE life history of these people
have been read from the records they
left in their burned rock mounds or
kitchen middens," the professor said
these mounds are piles of broken
and charred bits of limestone three
or feet high and sometimes as long
as one hundred feet. They are made
up of the kitchen refuse of these pre-
historic peoples who had regular camp
sites at frequent intervals along the
Edwards Plateau, extending from
Austin westward to New Mexico.
vanced to the stage Of paleolithic
culture, and earlier age than the peri
cd of neolithic culture, to which most
of the American Indians belonged
These early Texas inha bitants had ar
rows and spears tipped with flint
points, Clipped but not polished. They
did not polish their stone weapons, we
did they engage in any form of agri-
culture. They were, however, skill
full skin dressers for we have found
skin scraping tools made of flint.
People Were cannibals.
1.-THE kitchen middens which we
discovered are the only thing of their
kind in America, so far as l know.
although they have been found in 9th
er parts of the world. At these sites,
camps were located with a great fire
place in the center over which huge
slabs of limestone were placed as q
sort of primitive stove upon which to
cook the meat the inhabitants killed.
I'VE know these people were can
nibals for among the refuse heaps
have been found human bones split
apart in order to get at the marrow
Inc SOU limestone SLABS, DelnS eX-
posed to the weather, broke from time
to time and were cast aside nearby
to be replaced by new ones.
"In the course of our Investigations
we have completely examined some
fifteen of these mounds and in them
have found thousands of splendid
specimens of Clipped arrow and spear
heads, as well as scraping tools and
other implements. Bones of the deer
which were prevalent in this region
are found in profusion, indicating thai
this was the principal article of diet
prof. Pearce said he was assisted
in his researches by DR.. J. Walter
Fewkes, head of the Smithsonian bur
eau of ethnology, and that the report
of the investigation is to be published
by the Smithsonian Institute. The
university of Texas will retain pos
session of collection of material un-
earthed. This will form, Prof. Pearce
said, the nucleus for museum in an
thropology.
When the present investigation on
the Edwards Plateau has been con-
Guided work will be started upon the
funeral mounds" in East Texas
which are the work of an entirely
different race of people, according to
Prof. Pearce. These people, he said
lived in later period. Their pottery
and polished weapons have beer
found in the mounds.