Evening star., 1924-01-12
Leaden Receptacle Dug Up in
P Street Yard Contains
Beads and Parchment.
TURNED OVER TO EXPERTS
AT NEW YORK MUSEUM
Kaufman Declares Local Scientists
Paid Expenses of Taking Find
to Metropolitan Museum.

!
shaped beads and q strengthening
document that appeared to be made
of heavy parchment paper, has been
| unearthed near the spot where one
| week ago today Russell Kaufman dug
up lead plate bearing a name of
| striking similarity to that OF the first
! white child born in America
So much Importance has been at
! tached to this latest discovery in the
back yard OF Mr.. Kaufman's boarding
| house, at 1920 Z street northwest,
| that he has placed the objects in the
hands of New York scientists, said
| to be members of the staff of the
| Metropolitan Museum, for examina-
| ton to determine definitely whether
| they, together with the plate, indicate
! the burial place of the lost baby, Vir-
ginia Dare.
| The story of Mr.. Kaufman's un-
expected find reads like a chapter
from fiction. Disappointed over the
announcement of scientists from the
Smithsonian Institution that the plate
could not have been buried more than
! fifty years. although the name of the
child 1t was supposed TO bear disap-
ipeared more than three centuries
ago. he started to fill up the hole
lat had been dug originally as a
bed for a holly tree. That was last
Tuesday morning.
! Stung by veiled insinuations. the
young man determined to make
another effort to unearth something
J that would lend more credence to the
story of the lead plate. Assisted by
Frank Hauer, who lives at the same
! address, he began excavating to the
left of the first hole. About five feet
I from the surface his pick struck an
like earth, but yet soft enough to
yield under the blow of the pick.
Finds Lead Casket.
A minute more Of careful excavat-
| ing revealed the casket. II was coy
cred to moderate degree with
; green mold. but to a far greater ex-
tent with hard, white material
that may be dried clay. The lid Of
the casket, which is a scant seven
inches square, was dented In, a con-
dition that may have been caused by
the pick striking II. Its construc-
tion was Of the rudest character. the
lid being held to the casket by two
large, metallic pins being inserted
through roughly scraped out holes.
Mr.. Kaufman has learned some les
sons from the way he handled the
first lead plate. Instead of washing
the corrosion from the casket with
! strong acids. he carefully preserved
1t In It's original condition. Upon get
ting 1t to his room he raised the lid
Inside he found eight roughly shaped
beads and the paper or parchment
document. There was also a guam
tity of dust, which scientists believe
was the thong upon which the beads
had been strung.
Time and the chemical condition of
the ground in which the casket had
the color of the beads and they ap-
peared to be little more than clay
themselves. The paper. however, con-
tained some hand-written print. The
document itself. Mr. Kaufman said.
was made of a substance almost heavy
enough to be a thin sheet OF bark and
was folded over twice. 1t was so
/ frail that 1t almost. fell to pieces
when he opened the casket.
i Viewed by Scientists.
Even under powerful reading
glass it was impossible to decipher
the words that were written on the
document, although a letter here and
| there could be made out. 1t happened
! that three men, said to be prominent
Washington scientists, but whose
| identity Mr.. Kaufman promised to
conceal for the present, called to
| examine the plate a few minutes
after he had unearthed the casket
They, too, found itdmpossible to make
out the writing. but declared they
! were confident it could be deciphered
with proper instruments.
The visitors were so interested in
the discovery, Mr.. kaufman said, that
they agreed to pay his fare to New
York if he would take the objects
to two men,I whose names he also
agreed to withhold for the present,
said to be attached to the Metropoli-
, tan Museum. Losing no time. the
young man boarded a train that day,
over to the scientists and will return
to the metropolis tomorrow for their
report: No. rnc,r rha.hAr
the casket and its contents are his
torically valuable or not" said their
discoverer. 'It seems, however, like
a peculiar coincidence that the plate
and the casket should have lain
! buried so close together.
THE matter is wholly in the hands
of the scientists. If they say the
objects are genuine and may really
be associated with the burial place
of Virginia Dare. shall be guided
by their suggestions. One thing Is
certain, however, 1 am not going TO
do any more digging in my back yard.
I've had enough. Too much, in fact"
Mr.. Kaufman telegraphed to Gov.
Trinkle Of Virginia yesterday, offer
ing to turn over to the state Of Vir-
giniar without cost of compensation
Of any kind, the original plate. Gov.
Trinkle wrote him Immediately ask
ing for additional information, and
ME- Kaufman has forwarded him a
complete description of the object and
| the circumstances under which 1t was
found.