The Coconino sun., 1925-03-13

America will the mystery-shrouded
plates excavated from the earth near
lime kiln on the Silverbell road, un.
fold? Did Columbus really discover
America in 1892, as history tells US,
or was the discovery made hundreds
of years earlier by an unknown peo-
pie from overseas?
These are among the questions that
Charles E. Manier and T. W. Bent,
who have found several of the metal
plates, all in the form of holy crosses,
and all inscribed with pure Latin in
what appears to be Roman script, are
asking.
DR.. A. E. Douglass, director of the
Steward observatory; Karl Rupert,
assistant director of the Arizona mu-
scum, and DR.. Frank H. Fowler, pro-
fessor of classical languages at the
university, have interested themselves
in aiding the finders unravel the mys-
terry of the Latin inscribed crosses.
When the first cross was discovered
by Mr. Manier, by chance, in Septem-
ber, the professors at the university
were inclined to discount the import
ance of the find, in the belief that the
inscription was the work of some re-
hgious fanatic or hermit, although un
questionably a man of education and.
skill in the art of engraving. The let
tering of the inscription shows this to
be so.
Since the discovery Of similar,
though smaller crosses buried within
few feet of the place where the
first cross was found, the scientific
4alr fr14a A14 in q
historic relics, and are of the opinion
that they might prove to be of great
historic value.
Are these crosses of metal, instru-
ments used for the recording of an
cient~bits of history by ancient his
torians, relics of Mormonism We're
they the work of the Lamanites or
their descendants, and did the Lam
antics settle in Arizona after they
had killed off the Nephite tribe, about
the year 421 A. d., at a place that is
now said to be in Oneida county, n.
Y? The Book of Mormon recounts
the Staying of the Nephites and re-
cords that the Lamanites, after the
shaving iourneyed to the southwestern
part of the North American continent,
where they were said to have settled.
The aid of Eli Abegg, Mormon
elder who lives at Fort Lowell, is aid
ing Manner and Bent in. searching out
this theory. At his request Elmer
Abegg has been supplied with blus
prints of the several plates found, and
on which the inscriptions are perfect
ly clear.
When Manner found the first cross.
II, Ill oh Ic oh ST V
and a half miles east of town, upon
discovering that the object was made
in two parts, he pried the plates apart,
and the Latin inscriptions were re-
vealed.
He took the two plates to Professor
Fowler, who made translation of the
script.
On the following day, party from
the university excayated further, and
found a flat piece of caliche about Il
inches wide, bearing much the same
inscription as that found within the
cross.
The second cross was found by Mr..
Bent on November 28, within foot
or two of the place where the first
cross had been discovered. The third
relic, but one side of a cross, which
was badly corroded and appeared not
to have been completed by the his
torian, was found by Manner, while
he and Bent were eXcavating at the
kiln on November 30. This was discov
cred about three feet from the surface
of the hillside, and was found at the
level of the first and second crosses.
and in the same stratum of callche.
This cross was uncOmpleted and con-
tanned very little inscription. 1t
weighed but 10 pounds, and was MUCH
smaller than the first and second
which weigh respectively 80 and 20
pounds The fourth cross was found
about four feet within the hillside and
a point about three feet to the left or
the first cross. 1t was discovered by
Mexican laborers who had. been hired
BY Manner and Bent to continue the
excavations. It was the exact replica
Of the cross found by Bent, except in
the matter of the inscription, as it
contains more than any OF the others
and tells more complete story. 1t
was found on December and weighed.
% pounds.
All Of the five crosses, or nine
plates were found within a radius OF
six feet. Ali of the plates were
roughly made, and were apparently
moulded in the ground. The halves
are held together with lead rivets, the
inscription on the inner surfaces hav-
ing been preserved by waxy sub
stance, which appears to be bees wax,
but has proved to be on another SUD-
stance. The chemists who examined
the substance were unable to deter
naine its composition, but were unani.
NOUS in their opinion that it had
served its purpose of preservative with
utmost efficiency.
1t is very evident that more than
one person assisted in the writing Of
the scripts, as there is marked diff
ference in the grammatical construc-
tion. The persons who did the writ
ING were evidently Of one rank, as the
inscription on each ends with the word
@OL," which, it has been determined
signifies rank, such as leader or CHIEF
Archaeologists who have seen the
plates are not agreed as to their exact
connection with the history of this
country, although they are inclined to
the opinion that the plates are gen