Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-18

There were two vaults discovered in the
interior of the mound. One vault contained
single human skeleton and the other vault two.
Little was known about the mound building,
Indians of prehistoric America in the 1630's.
So great a burial place for three people called
to mind the building Of the royal pyramids in
Egypt, and this naturally led to speculation rs
TO which civilized race Of ancients built the
American tomb. Objects taken from this mound
and from mounds Of the same sort In other
States revealed a manner of living very different
from the lives Of the "wild Indians of hunting
tribes. ags .sx
The three who came to rest in the giant tomb
of the Grave Greek Mound had been honored
members Of a group that understood agri-
culture. They wore ornaments Of copper.
= The burial mound demonstrated that the
people Of their community were capable Of
handling large enterprises, involving organized
labor. It was commonly believed that people
with all these attachments could not be Indians,
but that they must have occupied America
before the Red Men came Were they the Lost
Tribes of Israel? Ancient Welsh? Egyptians?
The question had been raised as TO whether
these talented mound builders could write. A
bit Of their writing might show the language
they spoke and clinch some theory as to the
land from which they emigrated. And here,
out Of the Grave Greek Mound came stone
with writing on It. ~
We may well wonder the person who
planted the joke was standing by as the dis
covery was made, waiting for scientific fire.
works. In Dickens novel there was rapid
drama. But the Grave Creek inscription was a
little too good. It was accepted for the time
being as the work Of the ancients and probably
unreliable. g-ss.sssS ..
Within three years q room had been built nm
with brickwork inside the Grave Greek cone,
and here little museum was established For
IS cents the tourist could enter one Of Americas
prehistoric equivalents Of the Egyptian pyrse
nlids. BY faint candlelight he could look ct
! the skeletons of some Of those mysterious
"ancients" He could see their copper bracelets,
beads. stone weapons-and o sample Of their
writings or charms. The Grave Creek inscrfp-
ton was still regarded as merely one exhibit
among many from the mound.
But gradually the hoax began to work Inn
pressions Of the inscription began to be made
and sent TO language specialists in this country
and abroad Papers on the Inscription were
read at meetings Of learned societies Pamphlets
ON 1t were printed. Some scholars pronounced
it fake antiquity, like many other fakes that
nave been planted for various reasons to deceive
science. But none Of these wise judges reached
Mr.. Bottoms triumphant state of being able to
read the stone In ordinary English. i,
A REPORT Of the Bureau Of American
Ethnology. published 50 years after the
inscription FIRST appeared sums up the more Inn
pressive attempts at mastering the Grave Greek
inscription:
A French scientist In 1856 translated the
letters to mean: 1.-THE chief of emigration who
reached these places has fixed these statues
forever"
Another French scientist 1875, read q paper
at the Congress Of Americanists at Nancy, in
which he translated the Inscription as being
Canaanite. His version was: 'What thou
sayest. thou dost impose It, thou shinest in thy
impetuous clan and rapid channels.
Another hnguast decides that the meaning
Of the letters was: 'AThe grave Of one who was
assassinated hera May God 70 avenge him
strike his murdrer. cutting on the hand Of
his existence" $50
One scholar VINO pored over the letters ON
the bit Of stone found there four characters
which he called ancient Greek, four Etruscan,
f1ve Runic, SIX ancient Gaelic. seven old Erse,
10 Phoenician. IL old British and rs Celtiber1c.
The bureans report which rehearsed these
Mhors Of science. took cautious stand. assert i
= Continued m Sixteenth paee ss "