Show RELICS OF THE MOUND BUILDERS A FRIEND has banded to us a C opy copy of the Hilla hillsborough borough ohio gazette of late date from which we take the following prof Putnam the gentleman who has been engaged for the past three years in managing serpent mound moun I 1 park and excavating the mounds and graves in that place was in the city on monday evening on an his return from madisonville Madi sonville where he had gone to see about some relies relics of the mound builders in a short conversation which he had with some gentlemen he gave some very interesting information in regard to the work he has been pursuing he is certain that some of the graves opened contain the skeletons of human beings sacrificed by fire and substantiates this opinion by many one grave at Serpent the mound two headless skeletons were found covered with charred wood and earth near the hand of one was a portion of a stone implement the remaining portion of which was found a short distance away in a place where the sacrifice had evidently taken place in speaking of this prof putnam said that he had noticed in a grave near madison ville two headless skeletons lying across each other in shape of a 8 tar star while in a circle around them were sixteen skeleton heads each of which had the four principal bones of the head the occipital two parietal and frontal pierced with two holes as it they had been ornamented there are two kinds of skeletons found in the ohio valley the short heads and long heads the former prof putnam thinks came from the south as the shape of the head resembles those of central america and the indians of the southwest the long heads beads came from the erth down to the coast of the two great grea oceans as far as northern california and then came toward the centre and near near this section met and conquered the short heads there is a line of earthworks earthworms earth works from the alleghenies Alleg banies to the mississippi river along about the same parallel notable instances of them being fort hill fort ancient one in butler county others in kentucky and the southern part of illinois etc the long heads beads evidently conquered for the skeletons of the short heads are much greater in number than those of their foes in some burial places are nothing but short heads others contain only long heads beads while others have a mixture of both lir in answer to a question as to the date these people lived here prof putnam stated that it was at least over a thousand years ago not being able of courceu coure eto tell how much earlier the peculiar pecullar people inhabited the country from the two races he thinks the american indian evolved prof putnam is a very interesting and entertaining gentleman and delights in giving information about the subject that has been the object of his researches for so long he returned to the serpent mound on tuesday morning accompanied by dr W R smith who has also given much attention to the archaeological ae so research dr smith re turn tu edn wednesday evening highly pleased with his visit to the great serpent and other interest interesting ng mounds and graves in that vicinity |