| Show Golden Relics of Old Race Discovery of Ornaments and Trinkets of or a 8 Past Long Period Has Aroused Archeologists to Speculation Speculation lation as to the Makers Four or live Jive years rears ago several leveral poor and nd Ignore ignorant ht natives native were poling their way In a canoe up the Rio Grande de Code Cocle a large river In western Panama about 00 10 miles mUes south onto of the Panama canal The dry season lesson had bad lowered the river As the small craft made Its way up up- stream the keen eyes eres of one of the natives noted something glittering In Inthe Inthe inthe the bank In a few minutes greedy hands were tearing at the soil for they had found pieces of f gold The fact that the gold articles were objects of art beaten Into curious and ond beautiful shapes hapel by bands hands long dead did not Interest the natives But ut It did Interest In terest scientists When word of the find came to the Peabody museum of university a a. a party of archeologists went down to gate gotI The scientists worked In secret secret secret se se- cret for three years and have bave now returned with a store of gold objects objects ob ob- worth a kings king's ransom In the opinion of Dr S. S K Lothrop leader of the expedition they represent the theart theart theart art of a civilization In Panama that has hitherto been unknown to ad- ad ence The chance which brought scientists scientists scientists to the spot was due to a shift In the bed of the Rio de Code Cocle In changing Its course the stream cut through an ancient burying place The gold told ornaments which excited the Interest of the natives were part of the funeral dress of some long long- forgotten chieftain burled buried not only with his bis richest possessions of metal and pottery but surrounded also by I his hll wives retainers servants and I slaves The abundance of similar finds Ands made mad by the Peabody museum party In Its year three-year sojourn In Panama was almost without precedent Describing Describing Describing De De- scribing the results of the expedition recently In the New York Times Magazine Doctor Lothrop reported that from one grave gra alone measurIng measuring measuring ing no more than 12 by 14 feet more than 2 2000 objects were removed The grave contained a score of bodies laid out in rows upon massive atone stone slabs Piled riled over and around the bones were 00 0 different objects of gold Including four heavy p pend pendants nd- nd ants set with semi-precious semi stones six Ix gold necklaces containing thousands thousands thou thou- sands of beads four large and heavily heavily ily embossed golden discs disc twenty- twenty eight discs about 3 Inches wide which bad had once been sewn on a shirt four foul pairs of gold cuffs culTs and twenty twenty four four rods of gold with decorated tips for Insertion in the the ears There were pottery vessels both for domestic service and for religious religious re re- offerings There were 57 stone axes axe and chisels five gold chisels chisels chis chis- I ChiS-I els 21 stone knives stone arrow I points nine mirrors of hematite set setIn setin I In limestone discs pendants and I beads of agate gate statuettes carved from the ribs of the manatee or sea cow cow some of them overlaid with gold wild boars' boars tusks set in gold sting-ray sting spines and saw-fish saw teeth used ai as spear points sharks' sharks tooth necklaces crystals glided gilded copper ornaments ornaments or and many other objects Such a list Hat gives but a pale paJe picture picture pic- pic ture of the reality said Doctor Lothrop Gold does not tarnish Inthe Inthe in inthe the earth and it appeared gleaming In 10 the sun as our knives and brushes removed the accumulated layers of dirt Intricate designs beaten In high relief met the eye huge breastplates embossed with mythological monsters monsters mon mon- liters gold cuffs culTs running In sheets from wrist to elbow each pair stamped with a distinctive design designor or property mark corresponding to our coat of arms complex castings of strange anthropomorphic gods fashioned In molds over delicate models In wax The richness variety and fine workmanship of these possessions possession I indicate that a well established wealthy and highly organized cultura culture produced them Doctor Lothrop and his hll associates believe from froma a study of the relics that the Panama anama peoples pea peo ples plea were unrelated in culture either to their neighbors the Mayas layas and Aztecs to the northwest or the Incas to the south In short the tho discovery of these graves has hils brought to light remains of a hitherto unknown American Amer Amer- ican lean civilization as great and important tant in Its way perhaps as any arty of the others other Who were these people Histories relate that a party of Spaniards In search earch of gold left the coast of Pan ran ama In 1515 Moving Inland the they came calVe to a district ruled b by a powerful powerful powerful power- power ful chief named Parita who b by a stratagem administered such a crushIng crushing crush crush- Ing defeat to the Spaniards that they were driven off olT Several years yearl later a band of Spaniards searching for him Mm found his body elaborately decked for burial surrounded by bound captives cap capo tives who were to accompany him to his grave Ills body bOdy- body s was adorned from head to foot with golden orna merits ments and many others were In baskets bas has nearby Stripping the body and robbin robbing the baskets the Spaniards returned to the c coast ast with more than pounds of gold Parita and ond his subjects subJects' were probably probably ably remnants of the once-great once civi which produced the ornaments ornaments orna ments and relics recently uncovered by rom From From the Literary Digest |
