Show STEEL TEEL TOMAHAWKS rl Were iO CIt Made in him out and Were cre Often Hand 1111 Dr James Cox has come conic Into Ino possession posses posses- poses poses- sion of oC a genuine in II the he shape of an Indian tomahawk The rhe weapon was ploughed up UI by Iy William Hlat on his farm Carm two and anti a half miles north norh of Prestol county Except for or i a few fem ew rust pits lils the tomahawk is in a line hue state stale of pre pre- sOI It 1 is mal made of steel and aul Is la lathe the work of oC white men as Indians I never hover Ver made mode steel tomahawks but bought them Item from flom traders It I has been hand carved in grace giace- ful Cui ui patterns and It I is doubtful If the lie handwork on omi It could be Ic done domme lone for Cor less les than U 1 10 O. O It I Is a pipe tomahawk that lint Is is U it I combiner Ito tho two tivo A neat nent steel bowl was brzen on Oi opening Into the time handle and a 11 time the handle wat was wa the stem Stein t It I was never ground to a keen edge Indians preferred tomahawks rather blunt when the weapon was n meant for tor or war var al cause ll-cause because a n thin sharp sharp edge would woul bu ho u moru mort likely to stick lck fast If It I struck uck t a bone honC It I did not hot belong to an nn Indian na nate native mint na- lye tive t e of West Vest Virginia because this state tate ceased ceasel to be Ie th the 11 home of Indians about 1650 to 1670 They were exterminated exter exter- or driven out about that time by Iya a Mohawk Inva invasion lun from New ew York Yurko Tho The In Indians ians who had their thel homes home along the tIme Monongahela Kanawha Cheat and other oIlier steams before that lint tha time and whose flint arrows we still sti fn find In abundance hind had only stone hatchets These Implements Implement are ame still occasionally found In graves antI and else else- where The They belonged to tho tire Indians who had no contact with wih white men and amid whenever cl a stone hatchet Is found foun mil In Ines We West es t Virginia It I ma may many be Ie taken for Cor granted that bat it I belonged to 10 a I nation who tho lived there lucre more than thau 20 years ago How IToi much older r than that mat It I 13 may be no one onu can cami tell tel It I ma may l Ue be thousands of oC years lal older The Time steel tomahawks however tell tella a different stor story They are arc the tIme handiwork handi work worl of white men The Indians bought them hem and antI carried them Item eu on war ivar 3 expeditions The rite flue fine flo specimen found near was In Iii all ni probability lost l by some sonic warrior on ona ona ona a a raid among tho the settlements further urther east cast The Tho warrior probably canto came from Crom Ohio and all the tIm date may be 0 fixed approximately ap imp- proximately between el 1755 and mil 1790 During that thai period of thirty live years year Indians were cro accustomed to tu make mak war raids mails across acrus Preston count county I From or 1705 1755 the he year ear of Braddock's Braddocks defeat lefeat until about I tho close of oC the Pon- Pon tines tine's tac's war parties s of Indians occasIonally occasionally occasion occasIon- lonal lon lon- al ally used usel the lie trait trail tri which crOS crossed ll Cheat river at Dunkard d bottom In lit their bolom 11 ex excursions excursions ox- ox against th thy he settlers of setters Hampshire Hamp shire thu-c county countS That old oll trail pas passed el near tear the time place where when the he tomahawk was found though t perhaps riot not over the LIme exact spot During the Ito Revolutionary He war ivar IndIans In- In Itans made several ral raids s Into Preston lun county Wo 0 o can curmi if I wo Wu choose Sll sun sun- i pose pore po e that lint sonic some member of fC a raiding r ld r g party part lost the lie tomahawk during one of these excursions We ma may also risk the guess that the lie weapon was ivas made In England although there hero Is nearly as much ground for supposing that It was tas made in lii France Both countries made tomahawks und and sold them to In in- in New New York Tribune |