Show A CURIOUS FIND IN IOWA party from the institution tl the th oddity od allty interest in ill the discovery near fairfield jefferson county iowa has intensified since the report ot of tho the professor on antiquities of 0 the ohio university has been received stating that the relic la Is undoubtedly of 0 aztec origin says the st loula loul globe democrat A party ot of scientists scientist from the smithsonian Smiths onlan institution la Is now on it its way to gather additional data to aid in determining its origin the find was made september 9 1808 1890 the block of wood in which the records were is about the size ot of a common brick the outside ot of this box was coated with wax was or gum glim ot of some kind which no not t only fastened the pieces together but made the receptacle within practically water and air tight after being coated the L blocks had been held over a fire that the gum might be melted and evenly distributed and the block is not only covered with soot but it is also slightly charred the wood pos possibly sibly a bit of birch is excellently preserved the outer wrapping of bark Is purplish black indicating that it had been discolored by smoke that on which the characters are written is as thin as a bit of printing paper of this a day a pinkish yellow as fresh apparently as the day it was put into the ground the characters are written in red ink possibly the juice of some fruit or plant the color is bright and the work neat that of an expert the bark Is not that of our common birch but more like that which Is used by the indians farther north the wax with which the bits of wood were sealed resembles very much dark sealing wax of these days melts very readily and gives atit a faint odor the find was made under the stump of a tree two or three feet deep workmen think the tree must have been fifty years old |