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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (March 13, 1902)
The Conservative * 9 THE WRIGHT SITE. ( Continued from Vol. IV No. 82 , of Conserva tive ) . The very ancient evidences are nearly all outside of the enclosing bank and ditch which "bound the more plainly marked lodge circles. These are smaller than the other circles and have every appear ance of being dug down below the sur face. I have not excavated one of these yet. yet.From From the vicinity of these ancient cir cles , come a number of stone mills , con- sistiug of boulders about the size of a man's head , worn flat , or slightly cup- Bhaped on one side. These mills were evidently used to make "peinican. " The thin strips of meat , dried in the field when on their hunt , were reduced to a powder , mixed with fat , and often with savory herbs , were stored in the intestines of the buffalo. Meat prepared in this way was often kept for a whole year without salt. As the Indians knew nothing of bread as we know it , they cracked the corn seas , as to allow the kernel to cook until it was soft. They had no occasion to make flour or meal of their corn , but ate it as hominy. This cracking process was accomplished with another imple ment found here. A boulder , half the size of a man's head , had a groove cut around it to hold a thong. This thong was tied to the top of a small tree bent over so as to form a spring strong enough to lift the rock. The tree was fastened so it could lift the rock about three inches above a large wooden mortar , made by building a fire on the end of a tree trunk or stump until a cavity was made large enough to hold some corn. " -corn" of the Indians The"squawcorn" was treated in this way and cooked with pemicau. Early travelers say it made a savory dish. In cracking the corn , the squaws pressed down vigorously on the rock and the spring-tree lifted it up when the pressure was remove ; thus the corn was prepared. The "squaw- corn" was of various colors ; an eight- rowed variety , with ears often a foot long. You may find this corn red , yel low , white and so blue that it is some times nearly black. In one of the more recent lodge circles , I found a cache of charred corn at a depth of two feet below the surface. The kernels were intact and a few bits of charred cob wore also found , A slight tinge on the burned corn shows it to have been red in color. There was a peck or more of this corn and near it was a bed of ashes , showing that most of the pile had been consumed. If yon can tell me , ye scientists , how long oal cined corn will remain without crauib ling to dust , I may be able to tell some thing about the age of this ruin. The lodge circles show the action of fire , as thin shells of charcoal are' found at the edge where once must have been .poles , but no decayed wood , or holes where the wood has rotted away are perceptible. I might discuss the matter of evidence found here at great length , but thd average reader tires of too much detailand I forbear. Throughout the village are heaps of debris between the lodge circles which are similar in appearance to the ' 'mound houses" which I have mentioned. They are , however , without a characteristic form , being oblong , round , triangular , and sometimes all three connected to gether. They are from two to sixteen inches high. These piles are composed of moved earth , pot-shards , flints and broken bones which show they have been broken to remove the marrow. The bones are in a good state of preser vation and show no great age , which seems to me is remarkable , considering other evidences of age found on the site. My theory about these heaps is not well defined , but they are doubtless the re fuse piles of the village , where every thing was thrown to get it out of the way. It is remarkable how many of these there are on the Wright site ; how ever , the land was but recently broken and the wheat crop grew very rank in these places , bringing them into marked prominence. In describing this site at such length it will give you an idea of the many other sites in this vicinity , as they vary only in size and location. The Coffin site , east of Genoa , is on low ground and is the richest in war-points of any explored. The Larson site , two and one-half miles farther east , is a small site , on both high and low ground. Our very fine "ceremonial flint" came from there. This flint is seven and one-half inches long and three and a quarter inches wide ; it is not over a quarter of an inch in the thickest place and will average less than an eighth. This is one of our very nicest specimens ; it is loaned to the society by Mrs. Larson who found it fifteen years ago. On the highest point .of this village is a mound- house. It is the only one near , but is very large and prominent. The main part of the village lies on low ground. E. E. BLAOKMAN. Parties writing to advertisers will please mention The Conservative. ANOTHER GATE AJAR. EDITOR THE CONSERVATIVE : In your issue of February 27 , Mr. By ron Beall asks many questions which are hard to answer satisfactorily to all. They refer to the "mysterious. " The instances of which he writes are seemingly - . ingly , and long have been accepted as , evidences of a "supernatural entity , su preme and omnipotent. " These appa rent evidences are far from proof. To explain those visions here is impractica ble. Anyone who feels he does not understand the reasons can learn them by studying an up-to-date , comprehen sive physiology. But the matter will long be unsettled. However , I shall re sort to the Yankee method of retorting with questions. An inebriate in delirium tremens tells of seeing , and tries to kill snakes , lizards , vampires , etc. Does he sea them ? What does he see ? With eyes closed one may behold a panorama of Niagara Falls , even when a thousand miles distant. Or one may picture an accident which happened far away , of which an account has been heard. Does one really see those things ? With eye lids closed and pressure upon the eye balls , many colors and designs appear. Are they really seen ? Again a hypno tized subject will "see" anything sug gested to him. One subject on being shown a river dives headforemost onto the wooden floor. Another , a man , fondles and caresses a bewhiskered brother under the belief that it is his sweetheart. Do these hypnotized sub jects really see these things ? Undoubtedly all will admit these things to be of the imagination. But many will not admit them to be analogous ' gous to the instances of whioh'Mr. Beall wrote , because probably the other visions deal with the "fearful un known. " Few are content to learn and disseminate the knowledge which has been revealed to us , and thereby honor and glorify the power that is. Most all choose to ignore the known , preferring to speculate and delve in what is kept hidden from us , thereby evidently being contrary to the wishes of the "Maker. " This results through fear of the "dread ful to be. " Man is an animal , and fear is about the most powerful charac teristic of animals. It may affect the various animals differently , but all alike fear most that which they suspect but cannot see. "The greatest sin is the sin against what I believe. " CLEVELAND , O. J. D. JONES , JR. A Generation Ago Coffee could only be bought in bulk. The 2Oth Century way is the Lion Coffee way sealed packages , al ways correct in weight , clean , fresh , uniform and retaining its rich flavor. . . V- T--.V -r VT " 1
