98 Hopewell Mound Group 



A number of skeletons were found at the following depths : 



It was remarked that many of these skeletons were charred. Some 

 of them had been laid on stone hearths, others directly in the fire, and 

 still others upon baked clay, which was sufficiently hot to char the 

 parts, the parts underneath leaving the chest and upper bones intact. 

 Skeleton No. 199 (Plate XLVI) was found near an altar. A large ocean 

 shell and two copper plates were with it. A portion of a leather garment 

 sewed with twisted fibres was still sticking to one of the plates. Mr. 

 Willoughby observed a mould of the cord of leather or sinew between 

 the holes in the plate. He thinks that this will shed light on the method 

 of fastening plates to the person. Skeleton No. 207 had copper orna- 

 ments near the radius on each side, and a number of pierced wolf and 

 fox teeth (506) around the neck. It required at least one hundred and 

 twenty-seven of the animals to make such a necklace. With skeleton 

 No. 209 were found a copper plate, two pipes, pearl beads, two bear's 

 teeth ornamented with pearls, and others with holes which may have 

 originally contained pearls. 



It is worthy of note that skeletons Nos. 197,203, and 206 had been 

 charred by fire and the bones covered with a dendritic deposit from the 

 iron in the soil above. Some of this deposit resembled breccia from 

 European caves. The iron breccia of this mound was so hard that we 

 were prevented from removing skeletons except in fragments. 



On the 1 st of October thirteen skeletons were unearthed by the 

 workmen, viz., Nos. 210 — 222 inclusive. No. 213 was especially 

 noticeable on account of the objects found near it. One bone bead 

 and a quantity of pearl and shell beads were recovered, while a number 



