178 



In these rude sarcophagi, bodies would not be preserved ludf so 

 long as those covered by a thick mass of clay, hence I was unable, 

 in the several that I had time to open, to find anything, except at 

 the bottou| a layer of hard, dark earth full of bits of charcoal. 

 This suggested that the body might have been burned in these 

 coflBns; or, that after the burial, a large fire was made over the 

 grave, to destroy the scent, or in accordance with some religious 

 ceremony. On the steep slope of sand that extended down to the 

 edge of the creek, among slabs from the graves I found a fragment 

 or two of dark bone, apparently of great age. Several persons from 

 a neighboring settlement assured me that they had seen parts of 

 skeletons and even skulls here. The attendant at a mill close by 

 said that in cutting their canal they had exposed the foot-slabs of 

 two graves, and he offered to shut off the water any day so that I 

 could examine them, but I regret to say that I had no opportunity 

 for a subsequent visit. 



The ruins in the valley of the Seveir Eiver have generally been 

 found, so far, I believe, to consist of adobe. In digging water 

 ditches, in the toAvn of Monroe, several mounds were cut through, 

 and a number of skeletons unearthed besides some fine specimens 

 of pottery. No one, as far as I could ascertain, knows where the 

 skeletons are now, or the pottery either. There is scarcely a settle- 

 ment in all Utah that is not on or near the site of an ancient 

 village; and it seems unjust that the few antiquities that are left 

 should be carelessly destroyed. Often, a settler who knows nothing 

 about the Shinumos, and who cares less, finds on his land a mound 

 covered with regular slabs that are just the thing for building a 

 chimney, or a wall, or something of that sort. So he tears the 

 mound to pieces and uses what is desirable. If he runs across a 

 lot of pots, he examines them with some curiosity and sends them 

 into his house. In a few Aveeks the fragments may be found in the 

 back yard. Should he stumble upon a skeleton, he is at first some- 

 what amazed; but always considering a dead "injun" worthy of 

 unlimited respect, he t*enderly gathers the bones together and digs 

 for them a new grave. Occasionally a settlement contains an indi- 

 vidual who has gained some knowledge of such things ; and if he 



