438 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VII , No. 171 



coveries under the ban of suspicion. In the January 

 number, 1886, of the same magazine, there also ap- 

 peared an elaborate attack by its editor upon the 

 authenticity of the Davenport tablets, of which the 

 Rev. J. Gass was a principal discoverer. In the 

 March number there further appeared a communica- 

 tion from Mr. A. F. Berlin, containing the statements 

 that Rev. Mr. Gass had made some exchanges, not 

 with himself, but with Mr. H. C. Stevens of Oregon, 

 and that most of the mound-relics sent by Mr. Gass 

 to Mr. Stevens were 4 modern ' or fraudulent. These 

 statements were submitted by the writer to Mr. 

 Gass, and his explanations as furnished to me will be 

 found in the following communication. This letter 

 from Mr. Gass was written in German ; and the 

 translation herewith furnished for publication was 

 made by Prof. William Riepe, who was formerly 

 connected with the public schools of this city, and 

 subsequently revised by Carl L. Suksdorf, Esq., 

 principal of the German free school. It is proper to 

 state that Mr. Gass preaches and teaches in German, 

 and as his few English letters, on account of his im- 

 perfect knowledge of the language, are usually dic- 

 tated to an impromptu amanuensis, they but imper- 

 fectly represent his precise meaning. 



The publications in the Antiquarian were made 

 without communication with the Davenport academy, 

 and without affording Mr. Gass an opportunity for 

 explanation. In correspondence with Mr. Berlin, 

 the writer represented that Mr. Gass should have an 

 opportunity to inspect the relics in question, and re- 

 quested that they should be forwarded to the Daven- 

 port academy for this purpose. This request was 

 declined. The statement of Mr. Gass should have 

 appeared in the Antiquarian ; but as we are denied 

 admission to its columns, except under restrictions 

 neither the Davenport academy nor Mr. Gass could 

 accept, we shall have to ask of you the favor of its 

 early publication. 



In conclusion, permit me to say, that, while the 

 members of the Davenport academy have the most 

 unbounded confidence in the integrity and good faith 

 of Rev. Mr. Gass, it should be stated that the ques- 

 tion of the authenticity of its inscribed tablets does 

 not by any means wholly depend upon his reliability. 

 As may be seen from our published statements, there 

 were other persons present at the discovery of these 

 relics, and certificates as to the facts made by these 

 well-known and highly esteemed citizens are pre- 

 served among the archives of the academy. These 

 additional evidences have never yet been given to 

 the public, and, w hen published, will furnish strong 

 corroborative proof of the genuineness of the relics 

 in question. 



It is always to be deplored when personal considera- 

 tions enter into scientific discussions, but in arche- 

 ological research, where the question of the authen- 

 ticity of relics so largely depends upon the integrity 

 of the explorer, character becomes an important 

 factor, and is a legitimate subject for inquiry. In 

 cases like that under consideration, however, this 

 moral test should be sternly applied alike to the ac- 

 cuser and the accused. Charles E. Putnam, 



President Davenport academy of sciences. 

 Davenport, Jo., May 6. 



[Communication from Rev. J. Gass.] 

 Charles E. Putnam, Esq. 



Dear Sir, — In accordance with your request, I 

 will hasten to give you an account, so far as it is still 



now possible for me to do, of my transactions with 

 Mr. H. C. Stevens of Oregon City, Ore., in regard 

 to the relics in question. 



I formerly often received letters and circulars 

 offering me relics, or wishing to exchange or buy 

 from me. Among others I received also in April, 

 1881, a postal-card from Mr. Stevens. This I handed 

 to our curator of the academy, Mr. W. H. Pratt, as 

 I had not the least intention to make any exchange 

 with him myself. To our curator, however, the offer 

 was quite welcome, and he authorized me to write to 

 Mr. Stevens that he was willing to make such ex- 

 changes. Mr. Stevens immediately sent a number 

 of relics which pleased us all very well. At this 

 time, I do not know positively whether before or 

 after I had seen those articles, awoke in me the very 

 unhappy wish, as it now appears, to possess a few good 

 small arrow-heads to be used as charms for my little 

 daughter. I therefore collected what was in the 

 house, the best of which was a small box of flint 

 implements which I had received from Rev. C. 

 Mutschmann of Missouri. All these were of a 

 primitive character, and therefore not of especial 

 value for our museum. Among the objects received 

 from Pastor Mutschmann there were a small stone 

 axe, an Indian stone pipe, and also fragments of 

 such a one. The pipe had about the following form : 



It was of grayish color, rough, without polish. The 

 broken one was of a similar character. Pastor 

 Mutschmann wrote to me at that time that he w as 

 told that the pipe was found in an Indian grave on 

 the Missouri River, I believe in St. Charles or War- 

 ren county. I took the pipes and other relics with- 

 out any doubt as to their genuineness, and did not 

 test them in any way. I supposed the material to be 

 gray pipe- stone. 



I packed all, as I had received them, in two paper 

 boxes, and sent them by mail to Mr. Stevens. There- 

 upon I received from him a number of small arrow- 

 heads, of which a few w r ere nice and whole, but the 

 most were broken. At the same time I received a 

 letter from Mr. Stevens, in which he remarked that 

 the articles sent were not worth the postage I had 

 paid, for it was all broken, worthless stuff. In my 

 answer I endeavored to defend the relics as not being 

 entirely worthless ; and, somewhat hurt and irritated 

 by what I considered the unjust remarks of Mr. 

 Stevens, I have, as I now see, somewhat overesti- 

 mated the value of those articles. He remarked at 

 the same time that the pipes were not old (ancient) 

 Indian pipes, but were modern, made by white peo- 

 ple ; at least, some one had told him so. I gave no 

 credit to this statement, but took it for an empty 

 excuse made in order to give me little or nothing for 

 them. If I had entertained the least doubt of their 

 genuineness, I would not, under any circumstances, 

 have sent them ; or at least, after Mr. Stevens had 

 made these remarks, I should certainly at once have 

 asked them, and taken them back at any price. 



As to who has written my letters for me, I cannot 

 now say positively. Mrs. Gass says it was certainly 

 done by one of my pupils, and I believe she is right. 

 A letter in German, written by myself, would sure- 

 ly have sounded quite differently. These unfortu- 

 nate letters have, however, been sent in my name, 

 and with my name, and I must now abide the con- 

 sequences, come what will. I can scarcely under- 



