Sumner Town

Sumner Town

he smallest town in the' county, containing but seventeen square miles. The early setlers were T. Kumlien, C. G. Hammerquist, C. Jenkins, Thomas Bussy (for whom Bussyville is amed, and who built the mill at that place), and a Mr. Downing. Mr. Hammerquist is the 'ostmaster. Lake Koshkonong is the beauty-spot of the town of Sumner.

Relics Of The Red Race

The following article on the wonderful archaeological collection of Mr. Henry Haskell is ontributed by Mr. I. T. Carr, editor of the Jefferson Banner :

" Men have named the fixed stars, and noted the places where they may always be found ; ave named the planets and fixed their orbits ; have measured the distances between the sun and lie planets, and the distance of each planet from the others ; and every school-boy has been taught he same. But the men are comparatively few who can name and tell the uses of the different rticles occasionally found, which were manufactured by a pre-historic race in a time usually ailed the" stone age." Thousands of people daily step upon relics of the by gone age. without thinkigthat the minds which planned and the hands which executed the work on those articles were as efined and deft, nay, more, than their own ; for the mechanic of to-day has not yet been able to lake with modern appliances, many of the beautiful objects in Hint which the mechanics of ntiquity have left behind for their inspection. Nor is this ignorance on such matters to be rondered at greatly. In the scramble and toil for daily bread, the minds of the thousands are ent upon the present and future, and they have no time to spend delving in the fields of the lystic past. But here and there arc found individuals, solitary and alone, who, through forune's favor, are enabled to spend a little time in those neglected fields, and by deep study and nergetic use of their reasoning powers are enabled to connect, with the subtle elements of bought, the people of the present with the people of the long-buried past, almost as plainly as he electric wire connects the people of the two hemispheres.

" There is probably no section of this country so rich in fields for this kind of labor as the ounty of Jefferson. In almost every town are found, not only the manufactured stone, but lounds which were made to designate the last resting-place of some noted chieftain, as well as laborate systems of earthworks, which arc almost an exact counterpart of the works thrown up ly our own armies on the Atlanta campaign, and which, if not obliterated by that modern iconclast, the plow, will, in future ages, be looked upon by a new race of people with as much wonder as we now gaze upon the works of pre-historic man in this county. As is usually the case rhere there is a field to cultivate, some one can be found to perform the labor ; so, in this county, . man has been found with time and brain to devote to the purpose, in the person of Mr. Henry

Haskell, of the town of Jeflferson. He is a farmer, imbued with a deep interest in everythin] that pertains to archaeology. His farm is about three miles distant from the celebrated mound and earthworks of Aztalan, and some of his spare time is used in investigating their origin picking up the broken links in the chain of their history, and collecting, in the vicinity am other sections of the county, the implements of stone which are supposed to be the handiworl of the builders of the mounds. He has been engaged in this work for the past five years, and noi he probably has the largest and finest private collection of those articles in the United States. Las week, the editor of the Banner had the pleasure of examining his collection, and was astonishei not only at its magnitude, but at the beauty of finish of some of the ar.ticles. Of arrow-heada he has 1,350, made of all kinds of chert, flint, jas]ier and quartz, and showing a fine blendinj of colors in their arrangement on cards for e.xiiibition. They are of all sizes, from the tin; hunting arrow-head of one half-inch in length for boys, to the arrow-head for war purposes, o large game, which are three inches in length, and nearly an inch in width. The materials o which they are made are found only in certain localities, which can be designated by the colo of the articles. Some are found near Lake Superior, some in Ohio, while another color am quality can only be found in the Rocky Mountains. They are also of different styles of work manship, and have different devices for fastening them to the arrow-shaft. There are twent; rimmers in the collection. They are used for the purpose of enlarging or rimming out holes ii other stone implements or pipes, and are as efiectual as though made of steel. They are madi of flint, and are from two to four inches in length. There are nine articles called '' scrapers,' or hoes made of quartz, about five inches long, three inches wide, and, in the thickest place about three-eighths of an inch. They are worked down to an edge, and were evidently use( like the currier's knife of the present day, in preparing hides in the tanning process ; are al3( used for cultivating the earth. There are also twenty spear-points, some of them very finel; finished, with edges serrated as perfectly as a saw of the present time. In size, they range fron three inches to six in length, and from an inch to three inches in width at the widest part. Tiie; are mostly of jasper, and of various colors. Tliere are several articles which are called spades they are of quartz, and range from three to twelve inches in length, and are well adapted to thi purpose of digging up the ground. Of knives there are six, nicely made, and, though of stone would be very effective for cutting purposes. There is probably the finest display of stone axe in this display to be seen in the world. There are about seventy-five of these axes, and tliei vary in weight from three ounces to ten pounds. Some of them are double-bitted. They an grooved on the sides and upper edge for the handle to be looped round, while the lower edge i: left straight for wedging. They are mostly of green stone. There are seventy-five " fleshers,' supposed to have been used for skinning animals. They are mostly of green stone, and th( workmanship on some of them cannot be excelled at the present time. They are from tw( inches to ten inches long. There is also a " rolling-pin " of green stone, eighteen inches lon{ bv two in diameter. It is worked smooth, and almost as perfectly round as a turned one. Thi; article shows that pre-historic woman was as well prepared to govern refractory husbands as th< women of the present day. There are two discoidal stones in the collection, ten stone balls, £ stone drill and shuttle, one stone pipe. There is also a curious article in the collection, the use of which no one yet has been able to fjrm an idea. It is of sienite stone, three inches long, it the shape of a triangle, about three-fourths of an inch thick and one inch deep. The top ii hollowed out like a boat, and there is a small hole at either end. There are copper chisels and spear-points in the collection, and they are also thought to be the work of pre-historic man, These articles have nearly all been found in Jeft'erson County, and with them are pieces of bricl and pottery taken from the mounds at Aztalan. Mr. Haskell has also a fine collection of Indiar relics, such as tomahawks, scalping-knives, bows, arrows and quivers ; also, a peculiar brass ornameni or charm, something in shape of a man without a head, but on the breast a representation of a heart, colored black. It may be an article for religious worship. He has also a collection ol mineral and geological specimens, which alone are worth going a hundred miles to see. while the whole collection forms a museum of ancient and modern curiosities of great value and interest.'