Thank you very much. Actually, it was his hair that I am interested in. When he was thrown into a Spanish prison I find it hard to believe that he got out of there with his hair, considering the reputation he had for having kept it from the Indians and his vanity about it.
In his book "That Dark and Bloody River," Allan W. Eckert describes an incident where Lew Wetzel found a drunken Indian passed out outside a fort and he stole a gun w/ramrod and shot the Indian in the anus with the ramrod, killing him. He then went on to say that Wetzel escaped but that since killing Indians was not appreciated like it had been in years past, Wetzel went west where he last was heard of killing Comanches or Cheyenne in Texas. Then I read that he had died of illness in Mississippi. Which brings me to Marmaduke Van Swearingen. I am a great fan of Allan W. Eckert's books. However, how is it that he could get Blue Jacket so wrong - or did he? He went through a long description of how Marmaduke Van Swearingen was captured by Indians along with his brother and rose to be a great war chief. He described how Blue Jacket later killed that brother in battle, etc. Then John Sugden in his book "Blue Jacket, Warrior of the Shawnees," seems to put the end to
that theory, making Eckert look rather foolish and leaving me wondering how much more of Eckert's research might be faulty. I was very disappointed. His books are a wonderful read but now I feel that if I want to use his books as a source I should research what he says first to make sure it is accurate.
Back to Wetzel's hair, it sounds as though he was buried with it unclubbed. It would have been interesting if they had measured the lead content in his body to determine whether he was or was not in the habit of walking around with musket balls in his mouth.
[log in to unmask] wrote:
I've found the following:
From a footnote in article from West Virginia Division of Culture and History website. Dr. Bowser was "familiar with forensics."
http://www.wvculture.org/History/journal_wvh/wvh50-5.html 15. Ibid., 11E132; Allman, Lewis Wetzel, 192-95. When Wetzel's skeleton was exhumed near Natchez, Mississippi, by Dr. Albert W. Bowser in 1942, the grave was identified by the remains of his rifle and shot pouch contents with which he was known to have been buried. The skeleton revealed a broad-shouldered man of five feet nine inches in height. Dr. Bowser, who was familiar with forensic medicine, found the mid-forties male skeleton to match Wetzel's age at death. Another article notes that there were imprints of long hair in the soil which was also consistent with Wetzel’s description.
www.earlyamerica.com/review/spring97/wetzel.html
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 7:19 AM
Subject: Re: Lewis Wetzel
Probably, but I am not sure and have not found who was responsible for the
exhumation. He was brought back to Wheeling, WVA, for reburial. I'm hoping
that someone on this list may have access to archaeological journals that may
have discussed this dig.
Clara
Sunshine49 wrote:
Is there a Mississippi archaeological society you could contact?
Nancy
-------
I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.
--Daniel Boone
On Jan 14, 2007, at 9:13 AM, Clara Callahan wrote:
> Does anyone know if, when Lewis Wetzel was exhumed in Mississippi,
> proper archaeological protocol was followed and, if so, if notes
> and photographs on/of the exhumation are available to us?
>
>
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