Identifier: historyofvermili00beck (find matches)
Title: History of Vermilion County, together with historic notes on the Northwest, gleaned from early authors, old maps and manuscripts, private and official correspondence, and other authentic, though, for the most part, out-of-the-way sources
Year: 1879 (1870s)
Authors: Beckwith, H. W. (Hiram Williams), 1833-1903
Subjects: Vermilion County (Ill.) -- History Vermilion County (Ill.) -- Biography Northwest, Old
Publisher: Chicago : H. H. Hill and Company
Contributing Library: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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of which, nearly a hundred feet below, is washed by the Middle Fork. Of lateyears the stream has encroached upon the bluff at the water-line, causing the earth toslide down from above. Two young men, John Ecard and Hiram Chester, then livingupon the farm of Samuel Chester, near by, were passing along the waters edge, in themonth of April, 1855, and found a skull and some other parts of a human skeleton thathad fallen out of a grave above and rolled down the hill. The skull was well preserved,and had clinging to it the remains of a rotted band, filled with plain brooches, about ahalf an inch in diameter, made of silver, which, owing to their delicate structure andthe length of time they had been buried, crumbled to pieces on exposure to the air.The young men, following an accessible path that led up the hill, proceeded to the 270 HISTORIC NOTES ON THE NORTHWEST. The Washington medal consists of a thin plate of silver let intoa rim of the same metal. It was made and engraved by hand. On
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the side not illustrated is engraved the coat of arms of the UnitedStates — the American eagle, with wings outspread, the shield npon grave out of which the remains had fallen, and found a part of the grave still intact.Ecard took a stick, and digging around in that portion of the grave that yet remained,quickly unearthed both of the medals, which were highly discolored. He sold them toSamuel Chester, and the latter disposed of them to the present owner, Josephus Collett,of Terre Haute, to whom the writer is indebted for permission to illustrate them. Thewriter has the affidavit of Samuel Chester as to the time, place and manner of theirfinding. Mr. Chester was informed of the facts within a few moments after their dis-covery, and immediately went over to the spot in company with the young men, ofwhom he then and there received the particulars substantially as given. DESCKIPTIOJST OF THE MEDAL. 271 its breast; a bundle of arrows in one foot and an olive branch in theother; and the s

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