THE GLOZEL DISCOVERIES

Evening Star, Issue 19802, 28 February 1928, Page 8

THE GLOZEL DISCOVERIES

SENSATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

TABLETS AM) MOULDS SEIZED.

PARIS, February 20.

The battle between eminent French and foreign arelueologisLs concerning tho Glozei finds Ims taken a sensational turn, the police having seized six tablets, a mould, two files, and other tools found in tho lannliuu.se of M. Fradiu (on whose land the tablets acre dis covered) ami family, who wore charging an entrance fee to view the finds. Tito seizure was the outcome of a formal charge of fraud made by the Sociote Prcliislofique, which characterises tho Glozol finds as a vast hoax, tending to discredit French scientific work.

FAITH NOT SHAKEN

PARIS, February 27. (Received February 26, at 1 .Cl) a.m.)

Kmilc Fradin slates that someone placed newly-engraved pebbles, which the police seized, in a wall of the cattleshed, in order to discredit the Gloze! finds. Glozeiians assert that the discovery has in no way shaken their faith.

[Those ,scientists who maintained that the arelncoiogieal objects Found at Glozel, near Vichy, dated from prohis toric times and proved that writing was known many thousands of years before the usually accepted date, iceoived a rude shock when the International Commission of exports issued their report, declaring that tho majority of the objects are not authentic, and that they are not of prehistoric origin. Despite the fact that the Commission included such arelncoiogieal experts as M. Ferrer (Strasbourgh), Miss Carnal (of Oxford), and Lon or Bo.sehGimpera (of Barcelona), the report raised a .storm of protest in France, and many professors announced their intention of defending to the bitter end their contention that the ‘Minds” are genuine. The Commission said nothing of tho period when the falsification ul the ‘‘.Death held of Glozel” was begun, though they expresed tho opinion that, objects were placed in tho virgin soil by means of holes dug through the Lull and earth with great care, but at no very distant date, and then filled in with equal precautions. Neither did the Commission venture a judgment on how ibis extraordinary collection of over 6,000 objects of bone and clay came to ho lubricated and placed in position, beyond declaring at the outset that they acquitted Dr Morict, a local archfcologist, who made the early discoveries, of any fraud, being convinced of his sincerity and good faith.J