Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1852-09-22

via Winds, Inc voice OF falling waters, the nur-
muir OF groanlng storms the cracking of bro
ken oaks, the dull, monotonous bass of the leap-
ing thunder the piping chorus of singing birds
the shrill alarum of the hawk, the defying hoot
OF catlike owls the terrific shriek Of the wild
eagle, the quarrelsonle groWl of wild beasts and
the ringing yell of the red man in answer to his
brother huntsman far over the hills These
were the sounds and voices that rung through
the Wild forest shades a few years ago; but now
civilization had reached there and the busy
ring Of saws and tie quarrier3s hammer. bar
and crane had driven the Indian from his cher
ished hunting ground" and the beast from his
lair
| The Quarters of stone were digging their
material from the mountains side just back Of
tcaazy NeAvfs cabin, asad one morning when
they had just commenced work at new place
few stones were removed and a human skull
rolled out at their feet This circumstance
produced great CONSERVATION among the work
men; the ghastly bone was superstitiously han
died, the muiinur went round among them that
! 1T was an lndian's-the black dirt was dug from
the orbless sockets and deaf ears, brushed from
4 the spec chless mouth, when it was discovered
that the decayed teeth had been filed with gold
foil and an artificial incisor dropped from its
deeayed fastening and fell among the leaves
Then 1t could be no Indian, who had left his
! bones behind and gone to the everlasting hun
1t had taught them lay beyond this fitful vale
/ When the filthy dust came to be brushed from
the gaping skull a round hole in one of the tenn
ples-the left-was detected a deadly, unnathr-
! al looking hole with sharp edges and black
strlated lines running out from it g bul.
let hole, by hokey |" Exclaimed wicked ur-
chin who was standing with crowbar in his
hand lntently gazing on sight he had never
seen before ga bullet hole" and consterna-
on fba H.
men. Other bones Of the frame were found in
the same place.
The bones were carried to the city by the
workmen as they returned from their daily av.
ocation, and left at Wingfed's Tavern, where
they stopped to drink their usual evening dram.
Here the bones were examined by the oldest
/ physician IN the city and pronounced by him to
be the bones of white man. They were a
great attraction at Wingfeld's and hundreds
went to the mysterious remains. because
hundreds had never seen the like before and
the rafting remains of senseless mortality were
turned over and wondered at by the curious
The circumstance created much talk among the
citizens aud Allan Wingfeld's Tavern became
more popular-it was museum and the attrac-
tion drew many there and the dimes fell in AL
Ian's drawer, for few felt willing TO leave there
without taking glass so strange as it NAV
SEEM dead mans bones We're leading men to
drlnk-DRINKI Popular strmises and eonjee-
lures were afioat concerning the dead mans
/ bones, none were satisfied respecting them:
many believed that he had been murdered and
his body concealed among the mountain stones
| The public Gazettes displayed the fact in their
columns and commented upon it and it was the
mountain and they were hewn and builtAnto
CITY palaces Sometime after the skull was
found they fell upon CAVE, whose door was
closed by huge stone that was rolled against
it. This cave was solemn chamber, dug deep
and hedged and walled in by rock in the noun
tain bosom. It looked dark and gloomy when
the workmen rolled away the ponderous stone
and damp offensive air blowed out in their
faces from its deep, black chambers. light
was brought and few aGventurers went on an
exploring tour through its mysterious depths.
They found, upon first entering, that their
fambeaus burned dimly and sickening, chilly
feeling ran over them, but in few minutes
this passed away and the torch glared out bright
" and disclosed to them their situation Where
they stood it seemed to be the antechamber to
some grand palace; for its walls were contracted
and few feet before them was fssure through
which their light streamed away until the dark
: shades beyond choked it, and put it out, and
, crouching at the side Of this door was huge
rock that in the outline looked like a bronze Ii
on guarding the portals of the secret chambe.
t of the palace: and as the light they carried fel
upon the stone the reflection from its damp
sweaty surface filled them with chilling appre
, tensions but they passed the magnified terror
= and stood in the centre of the cavern. bbott
: them the arched roof was hung with sbars lik,
flashing cicles, and cold looking LIQUID wa
s dropping from them; the floor was of smooth
: sand washed gravel, and the sides were smootl
n in places and variegated with cre4ices through
r which an offensive looking ferfuginous substanc
J was oozing. The who were exploring thi
i mysterious place felt the deep sublimity of i
and stood in its centre in silent awe of the pow
# er of Jehovahs hand in shaping the noun
o tains and digging the palaces under ground anC
e swaying the heaving deep Of waters AS the.
: stood, they heard away in the distance, it seem
ed miles from them though, the music tnkl
!, of falling waters as if some miniature cascad
"a had formed there and was showeFng its spra
e on ringing marble far down, down beneath thei
g feet They were struck with the sublimity G
n the scene and for sometime they remained s.
a. lent and in wonder. They began to look
10 round them and found some old shattered boz
IN es, rusty sabre and loaded pistol thoug
th nearly destroyed with the rust. mans dre
S. coat was hanging on a projecting rock in til
an wall but owing to the dampness of the palaC
os and the LAPSE of years, it was falling int
- shreds and decay a remnant of huge pair
~ false whlskers, couple of Junk bottles and
10 gray wig were laying in one of the broken DO
es. Other evidences presented themselves
e the explorers that they were not the first hi
tie man beings who trod the smooth gravel at the
he feet Led by spirit of adventure they folio
to ed on through a very narrow door which W
a closed by some nice blocks of smooth, natural
srs polished stone and they found themselves
he the most mysterious portion of that subterl
his mean palace. They were in close. pent
H. chamber and the floor was dotted here and the
:; with whitened human bones
- Here was *humurus there tfemur
Fl tradius a Stibia; the bones of the hand a
~ Gu fingers still held in 81 ta by the undecayed
gu aments; there grinning skulls piled and in
'Se farthest corner a wretched skeleton propT
SO up against the wall with pile of black dust
TO its feet, where its flesh had dropped and retul
pet ed to the earth again. With a short pipe thr
her in between its long teeth and frightful fract
vas in the forehead, evidently the fruits of a po
Ieir erful blow like that formed by heavy. biz
md instrument, its sosfrontis stove in far bs
inc towards the centre of the skuil--it was CHA
~ lv frghtful picture and that caused
quarters to tremble with fear, and after tax
AZ, short survey to beat hasty retreat and spr'
she IN, the news of their discovery through the city
th gie The frightful tale they told created or
t .ne sensation among tie citizens. and induced b
ene dreds to 90 and see for themselves. As grea