Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-06

ANTIQUITIES Of Duck River-The Wind
ing statr-LmpOrtan Result of a
ChFistmas FrOIfe- discovery OF q
SDanssh Grave---One of DeSOtO's Bat
tIeheIds.
To the Editors Of the Union and American:
One of the most noted and well marked
relics of the ancient Toltec race is situated
near the confluence of the Duck and Piney
rivers, in Hickman county. Reader, have
you ever visited the Winding Stair2 IfnOt,
you have missed one Of the most beautiful
of Gods creations. 1t rises abruptly from
the Duck river, on the very edge of huge
preSpice, 20 height of about two hundred
feet, and although the pathway is exceed
ingly narrow and steep, yet it can be as
cended easily on horseback. The whole
face of the cliff, upon the crsgs of which
has lodged the rich soil of the region, is
thickly set with ivy, or,as they term it here,
calico bush, and ia the spring time 1t pre-
sents to the view of one on the river below
the most lovely sight conceivable. The
flowers of every hue grow so pro
flsely on the bushes that it is
solid mass of the richest
coloring, with here and there the gray head
of a time-beaten rock thrust out, adding to
the loneliness of the flowers by the con-
trast. Through this garden, and up the
face of the bluff, creeps the Winding Stair,
greatly used during the late war to avoid the
public road, where the enemy frequently
travelled. AT the point where the path
reaches the top, and about . yards across,
is another precipice, perpendicular, and TINS
reaches down to the Piney. The two rivers
here make a bow from this point, but IN
half mile they again approach each other,
so the space on top is elliptical In shape,
level on top, and contains about twenty
acres. 1t is covered with beautiful grove,
and rich carpet of verdure covers the
ground. The prospect is fine in either dl-
rection, and certainly the abOrigines could
have selected no better place for their en-
campment. At the two mario points
above and below, there is even now a ditch
and on the inside of the ditch
wall, andthough immense trees grow upon
these ruins, the ditch is still about six feet
deem. and the wall about four feet higher
than the level around. Towards the con-
huence are two other lines Of fertilization
at intervals of about 800 yards. Within the
main fort are seven mounds, one six feet
high and about forty feet in diameter, the
others less, until mere trace can be seen
of them, Treatment examinations Of these
mounds have taken place by the neighbor-
hood, and many relics of the past have been
brought TO light; hatchets of a green stone,
bowls With pictures. of birds and animals
cut upon them, bones that cTumbled are
beius brought to light, an idol about foot
long and hideous to behold, beads made Of
bone, bows and arrows, or rather the re-
mains ofthem, for Time had crumbled them,
and various other things usually found IN
these places. But it remained for party
fgentlemen, during the Christmas holidays,
to make a discovery that none Of us can as
count for. / forgot to mention that great
many bullets had been found at various
times In the fields on each side Of this en-
canpment far below. Hardly summer
masses that some of these are not plowed
up, both lead and copper ones. The bluff
on the Duck river side is made up of sue
SsssiOn of precipices, and under some Of
these shelving rocks present roof Of several
feet. so that one could be sheltered here
from the fiercest storms. About fifty feet
from the water was one Of the deepest Of
these rocks, and under this lay large fiat
stone Of several tons weight; but the soil
underneath the lower side had washed
away, so that the stone, resting upon some
rocks underneath, was almost on balance.
BIZ their united efforts they gave the stone
a shove that threw il down the bluff into
the river. One of the m5n-Alr. Thomas
Whitson examining the place where the
stone Law, noticed some regularity in which
the rocks were placed, and raising a large
thin fiat stone, disclosed, beneath, cavity.
All now assisted ia clearing away the rub
Dish, and they found what they supposed to
be. an Indian grave. The place was about
six feet4ong, two feet deep, and about two
and half feet wide. a skeleton lay full
length in the bottom, and though time had
made havoc with all in it, they saw plainly
that the figure had been clothed, for plain
traces still existed of the fabric. The bones
of the hands and half way up the arms was
covered with an iron casing. There was also
over the chest a broad oval shaped piece Of
leather or rawhide, that crumbled at the
touch. But what attracted them most was
the surroundings. Instead of the usual
weapons buried with the Indian, they found
full length by its side, an unmistakable
gun, although it was completely eaten up
by rust, yet there was its shape, and
full six feet long. 1t had no appearance of
a lock. and the wood work was mere dust.
When they attempted to remove the piece
Of leather, they found living on the breast
bone, two copper bullets about the size Of a
common musket ball, though when they
knocked off its crust, but a small portion
remained, and that very rough, like ball Of
loose soil. Around the skull was a copper
cap, or what they supposed to be copper,
for it too crumbled like rotten ore. And
now comes the strangest part Of all this
singular story. They removed everything
from the grave or stone coffin, and at the
head a stone set up edgeways was found to
contain some words, deeply cut into its
face. After scraping away the moss, or
rather cSncretion from it, they made out a
part of the words, though some were so de-
faced theF could not be read. At the top
was a cross cut, aud in the angles Of the
cross were the letters in capitals b. d.
plainly cut. These were in the upper
angles. In the lower angles, under
meath the letters, were the figures
Is 40. Under the cross were BernaldeZ
Diaz, Fiat ~ Dec. 1910 Requ; and the
balance of the last word l could not make
out from the stone l saw. Near the bot
tom Of the stone occurred other words, but
i could only decipher part of them. Here
is the sentence as l could make it out:
QuCrum memorium grata dim mo
cello consecr. The whole
was marked somewhat thus:
BID
- zEEE
II 40