The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-09-30
THE CURIos1TIEs OF A CAVE.

TIE OOR1OSII1ES OF a CAV II.
RELICS OF A PRE- HISTORIC RACE.
BARREN CoUNTY's sUBrERRANEAN sENsA-
TIoN-sPBCULATIoNsR REGARDING THE WON
DERFUL MUMMY OF THE CAVES.
The Caverna, KY. correspondent of the
Courier Journal writes concerning q recent
discovery at that point: That mummy is
still the absorbing topic of our community
and is probably creating greater sensation
now than at any time in its life, although 1t
may have been q dark-haired Indian beauty
whose lustrous eyes and pouting lips caused
quite fiutter in the hearts OF her dusky
admirers. Probably she was wooed secretly
in these sylvan shades by one of snsive to
her tribe, and these meetings having been
discovered, her lover wounded "unto
DEATH" and she herself amenabIe to the
laws of her nation, had sought concealneDt
in this cave, aud unable TO retrace her steps.
had died OF starvation. Whatever ro-
msuee the Imagination may weave matter
of-facs people about here are contenting
| themselves by simply finding out in what
cave it was actually discovered. Salts Cave,
the one from which it is said to have been
removed, is three miles from Mammoth
Cave and a portion of that property, and on
the Mumtordville road. 1t receives It's name
from the medicinal salts whic3 are found
| there in immense deposits on the ceiling,
and it Is said that on large parties entering
the chamber where these deposits ara found
the air set in motion by their burning
| torches causes them to fall to the floor in
LIGHT, FRATHERY FLAKES LIKE SNOW.
The existence of this Las long bsen known
but, on account of the difficulty experienced
in entering and the roughness of the avenues
leading through it, it has been but little ex-
plored. Early in the summer, during one
OF my visits TO Mammoth Cave, a mummy
was offered for sale to the proprietor. The
owners of it refused to tell where it had been
discovered, but described it as a female
lying In sleeping position with one hand
laid across the chin, the other extended but
SO nearly decomposed that it would have to
be removed with great deal of care to pre-
vent it falling off. After some deliberation
1t was concluded not to make the purchase,
and the matter ended. The incident, then,
was in a measure forgotten until the
recent announcement of the discovery of a
mummy In another cave near by revived
the subject, while the similarity in every
respect to the one which had been found in
the summer gave rise to the surmise that
the two were one and the same. Tho in
tense interest manifested by every one
caused some OF the more curious TO make
visit to Salts Cave few days since. They
found the entrance very difficult, spring
falling directly from the ceiling, causing the
explorers TO make quite detOur to escape
bath, and even after this precaution they
were well sprinkled, The main avenue is
supposed to be
NINE MILES IN LENGTH,
in this respect equaling Mammoth Cave,
while the specimens, all of which are found
upon the floor, are exquisite. Leaving the
main avenue YOU enter side route, and
after climbing over the toughest OF roads
for hundred and fifty yards, reach the spot
where a mummy was discovered, and fro N
whence it has been recently removed. An
iINdentatiOn in the ground, under q shelving
rock, corresponds precisely with that of the
disputed mummy, while the mould formed
around the body in all these years is still
perceptible, with few locks of its hair,
which time has changed to dark auburn.
There can be no doubt shat mummy was
here, the dryness of the atmosphere preserv-
ing it, as no water Is found within the
cave excepting at the extreme end OF one OF
the routes. great many relics of pre-
historic race, of which nothing definite as
yet has ever been known, wore found. Hid
den among the crevices of the rocks or con-
cesled beneath the dus. on the floor were
moccasins so small that they might well ez-
cite the envy of city belle, and skillfully
woven out of the bark of trees. They were
much worn, the strings, also of bark, show
ing the knots where they had been tied. A
reticule made from the same material, but
Will hlOlO CdIO duu LuuCu uutI uUbI, WAS
also found.
REEA1Ns OF TORCHES HALF BURNED
{ and gourds undoubtedly used for culinary
purposes were scattered everywhere, and
these mute witnesses Of ages long past must
certainly be of great interest to the scien-
tifio world. That this cave formed at one
time the home OF an aboriginal race there
can be no doubt. That they were unac-
ouainted with metallic substances is proven
| by no remains of anything OF this kind being
| found. The avenues, which are numerous,
| communicate with one another, so that
there Is no necessity for retracing your
steps to the main cave, this being de-
| cided advantage over Mammoth Cave. The
passages, however, are exceedingly rough,
far worse than any known, requiring crawl
ing in some places for quite distance, and
nothing bat the reward obtained in the
beautiful specimens found at the end could
induce one 70 try it. The party OF explorers
spent the whole day in it. and considered
themselves well paid for their labor by the
curioslties they found. Whether this cave,
which has so suddenly sprung into noto-
riety, will be opened to the public am not
able TO ssy. The difficulties which l have
named will probably prevent It's ever being
} much visited save by those who posses pas
sion for such explorations, and are fond oi
ancient relics.
Connecticut is agitated over reform
school teacher named Goodale, whose
method of administering chastisement Is
: in advance of the age. He always gently
ansesthetizss his patient by tracturing bis
I rfe.