The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-04-07
A CAVE OF DEATH
One Of the ''Horrors Of War; Accidentally
Unearthed In Atlanta.

unfortunate strife in the arena OF poll
tibs and We meet upon each others ma
tive soil and shake hands in renewed
fraternity to the glorious music OF The
union. But, every day nearly, we are
brought face to lace with some relic,
some lasting effect, or some before unde-
veloped horror of those days of bloody
and destructive war.
A NEW AND STARTLING HORROR
of those times Was unexpectedly un-
earthed in this city yesterday evening
and caused thrill of sadness to pass
through the community. We feel con-
fiicting emotions in committing the sick
ening story to print, tor it is one OF those
dreadful calamities-one of those un-
written Iliads Of individual experience
in suffering, woe and death-whlch made
war seem criminal and sickened men
with horror. This latest discovery is
one which suggests more terrUrs than
any we have ever before encountered
and Will bring home the most startling
memories to our citizens.
BREASING A sEPULCHER.
Yesterday afternoon a man living in
the square bounded by Rawson, Frazier,
Martin and aClark streets, and whose
name is Hokes, engaged a negro man to
bring his plow and turn up q small patch
of ground on which the garden was to be
made.
The negro man came and plowed up
the lot, and had nearly finished his task,
just before dusk, when the strange event
} of which we write transpired. AS he
A.. was upon the last rows near the fence,
up the hill at the back of the lot, he says
he felt at one certain spet yielding OF
the earth as he plowed over it during
three trips across the lot. The matter
D did not attract his attention at these
times, and it was not until the fourth
. crossing Of the spot that his horses loot
!. very nearly broke through the soil. In a
a moment after the point of the plow
struck under and
LIFTED UP ROTTEN PLANK,
which broke as the plow passed on, the
S man releasing his hold upon the handles
b of the implement and stepping back to
iavoid passing over the dangerous spot.
, AS the plank broke several clods and
y nandfuls of dirt fell into the small hole
: thus made, but did not appear TO fill Ii
n up in any degree.
The negro man stepped down to the
: house and told Mr.. Hokes that there
was an old well there at the back part
e OF the lot where he had been ploWing.
4 Mr.. Hokes mad never heard of such a
h thing before, and went out to see 1T.
. Procuring an ak the two proceeded to
r the spot and began to pry up and pull
: of the planks, in order to know the eX-
tent of the well, and what to do to re.
Il open it for use, or ill it up again.
The boards showed resistance, and
when the first one had been broken and
pulled away il was found to have been a
VI solid inch plank, spiked down with large
:, spike nails. When three Of them had
# been removed the opening was large
;, enough ior the light to be shown in, The
uegro man got upon his knees at one oi
I the edges and peered into the disma
r looking excavation, but suddenly re-
;. coiled, and With affrignted looks, ex
| claimed:
"GREAT GoDl WHAT rs THAI down
e THEREp
7. Mr.. Hokes knelJ down and looked in
= and in the faint light could discern whai
: appeared to be a human body. He was
d startled beyond expression, and could
not think for moment what to do. Blu
4. recovering himself, he called to some o
e his neighbors, who came over, and to
~ gether they pulled. away the boards
70 which slanted down hill, very much like
e country cellar door, and seemed tx
j. nave been nailed together 10 form dool
n themselves. They were completely TORI
y away In a few minutes. and The light O
couple Of lanterns was turned In upon
S the cavern thus uncovered.
l. A GHOSTLY PICTURE
a more horrible than everln It's Rembrandt
lights and shades from The lantern flames
met the gaze OF the wondering men,
There was room set in The side o
Q the hill, OF sufficient size to accommodate
e two persons comfortably tor sleepin.
i, purposes, being about seven feet il
width, len feet long and six feet high
i 1t had been walled in witI plank, ant
the board ro0l supported by wooden pil
O lars, all now rotten and crnmbling. Iht
!, dire had sifted throu III, and mould gatn,
= cred until the interior WAS one.tnirC
: ltilled with them almost, and the place
a had all the odor and atmosphere Of
TOMB OF LIVING sACKIFICEs,
and SUCH IL proved 10 Ue. Out uf the
dirt and rubbish and oozy mud made i'm
: the hole by the recent raln's seeping
\ there protfuded the bones OF a humal
i Dodyl
Spades were at once employed, anC
soon The remains Ot some unfortunate
u person were uneartued. With Then
y we're brought out the portions OF bed
rotten and hardly recognizable; an iroi
DOT and two knives and one fork, an oil
i plale, one mouidy AND decaYea boot ant
fragments of other arLlcies OF domestic
luse, including the bail of water bucke
J. and the bowl Vi q tin dipper. There are
: still i'll the place, doubtless, a variety o
| other fragments Of such articles OF con
venience. The parties present were
S Iiiled with astonishlnent and wonuer
n and could not make out why ali these
things should be in this strange place
They disposed the bones in Que place
l. when more of a kind were found THAI
|. belonged to one human body and the ey
idenee is that
TWO LUCKLESS M0RTALS PERIsHED
. in LAat cavern OF ueaLn, PROBABLY in 9
3 manner too horrible TO be fully imagined
l. even. The news OF the strange occur
|. renee spread around The neighborhooC
d rapidly, and a crowd gathered arount
the latai spot. An old negro woman
/ VINO lived in the vicinity during the war
n was present, ana said that during tbs
siege of the city the man who lived OF
the lot had butt bomD proof retreat 70,
himself and vile, in which lhey always
passed the night to escape death by hy
. ing shells winch Sherman threw into the
b city in such numbers every night. Sht
> remembered them well, but could no
, lell their names. She only recollecteC
that he was a foreigner, and kept con
t fectionery stand about the city in those
Idays. No one else who Was present, o.