The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-03-15
OH Bullttin.
A FLORIDA DISCOVERY.
what A Hewspsper Man Saw In an
UmexpsOred District OF that
state.

a New York HeraH correspondent
writing from Mon ticello, Fla, about 4
trip into AN unexplored district Of thai
state, says:
Your correspondent waded abreast
deep la water for two miles, and at last
beheld high and dry ground in advance.
The party approached, and found ar
island with its shores well defined, and
shaded by the most enormous live oaks
and magnolias that they ever beheld. a
heavy atmosphere of dampness AND
gloom brooded oyer 1t. Its shores were
closely protected by dense growth OF
brambes ssd vines. The party broke
through with a shout of relief, and
gathering light wood in great pile,
built an enormous fire. by which they
warmed their chilled limbs. Night was
approaching. and as 1t was necessary to
hasten back TO camp, only a hasty sur
vey could be had Of the island.
They were astounded by the unex-
pected discovery. In secluded nook a
eingnlar, silent figure burst suddenly on
the view AZ they were threading their
way through the biislics.
look "a here" exclaimed the fore.
most, there's man. sure enough"
On looking ahead there appeared
human image, but it stood so fixed and
immovable that they soon realized that
it could not be living. The eyes of the
negroes protruded from their sockets
with superstitious alarm, but your cor
respondent approached the solitary
presence. IL was OF stone. On draw
ing near, the faithful. likeness to human.
ity produced by the combined effects of
light and shadow was less distinct, but
it stuck the explorers with awe and won
der. II is a rotund column Of stone set
vertically in the earth, but not attached
to any neither ledge of rock, as it
might have been, had nature
been its artisan, for il was
loose enough TO be swayed by the appll-
cation Of force. The upper extremity is
rudcly fashioned into the form of hui
man head, IN which there are protuber- |
aiices which resemble the eyes, nose and |
ears. The figure seems of majestic stat |
urc and mien. At its base, by delicately |
removing some moss, a few strange and 4
characters were disclosed I
hero fH pnI2st dapRhtcfieaiyo ras;5SRhlf
known TO the student Of language. They
are still less allied to the picture writing
o, the AZtecs. Near the image lies a
second column of stone, but it is thrown
to the ground. IL it were ever fashioned
to q resemblance OF the human form d.
vine the head has been broken OIL, as 1t
was nowhere to be found. The idol Is so
ponderous that il was found impossible
to oyerturn it although repeated efforts
were made.
On the supposition that it might mark
the grave Of some Spanish adventurer
who had followed DE Soto when he
marched to Lake Miccasukic, some OF the
party dug in the earth around it. but
found nothing. The negroes freely ex-
pressed the opinion that here was buried
a treasure trove, once.the booty of pirates
from Barcelona. The Herald party re-
manned on the island all night. The
next day 1t was found that the island eX-
tended far southwark, and near the
extremity were several large Indian
mounds. 1t would be easy to conceive
that they were erected by prehistoric
race, which also offered worship to the
stone idol. In these wilds may be found
rich archaeological research.