Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-09-20
FRAGMENTS OF DE SOTO.
George Townsend on His Way to Washing
ton with Box Containing the Skel-
eton of the Great Discoverer.

George IOWDSenN on Ills WAY 10 MdstnbR
ton with a Box Containing the Skel-
eton of the Great Discoverer.
st. Louis, September li.-George |
Townsend, of Helena. Ark, passed |
! through here to-day on his way to
Washington. He had box with him |
which he id contained the bones OF
Fera>Sand DeSoto. TO the Herald
correspNudent, who called ut his room,
he shdweSsthe bones. The whole of
human fraife, was there except the
hands, part of the feet, thigh, and
and some of the smaller bones of the
body. The skull was quite perfect ex-
cent as to the lower jaw, and was
plainly that of some high-minded and
intelligent person. Its interior was
filled with black loan and sand
Townsend said: "a year ago last
| April two darkies digging along the
| siore of Old Town lake, "A few miles
from Helena, turned them up at
| depth Of three feet in the sand and
loam. The grave of the Spanish con-
auerer. thus disturbed, might have
| been lost forever but Tor the discovery
! among the bones of a large number OF
pearl beads and a large silver cross,
! which the darkies offered to sell me.
saw through the deep incrustations
on the cross that it was Spanish in its
workman ship. Fragments of the
trunk of tree were present in the
loan and two huge spikes of rude
| workmanship, that looked as If they
might have been hastily turned from
forest forge, were there. AS saw
there things the thought suddenly
flashed through my mind that ] had
found De Soto's grave, ana now l am
convinced that ! have, and that the
sacred beues in that box were once tne
first adelantado of Florida. Inc sii-
yer cross" said Mr.. Townsend, II
have had carefully examined by eN-
certs. who declared that 1t came from
some Castilian workshop OF the tllhe
[yf Henry VII. 1t is an immense
:. affair, weighing nearly TWO poun w.
t land is such II personal
} sornaa. ent as was worn by the cavalier:
y of Ferdinand aud isabelias TIME
: The pearls, which | have, have beel
. pierced by red hot wires, snd, eXcep'
, disseminating my claimsto the bones
: are comparatively worthless. Before
/ the terrible battle of Mavilla the Prin
{ cess of Cofachiqui placed with her owl
q hands a necklace of pearls, taken iron
d her own shoulders, upon the shooideI
l. M De soto. These pearls had noe
, burned through them as hah mime
& The spires were part OF mat lreasuie'
! Nstoek taken from the tim0els
e he old Spanish vesse -, an
< thss were poorly spared, y
IF fastes The heavy lid upon j..
h Soto's green oak coflin before the.
1t dropp ID tbs body ,isr+se-t le"--t bT5
e the Mississippi. Al these articles +,
d sent on TO Washington Two mohtt
e, ago, IL is'a wonder to me me o,scoN
ii ery didrhot leak out before TINS, puC
- thjniS there is desire on the part
~ our government to get ana retai,i Pc
u sessf.n Of these valuable feiics pei n,,
IS any great f1oise is made about gle ~
in Luis De NarcasSo, VINO succeeuea ,ai
Is unfortunate cavalier III cohlIhaha, 'tul
We that De Soto's burial place was a. u
T. base of the preciLitous hiiis' Pei ate,
% 200 feet high. Here ny M w wassa
,al edge forces were provided, Vesse
re bn7lt arms repaired, horses sho
Nv and here De Soto was G
to iomhed. The Mississippi flows to-d'
re ,,arinns thirty miles east OF TINS sp'
Iv H., foIner chauneiNo f DE Soto's tin
he l. occunied by Old Town Lake, anu
At is IN this lake that he body oil me .
vi. Snnniard reposes. lhe name given !
an ,aP,n NV the Indians. and then
Die white people, is significant OF the ;ar
is to which advert. me 9 ,ta ial
de. mill he old town left on the hea lax
western margin, at the ,,a o"7 hel,
di- Crowley,s Ridge, nine miles ,,.d pei'
ed, Helena. Then the festive festive II, riy ca,r
lirs was moving east, changed us c os !
our The depth Of the lake Is t ~ the ., :
ira river less the thickness OF :, INC enc
ere s sediment and Desoto's boayb; snI
TO fined in q green tree and w y, engp Of
18th tn was and sunken in the bottom me .,
lere river, reposed until now Whence, IN nee il
,ur- near near the lakes margin wneno9 In, :,
AMI. h e il will be given pa apppyar d.
in the congressional graVes"''
bal Washington.
5s5. Waco, September ls; ,ysre play y
rost about 1S t ea pistol . caliber' ihs e et
man mo NO. and While handling IL, !
,ot 6, i IN the hands Of the ea n ann Of
ans Mr. Langy s arsos agent sps Of the Pae
N"S Sucphci"l 40 breast, Dut not ioea