Mexico weekly ledger., 1884-09-18
THE TWIN ROCKS.
One OF the Ancient Monuments Of
Audrain County.

Audrafn County.
Special Correspondence of the Globe Democrat.
Mexico, Nc, Sept. 9.-Aboutii
eight miles northeast Of this city
stands two singular boulders called
the "Twin Rocks" They are deeply
in the earth, and the por-
ton of each which stands above its
surface is equal in size to an ordinary |
house. Except on the sides where
they face each other they are said to
be almost completely covered with
hieroglyphics and Indian characters.
They stand near the bank of Littleby
stream and, it is said, were originally
united, but in some year between
1880 and 1S40 the once solid rock, as
the story goes, was struck by light
ming and riyen in twain. At first the
two portions stood quite near each
other, but year by year they have
gradually increased the distance of
their separation, until now they are
probably fifteen feet apart. There is
no other rock of the same character
anywhere near them, and the source
of these isolated boulders is a mys-
terry to all the good people of Au-
drain.
These rocks probably date back to
the times of the mound-builders. In
their immediate neighborhood are
any number of mounds, supposed to
have been Indian burial places. In
other and early days the Kilgores
and Willinghams explored several Of
these mounds in search of gold and
silver, but found nothing of value
save Indian bones and weapons of
war.
In the summer of 1912 the rocks
witnessed desperate encounter be-
tween party Of whites from the set
tlement on Loutre Island, consisting
of James Murdoch, James Patton,
John Gooch and Temple and Stephen
Cole. and band of Indians who had
stolen some of their horses. The
whites followed the trail till they
reached the Littleby stream. Here
they halted, and while they were
lying sound asleep the Indians, who
were ambushed close by, opened fire
on them. A deadly hand-to-han6
fight followed. Three of the white:
were tomahawked and several rec
men sent to the happy hunting
grounds. The bones of the slaiI
were to be seen for years after on tn
banks of Littleby, where they fell.
But the stream wasn't called Lit
l tleby then. 1t was two years late
= that Robert Littleby gave his nam
e to the rivulet. He was an English
t man and the first white man to per
8 manently pitch his tent in Audrai
: county. He settled near the Twi
s Rocks in 1916, and, until he dice
: lived the life of an eccentric hermi
e almost under their shadow.
t Col. Thomas Fl. Benton's nam
3 also figures in connection with thi
: Indian dolmen, and it is said that o
t one occasion he climbed to the uppe
o surface and there cut his name. A
tending to increase the interest
this story it is further related tbs
Benjamin Young, the next settler o
= Little5y, named his first-born afte
q Benton.
q But most if not all the pioneers c
Z Audrain have passed away in th
q forty-eight years since the count
% was organized. The Old Settlers
- Association still keeps their memor
= green; albeit, year by year, tf
!, pioneers fade away: till ere ,cag non
~ will be left. The meeting Of the ol
70 settlers last week, among other sui
?, jects, chatted freely over the Twi
y Rocks, and adjourned on Saturday
= look up further details of its histol
., to be presented at the next meetin
10 on the first Saturday IN Septembe
# 1885.