The Dillon tribune., 1885-05-23
pre.Historical Relics.

:. ok Champa street, in Denver,
lng :. hnntinp deer with a son in Mancos
W was Santa Lucia valley, New Mexico,
OF 90 oaA twenty-five miles east OF Silver
r;tr' ayus' While tracking a deer over an
cd' ~ indian trail through canyon they
Wv observed. about $50 feet above the
ouseI .set bottom where they were, an OPP
cl;on r;or or cave, apparently cut into the
su,ue .nag side Of the cliff. Climbing to it
s,Sip sr;th some difficulty, they found a cave,
sn;dently wa: the work of man, 100 feet
1' sasn a5 feet wide, and about II feet
S;ch S;rb The floor Of this cave was Gov
a arsd with the excrement OF bats. While
s.si sset;no after the hard climb young Met
asI aslf thrust the ramrod OF his gun into
th. the aoor. and felt something rattle
snr .r,nst the end. A small portion of
no covering was then turned up.
Thav nv ascertaned that the excrement
deposit was from one to three feet IN
thickness. Beneath this was de-
nosit Of what was afterward found to
be animal charcoal from ten to four
tom inches deep, and under this 4
layer Of ashes packed lightly down
from six to ten inches deep. 1t was
after penetrating the latter that they
made their most important discovery.
This was a large number of relics of
various kinds, consisting of figures of
mer rudely carved in wood, evidently
with stone tools, numerous represen-
tatons Of the rising sun made of splints
Of wood sewed together with thread
made Of the fibre of smole or soap
weed with the aid of avis made of
bone, some Of which were found; q
representation of a serpent with a
birds head cut out of wood, arrows
with flint heads, some of them very
small, bows of various sizes, stone axes
and hammers, large punches of thread
made from the soap weed fibre, also
cotton thread and cotton batting in
masses, basket work of every descrip-
ton including hampers. breast plates
adorned with shells and beads, and in
other forms whose use is unknown,
long strings of beads, and long, slen-
der painted sticks tied in bundles, and
flat painted splints of wood, the latter
having characters upon them, but
whose purpose is a mystery, together
with a large number of similar articles
which Judge Metcalf has preserved,
Notwithstanding some tlattering offers
which have been made by the Smith
sonian and other institutions.
The Judge thinks the cave was a
burial place, and that the deposit OF
animal charcoal is the remains of a
wholesale cremation of the dead who
were probably killed in some great bat
tle This belief is strengthened not
only by the opinion of several learned
professors, who have visited the spot
IN bis company, but by the actions o1
asmall band of Indians whose medi.
cine or wise men he invited to his
house to see the relics. These Indians
were encamped short distance from
nls house, and he sent an invitation fol
me medicine men to come over, bu,
'ae Whole band, to the mber of forty
came trooping over in Il manner tha
AZ nfst alarmed him, making peculiar
sl'es, s; Upon bringing the various Ut
ucles out in front of the house the,
tormed ring around them and joined
~ solemn dance, uttering sort O
suant. Upon asking an explanation
from the interpreter he said they re
sarded the relics as sacred and though
II II sacrllege to remove them from til,
p'ace where they had been deposited
=: "A professor OF the Smithsonian in
aa.u!lon who saw the cave saws tn
.t slacles We're placed there over on
,' ,.oosand Years ago, and bases his es
;'lna!e upon the annual deposit ccvcr
,as mem. None OF the Indians in TIL
helshoorhood have any recollection o
y, uaus t, OF the people vino lived ther
~ M, rnls remote age.
xna aae .', numerous representations of tn
naa naa winch We're found show that thes
p,JPie wa1l s Were sun worshipers, and it
:" "'n ~! Anown that the Pueblos and Zuni
,aah % LUIS Gay 60 upon the tops of thei
tha;o Gue mouse every morning and wit
wa.a. sn races turned toward the cas-
Deare1t Des,n Tor M the rising god of the day