The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-04-21

: While it is not true that any race Of
giants exists on this earth, there is
good reasons for believing that on sew
eral places on the earth's surface, there
are Tribes Of dwaris whose average
stature is very much less than that oi
the leading races OF man. The Ger
man traveller, Schwcinfurth, has given
a minute description of nation Of
dwarfs he encountered in Central AZ
RIGA Alice D. LePlongeon, who is
well known in New York City, has
published elaborate descriptions ofex-
tinct cities she visited in British Hon
duras and Yucatan, the houses of
which were intended for people not
more than three feet high. She
writes 81 have measured many of
these houses which are strongly con-
structed by brown stone, and found
the door eighteen inches wide and
three feet high, while my head nearly
touched the ceiling of the largest
rooms These diminutive people
were evidently advanced in the arts,
and were at one time very numerous.
II is claimed that some OF them still
exist among the hills of Honduras and
Guatemala. Miss LePlongeon makes
the following curious statement:
at is credibly related that one day
in the year 1925. some wood cutters,
wandering along the banks of the Mo-
no River, in British Honduras, in
search of mahogany trees, were star
tied upon reaching place called Med
itation Fall by strange little being
that suddenly emerged from the bush,
stared widely at them, then turned to
fee. The men pursued, overlook,
and brought the odd creature to their
camp. Il was dark-skinned girl,
not quite three feet tall, and with no
other covering than her hair, which
fell in thick black masses to her feet,
completely covering her She was
very wild, but not stupid, and finding
that no harm was done to her, she
talked to the wood-cuttersi in the Maya
tongue that they also spoke, that be-
ing the language of the Indians in
those parts. AS the weather was cool,
one of the men gave her red fan
mel shirt, which clothed her from head
to foot. For day or two she refus-
ed to eat, but afterward seemed con-
tented. She said her people were all
the same. size as herself, and that they
were then living near Meditation Fall
where they had planted a cornfeld,
but that they generally dwealt three
or four miles away in a deep valley.
After'she had been in the camp about
ten days, some of the men proposed
to see her people. She manifested
delight, and offered to guide them to
the spot. Reaching the place where
they first met her, she led them into
the forest, then made sign for them
to stop and be silent. a hubbub of
voices, as Of many people talking
reached their ears, and the girl whis-
pered to them that she would go and
announce their coming, as otherwise
her people would run away and hide
on hearing footsteps. Away she went,
and soon not a sound was heard. The
men waited patiently, but their dim
inutire guide did not return. Con-
vinced that she had very cunningly
eluded them, they went forward, and
in two minutes found themselves in a
cornfeld. There were embers in two
or three places, and small piles of corn
as if prepared for transportation.
The ground was much trodden, but
no living creature was in sight. They
searched in vain, and remained some
time in the field hoping that the own
ers would return for the corn, but
they nevar saw the girl again, nor any
of her people. One Of those very
woodmen gave me this account, and
similar stories have been told by 9th
ers; but all such stories might be
doubted were it not for the cities of
of dininutiye houses, which any tray
eler may examine for himself.