The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-11-25
A REMARKABLY DISCOVERY.
FROM WHICH WILL ARISE
THE GREATEST SENSA-
TON EVER KNOWN
IN AUSTIN.
A GREAT GAVE IN MOUNT BON
NELL, FILLED WITH ASTON
IsHING CURIoSITIEs.

Last Monday a middle-aged negro
man, who lives about mile and half
from Mount Bonnet, came to town and
calling on an old and reliable citizen,
stated that the day before-Sunday-h
was strolling about that mountain, and
noticing that some large rocks had lately
tumbled down he went to the place from
whence they started and there found an
opening leading into the mountain, large
enough to admit a man in a kneeling pos
ture He crawled in some fifteen or twenty
feet, but found it so dark, he was afraid to
venture farther. So he backed out and
went home for a lamp and matches. He
lit his lamp and again entered the hole
After going about thirty feet, as near as
he could Judge, he came to large cave,
or "room," as he called it. This room, he
said, appeared to be 200 or 300 feet wide,
80 or 40 high and so long he could
not see the end of it. He walked long
distance, but fearing he would get lost re-
traced his steps. The floor, he said, was
of smooth rock. He started to go to one
side of the room and soon came to lot
of stone tables and benches. He also saw
a large lot of something which appeared
to be bones, but when he touched them
they turned to ashes or dirt. AS
he neared the side of the room
he came to very long and wide table.
This table, he said, was covered with Jugs
and stone churns," and ''images and silver
coins" Here he produced some of the
coins he had gathered. They appeared to
be silver, and covered with characters of
hieroglyphics.) Not knowing what tc do,
he filled his pockets with these coins and
left the cave.
When he came out he walled up the en-.
trance so that others would not find it
until he had reported it.
The citizen our discoverer called upon
invited in two other citizens, to whom the
negro repeated in substance of what is re-
corded above. They then asked him what
he would take for his ''find," including the
coins he had already taken from the cave,
and for showing them the entrance. He
said he would take 500. They offered
him So, and finally compromised for $15
or So each. ALI four then went and got a
wagon and some lanterns and quietly
started for the cave. They could not get
nearer than about 300 feet of the opening
of the cave with their tear. So they
hitched, took their lanterns and proceeded
on foot. Arriving there, the rocks were
soon removed, and two white men and the
negro entered the opening, leaving one
white man at the entrance to guard il
against intruders
These who entered found what the dis
coverer had said was there, and much
more. Stone vessels and images were
found in great abundance, and on severa
of the tables silver coins were found in
large quantities, in fact, We might
say by the thousands. Some of these
were round, but the most of then
were of various shapes, some were ova
and some were diamond shaped, bat al
had hieroglyphics on them which the in
truders could not decipher, and they hav'
not as vet been able to make them out
They found stone images from eighteen
inches to five feet high and vessels tina
would hold nearly, or quite half barrel
They also found mortars and wha
resembled war clubs, made of stone
Everything was dry and dusty and moth
ing indicated that there had ever beef
| any water in the cave. Occasionally the,
would come across a loose rock or ;
boulder which they supposed hal falleI
from the roof of the cave.
After thorough exploration they CAM
to the conclusion that the cave must b,
about 200 feet wide and not less that l2OO
or 400 feet long. There seemed to b.
several dark entrances leading from thu
cave, which, as yet, have not been ex
plored.
After bringing out of the cave two o
three dozen of the stone vessels and i'm
ages and large quantity of the silye
coins, they closed up the entrance, place.
the "plunder" in the wagon, covered it NJ
with some tree boughs, gave the negro s.
more on condition that he would no
reveal the secret, and returned home.
These curiosities are now in a room i
this city, except a few of the coins, whic
have been sent to Philadelphia t.
see if the characters on them ca
be deciphered-and the owner of tn
property, where the cave is situated ha
been let into the secret, and general ex
ploration off the entire. cave will sool
be had. In the meantime all the partle
interested are sworn to secrecy. 1t wa
bv the merest accident that the abov
facts we're discovered. The names of tn
individuals concerned are known to tn
writer. but he cannot betray contidenc
enough to give them. He will only adj
that in very short time everything NOV
able in that cave will he exhibited in thl
CITY. except two or three of the tables
which cannot be gotten out without great
charging the entrance.