The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-10-31
MUTATION AT WORK.
Strange Things Discovered by His Excited
Fancy in Montana,

Strange Things Discovered by His Excited
Fancy in Montana.
Every resident of Montana and ,nanv
visitors to the famous Territor know
that the Belt Mountains hava oluove
been the seat of mysterious stories and
that in their numeror,s gnlcbes and
canyons have been picked up wonder.
iul rellcs. Anon g the most curious
are agatlzea D b.dman maxillaries and
teeVh' al OF gigantic size. Gold in
quan'lULeS mas been found in the Belt
nouu'F ans, and rubies, sapphires and
even diamonds are shown as products
- one or other portion of the Territory.
The Helena correspondent of the Pio-
neer Press sends a remarkable story,
accompanied by numerous attestations
to its truth. 1t was told by a gold
hunter. He said that while prospect
ing in the Belt Mountains he found a
peculiar depression in the ground.
After excavating he discovered mys-
terious cavern, reached by twenty
three steps.
Eat the foot of the stairs" said he,
con one side of the passage lay the
skeleton of man of immense stature.
The skeleton measures exactly nine
feet six inches in height. The skull
lay few inches from the trunk, and
between the two lay twenty-seven mug
gets. They were strung on fine gold
wire, and ranged from one ounce to
ten in weight. Around the thigh, arm
and shin bones were other strings OF
nuggets, none of which weighed more
| than four ounces. There were about
fifteen pieces of gold in the pile. They
were of many different shapes. None
of them weighed over three ounces,
and each piece had hole through the
center. On each side of the skull
found some sort of precious stones.
They lay in tiny golden basket and
were evidently worn in the ears as an
| ornament. | do not know what name
to give to them, but believe that they
are rubies. Beside the trunk of the
skeleton | found copper axe, with an
edge harder and keener than any steel
instrument of the kind l have ever
seen. On the opposite side was club
made of the same metal as the axe.
1t was shaped not unlike baseball
bat Under the trunk was a gold
plate ten inches long, six inches wide
and one-eighth of an inch thick. 1t
was covered with strange devices.
A little further on lay another skele-
ton, that of a woman. | picked up
string of nuggets near this skull also.
They were perfectly round and exactly
the same size. They weighed about
three ounces apiece. Every now and
then | came to other skeletons, and
although by nearly every one of them
l found necklaces, yet strange to say
they were made OF round copper balls.
The catacombs, as l have named this
passage, are about 800 feet long, Il
feet wide and 30 high, and seem to
have been cut out of the solid rock. At
the end of the gallery is room 90 feet
square and 40 high. In the center OF
this room stands block of granite
about II feet square and four high. 1t
seems as though the rock had been
hewn out around it. 1t is perfectly
square, and it is exactly the same dis
tance from the walls of the room on
every side. There are steps out in the
rock leading to the top of the hall. On
the top stands another block of granite,
10 feet long, wide and high. This
is followed out in the shape of a human
form. | lay down in this, and, though
/ am not a small man by any means,
yet the mold was much too large
for me. Around the room was scat
tered vessels of clay, some of which
will hold twenty-five gallons. They
are light, yet tougher than wrought
iron. tried to break one by dashing
it against the granite flooring of the
room. | could not even scratch it.
Altogether | gathered up 500 ounces
OF gold in the underground passage"
st. Paul Pioneer-Press.