San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1892-08-05

ng them, and whether this be
rue or not, no doubt remains but
hat on the old Painted Rocks
here are evidence of masonry that
re indisputable.
In one place there is represen-
alton of an old Spanish Mission,
and while roughly drawn, can be
easily recognized, and it was prob
ably put there so that all the vari-
ous tribes that use to RENDEZVOUS
around the Bluffs, could see and
4 hold sacred from violence, any
mission in Texas and Mexico. 1t
is a wonder that these rocks do not
create more interest they are
wonderful.
Thousands of years have rolled
over them and they still exist with
their hidden mysteries. To a ma
son, they should be doubly inter
esting.-Concho Herald.
The above description of the no.
ted Painted Rocks on the Concho
has brought to memory the writer's
first visit to Paint Rock.
The following notes were made
at the time { 1850 may be of inter-
est to our readers.
As the old Spanish mission we're.
(entirely controlled by the Priest
hood who were strictly forbidden
to become members of any secret
society not sanctioned by the Cath
Ole church under pains Of excom-
munication.
1t is not reasonable to suppose
that the secrets Of Masonry were
impaired by them to our American
savages.
The new town of Paint Rock
takes its name from bluff of grey
limestone, which crops ont on the
Concho, half mile from thenorth |
west corner of the town site. The
bluff is about thirty-fve feet high |
and about -fouTth of a mile in /
length, and has been formed by a
fracture of the thick strata Of car
boniferous limestone; the south
part having been depressed, the
north side retaining its original
level. The rocks present an even
smooth surface THE fracture being
Yertieal) and in thickness they are
from four to twenty inches. They |
are externally Of a light cream
color, but are really dark gray
when freshly fractured. The
bright color is given to the sur
face by the wash from a thin stra-
tum of ocherous clay interposed |
between most of the layers of stone
composing the bluff, and it has
been utilized by the Red man tol
place upon record in crude man
ner an account of his exploits. or
convey to his friends important In
formation, or it may be defiance to
his enemies. The smoothly fras-
tured rocks covered with the light
buff wash formed an excellent
back ground for the noble Red
man to give play to his artistic
skill with the brush, and they are
covered with crude images of men,
women, animals, birds, &c all done
with the brush, red ochre being the
nrincipal pigment used, it forming
a 90 cd contrast with the light back
ground. The paintings through
crude and faulty in drawing, de-
fective in pc rspective and grOtes-
oue in the extreme. Still exhibit
a power to seize upon the charac-
teristic features OF the subjects
which they intend to illustrate, and
represent them in such a distinct
manner as to render the meaning
unmistakable. For instance, III
representing horse, they draw
carefully the head, neck and tail
which are the Distinguishing fea-
lures of the animal; the other parts
are mere daubs with the brush,
without any care as to correctness
of form. The object of the artist
was simply to convey to the mind
the idea of n horse, in connection
with the subject which they we're
DESTROYS to record by these picto-
rial hieroglyphics. Buffalo, ante
dope, deer, wild turkeys and many
other kinds of game are represent
ed. And even that much despised
yet beautiful animal, the skunk,
is portrayed with his most promi-
nent feature so conspicuous as to