Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-09
MURDER WILL OUT.
Evidences Of Grimes Committed Thousa nds
of Years Ago.


of Yeap Ago.
OLD BATTLES NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ABOUT THE
FrsHrs, CRIMES AND LOVES OF THE CAVE
JEWELLERS OF LONG Aao-wHAr THEY ATE AND
HOW THEY FoUoHr-A COMMON SURGICAL
OPERATION.
ssNURDER WILL OUT" so 1T rs SAID.
AZ The statement is not wholly true mas
much as slsyers Of men do in a large proper
ton OF instances escape unpublished and even
undetected But how strange it seems that the
science OF the present day, acting the detec-
tive's part, should unearth positive evidence Of
murders committed on individuals who died,
perhaps. not less than loo, 900 years ago
The caves of southern France. which once
were occupied as dwellings by primeval man.
yield proofs OF scores of murders in most re-
mote antiquity. Those guilty Of these crimes
were doubtless Indifferent to detection, mas
much as In the early stages Of human develop
mont there WAS no law save physical strength
In tnat epoch men gave way to their brutal
passions unrestrained. Women must have suf-
cred then more than at any subsequent period
owing to their muscular inferiority. That this
Is true Is proved by evidence which has sur
Vivtd hundreds OF centuries for in the very
caves referred to are discovered the remains Of
many murdered women, testifying to the fact
In the famous cave at Cro-M hgnon was found
q woman s skull with cutin the forehead three
inches long, evidently made by a flint Ratchet
The weapon penetrated the frontal bone and
caused death, but the victim did not die imme-
diatrly from the wound. She fingered for some
weeks at all events, is shown BY the fact that
partial healing took place. In a cave at Sordes
among many human bones bearing scars was
dug up the skull of woman with a gaping
hole in 1t. She must have been instantly killed.
similar skull of a woman was found in a cave
at Challes, In Savoy, with a fracture that was
unquestionably made by flint instrument OF
nineteen skulls obtained from q primeval sepul-
chre at Vsureal two show traces of wounds in
flcted by human hands One, that of woman,
has three fractures. UnquestionAbly they were
not all inflicted at the same time. inssmuch a.
two of them exhibit signs of healing. The un-
fortunate recovered from these only to succumb
to q third blow.
TRACES OF BATTLES.
Unmistahably these women were murdered
But for their sex it might be supposed that
they persisted in fight as did 30 many Of the
men who lived in those times The struggle
for existence among human beings then must
have been fierce and bloody. They were hardly
more than wild animals provided with artificial
weapons and cunning OF superior order
quently for the possession of the females of their
kind who were the prize Of battle and the prop
erty OF the strongest. One primeval sepulchre
was found to contain the skeletons Of thirty
men, all Of them strongly made, piled closely.
Together with the bones were seventy three
flint arrow heads and spear heads, which pre-
sumably were sticking in the bodies when they
were inferred. These must have been warriors
who persisted in some battle. Another cave at
Gourvan has yielded number of crania and
jaws, which were broken by blunt weapons
Hundreds of other skeleton OF the cave dwell
ers OF antiquity have been unearthed in SINH
lar condition, the bones, in many cases. being
transfixed by weapons of flint. In one instance
a skull contained three arrow-heads, fourth
arrow being lodged between the vertebre.
In fact, these caves are filed with evidence
of homicidal struggles among the distant an
cestors of the human beings of today From
the same sources proofs are supplied that canni-
balism prevailed in that distant epoch Scat
tered about the ancient hearths. where meals
were cooked uncounted thousands Of years ago.
are ever so many bones of men, women and
children. bearing not only traces Of fire, but
the marks Of instruments employed to split
them lengthwise for the purpose OF getting at
the marrow. Particularly in winter primeval
man was obliged to rely mainly on flesh for
food. Never having conceived the notion of
DEMONSTRATING the horse he utilized that animal
to a large extent as an article of diet. Rein
deer. which were then very plentiful in south
ern Europe, were likewise a favorite prey. The
remains Of 5000 reindeer have been discovered
in a single cave. At Solutre on hillside the
bones Of not fewer than 40. 900 horses form ac-
cumulations which are known to this tay as
the ''horse walls" Many Of these equine bones
show traces Of burning.
ANIMALS AND oRNAMENrs,
Even at that time man considered himself
monarch of creation. not hesitating to en-
counter contemporary wild beasts far more
formidable than any which exist now. Great
cats twice the size Of modern Bengal tigers and
proportiOnately ferocious were numerous.
Mammoths. rhiuoceroses and hippopotami
roamed abroad. More terrible. perhaps. than
any of these was the great cave bear, double the
size Of the grizzly. With these bears, as well
as with the mighty tigers and fierce hyenas,
the people Of that early period were compelled
to dispute possession Of the caves. That they
did SO successfully there is no doubt as is
proved by the thousands Of gnawed bones of
bears and giant cats discovered in the caves
Mingled with the same sort o! kitchen refuse
are numerous shells of mollusks and bones of
carp, trout, club, tench and other fishes OF
species which now populate the rivers and lakes
of the same region. Fish hooks were made
from bears teeth, boars' tusks and flint.
The cave man doubtless went stark naked in
warm weather. Modesty is not q natural in
stlnct ana euucatlOn alone develops IT, he was
none the less fond of decorating his person
with ornaments, made of bright shells most
commonly. One necklace has been found COM
posed OF the teeth of three lions and forty cave
bears. Bracelets and garters Of shell and bone
were also worn. Necklaces were sometimes
made of human teeth, and two skeletons have
been dug up with such adornments around
their necks. A favorite style in jewelry was to
string together discs of bones cut out Of human
skulls. Skulls were likewise employed for
drinking vessels and human thigh bones for
flutes. A woman's radius formed into stiletto,
has been discovered.
These primeval people were acquainted with
the art of trepanning and many of their
skulls have been found thus treated az to sug-
gest the notion that they may have regarded it
religious rite. 1t is practiced as such
among the Kabyles today. The Papuans and
the natives of certain South Sea islands perform
this sort of operation commonly. considering it
eftcacious for many complaints. Among the
mountaineers of Montenegro it is said to be
rare to meet o man who has not been trepanned
at least seven eight times. Six trepanned
skulls have been found in the caves at Baumes-
Chaudes In France. The usual practice seems
to have been to cut piece from another skull
and insert it in place OF the part cut away from
the skull Of the patient. Trepanning is not
dangerous. The reason why it IL nearly ALWAYS
followed by death nowadays is that 1t ia only
attempted in desperate cases. and the fatal re-
suits are due not to the operation itself. but to
the trouble on account Of which it performed
Written for The Evening Star.
A CLOSE CALL.
An Exciting Incident in the Life of a