The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-05-29
DWARF AMERICANS.
THE REMAINS OF a RACE OF lilli-
PUT,ANS U~NEARTHED.

~ tSENS OlSCNh F7CO.
IN Eastern Tennessee Have Been Found
Graves arI Skeletons of an Almost For
gotten People-A Legend That Deals
With the Mexican Az.ecs.
The Smithsonian institution has I'M
dertalzen a peculiar work in this locality.
Those people OF the world who have paid
lengthy visits TO that hilly country
known as east Tennessee have always
been impressed with the sublinity and
beauty of the mountains. the simplicity
and superstition of the inhabitants and
the general air of sleepy righteousness
surrounding everything. Ask one of
these people where they would most ex-
pect to fai a race of dwarfs or giants
and the reply will be, In east Tennes-
sev." And recent developments seem to
bear them out, for in the last few years
the remains If people less than three
feet in height have been discovered in
this country.
On the eastern slope of one of the
peaks of the Great Smoky mountains,
where the first ray of the morning sun
strike, is an ancient burying ground, and
such another brrying place could not be
found, though the world be searched, for
not one grave is more than three feet long.
The tombs are two feet beneath the sur
face and are formed of cement and fat
stones, and have detied the rayages of
time to cause them to be destroyed.
Most Of those examined contained a vas,.
a few beads and a human skeleton, which
was never more than 36 inches long and
was that Of a full grown person.
The natives have a beautiful legend of
the place and say none were inferred
here except Indian children, while natu-
ralists claim the skulls to have reached
their full growth.
But the most interesting account is
chat Of the red men who held that coun-
try when first settled by whites. They
claim that when they came to that sec
ton of country it was peopled by a race
Of small, fierce men, with red hair; that
these dwarfs waged a long and bloody
war with the Indians, but were finally
al killed: that this burying ground was
nsed long before they came into the coun-
try, and that those killed in the wac
were never buried.
In some parts Of the adjacent NOUN
tains, high up on the cliffs. are to be seen
rude drawings Of combats between fully
grown men and anumber of dwarfs. Oh
account of the superstitions of the east
Tennesseeans. it is difficult to reach this
piglny cemetery. and almost as much as
life Is worth to attempt to dig into tho
graves of the ''leetle people,"
In the mountainous district of one Of
the southern states, in a bend Of one Of
the great rivers, is situated q natural
fort, known to the surrounding inhabit-
ants as Indian Fort Surrounded on
three sides by perpendicular cliffs, at
The bottom Of which flows the river,
wide and deep. the only way of approach
is by ascending a stiff deciiyity from the
open side, near the summit of which are
still TO be seen traces of IN ancient EN-
banklnent. almost obliterated by time.
Within the space inc,0sed by the river
and emban,iment have been found a
great many stone and flint implements
of Indian warfare ard a few bronze
xes. There are also a number of to,nbs.
formed of large fiat stones, containing
nothing but dust and dirt at the present.
In the time Of the early settlers the
native Indians had a traditioI Of a great
battle having been fought at this place
years previous to their own time, in
which an entire race was exterminat.d
The legend is: The exterminated lace.
who were called "Worshipers of the
Sum-" had been gradually driven south
ward from the far north by the Indians.
Before reaching the 'sGreat river" (the
Ohio they separated into two divisions,
one going to the southwest, the other go
ing directly south. What became of the
first part is not told in the legend.
After innumerable battles the fleeing
race made a final stand at Indian Fort,
and after a siege of many months, dur.
ing which time the besieged subsisted on
provisions previously gathered, they
were conquered, and every man. woman
and child was killed. The legend says
these people came from the vicinity oil
the great lakes, and the few bronze i'm.
plements discovered seem to give some
truth to that part of the story.
1t is supposed that these people were
the ancestors of the Mexican Aztecs, and
that that portion which escaped when the
tribe divided wandered toward the south.
west and entered Mexico from the north.
At the time Of the conquest of Mexico by
Cortez the Aztecs claimed that they
came from the north, and sun worship
was the national religion.
To investigate these relics of q depart.
ed race the Smithsonian officials sen,
Professor Snow and a corps Of assistants
to the scene.-Tennessee Cor. st. Louis
Globe Democrat.