Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-07-25
DN, ARE AMERICANS.
THE REMAINS OF A RACE OF LuIl
PUT ANS UNEARTHED.

.T'NS ONCHrt I f1GO.
IN Eastern Tennessee Have Been Found
Graves and Skeletons of an Almost For
gotten People-A Legend That Deals
With the NJ exican Aztecs, 49,
The Smit lsonian institution has nm
dertaken apeculiar work in this locality.
Those peopleof the world who have Maid
lengthy visits to that hilly countrv
known as east Tennessee have ALWAYS
been impres sed with the sublimity 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 find race of dwarfs or giants
and the reply will be, I'm east Tennes-
see." And recent developments seem to
bear them out, for in the last few wears
the remains of 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 rays of the morning sun
strike, is an ancient burying ground, and
| such another burying 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 fiat
stones, and have defied the ravages of
time to cause them to be DESTROYED.
Most of those examined contained vase,
a few beads and human skeleton, which
was never more than Sc inches long and
was that of full grown person.
The natives have beautiful legend of
the place and say mono were inferred
here except Indian children, while natu-
rallsts claim the skulls to have reached
their full growth
| But the most interesting account is
that Of the red men who held that coua-
try When first settled by whites. They
claim that when they came to that sec
ton OF country it was peopled by race
OF small, fierce men, with red hair: that
these dwarfs waged'a long and bloody
war with the Indians, but We're finally
all killed; that this buryir-; ground was
used long before they came into the coun-
try, and that those killed in the war
were never barred.
In some parts Ct the adjacent noun
tains, high up on the cliffs, are to be seen
rude drawings Of combats between fully
grown men aad a number Of dwarfs. On
account Of t-le superstitions of the east
Tenuess aeaas, 1t is difficult to reach this
| pign$- ca-aatary, and almost rs much is
lifei5 y r-tl 10 Gtto---. T. &c. into the
grGvCs 2,-.a '-irlt.. agg-,l-.''
t. ;7-s rs,ri. -7t-..f.,s,-. ,5;y-,.i,.r ,.F 1- p
the son. her. states. IN q bend Of one Of
thc src,, lscrs, Is situated q natural
fort, known 10 the grounding inhabit-
ans SIS ''lAtI"1 Fort" Surrounded or
thres SIDES by perpendicular ellis, 1t
the 10. -on OF which flows the river.
wide az i deep, the only way OF approach
is by ascending 4 stiff declivity from the
open side, near the summit of which are
still to be seen traces of an ancient en-
bankment, almost obliterated by time.
Within the space inciosed by the river
and e-nbanlment have been found 2
great many stone and flint implements
OF lnoian warfare and a, few bronze
axes. There are also number of tombs,
formed of large fiat stones, containing
nothin5 but dust and dirt at the present.
In tie time of the early settlers the
native Indians had tradition of great
battle having been fought at this place
years previous to their own time, in
which an entire race was exterminated.
The legend is: The exterminated race,
who were called ''Worshipers of the
Sum-" had been gradually driven south
ward rom the far north by the Indians.
Before reaching the "Great river" 1.-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 final stand at Indian Fort
and after 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 saws
these people came from the vicinity of
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 depart
ed race the Smithsonian officials sent
Professor Snow and a corps of assistants
to the scene.-Tennessee Cor st. Louis
| Globe-Democrat.
Pronunciation of Words Ending In"Ator.'