The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1893-05-22
DWARF AMERICANS.
TIE REMAINS OF A RACE OF LILLE
PUTlANs uNEARTHED.

III Eastern tennessee Have ncen Found
Graves and Skeletons of an Almost For
gotten People--A Legend THAT Deals
With Che Mexican Aztoos.
The Smithsonian institution has I'M
dertaken a peculiar work in this locality.
Those people Of the world who have paid
lengthy visits TO that billy country
known as east Tennessee have always
betn impressed 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 sace Of dwarfs or giants
and the reply will be, I'm east Tonnes
see" And recent developments seem to
bear them out, for in the last few years
tho remains Of people less than three
feet in height have been discovered IN
this country.
On tho eastern slope of one Of the
peaks Of the Great Smoky mountains,
whore the first rays Of the morning sun
strike, is an ancient burying ground, and
such another blrying place could not be
found, though the world be searched, for
not one graYeis more than three feet long.
The tomhs are two feet beneath the sur
face and arc formed Of cement and fiat
stones, and have deded the ravages of
time to cause them to be destroyed.
Most Of those examined contained a vase,
few beads and o human skeleton, which
was never more than 9S inches long and
was that Of afull grown person.
The natives have a beautiful legend of
the place and say none were inferred
here except Indian children, while nattl-
ralists claim the skulls to hare reached
their full growth.
But the most interesting account is'
that Of the red men who held that coun-
try when first settled by whites They
claim that when they came to that rec
tion Of country ii was pcopled by q race
Of small, fierce men, with red hair; that
these dwarfs waeed u long and bloody
war with The Indians, but we've finally
all Killed; That this burying ground was
used long before they came into tho coun-
try, ard that thoss killed in the war
were never buried.
In some parts CT the, adjacent noun
tains, high up on tho cliffs, are to beseon
rude drawings Of cofnbats between fully
grown men and anumber Of dwarfs. On
account Of the superstitions of the east
Tennesgeeans, IL is difficult to reach this
pig1ny cemetery, and almost as much as
life is worth to attempt to dig into the
graves Of the ''leetie people"
In the mountainous district Of one of
The southern states, in bend of one of
the great rivers, is situated a 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 stiff declivity from the
open side, near the summit of which are
etill to be seen traces of an ancient en-
banlzrnent, almost obliterated by time.
Within the space inclosed by the river
and embank1nant have been found
great many stone and flint implements
of Indian warfare and a few bronco
axes. There ttro also nu11ber of tu1Iibs,
formed Of largo fiat stones, containing
nothing but dust and dirt at the present.
In the time Of the early settlers the
native Indians had tradition of great
battle having been fought at this plnce
years previous TO their own time, in
which an entire race was exterminated
The legend is; The externinated race,
who were called teVorshipers Of the
Sum-" had bean gradually driven south
ward from the far north by the Indians
Before reaching the 'sGreat river fthe
Ohio they separated into two divisions,
one going to the southweHt, 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 siege of many months, DUR
ing which time the besieged subsisted ON
provisions previously gathered, they
were conquered, and every man, woman
ana child was killed. The legend says
these people came from the vicinity Of
the great lakes, and the few bronze i'm
Elements discovered seem to give some
truth to that part of the story.
II is supposed that these people were
the ancestors of tho Mexican Aztecs. and
that hetportion which escaped when the
tribe divided wandered toward thesouth-
west and entered Mexico from The north
Attic time Of the conquest of Mexico by
Cortez the Aztecs claimed thar they
came from the north, and sun worship
was the national religion.
To Investigate these relics of a depart
ed race the Smithsonian officials sent
Professor Snow and corps of asaistanta
to the scene. Tennessee Cor. st. Louis
Globe-Democrat.
Pronunciation Of words Ending IN 'sAtor."
There never has been any general rude