The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-01-13
Il CAVE OF HUMAN BONES.
The Curious Natural sarcophagus Foun'
I'm California.

Tho Curious Natural sarcophagus Found
I'm California.
Joseph Chettle. who has arrived here
from Columbia, Tuolumne county, reports
the finding Of a curious cave full OF hui
man bones about two and a half miles
from that place The cave is in solid
marble and is 2sG feet I'm extent, in on
shoots apparently bOttomless and with
the roof in places fifty feet high.
The cleaning OF the vari-colored mar
bic from the lights Of the candles in the
caves. combined with the CHASTITY bones,
gives one queer feeling, something IKE
Mr.. Chettle says. walking among tomDs,
only worse. He went down in the cave
and looked II over pretty carefully. He
brought a skull and a lot of other bones
with him TO the city, says the san FRAN
cisco Chronicle.
Everything points to the bones being
the remains Of race that fiourished IN
old Tuolumne aeOns ago. They are larger
than the average of human bones, and
the race TO whom they belonged was evil
IDENTIFY very powerful. There Is about
ton Of them altogether, he says.
Il concluded to go down into II, said
he. 1.-The entrance was so narrow that
a man could scarcely squeeze himself in.
1t pitched down abruptly and had hard
work to keep on my feet, as had the one
man who accompanied me. At thirty feet
1t was pitch dark. and we could see moth
ing except by the aid Of our dim lights.
There were no weapons, either and
this is one Of the strangest things OF the
place. In all Indian burial places hither-
to, so far rs known, weapons OF some
sort, and often times some kinds Of
pottery have been found. There was
nothing OF this sort there. Only the clean
bones were to be seen. How long they had
lain there no one can tell, but as the cave
was dry as any carefully prepared sar-
cophagus they may have been there Tor
many centuries. l have no doubt that
they have, nor have any OF the people
who saw them. In all, judge there was
over a ton OF bones, indicating that many
score of persons have been inferred there
In a niche / found part Of skull and
other bones. A queer odor pervaded the
place. Above and all around us cleaned
the white marble. A little farther on
was a marble flecked with blue and dark
colors, making a scene, while awful, yet
beautiful.
1--WE clambered down the steep floor Of
the marble chamber. In some places II
widened out into broad Railways ana cor
ridors, with floors many feet wide.
THE strange odor grew stronger as we
1t gave a queer. uncanny effect and made
one advance, If not reverenuall, at least
with a feeling that there was no knowing
what might be revealed next. We con-
tinued. and a little ahead Of us and TO
one side we came to an oblong chamber
seventy-five to eighty feet In extent.
Here a sight met our view that l snail
never forget
"A myriad Of gllzzly skeletons doomed
clrftf1
tremely CHASTITY ard had been tossed
about and changed somewhat from their
original position by the miners or quarry
men who had preceded me. for the cave is
on the l4O-acre tract owned by the Column
bia Marble Company. Skulls, arm-bones,
thigh-bones and all other kinds Of human
bones lay about there There were no
other relics. Whatever there had origi-
nally been in the way Of clothing had
rotted entirely away.
1.-THE cave Is attracting a good deal or
attention about Columbia. The surround
ings are very rugged and wild. I know Of
scarcely any other region in California so
picturesque. The miner who first got
down into the narrow opening leading
into the cave did so by the aid Of a rope
which he fastened behind him. He was
not a little astonished you may believe,
when he came upon the CHASTITY bones,
and when he got TO the surface, as ne
speedily did, the cold sweat stood out
upon him in way that it never did be-
fore.
Nobody believed him when he first told
his story, but lie speedily convinced them
by daring them to follow him, which
some Of them at length did. 1t is sight
| shall never forget"
Mr.. Chettle is keeping the bones which
he brought back as mementoes of his ad-
yenturous trip.-Chicago Evening News.