Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-10-02
SCOTT COUNTY'S
COL. pRIoeMoRE's RESEARCH INTO
AN ARcHAEo BIOLOGICAL TR0Ve.
r,.,.,,.d Description Of tho Objects Un-
esrth~d--A Theory Interview WIN
Mr.. Edward r. Valentine.

~
Stone Gap, which made brief mention
OF the exploration by Colonel A. L. Pride
NOR. OF a "caye" In Scott county. and
the unearthing OF n large number OF
human bones, together with beads. shells.
etc AS IL was evident that the find
was an Indian burial-place, the Dispatch
suggested that 1t would be Interesting
TO have from Colonel Pridemore
detailed account OF the results OF his
search and in response to that sug-
gcston, he has written the following
communication;
JoNEsvILLE, LEE COUNTY. VA.
September %, 1894.
To the Editor OF the Dispatch:
I observe in your paper Of the 25d in
slant a notice OF the find at Dufiield.
and at your suggestion 7 write YOU
seine particulars The place where the
bones were found Is not properly cave;
IL is a mere iissure. or crevlce, say three
and half feet wide and eight or ten
lorg, upon the foot hills of the North
Fork Of Clinch river. about 100 feet above
the level land below.
This cave fissur. is twenty-three feet
below the entrance. You reach the floor
by a rope. The place has been known
for some time. ana 4 was hot The Mas
to discover the CHASTITY pile.
The floor of the cave Is something in
the form OF a cross. and in area IL
about ten or twelve feet square None
Of the earth has been taken out. 1t
has only been dug and thrown from side
TO side. and in that way our party and
others have gone down eight or ten feet,
in which space there have been found
the bones of. perhaps. 100 different bodies,
some with the teeth all fast In the jaws.
the enamel as perfect az in life, and
the teeth mostly fast set. Some few
teeth are loose. and some others show
that they are the teeth Of old people.
with the iaw-bone grown over where The
teeth had been taken out in HE Some
have only n few teeth. The jaw-bole Is
so large In several cases that IL VIII slip
over the outside OF any living mans.
| tried II. The earth Is fun OF decayed
bones. broken and rotten in part. Teeth,
bones. leg-bones, jaws, and parts OF
skulls show that there had been many
people thrown in the !issure. Several
of the skulls are in the possession or
physicians, and others In the neighh0r-
hood, but most of them were put back.
In the hole at the base of the skulls
the dirt and mud had worked in some Of
them. and I'm getting out this dirt II
was found mixed with a white. soft sub
stance which looked as II II might be
the brains, dried and preserved. Indeed.
that is what | took 1t 10 be: yet it
may have been a lime formation.
QUANTITIES OF BEADS
There have been taken out Of this
grave OF numerous dead. and there are
now in my possession. quantities of beads.
stuck together and crusted over with a
lime foundation on the outside til tney
look yellow and black. But these when
cleaned are as white as snow. There
have also been found several pieces Of
wampum, one II inches across. guam
tity OF seI-shells. worn. | think, as
beads, In the same condition as the
beads. l have shell-beads two inches
long: severa. pieces OF buck horn. and
drinking-cup Of sea-shell that will hold
half pint. In this four holes are nicely
drilled through the edge for handle.
There is also a stone. doubtless worn as
an ornament.
PIPES.
have three pipes that came from
about the same place in the cave and
near the cup. No ! Is a small. black
pipe OF steatlte. stem and all together.
1t is as perfect as 1t was on the day 1t
was made. 1t IL Of about the ordinary
size OF the pipe OF the present time
Pipe No. is of red stone, hard as
marble. with dark red spots over It. The
stem is longer and the bowl larger than
those OF the black one. No stone in
this part of the country Is like ii. that l
know Of. No. 3 IS by far the most ar
tistic in design and complete in work.
manship of any plain pipe / have ever
seen: and ! have been collecting for
twenty years. The bowl is about four
inches long and is somewhat barrel
shaped, with a nice ilange around the
top, about an inch and quarter in dame
ter. with nat. tapering stem, all in one
piece of black steatite. polished until 1t
l. almost as smooth and slick as glass.
Unfortunately, the end of the stem IS
broken off, but enough remains TO show
that 1t IS a masterpiece OF It's kind.
Some gentlemen in the neighborhood In
tend hosting the dirt out and going to
the bottom OF the cave.
The bones continued 10 be found as far
down as we went. The pipes, l think,
Indicate n southern make. They are not
like any others 1 have ever found in
these parts. The shells are like those OF
the beautiful speckled kind found on the
coasts OF Florida.
A THEORY.
My theory ls that some southern rlpe
had wandered up 10 this place (WHICH
was a favorite spot for Indians. as ii
was an old deer lick. and there Is pam
evidence OF a former town, and the
dwellers had waged war upon them anu
possibly exterminated them and put them
in this hole, together with their pipes,
dogs, and ornaments.
The only thing that would seem to con-
~, th. arnr pf old
road leading up to the place from the
level land below. and the earth does not
seem to be the same as that now on the
adjacent cliff. This is the only place so
far found in this part OF the country
where the Indians buried their dead in
a hole or In great quantities together.
Their burial-places all show separate
graves many Of which ] have opened,
and l know places where hundreds have
been inferred.
DIFFERENCES.
If space would allow ! could show you
the difference in the pipes. one In my
possession. dug up fifteen feet below the
surface in building the Louisville and
Nashville railroad, is an eagle or osprey,
and weighs pounds ounces. roughly cut
out; another. intended for turkey or
crested duck, l have had twenty years,
weighs . pounds ounces: one, tube.
inches long, &c, &c. iOISOt 10 say tne
red pipe has on the bowl three parallel
marks and several cross. zlZzag lines that
may or may not mean something.
| also have some broken pottery of the
owl-faced patterns so abundantly found
by DR.. Schliemann in his excavations at
Troy, and IL is wonderful the similarity
that exists in the ornamentaticn OF the pot
terry found by him and some now in my
possession. | have $50 axes. hatchets,
hammers, nut-crackers. and the like, one
axe weighing IL pounds. Hoping l have
been able TO convey TO you some idea Of
this. at least to me. interesting find, re-
main, yours truly,
\. l.. PRIDEMORE.
Colonel Pri1emore's letter was shown
to Mr. Edward Il. Valentine. treasurer of
the Valentine Museum, who. with his
brothers. IL. B. and c.. G.. Valentine. has
done most patient and laborious work In
archaeology, and his views as to the i'm
portance of the find requested.
MIR VALENTINES VIEWS.
After reading the communication care
fully Mr. Valentine said:
1t appears that Colonel Pridemore has
discovered the burlal-place of the warriors
Of some great prehistoric battle.
The occurrence Of the remains OF so
fr.l