The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-05
SOME GEORGIA RUINS.
Ancient FOrtifcntions OF Which
There Is No Certain History.

Ancient Fortifcations Of Which
There Is No Certain History.
New York Post.
Lying at the end of the Appalachian chain
are the Cohuttah mountains, dividing the
counties of Murray and Gilmer in Georgia,
and extending northward into Tennessee.
There are a number of tall peaks along
this range, one of the most prominent be-
ing Fort mountain, overlooking the Alice
culsa valley.
The early settlers, in searching around for
gold and silver, found rich ledge Of silver
bearing galena half way up the side Of
this mountain and, pursuing their investi-
cations, they reached the summit, which is
broad plateau, with sheer precipces on
every side except the southern, where they
found some remarkable Notifications in a
fair state of preservation. On the north.
east and west the cliffs rise abruptly from
the valley below to a height of over 1,1CO
feet. the plateau at this point being about
half mile wide. From the edge of the
cliff on the east to the lip of the precpice
on the west the wall had been constructed
of the rough powders of the mountains,
| about ten feet in height, where it was near
| est complete. The wall was built in a zig
gag, Jacobs ladder fashion, and there
were embrasures and loop-holes as if for
defensive purposes.
| The pioneers could gain no information
| from the Indians as to when, by whom, or
| Tor what purpose these Notifications were
| erected. They had no tradition as to the
| builders. and the intent and purpose of the
| mountain fortress was then, as 1T is to-day,
| a mystery. The walls remain standing,
but near the mountainsides they have been
broken by people rolling stones over the
| cliffs for amusement, to see them tumble
| down the valley.
There are large. trees springing up
through the ruins all along the line Of the
wall, and one of the strangest features of
| the fortifications is the roadway leading
| from about the center Of the line TO a
| never-failing spring that bursts up in the
| middle Of the plateau. Instead OF includ-
ing the water within the fortified area, al
though II Is within sixty yards Of the an
| cient gateway. they left it without and
| built a paved way to it, guarded on either
| side by pits, presumably to shelter the men
| who guarded the approaches. This road
wells up and its outlet forms brook that
| runs down the mountainside never failing
| even In seasons of greatest drought.
Many conjectures have been made as to
| the purpose of this fort and its builders.
Some years ago a party OF prospectors dis
covered an abandoned shaft right under the
| brow Of the precipice on the north. In 1t
were found traces of collaborating ore which
| the assayers pronounced rich in the precious
metal. IL is so nearly inaccessible, how
| work the mine. 1t has been supposed by
many that the fortifcations were built by
De Soto's men, VINO discovered the NINE and
| than one thousand feet high on three sides
| and this formidable rock wall on the fourth,
they could easily repulse the advance of
enemy and prevent interference with the
| work. The only way by which they could
| have operated was by letting the miners
| down to the shaft from above; once there
| they would be free from Interruption This
belief has been strengthened recently by the
| finding of a Spanish silver coin under one
L - ctr ,xyn nrfy rph IN n
| over through idle curiosity. The coin is
| about the size of 25-cent piece and bears
date of the reign of Ferdinand and Isa-
| bella.
| on the stone are roughly cut letters, or
| rather hieroglyphics, for nobody has been
found to decipher them. In the valley be-
| low has been found the site of the ancient
| furnace of smelling works, evidently
! built for the reduction of ore. 1t is near
land a large amount of Stag has been un-
covered All these facts act put together seem seen,
| to protect the Spanish miners in their
search for gold and silver.
On the other hand, there are those who
| hold that the fortress enclosed temple
| or shrine, and was the work of race that
| inhabited the country prior to its occu-
| pancy by the Cherokee Indians. On the
borders of the Coosawattee river, few
| miles away have been found tumuli which,
| when excavated, revealed human remains
that were buried in a manner more like
the Aztecs than that OF the he Indians
was discovered by the white men. The
ground was first leveiled and smooth slab
| OF sandstone was laid fat on the hard
packed soil. and four similar slabs were
| set edge up on this, making rude box.
| The body was then dismembered and placed
in this box, IN sitting posture with the
| arms and legs around it and the severed
| head top OF the pile. Some of these
dismembered skeletons indicate that those
| who were buried there were giants in their
| day. One of the thigh bones reached almost
| to the hip OF an ordinary man, and the
jaws were massive and the skull Indicative
| OF superior intellectually. Strings of beads
| made of human teeth were also found
among the crumbling remains in a Won
derful state of preservation and polished as
| If ny long wearing.
How long the bones had been entombed
| there no one can conjecture. Upon exposure
to the air they crumbled at the touch and
there was no means of preserving them
for examination by the archaeologists- Many
believe that a branch of the great Aztec
family inhabited this region prior to the
| coming of the Cherokees. and that these
vast tumul were the work of their hands.
Not far from these ancient graves two
| women, one of them a school teacher, were
out for stroll along the Coosawattee
| river short time ago. Growing weary.
they sat down on the powders at the foot
OF a steep cliff to rest. There had been
| a storm and rise in the river few days
| before and a great oak tree had been blown
schoolmistress saw a bright-looking object
living near the uproOted tree, and, picking
it up found that 1t was curious coin
| gold, and the two. by digging in the sand,
| unearthed seventeen others, all of them
bearing dates a hundred and fifty or two
hundred years ago.
| They reported their find and a crowd Of
| men repaired to the spot and continued the
| search but found no more coins nor any
thing else that might. indicate how they
came in that out-of-the,way spot The
coins were sent to a collector in Atlanta.
| They were Of Spanish origin. and the sup
| position. by what can be learned from the
| fragmentary accounts of the wanderings of
| De Soto is that some Of his men buried
| them there while rambling among the hills
| in search of the rich mines that supplied
| the Cacique Of Echota with his treasure.
| This section of country is away from the
| travelled routes, a distance from the big
| towns and railroads. and has heretofore
| been deemed well nigh inaccessible. 1t Is
| peopled by a rough and hardy race of noun
| taineers who care little for scientific in
| yestigation, and in whose hands the Tarest
| relics might fall and be thrown away as
| If of no interest or value.
| A MillenGial Exposition.
4 ~ovtD