The herald., 1897-07-18

mile east of this place, has just brougn
to light a cross which had been beneath
( the earth's surface since 1749. The place
of burial was ground where limestone
was an important factor and the result
IL that the cross is completely petrified
When the matter was first called t
the attention of Ira w. Logan, the own
err Of the quarry, he was greatly puzzled
to explain the singular formation oil
stone, but investigation has made the
history of the sacred emblem clear, ant
at the same time recalled the marvellous
energy and tireless journeyings of the
most famous of the Roman Catholic
clergy, the Jesuits. Mr.. Logan commun-
icated the news of the discovery to the
authorities of the Smithsonian institu
ton at Washington. In response, DR.
w. De Hass of the institution, visited
Rochester and carefully examined the
cross. His report has not yet been made
public but it is likely to be Of vivid inter
est when it is finally given publication
The cross itself is twenty -four inches
high, the cross-piece being eighteen
inches in length. Time and the lime
stone washings, the combination that
petrified it, also fastened it securely in
q bed of limestone. 1t is considered
rather remarkable that the blast which
tore 1t from its bed twenty feet beneath
the earths surface did not mar its beau
ty, but If 1t had been exhumed in the
most careful fashion. it could have been
no more perfect than it is. 1t is hard to
realize without observation how really
beautiful it has become through petri-
fication. 1t seems to have a luster or
radiance, and when the sunlight strikes
it fairly beams scintillate from it of
prismatic hue, the whole forming most
charming spectacle.
The history of this cross which careful
Investigation has shown, takes us back
TO the old days when Western New York
was little better than wilderness and
Pennsylvania was as free from the
touch of the white man, outside OF the
large settlements, as the virgin soil is
from the cultivator At that time the
French soldiery and Roman Catholic
priests were particularly energetic in
penetrating the country in all directions,
one seeking to establish the dominion of
the state, the other that of the church.
1t was the century in which this combi-
nation achieved the most with which it
has been credited. La Sale. Marquette,
and others had made their names famous
already. The woods all along the Cana
dian border and nearly as far west as
the Mississippi river had become famil-
lar places to the Jesuit priests.
In the spring Of 1749 a band of French
soldiers, voyageurs and others. left La
chine, which is situated near Montreal
for a trip through the section of coun-
11a1A
one. The leader of the company was
Captain Celeron. but associated with him
was M. Decontrecoeur,who in later years
became a commander of that famous
Pennsylvania post known as old Fort
Duquesne, the site of the present city of
Pittsburg. From Lachine the party jour-
neyed down through Canada into that
portion of New York state just north of
Buffalo.
1t was a perilous journey at the best
While the Indians were supposed to be
friendly to the French, there were pre-
datory bands of red men whose love for
scalps and plumber often led them to
forget the alliances which their chiefs
had made. They, would pitch upon ex-
petitions like the one described, and
often was it the case that the first news
the friends of the white men would have
of their fate would be the report of a
scout who had found their skeletons
half buried under the leaves of a far
away forest.
Obstacles of this sort had no terror for
the French soldier The Jesuits besides
posses sng all the bravery that went to
make up the man. who fought for France,
was guided by religious inspiration and
fervor that almost amounted to fanat-
;cism No danger was so great, no peril
go imminent that he would not face it.
Through the trackless forests, in frail
canoe, down unknown streams where
the song Of the arrow might bring the
messenger Of death at any moment he
would journey, provided there was a
possibility Of bringing single person
from without to within the fold of the
Roman Catholic church. A half dozen
of these priests accompanied the French
explorers.
When the expedition reached the Allie
gheny river 1t was considered that its
real duties began. Here the fleur-de-lis
of France and the cross of the Jesuits
were placed side by side, church and
state in a union that savored of nothing
but pacification. At distances of ten
miles along the route, Captain Celoron
buried leaden plates inscribed with the
arms of France and the date of the eX-
petition. Directly alongside the place of
burial of these plates the Jesuits buried
wooden crosses, of which the one found
near Rochester is sample.
Miles and miles down the Allegheny,
encountering perils Of every description,
their numbers dimir ished by sickness,
weak from want of food, these intrepid
men continued their journey until they
reached the junction of the Allegheny
and Monongahela rivers. Here they
established a camp, which subsequently
became Fort Duquesne, although the
sites of the fort and the camp are not
Identical, in point Of the exact space &C.
cupied For six months, or until the
spring and summer of 1850, it is record
ed that this expedition maintained the
place of residence indicated After that
no one seems to know what became of
them, with the exception of M. Decor
trecoeur who, as stated, became the
commandant of the French post named
Duquesne.
Whether Captain Coleron and his
companions journeyed into the wilder
ness and there left their bones to be " hi
tened by time no one knows. Perhaps
the musty records in France tell the
story, but the chances are that they
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