The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-25

flight of steps, OF, perhaps, a series of
them, to the top, where were located their
rude yet well-kept and frugal homes, con-
structed of stone and sun-dried adobe
bricks.
One day, the story goes. an awful calam-
ity came to this community of red men.
| While the younger men of the village, the
women and children were engaged in their
fields below, a terrific storm came on, and
a bolt of lightning struck the projecting
rock in which the steps were cut, complete
! ly demolishing it, and effacing all trace
of their improvised stairway from the
ground up 300 feet to the cathedral-like
entrance. The aged men and women and
the infant children who had been left in
the homes on the mesa were forever cut
off from their kinsmen below, and these,
in turn, were unable to ascend to their
homes. To add to their distress, the fall
ing stone had crushed to death a score or
more of those who had taken shelter from
the storm at the base of the rock MANY
sorrowful days and nights ran into weeks
until finally no sad face peered over the
Jagged edge of the rocks above to greet
the Wlstful watchers from below, and they
knew that all their people at home had
succumbed at last to their fearful fate and
perlshed from hunger and thirst.
Ihen the sorrowing Acomas gathered to-
gether their scanty effects, and, carrying
NliCH "OuluSu On cTuue HtterS woven from
the spines of the amole plant, wandered
away into the desert in search of a new
home.
They founded their second village two
miles distant, on top of mesa rock al
most the counterpart of their previous
home though not so high by perhaps,
| 100 feet, and there they built of stone and
mud and hewn timbers, transported on
| their backs up a rock declivity nearly 600
| feet high, their village as it stands to-day.
| an impregnable fortress in time of dan
| ger, the wonder and admiration of hun
dreds OF American tourists who visit the
| place, particularly in September when
their feasts are in progress.
In the calamity which befeH the EN-
| chanted mesa" It is said, 300 souls per-
| ished. In the revolt of 1850 against Span
ish rule, the Spanish Catholic missionary
| stationed on the enchanted mesa" with
the Acamos was the only priest who es-
capped the wrath of the Pueblo Indians
and was not killed. When the Spaniards
besieged the base of the rock the Indian
women sacked the village church and were
| on the verge of stoning the friar to DEATH
| but he made his escape and jumped from
! the top of the mesa, landing uninjured 700
| feet below. That he made the leap in
! safety is ascribed to the fact that his outer
| garment was a large sarape-a heavy
blanket having an opening In its center
| which fits over the head and brings the
| blanket down over the shouqders-which
| in his flight downward served the purpose
| of a parachute. This priest was after
ward captured by the Acoma warriors.
who after a council OF war, decided that
| he must surely be either saint or devil to
| have successfully made so miraculous a
| leap, and upon his cOnsenting to renounce
| his religion, ne was taken TO their home
| and became one OF them. Subsequently he
| married one of the bellies of the village
and his descendants are to-day among
the sturdest sons and daughters of the
| pueblo Of Acoma.
That Prof Libby. should he carry out
| his expressed intention Of scaling the
walls of Mesa Encantada' and reaching
| the tableland, will find in the ruins there
a rich and valuable assortment Of pre-
| historic treasures Is scarcely TO be ques-
toned. About the base Of the rock are
70 be found at this date many fragments
| Of beautiful pottery, the rich coloring OF
which centuries OF exposure to the ele-
ments has not effaced; and, since the AGO.
mas have always been noted for the SUI
perority Of their earthenware. as well as
their experiences IN the production OF gold
and silver ornaments. jewelry. etc. no
| doubt the explorers Will be abundantly re-
warded for their undertaking.
Prof. Libbys plan for throwing a line
1 over this tableland by the use OF tandem
/ kites is believed 10 be perfectly feasible
since a strong southwest breeze usually
| prevails In that locality in July. Ia max
INK the ascent Il Or probable that the ex-
plorers viii not be required 20 scale the
rocks TO the very top. but Will find their
/ task one OF comparative ease after going
aloft 300 feet TO the opening IN the side OF
the elin.