Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-17
CITY OF THE ANCiENTS
Supposed to Have Had a Population Of
Eleven Million.
Ruins of q Great Metropolis Claimed
to Have Been Discovered In
Southeastern Arkansas.
amar Fontaine in New Orleans picayune.

Despite the unfriendly criticisms of GER
tain learned professors, I stand by the brief
announcement of my discovery Of the re-
mains of a vast prehistoric city in Arkan-
sas, and since the statement has attracted
so much attention 1 realize that 1t Is my
duty to add further particulars and details
of the discovery. With the experience OF
fifty years as an explorer to aid me in my
researches visited the counties of Ashley,
Desha and Drew in the southeastern section
of Arkansas, where 1 found a vast area
covered by the "tumuli' of the mound
builders. There could be no doubt at all in
any mind, with the evidence before 1t as
1t was before me, that this was the grand
metropolis of that prehistoric race known
as the mound builders.
l surveyed an area of thirty-fve miles
west and twenty-five miles north, embrace
ing territory of not less than $50 200
square acres. and, be it understood. this did
not cover the whole Of the ground on which
the city had been built, for the tumuli
reached far beyond the region traversed by
me.
On each acre there were about four
mounds, and a close examination of these
disclosed, to my great delight, the remains
Of hreplaces and the shattered crockery
used in cooking. In some an even closer
examination revealed the charred remains
rel and fish. So immense was the prehis-
toric city through which 1 travelled that I
am satisfied New York, Chicago, London
and Paris could be placed inside its area
Making an estimate on the basis that each
dwelling of the great city contained five
inhabitants. L computed that at least H.
OO0, 600 people must have lived in this pre-
historic place
1t was awe-inspiring. thrilling, to reflect,
standing there amid the ruins of the dwell
Ing place of the countless millions of the
prehistoric race that dwelt in the Yazoo
valley, that here lived the mysterious peo-
pie. who antedated any Inhabitants known
to nave Lived on our continent. This val
ley of the Yazoo was their field. The entire
delta was in high state of cultivation.
Every acre was utilized for agricultural
purposes. Thousands of canals were dug
and used for irrigation and navigation, and
the pottery discovered shows that they man
ufactured superior articles of earthenware
Tor domestic purposes.
L found nothing in the course of my ex-
plorations to throw any light on the reason
why the prehistoric builders erected their
haps they were intended for defense and it
Is certain that the mounds were built in
military formation and were provided with
cisterns for water. The -erections surveyed
from five to thirty feet, while the areas in
closed were of from twenty-five to forty
acres In extent. and a few much larger
1t Will be interesting in connection with
the discovery of this metropolis Of the
mound builders to review briefly the known
facts of the work of these ancient people
10 begin from the north That portion of
the United States which lies between the
Appalachians and the Rocky mountains
presents in three groups at once the Oldest
ana rudest monuments of bygone times
me nrst group extending from the sources
OF the Allegheny to the waters of the Mis-
sissippi-Missouri the second occupying the
mississippi valley, vaguely 50 defined and
the third stretching from South Carolina to
IeXas. These several groups, apparently
with very little difference among them
selves, consist of numberless mounds and
recommendations of earth and s,tne-1 500
OF lhe latter and 10000 of the former being
sad to stud Ohio alone The ere ctions
themselves range from five to thirty feet in
height while the areas inclosed-generallv
of some symmetrical figure such as circle
OF eLlpse, rectangular parallelogram or reg
hiar poiygon-vary from twenty to forty
acres The Recommendations moreover
seem generally to contain the mounds and
sometimes smaller decentralization is sur
rounded by larger one Whether these
coiossal structures were intended for wor-
snip or for defense. 1t is impossible to de-
cide; more probably, however. they were of
a military character, provided, as they or
dlnarliy We're, with cisterns for water But
Whatever their origin, they derive interest
from the analogous fact that within the
same territorial limits have been dug mn
vases OF earthenware or copper in elegant
forms, pipe bowls decorated with human
heads OF the type of the existing aborigines
or with those of birds etc domestic men
Sis, personal ornaments. hatchets of stone
and. lastly, weapons of copper or mica, or
shell or obsidian
Further investigation Of the ruins of the
great city will no doubt bring to light rare
antiquities of prehistoric nature I made
no attempt to dig for treasures 1t was
enough for me to know that stood where
the most ancient of people had lived and
iabored. fought and struggled. died, and
disappeared. leaving behind them only such
gigantic monuments as those I have de-
been