The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-12-26
THE BRANDYWINE WALL"
Was it Built by Prehistoric Race ?
Correspondence st. Louis Rrpnbhc.

Clcveland's first administration in one
of the cities of Southern Mexico, and
while there became deeply interested
in tho Aztec ruins and aboriginal re-
mains, with which that country and
Central America are 50 rich. The
two gentlemen visited the Brandywinc
Wall. Speaking Of the trip, Captain
Birdsong said recently:
Colonel Duprc insisted upon our
visiting it, SO together we drove
through the country, some twenty
four 81 twenty-five miles, 70 til,
place, in an inaccessible part of the
country.
"With Mr. Bridges, who lives at
l'randywinc, and Mr.. S. S. Starnes,
who also resides in the ncighborbo ood,
we visited tho wall. locally known as
the quarry. On top Of the wall it
appears broad enough for two horse
wagon to be driven on it, and with
plenty of room to spare. In fact, the
top, where the dirt has been removed,
looks much like paved street, cover
ed with heavy blocks Of stone.
"Mlr. Bridges got a negro and
crowbnr and showed ns how the pee
pic of that section got the stone out
of tho wall. The negro stood on top
OF the wall with the crowbar, and then
pounded at tho wall with repeated
vertical strokes until the crowbar bit
into crack or seam. Then, working
the bar laterally, out rolled stone,
several feet square, almost perfect
cube, from its ancient bed of cement,
falling from our feet as though fresh
from the stonccutter's hand. From
the spot from which the stone was
moved could be seen the cement which
held it in place, and the ends of the
other stones and their sides, cut and
adjusted with mathematical niccty,
were plainly visible.
High above US, 200 or 300 feet,
rose hill with an oval shape, much
like the dome of the Capitol at Wash
ington, and the marvellous part re-
mains to be told-thc wall apparently
runs under the hill, for it is exposed
on the other side.
Il distinctly remember Colonel Du-
pre- remarking: If tho hill be the
sediment Of ages, how old must be
this ruin?'
II received letter from Mr.. John
d. Jewett, who resides at Newton, O.,
in regard to the wall, and who got all
the information I had about it. He
prepared statement about tho wall
and submitted it to Professor F. w.
Putnam, Curator of the Peabody
Museum, and to Doctor j. F. Suider,
editor Of the American Archaeologist,
and to Doctor D. G.. Brinton of the
University Of Pennsylvania, the latter
being probably the most noted au-
thority in America on archaeology.
Doctor Brinton wrote that he
thought the wall might be natural
stone ledge with regular strati6ca-
tions. Just such wall is found in
East Tennessee, and has at various
times been quoted as tho work of
aborigines, and the supposed cement
is the decaying surfaces of the layers
in juxtaposition.' But one glance ut
the wall will convince him that he is
not cc-rect in his surmisc. You will
notice that he does nc. state positive
ly, but says it might be. 30
The conditions for miles around
preclude any chance Of the wall being
natural ledge. The nearest sand
stcae - in the uppor part of Kinds
County, nearly fifty miles away, and
it is Of totally different character
from the stone in the wall under dis
cussion and has no regular stratifica
ton.
Governor Longino, Of Mississippi,
has become interested in the subject
and he has individually set to work
and collected fund of several hun
drec dollars to be expended in making
excavations along the wall and in the
hill! referred to. In addition q private
expedition, consisting Of r. w. Mo-
Clsughry, warden of the United States
Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kas.,
and several scientists, is expected
during the present month, as is in ex-
petition under the auspices of the
University Of Chicago, with the pro.
jectors OF which Governor Longino
has been corresponding. Mr.. Thomas
c. Watson, prominent citizen Of
Copiah County, wrote TO Governor
Longino, svme time ago, suggesting
that the Capitol Commission might
get the stone for the new Capitol from
the "Braudywine Quarry" A scc-
ton of the stone was sent to Governor
Lorgino as sample. The stone was
sent by a gentleman who livea in tho