Evening star., 1900-12-26
KEIETONs OF CLIFF DWELLERS.
Four Hundred of Them Found in One
Cavern in Arizona.
From the Denver Evening Post

A strange story of the suffocation of an
entire village of cliff dwellers about 1000
years ago is told by Sergt. George e. Price
of the local recruiting station.
In picturesque Arizona, among the White
mountains, not far from Fort Apache, the
peculiar race of little climbers once reigned
supreme. Among the almost inaccessible
cliffs Of red sandstone they lived like fugl-
tives In natural fortresses. The caverns
they once inhabited are today as they were
centuries ago, and in many cases have ap-
parently never been trodden by human foot
since the death of their ancient inhabitants.
The peiriI6d remains Of 100 prehiStoric 1T
tie people@were found by Sergt Price in
vast cave The Apache Indians, who now
fthabit that district, regard the cavern with
superstitious dread, and cannot be induced
to enter its gloomy portals. No white man
had ever set foot there before Serst Plicc'
and he found its contents undisturbed
During the spring of 1899, when he was
with Troop @, Ith Cavalry. and stationed at
Fort Apache in his researches about the
country the young soldier discovered the
great cave village, with its strange legend.
* few miles east of the fort, on the w hlte
river riSe some immense cliffs of red sand
stone. From the glistening stream the cliffs
rise almost perpendicularly TO sheer
height of 800 feet. CreviceS and little edges
OF rock form the only footholds for daring
climbers. While fishing for trout one 0ay,
Serst. Price noticed high up On the cliff
black hole.
Believing it to be a cave he at once deter
mined TO scale the cliff, and several soldiers
volunteered to accompany him. The ascent
exceedingly hazardous and difficult,
: but after long climb they reached the
hole. Jutting out from the face of the cliff
was a natural shelf, about eight feet wide
and twice long.
Just back OF the ledge the entrance
to the ancient cave. Under the sergeants S
leadership the party entered the cave with
torches and lanterns. They explored over
four and half miles of passages and cor
ridors. Many people had once inhabited the
winding passages of the cave village. The
soldiers penetrated into the furtharmost re-
cesses and found q big council chamber far
= back in the interior of the cliff. AS the
fickering light of the torches pierced the
: gloom of the large room the GCeWsoms
scene was revealed
Huddled together the cold damp floor
OF stone as If for mutual sympathy and
protection, lay the ghastly skeletons Of
their exposure during ages past. y short
distance apart from the others lay the
frame Of the chteftain, leaning against the
wall opposite the entrance TO the room. His
skull was resting upon his bone, Just
as he had died. 1t seemed To the discover
ers that he. perhaps had died last of them
all. and before his spirit fled had taken a
final look at his people. Then his chin sank
upon his breast, and the people Of White
River cliff were no more. Scientific obssr-
vations have shown that these people lived
Sergt- Price began systematic question:
ing of old indians, and at length adroitly
secured the legend Of the. cavern. Many
many hundred years ago. he WAS told by
the red-Skinned SagcS-and t. express their
idea of the number they tossed up handfuls
or sand in Into the air-the small men lived
In the cliffs. They were at war with other
small men who lived at some distance
Battles We're frequent and the tribe which
occupied The White River cliffs was worsted
Many or their best warriors were slain by
the clubs and arrows of the enemy. Retreat
finally became necessary, and the defeated
men hastily scaled the beetling cliff to their
home near the summit. Once within the
great cave they felt themselves secure from
further attacks. They carried with them
such scanty supplies as they could quickly
gather and they hoped that In case of Siege
their corn would last until the siege was
raised.
Swarming up over the ledge to the en-
trance to the cave came their enemies Sew
sral they killed but were soon Iriyeu back
from the entrance. Wonderingly thsy
crouched within its portals. The assallants
brought up quantities of wood and piled IT
high up about the hole in the cliY Then
they kindled a huge fire and never suffered
It to abate in fury.
Days passed and the flames still cleaned
brightly on the side of the vast rock For
4 fortnight the vigilance never slackened
AT length the revengeful army retired leay-
ing a great pile Of ashes on the ledge. No