Daily camera., 1901-03-07
A GREWsOME FIND.
Four Hundred Skeletons Discovered
in Arizona Cavern.
Remains Of Cliff Dwellera Unearthed d
by Sergeant Price Of the seventh
Cavalry in the White
MOuntains.

A strange story of the suffocation of
arf entire village of cliff dwellers about
1000 years ago is told by Sergt. George
E. Price, of the recruiting station, at
Denver, to the Evening Post, of that
city.
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 fugitives, in
natural fortresseA The caverns they
once inhabited are to-day as they were
centuries ago, and in many cases have
apparently never been trodden by hui
man foot since the death of their an
cient inhabitants. The petrified re-
mains of 400 prehistoric little people
were found by Sergt. Price in vast
cave. The Apache Indians. who now
inhabit that district, regard the cav
ern with superstitious dread, and can
not be induced to enter its gloomy por-
tails. No white man had ever set foot
there before Sergt. Price and he found
its contents undisturbed.
During the spring of 1899, when he
was with troop G. Seventh cavalry,
and stationed at Fort Apache, in his
researches about the country the
young soldier discovered the great
cave village, with its strange legend.
A few miles east of the fort, on the
White river. rise some immense cFffs
of red sandstone. From the glistening
stream the cliffs rise almost perpendic-
ularly 20 sheer height of 300 feet.
Crevices and little edges Of rock form
the only foothods for daring climbers.
While fishing for trout one day, Sergt.
Price noticed high up on the cliff
black hole.
Believing it to be cave. he at once
determined to scale the cliff, and sew
eral soldiers volunteered to accompany
him. Tho ascent was exceedingly haz-
ardous and difficult, but after long
climb they reached the hole. Jutting
ou; from the face of the cliff was nat
ural shelf. about eight feet wide and
twice as long.
trance to the ancient cave. Under the
sergeant's leadership the party en-
tered the cave with torches and lam
terms. They explored over four and
a hhlf miles of passages and corridors.
Many people had once inhabited the
winding passages of the cave village.
The soldiers penetrated into the fur
thermost recesses and found big
council chamber far back in the in
terror of the cliff. AS the Pickering
light of the torches Sierced the gloom
of the large room the grewsome scene
was revealed
Huddled together on the cold damp
floor of stone as If for mutual SYM
pathy and protection. lay the CHASTITY
skeletons of over 400 little cliff dwell
ers. petritied by their exposure during
ages past. \ short distance apart from
the others lay the frame of the chief
tain, leaning against the wall opposite
the entrance to the room. His skull
was resting upon his breastbone, just
as he had died. 1t seemed to the dis
coverers that he, perhaps, had died
last Of them all. and before his spirit
fled had taken a final look at his peo-
pie. Then his chin sank upon his
breast, and the people of White River
cliff were no more. Scientific observa-
tions have shown that these people
lived about 1000 years ago.
! Sergt. Price began systematic
questioning 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 sages-and to express their
idea of the number they tossed up
handfuls of sand into the air - the
small men lived in the cliffs. They were
at war with other small men who lived
at some distance. Battles were fire.
quent, and the tribe which occupied
the White River cliffs was worsted.
Many of their best warriors were
slain by the clubs and arrows Of the
enemy. Retteat finally became neces-
sary, and the defeated men hastily
scaled the bestling cliff to their home
near the sun Emit. 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
entrance to the cave came their enc
mics. Several they killed, but were
soon driven back frotp the entrance.
Wonderingly, they rouched within its
portals. The assailants brought up
quantities of wood and piled it high up
about the hole in the cliff. Then they
kindled huge fire and never suffered
it to abate in fury.
Days passed on and the flames still
| cleaned brightly on the side of the
vast rock. For fortnight the vigil
lance never slackened. At length the
revengeful army retired, leaving a
! great pile of ashes on the ledge. No
one dared to enter the cavern, and, hav-
ing accomplished their grim mission,
they departed from the section. What
agonies the cliff dwellers must have
suffered as the pangs Of starvation