The Red Cloud chief., 1901-03-15
BY UNK NOWN HANDS.
M~ississippi's Great Stone Wall q
Puzzle to Archaeo logists.
wonderful and Massive Structure
That Has withstood n Ravssss
of Many Thousands of Years
In Claiborne County.

One Of the scientific puzzles or the
state of Missouri is the "Brandywine
Stone Wall" II has long been a prob
lem that is yet unsolved. Some time
ago. says the New Orleans Picayune,
Thomas Watson, OF Hazelhurst, sent
Gov. Longino a pencil drawing of an
immense pile of stone in the south
eastern portion OF Claiborne count@
suggesting that the ton might be
utilized in hui ding the new capitol.
In q letter which accompanied the
drawing Mr.. Watson stated that these
stones, piled high on each other, cover
an area four miles square. Each stone
is six feet long, three feet wide and
two feet thick. and they are joined to-
gether with an excellent quality OF ce-
ment. No nan knows how they came
there. They may have been there for
thousands OF years. The builders, the
Jackson News thinks. were some pre-
historic race-it could not be other
wise. This structure is supposed to be
a continuation OF the great "Chinese
wall" which seems to begin below Ray
mond, in the southern part OF Kinds
county. and which istraceable through
Copiah. 1t Is broad enough to accom-
modate two Dr. three wagons abreast.
and 10 one Of the wonders OF the world.
Mention OF this remarkable cxhib-
It," says the Hazelton Courier. has
elected no little c~ommrnt-in fact, has
brought a letter to Mr.. Watson from
the warden OF the United States peniten-
tiary at Leavenworth, Kan, and also .
letter to DR.. T. B. Birdsong from An
other distinguished source, IL being
known that the latter some years ago
investigated the matter. Nr. Watson.
however" saws the Courier "has given
~. subject more patien. :toutht than
anyone Else. and tn him the Courier is
indebted for the following interesting
facts:
ale calls IL the 'R%randywine Stone
WALL and says this wonderful and
massive structure or parts OF structure
OF masonry done in stone, which has
withstood the ravages OF time for per.
haps many thousands of years, still
stands an enduring relic OF a pre-
historic civilization and a knowledge
OF the art of building not inferior in
many respects to- the present day. These
stone buildings lie. for the most part,
buried ia the earth ia the southeast
ern part Of Claiborne county. and
lying against the Copiah county line,
on the slopes overlooking the valley OF
the Brandywine creek from the west
side.
"These walls run from northeast to
southwest. They are built Of white
or grayish white stone Of immense size,
weighing from two to three tons
measuring from six to eight feet in
length and three feet wide by two feet
thick. These blocks. or slabs, are laid
in a very fine quality OF cement, and as
perfectly as brick work. The joints
are perfect and very close.
AT one place the top Of the wall 1,
exposed by the earth being washed
away to a width OF 60 feet and a length
Of 90 feet; this exposure has the ap.
pearance Of a brick hearth. At an.
other place the stone has been quarried
for domestic use 10 a depth OF three
LAYERS of slabs. which is six feet, a
width OF "a, or eight blocks, and q
length Of 25 blocks, or $50 feet. The
length OF this wall as indicated by the
groupings is about 1000 feet. At an.
other place about 500 yards away from
the place just mentioned is a wall jut.
ting from under a slope for a distance
OF nearly 1900 feet. This stone work
is exposed in n great many places ovel
an area OF four square miles.
THE sides and angles of the blocks
of stones are so perfect that they re.
semble pressed brick. The tops OF these
walls are perfectly horizontal and with,
out regard to the uneveness OF the
earth's surface. The seams across the
tiers are perfectly horizontal in posi-.
ton, and these blocks are smoothly
dressed on the edges and ends. while the
broad surfaces are brought down to q
level plane, but not dressed. They are
held so firmly together by the cement
that it is with great difficulty that they
are broken up.
"a personal inspection Of these great
structures as they lie partly buried in
the earth would relieve the minds o.
the most skeptical OF all doubt Of 1,
not being the work Of the hands OF
man.
'In all that II above mentioned In
connection with numerous cavin9siu
OF the earth's surface. which repre-
sent the existence OF underground cav
ems, abundant evidence is found u
bear out the theory of the existence
OF a great buried city in that locality.
"The information above given Il
vouched for by other parties who have
visited the scene in recent years, and
bears out the theory advanced by Mr.
Watson. Truly, there is work for the
scientist here"