The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-06-17
Caught by Phantom.

SauSuh Wy fIldhSOHis
A week later Jose was riding along the
same road when the ghost met him In the
same place. But this time 1t anticipated
any shy on the part of the horse. for it
seized the animal by the bride with one
hand and pointed with the other In the
direction of the hills. jose saw at nee
that he was in for 1t, SO he decided that
he had better humor the ghost. He,
therefore, turned his horses head in the
direction indicated and started off rapid
ly. In about a quarter of an .hodr they
arrived at the foothills, where the ghost
stopped and pointed to a huge stone at
the foot of a tall tree. aftert which he i'm
mediately disappeared into the earth. Jose
spraag from his horse and marked the
place with u couple of sticks In the form
OF a cross, as indicative OF his willingness
to do the VIII of the ghost. Then he rode
slowly horueward.
Next day he tried to persuade some
men to go with him and help him dig up
the big stone to see what was beneath 1t.
But the story was enough for tho vii
layers. Every one decided he Yves ghost
haunted, and that 1t was unwls, to nave
anything to do with such a man. At the
end of two weeks, however, ho succeeded
IN p~ersuading an Indian from a neighbor-
ing town and a Protestant missionary
from Mexico City, who happened to be In
Coatepec at the time. to accompany him.
The three ghost hunters set out one night
at midnight, armed with picks, spades and
crowbars. When they got to the place
they tried to remove the big stone; but
they could not even move it. AT last they
dug unde one side of it and let it roll
down the hill. Then they began to dig
into the place where the stone had been.
After about an hours steady work they
came upon a circle of skulls, or. rather,
a part Of the circle, the whole Of which
was unearthed a few lays later. They
also found a stone ak and other relics OF
a long-past age. The next day there were
hundreds of people ready to 60 out and
help in the digging.
Before tho Aztec.
On examination 1t was found that the
big stone had been arrested with the un-
derside up. 1t was evidently a monument
of some kind. for 1T had carved upon its
surface part Of a gigantic hand, somewhat
roughly but sym1netrically cut in relief.
Further excavation disclosed the whole of
the great circle of skulls, which was
nearly thirty feet In diameter. Near
them there was not a single other bone.
In this curious grave there we're many
relics of a past age. Among these wers
stone whistles. sea shells, seed jugs. baked
pottery, stone grinding and weaving tools,
Jade beads and many beautifully worked
Images, These latter showed that this
curious Golgotha must have belonged to
a people of Importance. In the grave were
also found some stone slabs with ancient
h~teroclyphics, which evidently belonged
to a people who lived In the country be-
fore the coming Of the Aztecs.
II any man still doubts there are ghosts
In Coatepec he can find most of the above
articles. and many more, at the home OF
Jose Miranda; and there is scarcely an
tnhabitant Of the place who has not at
least one relic from this ancient grave.
investigation made lately shows that
near the Circle Of the Skulls" as the
place is nov called, are the remains Of a
very ancient city. almost buried by land
slides from the foothills.