The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-12

be supplied with water by dropping a
bucket from above; on one side, unap-
by an enemy, the other side
being protected by breastwork of stone.
thrown up SO as to form a perfect de-
fense Within the inclosure and facing
the depression below the falls, are two
stone caves of natural formation, which,
doubtless, induced the selection of this
spot by the Spaniards as a secure harbor
of protection, and Mr. Winston, who lived
at Valley Head, told me that but recent
ly (about 1874 or 1879 a portion of the
point Of the blade of a sword had been
found sticking In a fissure of the rock
In one of the caves that had evidently
been broken off centuries ago, by hang
Ing something heavy on the handle, which
had caused the breaking of the point
1t was only a few miles from this fort
that the Spanish dollar OF date of the
year liza was found, and subsequently
owned by Mr.. Hudgins. That the peo-
pie whom DeSoto met In this region call
ing themselves Chellakees were the an
cestors of our modern Cherokees, hardly
admits of a doubt. They, like the Nor
thumbrians of England. never pronounce
the letter r. but except in rare cases,
as among the more highly educated, pre-
fer the old, familiar ancestral name"
1t will be remembered that Gen. Wood
ward In his "reminiscences says the Tuck
abatchee Indians had In their possession
a number of copper plates OF various
shapes which their traditions said were
used by De Soto's men as shields In
battle and that he had himself seen
pieces of their small cannon, which was
left by De Soto on the battlefield of
Thlea Wal1a, before they were melted
and worked into bells by a blacksmith
named Tooley at the Indian settlement of
Thlea Walla or Rolling Bullet.
Mr. Maxwell relates the following. IT
am more than gratiled In being able to
produce in our own city Cruscaloosa) a
living witness to the truth of the leav-
ing of the cannon in the year 1910 by
De Soto and of its being seen In the year
1916 by our esteemed fellow citizen, Mr..
T. L. Hudgins before 1t was worked up
into bells BY the blacksmith Tooley. Mr..
Hudgins told me recently, In the year
1876, that in the year 1845 he saw this
historic cannon aftetr it had been burst
by firing 1t on near Rockford in Coosa
county. Alabama. It was found between
the mouth of Hatchet Creek and We
tumpka (The Indian name for Sounding
Water'o on the Coosa river. He de-
scribed 1t as being made of brass, about
AZ feet In length and inches in the
bore. 1t was found nearly 300 years after
the memorable event of its use by the
Spaniards.'
What vandalism it was to destroy such
a relic that should have been placed in
a museum where 1t would now be of
priceless value.
Until the year 1877" says Mr.. Max
well. there was no reason to suppose.
either from history or tradition, that De
Soto or any of his followers had Wis
tied the falls Of Tuscaloosa. At that
time, however, a relic was discovered
evidently left here by the Spahiards)
which presumptively connects this local
ity with his expedition and which excited
and interested the new settlement to
considerable degree. This event was the
finding of the so-called Alabama Stone"
six miles down the river below the pres
ent city This stone has now been for
many years in the possession Of the
American Antiquarian society, in their
museum at Worcester, Mass. I am in
debted to Professor Wyman of the Uni
versity of Alabama for history of this
relic, who, after much labor and research
has recently obtained truthful account
of its discovery and Of It's present place
of deposit. and It is from his memoranda
that I make the following condensed
statement;
He says that when he was youth
at college he remembered hearing Prof.
b. A. p. Barnard, later president of Co
lumbia college, New York, speak Of this
stone as having been found near Tusca-
loosa and that 1t had excited the interest
of American antiquarians as being posi-
bly, singular memorial of De soto's
march through the wilderness. Being
young at the time he took no special
interest in the statement, but in the last
few years he has made diligent inquiry
and found from the memory of the Hon.
Washington Moody and others that such
a stone had been discovered and that 1t
had been sent to some museum in the
United States many years ago, and all
trace of 1t seemed to be lost. At VEN
ture, however, he wrote to the secretary
of the American Antiquarian society at
Worcester, Mass, and IN reply found
that It had been in their museum over
80 years and that brief account in writ
ing had accompanied it, stating that it
had been found somewhere on the banks
of the Warrior river, and the secretary,
Mr.. Haven, was kind enough to send the
following description of It, 1.-The Ala-
bama stone is wedge-shaped slab of
sandstone, about feet In length, feet
wide at one end and Is inches at the
other. Cut into its face is the following
'Hisp-et-ind-rex-1232."
This Is an abreviation of the ancient
IlLl6, IN l<dLins OIL lu6 SONcTelSIlS VI opdlns
Hispaniae ct India Rex, or king OF
Spain and the Indies," found on Spanish
and old Epanish-American dollars
Mr.. Haven Is inclined to think (and he
IL good authority among the most emil
nent Of American antiquarians), that
this stone Is a genuine relic of Spanish
at some time In the remote
past Of our territory.
Professor Wyman having thus found the
whereabouts of the stone, and its descrtp-
ton, by constant and diligent inquiry,
next set about among the oldest settlers
Of the county, to learn something of Its
original discovery, and fortunately (not
long before the death Of one of the parties
who found IT.. was entirely and satisfac-
torily successful. In the year 1917 Mr..
Thomas Scales, q worthy citizen Of the
peighborhood, when q boy, removed with
his father from North Alabama to the
new settlement at Tuscaloosa falls. The
first work they did was to clear q piece
Of ground on the north bank Of the river,
just below the mouth OF Big creek, and
about six miles from the wharf at the
city Of Tuscaloosa In a southern direction.
In clearing away the timber they found
an earthwork or emhankment In the ma
ture OF Fertilization, which ran across
the peninsular formed by the junction of
the creek and the river. This embank-
ment was about four feet high and on the
top of 1t, all the way across from the
river to creek, were growing the largest
trees of the forest. At the foot of ono
of these "a large tulip tree, familiar
known as a poplar. they found a stone
set up against the tree with the lower
end of the stone half buried in the
ground. On the stone they discovered
some curious letters, which being in Latin,
thav coudd not understand. and this in