The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-12
PIONEER DAYS
BY MARY GORDON puFFEE.


Louisiana, there are other remains of
the rowing Spaniards scattered over
southern territory at widely separated
places; and while the Indian legends
relate that De $3.50 built several of
these Notifications, tn ere is no tea-
sonable ground to believe that he did;
but upon the contrary, that he merely
occupied them as places of safety
from whence he could send out pros
pecting parties. In the event of an
attack the rock walls and embank-
msnts of earth would serve the pur-
pose of breastworks. Again, 1t Is pos
sible that some Of his men were lost
in the woods, and became captives; and
as time passed their life in the forest
became endurable; then, to q certain
extent, alluring and fascinating; and
1t is just as likely that some other
reckless and energetic explorer should
have led his men in a fruitless search
for gold. as did the famous Spaniard.
Yet with no chronicler to write his
victories and defects; and II these
silent ruins could speak from out the
shadows of the voice1ess past. their
story may have equalled, or even sur
passed, those records we possess. AS
it is, the Sphinx, looking out upon the
sands of Egyptian plains, Is not more
silent and mounrful. When La Sale
settled small colony in Texas, he
found the remains of civilization that
he never could learn from the Indians
at what time, or by whom, they were
established; not even a legend con-
nected with them. When DR.. Turnbull
located a colony of Minorcans, or
Greeks in east Florida, south west of
St. Augustine, during the early years
of the English possession of that re-
gion, he discovered the ruins of q
town of considerable size bearing evil
dence of having been built and occu-
pied by Europeans; but the Oldest and
most intelligent among the Indians
said they knew nothing whatever OF
who built the place, or Inhabited 1t.
Many of the remains showed the skill
of trained workmen. While at Cofa-
chiqui now Barnwell Courthouse,
South Carolina, De Soto's Spaniards
found a dagger. and several coats or
mail (what we are familiar with In
history as being worn by the knights
of old as a protection In battle against
the spears and battle axes of the enc
my, all being of European workman
ship, these being carefully preserved
in their chief temple. quite large
structure, being one hundred PAGES in
length and forty PAGES wide, and in
which was also kept statues of wood,
carved with considerable skill; and an
immense profusion of conches. and DIFF
ferent kinds of sea and river shells.
1t was evident from what the natives
said that the European relics had been
obtained from the brave and unfor-
tunate Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, and
his Inflated followers, and had been
transported from the coast about the
mouth of the Savannah river, on st.
Helena. by the savages as trophies TO
ft0fa ohi i'm 10 dur n
of May, in the year 1910.
Mr.. I. L. Hudgins, so favorab1y known
in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, says that
in the year 1896 an old Spanish dollar was
plowed up by Mr.. William K. Davis bear
ing the date lila In field on the south
side of Pigeon mountain, one of the spurs
of Lookout, at what is known as Nc
IGNORES cove, which Is only q few miles
from the fort at Valley Head. having
possibly been lost by the Spaniards uns
der DeSoto, and yet the question arises
how did they happen to carry with them
a coin of such ancient date? 1t would
at that period, 1910, have been 42e years
old Mt. Hudgins had this dollar IN his
keeping for many years and refused to
take any price for 1t, but finally lost
1t to his great grief. On May s, 1870 De-
Soto started toward the north or north
west in the direction of the province Of
Coosa, said to be about the distance of IL
days journey. After much trouble for
want of sufficient food for the men and
their horses they reached the province
of xualla (now Clarksville. Ga.) In his
march from Cofachiqui, DeSoto passed
through the province Of Achalaque. by
the Portuguese historian spelled Cha1a-
que, tho land of the Cherokees. Al
Xualla CClarksville Ga.) prospecting
parties were sent out to search for gold,
as Mr.. Hudgins has seen the fortifica-
lions Of earthworks built by the Spaniards
10 miles from Nacouchee Old Town, the
Indian name for Xualla in later years, in
Habersham county, Georgia; and also
several underground cabins made by tho
Spaniards, containing the crucibles. tongs
and other articles used by them in ex-
tracing gold from the earth. They must
have remained here but q short time.
and continued their march. On June 5
they arrived at Ichiaha, or Chiaha, sup
posed to be the present site of the city
of Rome, Ga. While at Chfaha, DeSoto
was informed that there we're metals Of
a yellow color to be found about 30 miles
to tho northyard, little west Of north,
but that the country was so broken and
mountainous that horsemen could not
travel through It. Parties were sent out
on foot under Juan de Villalabos and
Francisco de Silveres. to traverse the
region and report. This was among the
spurs Of Lookout in what is now Chero-
kee and DeKalb counties, Alabama, along
the line at present of the Alabama Great
Southern railroad. Mr.. Tromas Maxwell,
historian Of Tuscaloosa, says az follows:
ssNear valley Head visited a fortifica-
ton that was evidently the work Of the
spaniards, on a point Of land part Of