Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-19
TROGLODYTES NEVER EXISTED,
DR.. III. w. KRIEGER DECLARES
Returns From Expedition
Which Carried Him Into Gen.
trail Santo Domingo.
Search Was Made in One OF
Completely UNEMPLOYED
Regions of Earth.
BY THOMAS n. HENRY.

Bx THOmAS -. 0ENhxs
After penetrating farther than any
other human being into the wierd, nys-
FERROUS Central Cordilleras of santo Do
mingo along the course Of the Ttreo
River in search of remains of race OF
troglodytes supposed to have antedated
the Indians, DR.. Herbert w. Krieger OF
the Smithsonian Institution has JUST
returned to washington, convinced that
they never existed.
The search took Krieger into one OF
the completely UNEMPLOYED regions OF
the earth. The Tireo, flowing through
the high Constanxa Valley, soon enters
an unflayigable country OF lofty peaks
and high waterfalls where the noun
tains close in upon the river with Al
most perpendicular walls OF rock, I'M
possible to ascend. The explorer soon
becomes trapped between the walls ana
the rapids.
plore this country, q Brazilian scientist,
persisted and his native followers barely
escaped with their lives. Krieger had
hoped to navigate the river, overhung
by the rock tombs Of an ancient people,
to It's exit on the other side Of the noun
tains, but was obliged to turn back after
going further than any one else, with
the possible exception Of some native.
Brings Back $50 Skulls.
From the mountains, and from shell
heaps excavated in other parts OF the
island. he brought back to washington
$50 skulls, many fragments Of artifacts,
and O collection Of tiny statues OF the
gods Of . religion which once held sway
over approximately 1000 square miles
Of the West Indies and adjacent coun-
try.
cave jewellers, possibly pre-human, but
also the evidence Of an ancient Phoeni-
clan colony established In Santo Do
mingo centuries before the coming OF
Columbus. This consisted Of rock walls
Of q general Phoenician design and pre-
sumahly Of high order of masonry, but
Krieger found that they were only ma
turaI curiosities-great boulders cracked
into thousands Of pieces by natural
place 80 that 1t looked rs II 1t had been
fltted into o wall by human hands.
The search for skeletons involved dig
ging UP the streets and floors of native
town which happened to be built on
top of an ancient cemetery. Right
under one woman's kitchen stove he
found skeleton buried at least 400
years, the bones in crouching posi-
ton with four food pots and two water
jars In front Of them, just Is the dead
man had been provided for his long
journey to the spirit land.
Columbus Found Arawaks.
When Columbus came, Kreiger ex-
planned, he found Santo Domingo in
habited by the Arawaks-an agricul-
tural and hunting people Of . high de-
gree Of culture. Accurate descriptions
Of them were preserved by the Spanish.
They had the curious custom Of natten-
ing the heads Of newborn infants, pos
sibly 30 that their features would re-
semble those of some animal god. The
skeletons can be easily identified.
Centuries later, when anthropologis
became interested IN aboriginal American
cultures, these skeletons were recovered.
from shell heaps and graveyards, but
mingled with them were some without
the hattened skull and Of o primitive
appearance. This led TO the theory that
invaders, having displaced Ia santo
Domingo the Ciboney, q very primitive
race. From some skeletons Il was de-
duced that they had not even advanced
to the level Of speech.
Krieger began last Fan By excayating
shell heaps on the Eastern coast Of the
island. These were the remains Of the
oysters and conches devoured by the
Indians. He found heaps from 10 to
20 feet thick and not all the skulls were
Enthusiastically, Arawak, but at the
bottom Of almost all the heaps he found
Arawak statuettes and artifacts, dis
proving the conclusion that O previous
people had been there.
At the site he excavated the shell
heaps were about Is miles across the
bay from the ancient village sites. This
LED him to the conclusion that the popu-
lation went on great food orgies from
time to time-in some ways the eouiva-
lent Of modern clam bakes.
Finds Great Shell Heap.
Then he went to the village Of Boca
Chica, site Of an American sugar re-
finery, on the southern coast, where he
found the richest deposit Of aboriginal
remains yet uncovered on the island.
There was q great shell heap, 5 to 6
feet high and extended for three -uuar-
tiers Of mile along the coast. It was
built UP on solid coral rock. One sand
peninsula cut into 1t, however, and this
evidently had been the native graveyard.