The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-08-19
Virginia Dare Find May
 Mean Rewriting of History
Georgia College Professors
 Study Stones
By NEA Service


 Gainesville, Ga, Aug. lo- His torians will be revising a chapter of early American lore if Virginia Dare stones" now in the possession of Brenau College here prove to be authentic.
 Two professors are studying the IA Weather-beaten stones taken from the soil of South Carolina $ hills.
 These slabs may hold the key to American historys No. l mystery, the fate of the lost colony of Roanoke.
 If these crudely carved stones dated 1539, 1890, and 1591-prove genuine, new light will be thrown on the wanderings of Sir Walter Raleigh's famous colony. The writ- ing on the slabs establishes that the group he left behind did not perish in North Carolina or Vir- ginia, as historians believe, but met its end in South Carolina.
 Authenticity of the stones would mean 8 change in script for the Roanoke Island dramatists who have been for three years telling the world the story of Virginia Dare in 8 play, "The Lost Colony"
 Each summer this drama is en- acted on waterside stage across Croatan sound from Dare county, North Carolina. Since the opening night of "The Lost Colony" many new discoveries in stone have been made about the heroine of the play.
 In November 1897, the first of Brenau Colleges IA stones was unearthed. The second was found last June. The others were dis covered only a few weeks ago in the lower part of Greenville county, South Carolina, on a hill near the Saluda river. These granite and sandstone slabs range from 40 to 154 pounds in weight, totaling HIS pounds.
 SLABS BEING
 STUDIED
 Acquisition of the last 12 stones, each bearing 8 carved message re- lating to the lost colony, was an- nounced by President Haywood J. Pearce, of Brenau, and his son, Dr. Haywood J. Pearce, Jr., professor of history at Emory university, At- lanta.
 Discovery of the first of these slabs, known as the Virginia Dare stones" in 1887 launched the re- newed investigation into the fate eI the lost colony. A tourist came upon the 21-pound piece of quartz in a swamp on the bank of the Chowan river near Edenton,. N. c.
 Unable to decipher the inscrip- tons on the stone, the tourist sought the aid of experts.
 Microscopic studies revealed the Sieb was signed E. w. D. (presum- nkly the initials of Eleanor White Rare, mother of Virginia Dare) and that 1t conveyed news of the mas- sacre of 17 colonists and their burial on a small hill near river. The message related that a marker, list ing the names of the victims, had been placed over the spot where they had been buried.
 COLONISTS
 TRAVELLED SOUTH
 The discovery spurred search for the grave marker, which was found a year later, with 12 other stones, about 13 miles south of 0reenville, s. Ca scant 150 yards from U. s. Highway 29, one of ,'o most heavily travelled thoroughfs.-es in the south.
 The newly acquired slabs relate that the colonists journeyed about $50 miles southwestward from the North Carolina coast and estab- lished a camp or stockade near the Saluda river, whisch they occupied for at least two years.
 Tn 1891, the messages reveal. l7 of the remaining 24 colonists were massacred by the Indians. The vic- tins, including Virginia Dare and her father, Ananias, were listed on one of the slabs. The seven surviv- ors moved on further southward. perhaps into what is now Georgia.
 Of the 48 names listed as "mur- thered by salvage" 24 check &C., curately with names included in Gov. John Whites list of his col- onists as conveyed in @ letter to Sir Walter Raleigh in 1887. Recon ciliation of the other names with the official list, if possible at all, wll require long investigation. Dis- crepancies may be due to nick names, forgotten names, aliases among the colonists.
 MISERY AND WAR
 FOR TWO YEARS"
 On another stone, Eleanor in- structs her father to look at the bark of trees, the colonists having left certain signe amang thame."
 However, 1t was the first stone, discovered in North Carolina, that told the most complete story. Freely translated, this message reads:
 Father, soon after you went c England, we came hither. Only misery and war for two years. Above half dead ere two years more from Q sickness, 25 surviv- ing. A savage with message of ship came to us. He reported that after small space of time the sav- ages feigning the spirits were an- ary, suddenly murdered all seven of us. My child (virginia) and Am anias too were slain with much misery. We buried all about four miles east of this river upon small hill. Names are all written there upon q rock. To any sav- age who will show this unto you and show you hither we promised to give great plenty presents"
 Raleigh founded the colony at Roanoke Island. Governor White left in 1887 for England. When he returned in 1891. the colony had vanished.
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