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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 1907)
the swpax FORTLAM) JAXUARY 20, 1907, mm Awmm gMjYings in ra southwest THAT ARE PUZZLING SCIENTISTS PICTORIAL INSCRIPTIONS ON CLIFFS HEAR, THC EMNS OT SAN CRISTOBAL .1 IP s V" -.-sill - e'ss. f 4 r 3 TUB most wonderful picture writings, or plctographs, in the world are to be found in , the territory of New Mexico. The archaeologist will find a. lifetime ot study in the rude designs which have been scrawled on clWTa and roeks by a lonfr dead race. yet. despite the arrea.t number of these writings In New Aloxico, iittio has been done to unravel the many Interesting stories which & translation would unveil. Some idea, of the- scope of this field, of investigation can he' obtained from the fact that in Chaco Canon alone. In Xorth- woatcrn New Mexico, there are th ruins of no less than IT - prehistoric villages and every one of these villages ha Us picture writings. Tet the Chaco ruins are only one group out . of hundreds scat tered about this territory, which la richer in legendary lore thah any other part Of tile United States. One does not have to visit the coraira tively inacc8si tale Clwco Canon to gef an Interesting glimpse o the work Of th ancient picture writer, however. At the BrPftt ruins of San Orlstobal, seven miles from Iiiniy, the ltttle Junction hero the tourist branches off the main line of the Santa Fe Railroad to eo to the picture. Que capita of Santa Fe, one will find probably the most Interesting and varied lot of picture writings In existence. If one docs not wish to maka the trip from I-amy, It can be made very readily from Santa P'e Itself, aa San Cristobal ruin- are only 26 miles southeast of New Mexico's capital city and can be very readily reached with a rood team, as the road is food, ' These pletogTaphs of San Cristobal lit- erally cover a mountain aide. Here, for a trpace of half a xnlle on the mountain Bifle, Ti'Wcti Is in the ghapo of a half- circle, the roeks and cliffs are covered with tranjre drawings, wrought no man knows how many ags a 50. There are mie pictures of - animals, vegetables. fowls and human batnps. There are pic tures of deer hunts and wild turkey Hunt, and there are pictures Of en counters between men. No doubt these have historical slgrninicance and are In tended to commemorate the feats of axras f. local heroes. Certainly no historian ever worked In more Imperishable ma terial, for these deeply graven pictures have resisted the-erodtngr processes of the centuries and will, no doubt, continue to do so for centuries to come. The picto- rapha vary In depth from an eigrhth to a Quarter of an Inch. How they were out so deep in such hard stone la a mystery, Search of the ruins has not brought to llpht any Instrument sharp enough and tiard enough to - make any Impression on the granite. The making ot these pic tures must have been the work of years, and must have feeen labor of love on th part of the artist. One of the most interesting and sym bolical Of the pictures la the story of a murder. An Indian has shot an arrow through the head of another Indian, the liirures being plainly visible. After shoot ing his deadly arrow, the Indian takes his how In bis risht hand and points to the man he has shot. His head Is turned In the opposite direction, and ho Is evident ly bidding someone look on his work. Or perhaps he Is so overcome with horror at the deed that he cannot look at bis victim. Some have haiarded, the opinion that this is an Indian who has slain a tyrannical ruler, and others take the ground that It is merely a redskdnned Cain who is overcome wttn horror ftt having- slain his brother. One of th series shows a turkey bunt. One of the Indians is In front of the turkey, endeavoring to strike he bird with, a stick:. Another Indian Ss behind It with outstretched arms. evidently guarding against an escape from the rear. The pictures of deer are very numerous. Indicating that these anlmaJs were plentiful In tbe Southwest at the time the ancient pic tures were drawn. There are strang-e geometrical designs, which evlently have some meaning that has aow been fathoxnftd. Near these plctographs are the an cient ruln f San Cristobal,- which are little visited, thoug-h they are anions; the most accessible of the ruins In the Southwest There li a very "old ' O.CfV tv ,- M'V '.V. ?v 1 - - in , - J"? " r'f HsV ? 1 ,S i 1 : X , . if rMMITO JWK "ML. ij" ii - f Hi-. ii W I J f l i ' i) t S n t f til It x 4' 'V KVWaV, j 1!, 'to v.- ..V v . pueblo. In ruins. In front off this Is the ruin or a stone wall. The main entranc was through this wall. There are smaller entrances, but evidently these were only used in case of emer gency. There ,is a large burial ground Had the ruins of an old church. The piotocrraphs are the main point of in terest, however, and will well repay the visit of the tourist or scientist Something similar to the picture writing's of San Cristobal are those of Pajarito larlc, a few miles from Santa F in another direction. Pajarlto Paris contains a famous cluster of cave dwolllnga holes scooped out by thou sands in the sides of the cliffs. Here. it is thou pat, lived a people who an- tedated the cliff dwellers. The rude caves show nothing- like the skill man ifested In tbe construction of the bet ter class of cliff dwellings. The cliffs and rockj in this vicinity are liberally scrawled with rude pic tures. ' In one great care an attempt has been, made to decorate the celling with pictures that evidently have plo- toral' significance. Evidently the dec orated domes of oar line modern state building .re nothing new In the mat ter ot Inspiration, Whatever the process of the natives In making: these rock Inscriptions, it Is evl- dent the Spanish Conqulstadores hecomft possessed of it. This is shown by tha writings on El iMoro. or Inscription Rock. situated In Valencia county, 35 miles east Of the famous Zunl Pueblo and 0 miles south of the Santa Fe Pietflo Railroad. This majestic dlflC of sandstone . rises Bhecr Irom the desert. Here on tha smooth wall tbe early Spaniards more than 200 years ago carved numerous in scriptions which are legible today. One of the characteristic 'Inscriptions is as follows: w "In the year 171 . on the SSth day of August, Don Fells Martin ex, Governor and Capltan-Qeneral of this kingdom, passed by here to the reduction and con quest of Moqul. and In his company was the Reverend Father Fray Antonio Gar- mago, custodian and judge ecclesiastical." This rock was on the road to the Seven Cities of Clbolla. which lured so many of the Spaniards to death. There is a fine Bprlng by the rock, and no doubt It was a favorite camping; place. "While, they were resting beneath its shade, no doubt the mail-clad warriors of Spain registered their names In this strange Jjrtok Of the desert. In later years Inde- r m star a -"aLM4jj a .-. ST r H i '" rid . 1 ' 3 Lit ma' ' l i si. ' s f I a, 4 v ? ' i W ; , It TTCrm ' M777M pendente Rock,. on the old Oregon trail, In Wyoming, was utuised for the same purpose by the pioneers who were . on their Tv-ay to Oregon, But K Is a l0te- worthy fact that these ancient picto- STaphs and writing's of the Southwest are much more legible.' after hundreds of years, than the names which were carved with our steel Instruments a scant half century ago. No doubt in time the Government will set aside all the ruins In the Southwest, even to those which are most inaccessible. to keep them from the destroying hand of the vandal. Tbe Mfna Verde ruins In Colorado have been so treated, and now form a National park. Similar care Should be taken of the ruins and plcto graphs of New Mexico, if new light is to be shed on the ancient peoples who in- habited that part ot our country.- Not one of these evidences of aa ancient civil- rrcrm wrnim 4T JSAJV (?J&ST0Ei4l. ixation should be destroyed through tbe oversight of the Government. Denver, Col.. January 12. Her Ready Reply. Providence Journal. A few evenings ago a train made up of two ordinary passenger coaches and a baggage car pulled into tbe Union Statioir from the yard, prepared to go out over one of the branch roads. The hands of the station clock pointed to wrthln a few minutes of the scheduled time of depart ure and the shivering passengers who had been standi ns; on the station platform laden with bundles quickly filled the coaches. Men and women alike sought seats in both of the coaches, when a -brakeman entered the car and after answering- a score of questions in trier- afflmatlve that the head coach was the smoking-car, a Tat woman, loaded down with bundles, approacehd him and asked: - "Say. mister. Is this the smoking--car?" ' "Of course. It is the smoking-car," said the brakeman. "Does it look like a par- Ior-carr The fat woman pulled her cloak close around her shoulders before she replied. "It looks like a cattle-car, and it feels like an Icebox," she said. "Evidently you folks think the people who ride on this line are paying for cold-st(5rage and im pudence." - Confidences, - . The TaUer. The Macintosh (who -has just buried his young wife) Aweel, X aye thocht she wad ha' closed my een. . The MacNab Losh. mon, I hae marrit twa, an' balth opened mine. . i Brunos Investment, ty Violet Black "Nell, I wish you would take charge of the Gypsy . camp." saia Mrs. Bruno, briskly. 'Mercy," criea Well Clinton, "I can't tell fortunes." "Thafn xrecleely why t want yon." ex plained Mrs. Bruno. "We've had a Gypsy camp at cur fair every year ana they've always been the same old palmistry and card reading. I've got an Idea for something- different and Z want you to carry it out for me." Tf you think I can," she agreed un certainly. "You can," she encouraged. "Come over to my house tonight and I'll tell you what I want Now, about that grab-bag ' and Mrs. Bruno had passed on to the next Item of the Guild fair. Everyone agreed that Mrs. Bruno's idea was a delightful variant to the more fa miliar Gypsy camp. From eomewhere Mrs. Bruno had unearthed what show men call a front-.' a canvas sheet on which was painted a gaudy semblance of an Egyptian temple, on the pillars of which was painted Consult the Delphic Oracle. Three aueetlone answered tor one dollar." Behind the front had been built a black draped room. Black . tapers burned at four corners ot an odd altar and behind that eat the mystic draped in flowing; robes and with the Egyptian head dress. A door tender relieved her of financial worries, and the curious filed past and demanded answers to their questions. Mrm. Bruno had made a wine selection in her .oracle,' hut quick-witted Nell waa hard put to it before tha first evening was half over to answer the absurd ques tions that some- of the boys puzzled their brains to Invent. One enthusiastic youth spent flO In the temple the opening: night, and the oracle instead of being- a hackneyed feature was the sensation of the affair and brought in more money than ever a Gypsy camp could be expected to do. Some effort wu made at secrecy as to the identity of the white-clad" priestess, but It leaked out, as all such matters will, and Nell rather enjoyed the sen- sation she created, Even Beth Sanford. who usually spent to cents for admission and the half dol lar asked for supper, visited the oracle twice and came out chuckling at his fall- ur to entrap her, and Mrs. Bruno hov. ered about the booth like a hen over her first brood. . The last night of the fair Branson Bruno presented himself before the altar for the first time. "I am about to make a. great' under taklnsr. oh Sibyl," he began with solem nity. "I would know If success awaits me 7" . 'Success awaits those who deserve suc cess." was the oracular answer. riut do I deserve success?" he asked eag-erlj'. "Those deserve success who are per sistent and of good intention' came the answer In the cold even tones. "Is this evening- auspicious for tbe test? he queried. "All time is as one to the Bklllful." "Well then." he said with relief. "This is the first chance I have had to corner you. Tou know that I love you. Will jrou marry me. Nll " You have already asked your th questions," said the oracle, "f'asn on that others may. In their turn, drink at the fountain of .wisdom." VIti a muttered exclamation Bruno left the tent. For a moment Nell rose as though to follow him out, hut elia e&ttled back in her seat with beating heart an Jack Loudon entered. Perha.) Branson would take her answer as a als- missal and her Joke would cost her her happiness. Tears stood In her eyes as she answered Jack's queries as to what would happen If the equator ran north, and south, if the north pole were at th south pole and vice versa and If there were any chance of his marrying' a princess. Jaclc emerged from the temple Jubilant 'I pretty nearly got her that time," he announced. "She stammered over the first question. It took her a minute or' so to think, up the answer. She seemed all knocked out." The others crowded about him to learn his Questions. Meanwhile Bruno slipped back into the temple. "Has that lltUe fool Loudon been, bothering you?" he demanded. The worldly may not disturb those who are of the elect." she replied. "He asked about the equator." "Don't you thtnlc it's time to stop this nonsense?" he asked. "You've been cooped up here for three niyhte now with never a chance to enjoy the fun." The pleasures of the worldly are not for those who are beloved, of Isls." she retorted. "But don't you want to nee some of the fun?" he persisted. "The sreatest enjoyment Is derived, from the knowledge of good deeds," aha declaimed. "But you haven't answered the question I asked when I was in here before.' he complained. "That's what 1 paid my second dollar for." "Three Idle questions have already been asked," ihe reminded. Bronson drew out a bill and laid It on the altar. "There you are," be said. Now, will you marry me?" "Ics," said the oracle, faintly. He sprang to her aid. "Bronson." warned his mother, 'there Is a long line out hare. Don't keep thent waiting." "Let me take you to supper," he whis pered. "I'll be waitlnir outside." He passed through the entrance and faoed his mother's Inquiring: gaze. "Well," she said. "I told j-ou I'd fet you a chance where she'd haveto give you a direct answer." "And you have kept your word." be confirmed, as he bent and kissed her. "It was the biggest return on a 13 In vestment I ever received." "And think ot the money we've taken In," was the practical response. Exchanging Hot Shot London Punch. Oh. I'm sorry I could not come to your at home yesterday." "Dear me, weren't you there?" "Why. of course. I was how very silly of ma--I cuilte forsot."-
