| H!
I The Leading
Vol. XLV.?No. 24
Skeletons and 1
Found In Pe
MINE SHAFTS
BELIFVEDWORK
OF SPANIARDS
William Dockecy Has Pick Found
In Mouth of Tunnel
At Tomotla
Despite the fact that the mound at
the mouth of Peachtree creek on the
nort.'i bank of Hiawassee, seven miles
south of Murphy, has been explored
several times in the past by amateur
relic hunters, archaeologists of the
Smithsonian Institution are finding it
rich in valuable relics of the mound
builders of the dim past about whom
lirtle definite history is known.
/ 'Wm. B. Colburn and J. D. Jennings
who are in charge of the excavation
' work for the Smithsonian Institution,
so far have found 23 skeletons, an
une&imated amount of broken pottery,
ornaments beads and other
trinkets of t.he mound builders and
iheir civilization.
Of the 23 skeletons uncovered,
eight have been saved, and it is believed
that ?lhe others can he saved,
although a number of them are in
i adly decayed condition. Several o1
' ' -1-- ? - ?? ?-?f --.V* iliiror
ine SKcimima n:c muse *. * vu>.?.v.
under 16 years of age, Mr. Jennings
said, while none of t.'ie skeletons yet
o found are of persons older than 35
* when 'they were buried. It is generally
conceded by medical authorities
and archaeologists that the sutures
of the head bones close between the
ages of 35 and 40, Mr. Jennings said
and none of the sutures of the skeletons
yet found have been closed.
T.'ie sizes of the skeletons found sc
far are of persons from four to five
feet eight inches in stature, measure
. ments have indicated. The positior
' cf the skeletons also indicate that
no -particular positroii for burial wai
followed by the people who occupied
the place. Among those found so far
beads and feet were pointing towarc
practically all points of the compass.
Because of <he rich ?'iumus condi
tions of the soil, and the condition o2
the bones of the skeletons found, th<
archaeologists believe that none ol
v/ ^.hem have been buried there mori
f ihan 200 years. All of the skeleton!
yet found thave been around the edgt
and not in the mound proper. Exca
vaton work began on the mount
proper this week, and several strata:
of clay, soil and sand have been dis
covered, as well as a large rock pilt
which has not yet been uneovere*
enough for identification. The pile o2
rocks were discovered on the soutl
side of the mound and little over !
foot, henenth the to<D soil. Tile rock:
are of different sizes, none very largi
and are what is termed as water wasl
ed stones. The place is about ten fee
wide by twenty feet long.
- A copper ornament of some kin<
was found in a stone burial on th?
east side of the mound, beside th'
head of a skeleton, and archaeologist
oelieve without doubt that this cop
rf per ornament is of Spanish manu
/ facture, although it had not been re
moved from the stone burial pit Wed
nesday. White men's beads and trin
keta have been found with practical
iy every skeleton yet uncovered, i
was said, which leads them to believ
that all skeletons yet uncovered ar
not of pre-historic aborigines.
One of the reasons for excavatin
t.he Peachtree mound is the belief o
*> aiachaeologists of the Smithsonia:
( institution that this particular moun
marked the site of the ancient cit
of Guasili, mentioned in history b
the original narrators as having bee
visited by Hernando De Soto's exp?
crtion of exploration in 1540. It i
their hope to find evidence within th
mound that will reveal early Spar
ish culture and influence definitel
in this section of the country.
So far as early Spanish cultur
and influence in this immediate se<
tion is concerned, it appears that del
inite evidence is available, but anther
ticated only by tradition.
On top of the ridge of mountain)
about half a mile east of Tomntli
between Murphy and Marble, are
number of old imine shafts and tur
nels, which tradition from time in
memorial says was sunk by the Spai
iards under De Soto. However, E
Soto passed through the section i
rapidly that there is little likehoc
that he or any of his men sunk th
shafts, although evidence around th
shafts and tradition strongly suppo:
the belief that a later expedition <
Spaniards did actually work them.
h.
: ) ekly Newspaper in Western Nort
Murphey, ^
Pottery Are
achtree Mound
William R. Deckery, of Marble, a
native of this section, who has mined
and sunk shafts himself in these
mountains and in Colorado, Montana
and Idaho, and who followed lumbering
and logging for a number of
years, related an interesting story
about these old mining shafts from
raving personally assisted in ex] I t
ing some of their, in 1913 and 1914.
Mr. Dockery is the qwner of what
is believed to be an old Spanish pick
round in a mine tunnel on the eastern
slope of the mountain ridge east
of Tomotla, which was explored by
him and his brother-in-law, the late
C. 'C. Moore.
In toe winter of 1914, while prosecting
on the mountain east of
Tomotla, they ran across a slight depression
in the arth. Examination
showed it to be the mouth of a tun- j
rel. The timbers at .he entrance had I
rotted and caved in. They explored
the tunnel a dUtance of six or eight
feet, and found the pick in question.
'The pick is of iron, the grains indicating
that it was hammered out by
hand. Both points are slender and
curve sharply inward. The original
handle is still in the pick, and is very
short, indicating that it was made to
| use in close quarters.
Sometime after he found the
' pick, Mr. Dockery said the tunnel
i avp.H in for a lenirth of ahout
forty feet. In the edge of this tunnel,
' about 20 feet back from the original
entrance, stands an oak stump more
than 15 inches in diameter, now decayed
and rotten. This he said,
indicated that the tunnel was very
old. Nothing is known about it, however,
earlier than when he and Mr.
uuic discovered it in 1914. At the
time of discovety, there was no indication
of a dirt dump either adjacent or
t in the vicinity of the tunnel mouth.
On top of the mountain, a short
distance to the west he pointed out
( a mine r.haft 50 feet in diameter and
t 25 feet deep. A large dirt dump severs
*1 feet high surrounds the shaft. He
I said t.he shaft had caved in around
the top, which accounted for it being
[ so wide. Upon the dump next to the
shaft, he pointed out a stump, now
rotten and decayed, which he said
r measured 14 inches in diameter, in;
d:cating that the shaft was sunk there
J many years ago.
4 Six hundred and fifty feet to the
" west he pointed out a second shaft,
# and a third just 75 feet to the north
[ of it. The second shaft, Mr. Dockery
j *aid he helped discovered in 1913 and
assisted in exploring for a dep'.i of
_ 04 feet.
? IHe and the Palmer brothers, J. F.,
j B. B., and Henry?opened the shaft
r for the Palmer boy's father, who
i was about80 years old. Mr. Palmer
j had sromehow come into possession
5 cf a way-bill to the mine from some
p Indian of the West. Tne way-bill ai
j ected that they dig immediately be
neath a forked chestnut tree near the
top of the ridge. The tree was located,
j and was 15 inches in diameter at t?ie
? time.
s After cutting down the tree, tie
s said 44 rings were counted in the
- stump indicating its age.- They then
- dug up the stump, and found the en!
trance to the shaft. The ground a
l-.und the tree and shaft was level,
- ho said, and -there was no indication
- about that a dump was ever there,
t The tree stood in the center of the
e shaft.
e The entrance to the shaft was S
feet square, and held this dimension
ell the way down for 64 feet, he said,
f which level they were forced te
? give up further exploration because
j of water flooding the shaft at that
? depth. The dirt which filled the
y shaft was of a soft talc formation,
j. After going down for 64 feet, Mr,
Dockery said he took a 20 foot piece
^ cf piping and sunk it with ease 11
j! feet deeper. At a depth of about 5f
fleet, Mr. Dockery said they found t
" piece of what he called "Lynn bark'
rope, which is now in the posessior
of Dr. S. C. Heighway, of Murphj
e and Waynesville.
The timbers and boards whicl
banked the walls of the shaft were al
of oak, hewn and split. The mannei
in which the beams were joined to
>. gether, he said, indicated that thi
i, tools used "in manufacturing the walk
a were augers, saws and axes. He ex
- plained this conclusion by saying thai
>- the timbers were placed at 3 foot in
l- tervals down the shaft as far as the;
'e were able to explore, and boards weri
in driven in back of these timbers t<
d form the wall for holding back cave
ie ins. The timbers were joined to
ie gether by mot rise and tenon. Marki
rt and signs in the manufacture of th<
>f mortise and tencn, led him '.o beltevi
CoaHaasd ea page 4)
h Carolina, Covering a Largr and
I. C., Friday, January 12,
SCHOOL NEWS
l grammar school will enter a
uise in music appreciation on Jai.x..\
15th, sponsored l-y 'he Junior
vVonian's Club. Prizes will be given
o ihhose who take part. Mrs. Davic c*i,
music supervisor, will ^e m
harge of the contest.
MR. ELDER HEHBREE DONATES
SHRUBBERY
Before Christmas Mi. Hembree donasied
two truck loads 01 native shrubi
oery to the school. It was planted b>
| the CWA workmen. The school wishes
I .o thank Mr. Hembree for this donation.
MURPHY LOSES TvVO GAMES TC
CHEROKEE
The Murphy basketball teams lost
both games in a double header to tin
Cherokee Indians Saturday, Jan. (3, "03
ocoies of: Girls 20-1G and Boys 17-5.
The girls played a very exciting
game from start to finish, but due t(
o s of two players, were not able t<
wi thstand the offensive playing of th?
heavier and more experienced Chsro
kee team.
The boys game was very loosel;
dayed. The starting lineup was unabl
.o click, and was replaced at the hal
ne entire second half,
last Indians to a count of 2-2 durinj
y the second stringers, who held thMurphy
will paly their next gam
with EpworvVi, Ga. there Jan. 9.
HONOR ROLL FOR SEVENTI
GRADE
Joe iVIi!lcr Elkin^, Frances Calhour
.vridreri Hill, Billic Jackson, Louis
Leatherwood, Kathleen Robert;
Sarah Witherspoon, Sara Sword.
HIGH SCHOOL HONOR ROLL FOI
DECEMBER
liTH GRADE
Hoyt Phillips, Freeland Ballev
Ernest Hawkins, Ruby Wells, Bealric
Javidson.
TENTH GRADE
Ersa McNabb, Ruth Hampton.
NINTH GRADE GIRLS
Miss Padgett: Emma Lee Ellis, An
Hill, Wlnfred TowoSbn.
EIGHTT GRADE GIRLS
Ruth Palmer, Miss Moser, teache
HIGH SCHOOL HONOR ROLL FO
FIRST SEMESTER
ELEVENTH GRADE
Ernest Hawkins, Ruby Wells, Mi:
I 'Hoyt Phillips, Freeland Ballev
Latham, teacher.
TENTH GRADE
Pruden Davidson,, Martin Mon
*omery, Roy Suit, Rut.'i Hamptoi
Miss Courtney, teacher.
NINTH GRADE GIRLS
Mae Timpson, Miss LeMay teache
NINTH GRADE GIRLS
Emma Lee Ellis, Aftne Hill, Mi:
'adgett, teacher.
EIGHTH GRADE GIRLS
Ruth Palmer, Miss Moser, teache
SEMSTER ATTENDANCE HONO
ROLL
Those who have not been absent i
far this year.
ELEVENTH GRADE
Louise Axley, Ernest Hawkins, Ms
gie Kisslebur.*?, Hoyt Phillips, Irei
Ramsey, Edna Mae Thompson, Robb
Williamson, Beatrice Davidson, Cha
les Hyatt, Miss Lath-man, teacher.
TENTH GRADE
Tom Axley, H.arley Bartor., Rosct
Dockery, Jciinny Keenum, Hoyt Ki
Patrick, Henry Luckett, Ersa McNab
Vaul Adams, Maggie Anderson, Mar
i,regory, /\uer,e numpiun, c,u]
Hampton, Ruth Hampton, Virgin
L\ I-ovingood, Anna Lee Queen, A
nie R. Watkins, Miss Courtney, teac
NINTH GRADE
Margaret Boyd, Catherine Colemi
Emma Lee Ellis, Carrie Mae Evar
; Willa Bell Evans, Dortna Grace, Ai
Kill, Mozelle Moore, Mable Payn
Violet Phillips.
NINTH GRADE
Fay Akins, Neviile Vee Hancoc
, Mae Timpson. Miss LeMay, teach<
NINTH GRADE
! J. O. Hensley, Jake McClure, W
, ron Palmer, Claude Payne, Elm
iles and George Tate Williamso
Miss Hatchcock, teacher.
EIGHTH GRADE BOYS
Edgar Weaver, Morris Miller,Vi
cine Queen, F-ank Stalcup, J.
, Shields, Vincent Stiles. Mr. Cairo
j teacher.
EIGHTH GRADE BOYS
I Tye Burnett, Tyson Axley, Chs
P ley Curley, Orlen Clonts, M. J. J(
s dan, John Jordan, Troy Hamptc
] Mi. Wright, teacher
EIGHTH GRADE GIRLS
, Essie Mae Cavender, Eliz&be
, Gray, Mabel Hall, Hazel Hamptc
, Beatrice Howard, Christine How<
(Catkud ? page )
Potentially Rich Territory in This Si
, 1934. $
FATHER OF DR.
PARKER DIED IN
WILKESBORO. MON.
J. L. Parker. 82, father of Dd. R.
S. Parker, of Murphv, died a-: his j
home in Noith W;lke b^ro Monday j
afternoon about 5 o'clock. Fox the j
? ast few years he had been in feeb'e ;
health, due from old ape and its at- j
1 tendant ills. I
Funeral services were held Tu?.s- i
day afternoon at the residence in
2>iwSm W'ilkcsbcro, and i??>r?npnt was
r .11 the family burial ground. The Rev.
; Linney, pastor ot the Wilkesboro,
- Baptist church ofiiciated.
He survived by his wife and seven
children: Five sons, Harrison Patkcr,
> < ! Tayiorsville, 111., R. S. Parker, of
Murphy; Julius Parker, of Tallr.ia^\
see, Fla.; Virgil Parker, of Lexington
; Lawson Parker of Wilkesboro; fov
j daughters, Mrs. Edgsr Brown and
Miss Dora Parker, of Greensboro; two
, brothers, P. M. and L. P. Parker, of
j Wilkesboro.
i HARRY LAHN IS
TAKEN BY DEATH
? 'Harry Lahn, prominent Murphy
f r.erchant, died suddendly of heart |
disease last Saturday at 12:45 o'clock. '
z Shortly before noon, Mr. Lahn
e complained of pain- near his heart
e and his physician advised him to go
home and go to bea. He died soon
afterwards.
\ Mr. Lahn came here from Copperhill,
Ten*)., two y^ars ago and en,
tered the dry goods business. He
3 was a member of the Lions club and
. was active in civic affairs.
The body was carried to Haiti more,
M Sunday for funeral and burial.
K Surviving are his widow; two
daughters, Muriel and Dorothy; one
brother; three sisters, and his mother.
i BANK MURPHY
,STOCKHOLDERS
WIN APPEAL
n The new stockholders of the Bank
cf Murphy won their case before the
.preme court, according to Views disr
patches in the daily press Wednesday
r The Superior court about a year ago
upheld the appeal from a stock assess
.ent by Guiney P. Hood, Commis
^3 sioners of Banks, in asse>sing the
v "iw stockholders to the amount of
Zl 5,000.00, the amount of n?w stock
whkai was subscribed when the bank
(pened following its fiist closing alrout
threi years ago. The lower
court denied the appeal, but the sup.eme
court reversed the decision ol
the lower court when the appeal was
was taken before it.
ss The new stockholders were appeal
ing from the commission ?r of banks,
and suing for the amount of the new
and suing for the amount of the new
r s*tock subscribed. The appeal port ion
of the suit was heard and new the
so portion to recover {ne $ro,uuu.uu win
1 e heard, probably a*t the next term
o.t court, which meets here on Monday,
January 22nd.
1* FUNERAL RITES
r LAST FRIDAY FOR
ANDREWS MAN
)e
ij. Taps were sounded for Boyd C.
b Slags 40, who was buried with Amje'
titan Legion honors in "the Andrews
ia cemetery last Friday afternoon at 3
ja o'clock. Slagle who was an ex-soln.
dier and unmarried was found dead
h Wednesday at his home in Clay Coun
ty wnere ne nau uvea aione ror some
time. 'His throat slashed from ea:
,n to ear. He is believed to have comls
mitted suicide.
lrj A brief funeral service was conle
ducted at toe home of hi3 sister, Mrs
W. 'W. Ashe of Andrews, by the Rev
k. S. Eskridge, pastor of the And
k rews Presbyterian church assisted b;
tl e Rev. R. W. Prevost and the Rev
E. F. Troutman.
H. The active pallbearers were Jak<
er Baxter, Fred E. Swanson, J. V. Mc
,n. t.uire, Bruce Bristol, Frank Clark
and Grady Hogsed. The honorar;
pallbearers were members of the Les
lie Stillman Post of toe Americai
n- Legion and other ex-service men.
L. Slagle is survived by his mothei
,H. Mrs. Ida Slagle of Andrews; two sis
ers, Mrs. W. W. Ashe if Andrew
and Mrs. H. Williams of Asheville
and three brothers, Edward Slaglr
ir- of Orlando, Fla. and Cliff and Arnol
>r- Slagle of Detroit,
in. ? o
Library Hours
The following change in Librar;
v hours was announced this week b:
' Miss Josephine Heighway, librarian
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursday
and Fridays. 2 to 5 p. m. Saturdu
night, 7 to 9 o'clock.
ate
1.00 YEAR?5c COPY
BALL IN HONOR I
OF PRESIDENT
PLANNED HERE
Waller Mauney Appointed Chairman
of Birthday Celebration
At Murphy
In celebration of his fifty-second
birthday, an elaborate Birthday Ball
for President Poo^vpIi will be held
in Murphy on Tuesday evening January
30th.
Murphy will be one of Wie 5,000
cities and towns throughout the
Unite 4 States in which such a ball
will be held to honor the New Deal
President and to raise, from ticket
sales, an endowment fund for the
Georgia Springs foundation, created
in 1026 by President Roosevelt, so
that the foundation may carry on
its national crusade against infantile
paralysis.
Walter Mauney, Murphy druggist
and civic leader, has been appointed
general chairman of the Murphy ba'l
:?y Henry L. Doherty, New York pub|
lie utilities financier, who is chairman
of the national committee for the
Birthday Ball for -the President. Mr.
Mauney was recommended in re
sponse to a request from Mr. Doherty
by C. W. B'ailey, editor of the Cherokee
Scout.
To make the Pre-ident's Ball one
of the largest in ihe t own and one of
the most important in the smallertowns
in the national Birthday Celebration,
Mr. Mauney will appoint a
number of Murphy people on the
committee to serve with him to d?vrlnn
nlnne fnr o?A ?
program, full details of which will
be announced in next week's Scout.
-Mr. Mauney was apprised of his
appointment in the following letter:
New York, December 29. 1933.
Mr. Walter Mauney,
Murphy, N. Car.
Dear Mr. Mauney:
It gives.me great pleasure, as
Chairman of t.'ie National Committee,
to appoint you general chairman of
The Birthday Ball for the President
your* comtmunity.
Since this birthday party for the
President is of naiion-wide scope,
you will want your local party to be
outstandingly successful.
We are sure that you will have thcM
support of citizens in all walks of
lit'i oecause the work of the Warm
Springs Foundation, founded by
I-'u-sident Roosevelt, is truly national
as the problem of infantile paralysis
affects eve'v family and he welfare
of every ohild in your community.
\our committee can play a great
part ii. this humanitarian work and
help relieve the President of his concern
in relation to this problem.
We will forward to you, withn a
few days, a certificate evidencing
your appointment.
Sincerelv yours
HENRY L. DOHERTY,
National Chairman
The P rhtday Bal for the President.
JURORS DRAWN
FOR JANUARY
TERM COURT
Fallowing is a. list of the jurors
drawn for the'two weeks civil term of
; count which begins, Monday January
22nd:
FIRST WEEK
. Neal C. Hay, Andrews; D. S. Davis
, Grandview; A. p. Self, Postell. .. Tom
Curtis, Culberson; J. S. Martain,
Ranger, Noah McDonald, Murphy; R.
C. Moore, Topton; M. S. Mfitheson.
Andrews; H. S. Sudderth, Murphy;
Lee Owenby, Murphy; Chester Farmer,
Unaka; W. A. West, Andrews; R.
* A Qk<Al/)e c?
_ uiiiCiU", VUlUCiSUII, UlllilVlU .UUI.
row, Violet; F. M Bowers, Brasstown
' Bob Bristol, Andrews; Guy Eller,
Patrick; Arthur Palmer, Marble, W.
2 M. Bradley, Andrews; J. T. Postell;
~m Andrews, Oscar Taylor, Suit; George
McFee, Suit; C. S. Evans, Murphy;
J Lum Nichols, Culberson.
. SECOND WEEK
i W. A. Elliott, Murphy; J. W.
Hatehett. Murphy* Luther Murphy,
, Violet; Eklgar Taylor, Suit; J. L.
- Arp, "Culberson; J B. Johnson, Suit;
s J. O. Penland, Brasstown; J. C.
; Wells, Murphy; Tom McClure, Birch
. Rollin McDonald, Grandview; E. A.
d Voyles, Murphy; Jake Walker, Suit;
Bob Roberts, Muprhy; W. B. Raper,
Brasstown; W. A. Smith, Culberson;
Harve Carringer, Murphy; James
y Jones, Sr., Andrews; Fred Foister,
\ Rartger; J. P. Decker, Suit; Lawwn
s Lunsford, Murphy; Jud Morgan,
y Culberson; Tom Spencer, Murphy; E.
E. Davis, Murphy.
i