Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1838-08-11
From tbs Logan>por, Tel,grapa.
THE DEVILS LAKE.

Tux DEVIL 5 LAKE.
In the Northern portion of Indiana there are
many beautiful htiie lakes which give great Ia
terest to a country somew hat open. About TWEEN
,y-ii:e miles from Loganspor,, and in the vcIn,-
ty vt Rochester, there Is one OF these lakes about
t~O miles in Lee 9Th, half mile in width, md OF
unknown depth. Soundinys were once tried it'll
line Of thirteen taihoms, but with no effect
There is an ancient tsa,iIiion of the Po,tawa'-
TUNE Indians relative 10 this lake, which has been
handed down from generatIJn to generation, and
Is now rcceiv by the white man with cot ',-nied
credcnce- The precise time at which the trad-
ton first received among tho lndi-us cannot
be dctcrmincd-pfobably not n very long time
after the emigration of the Pottawattamies
across the hard waters Of the North, some
centuries since, 10 the district OF country. which
WAS then occupied bv the Manic g, by whose
grant he Pottawattamlcs became possessed OF the
lands which they have held North OF the Wabash.
Ii appears that the tradition does not Its orr
gin to the supers,itous fears of the red men; br.
that some gigantic creature inhabited The lake,
and does at the present time, Is beyond the pro-
liability Of doubt.
This lake is called by the Indians "Lakc Man
itoo,' or the Devils Lake; aud such is the terror
in which it IS held, that but few Indians would
even dare to venture In n canoe upon ITS surface
The Indians will neither fish nor battle II this
lake. such is the powerful conviction that MAN
too or the Evil Spirit, dwes In its CRYSTAL Wa
ters. 1t may elicit smo from the ncrcduous
to assert gravsly the fact that some very extra
ordinary creature claims monarchy Of that beau
tiful lake. But the existence of monster IN this
lake is not object of more surprise to US than
the remains of the Mastadon, whose teeth mea-
sure Is inches-and which were found but two
miles from town, in II prairie through which the
canal runs. Were there not assurances from men
entitled to credlbIIity that a monster has been
seen within few days in the lake Man-ltoo 1t
might be supposed the strange story ginated III
the supcrsti,ious fears of the Aborlg,nes.
When the Pottawattamie Mills were cree ting
some ten wears since, at what is called the out, i
of the lake. the monster was seen By men knowE
to Gen. Miroy. under whose direction the Mills,
| believe were erected. There are persons IN 10
gansport who questioned closely those who lately
saw the mysterious occupant Of the lake, are now
convinced of this tradition of Man-i-too being
! founded upon something more substantial than the
basis of fish and snake stories generally.
But two weeks since some men by the name OF
Robinson were fishing in the lake, when they be-
held with surprise the even surface of the water
rufiled by something swimming rapidly, and which
they suppose must have measured sixty feet. The
Robinsons respectable men, whose fears are
not easily excited; yet such was the terror which
this non descript caused that they made has j.
retreat to the shore, much alarmed. Since this
circumstance took place, and but few days since.
Mr.. Lindsey, who Is we'll known here, was riding
near the margin of the lake, when he saw, at the
distance Of 200 feet from him some animal rlso
i,s head three four feet above the su:t4cc OF
the water lie felt the security of the shore,
and viewed the my sterious creature many min
utes; when it disappeared and re-appeared three
time. in succession The head he described as
being about three feet across the frontal bone,
and having something Of the contour of Il bees
head but the neck tapering, and having the char
acter Of the serpent; color dngy, with large bright
yellow spots. 1t turned its head from side to side
with easy motion, in apparent survey of tn,
surrounding objects. Mr.. l.. Is entitled to cred.-
bllity SO convinced are many of the existence
of the monster, that some gentlemen in town have
proposed expedition to the lake, and nv the aid
Of RATS to make an effort to capture the myster
ious being which is a terror to the supersti,ious
bu, which becomes object Of interes. OF sci
ence, the naturalist, and philosopher.
A VIsITER THE LAKE