Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1857-11-10

I WAeTe Ile5 slept, uuhnoMluS MS weight ol ~oe
| Upon the extreme southern boundary
| of the lofty range of hills in New Hamp
shire, known as the White Mountains
there rises up to the height of three thou.
sand SIX hundred feet, singularly shap-
ed mountain, which for many years, has
borne the name of Chocorna. Its top Is
like vast tower, and massive turrets of
granite crown It's angles. The southern
ascent is perpendicular. rising up the ma
ked rock several hundred feet.
There is an old legend of this noun
tain. and with the kind permission of our
readers, we will briefly relate it.
Many, many years ago, when first the
white man came to destroy the happiness
of the simple-minded Indian, who until
then, had dwelt among the rocAi-garland-
ed hills, free as the wild eagle, in bark
rooted wigwan, on the banks of beau
tiful stream, now known as swift river,
there resided young irave, and the
aged chief, his father.
Chocorna, the young warrior was as
the kingly lion, and dreadful when out
ragged, as the Bengal tigress; but in his
breast there slept a nobility, an innate
hatred Of all that was low and base, and
a deep, strong reverence for the Great
Spirit, who had placed him in SO sublime
hunting-grou
He looked forth at sunrise upon the
stern mountains bathed in the gold of the
skies, rising up like giant pillars 10 the
radient dome above and there crept over
him a great and mighty awe, and his soul
rejoiceG in it. He felt that there was a
nobler and more perfect pleasure than
sitting idly by the camp fire, or dancing
the war dance around the blazing faggot-
stack-the pleasure of doing good deeds
unto all men. And, with the instructive
penetration peculiar to the North Ameri-
can savage, his red brethren perceived
this strata of greatness undertaking his
whole character, and when his father,
the old chief, Arragoch, died, they made
Chocorna their leader.
Shortly after this event. there came TO
the valley inhabited by the then power
ful ChOcorna. party of whites, some
twenty in number, with their families, and
as they appeared peaceable, Chocorna
gave orders to his tribe not to modest them.
The Great Spirit" he said, has sent
them to our hunting grounds. and his an
ger will send us famine aud many tenn
pests, if we kill hi~ white deer!'
SO the adventurous whites were allow
ed to remain unharmed, and IN the course
of a few years they grew TO a strong and
influential colony. \ ,rt OF friendly IN
tercOurse existed between them and the
Indians, and Chocorna often visited at
the huts of the settlers, where he was al
ways kindly received-for well was IL
known that 10 his unselfsh generosity
they were Indebted for life and prcsperi-
ty,
In the rough log-house of Marcus
Smith, the leader of the settlement, Cho-
corna discovered an object of more inter-
est TO him than many bands of wAMPUM.
She threw around his heart more po-
tent charm thar the e olden Carbuncle,
or the {" White Footed Fawn," which ira
dtion said were hidden among the noun
tains, guarded by an evil spirit; and TO
him VINO succeeded in bearing away the
one, and rescung the other, should be
given immortal youth and the power 10
heal ali sickness, and asSuage all pam.
Lucy Smith was the only child of her
father, but not as parent should did
SIilltlI IONt HIS fdulIiul
The wife who had given her to his arms,
had proved inconstaEt to her bridal vows,
and for seventeen dreary years Smith had
been worse than widowed. And for this
be hated the daughter of the false woman
and remembered not the sacred tie which
binds father to his child. And, unloved
and unIorIng, Lucy grew TO the years of
womanhood with a void in her gentle
heart, and vague sense of dissatisfaction
in her soul.
Chocorna saw the neglected lily of the
white man, and he loved her with all the
mighty strength of his affection, and in
the simple language of his race he told
her so. And Lucy, lone, and with wo-
mans thirst for appreciation, looked on
the stalwart form and frank, handsome
face of the young brave, and forgetting
the fear OF her fathers anger, she recip-
rocated his passion.
4 giant oak, far down in the valley,
was their trystng- place, and every day,
when the red light Of sunset baptized the
dark mountain SUBMITS In Its flood of giC-
rv. the timd white maiden went forth
through the valley shadows to meet her
lover. Chocorna brought her the richest
trophies of the chase, the gorgeous pIu-
mage of wild birds, and the sIiken skins
of the jet-bIack otter, and i'll the curls of
her soft, bright hair, he loved to bind the
manY-hued wampum, woven by the skill
ful fingers of the maidens of his tribe.
1t was far in the soft, dreamy summer,
and one night, the young chief said that
when three silver moons had waXed and
waned, he would ask his white bird of
her father Lucy paled and lrembled-
for well she knew the secret enmity her
morose parent felt toward the savages-
but her strong, true lo5e conquered her
fears, and she assented to the words OF
her lover.
Three moons had been born and died,
and Chocorna, In all his native dignity,
came to the hut of the settler 10 ask his
daughter IN marriage.
Smith received him grufily, but the
chieft;,in, with a majesty worthy of a