Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1860-03-10
Legend Of the Mississippi.

or family connections, IL seemS nihoss i"~
BILE, that, highly cultivated as it now is, ana
thickly dotted with towns and villages, this
State was so lately the hunting grounds of the
Indians; and that even within twenty years
the Winnebagoes have carried on their invet-
crate warfare with the Sacs and Foxes, where
now the rapid rail-car whrls you along TOR
hundreds of miles without once losing sight OF
the habitation of civilized man.
The discoyery OF the mineral resources on
each side of the upper Mississippi, in northern
Illinois and Iowa, must have resnliea III an
emigration TO those parts exceeding ihe utmost
authorizations Of government; since the " inhe-
bapoes. bribed at high price to remove from
their haunts in southern Wisconsin to the
nneutral ground in Iowa, were, in less than
ten Years. again brought ont and. driven far
away to the wild northwest; while the war
like Sacs and Foxes, with all that remain OF
the once powerful and sem-ciyiilzed ioWays,
who SO long inhabited the beautiful banks Oh
the Des Moines, are driven far beyond the mis-
souri,, merged into one diminishedanu uhufeau-
ed tribe.
Taking into consideration the rapid progress
of events on the banks of the Mississippi, Du-
buque may fairly be pronounced an ancsenf city
| dating upwards of two centuries since IL re-
ceiyed its name from the early French settiers.
| Surrounded as ii has been, until within ABOUT
twenty years, with Indian tribes amongst
whom the exchange OF commodities, the settle
ments cf the missions, and constant commune
cation. produced friendly feeling, strong
friendship existed, and inter-marriages were
not unfrequent thus the removal OF the ma
tive tribes was attended on their own partwith
feelings OF regret no payments could compen-
safe and of enmty and ill-wil toward their
aggressors that can be eradicated only win their
own extinction.
short time before the purchase oil the
| WIoway country from the Sacs and Foxes, q
man named Pierre I.eclerc. Of French parent
are. removed down the river from Dubuque;
and settled with his family in the adjoining
country, where the little town of Sabuia has
since risen. Many years before, he had dis
| covered young Sac warrior lying wounded
and almost dying, in the s'nnderbrnsh.' lie
had met with serious accident while hunting.
| and but for timely assistance would have died
| in solitude and suffering. Leclerc took him TO
| his own home and carefully tended him until
| he could rejoin his tribe, which kindness had
| been returned with devoted and lasting friend
| shin; and he had never failed to visit his pre-
server with valuable presents of iirs and deer
| skins every year from that time.
| But now period has arrived wlen the In
dian Ia chief of his trbe) must bid farewell
| forever, and he sought his friend in his new
| home for that purpose. He was moody and
4
and revengefu expressions against the Ameri-
cans, unwilling to admit the justice of mu-
| tual treaty. nWhite man thinks there are
| treasures beneuth our hunting-grounds," said
he. while n fierce and malignant expression
oyerspread his features; :" he will dig up our
hunting grounds to find bullets to shoot down
our warriors and our red deer and will drive
us to the fierce tribes of the west, who make
war upon us, and our wigwams will be no
more spread on these meadows" Leclerc en-
deavored to pacify his Indian friend, who, by
and-by became more calm, and informed him
that he was the possessor of very important
secret. and that il Leclerc would promise never
to divulge it, and submit himself entirely to his
guidance, he would confide it to him. The
man had sufficient confidence in the Indian
I chief TO make the required promise and yield
himself nm into his power. lie was told he
must be blindfolded and go wherever the chief
| would lead him, Immediately after sunset
I,eclerc, therefore, permitted bandages to be
bound carefully over his eyes, and was con-
ducted to the river and into q canoe, which,
after many circutous twists and turns, was
rowed steadily on for several hours and then
turned suddenly this way and that before stop
ping, in order as Leclerc conjectnred, to more
| effectually disguise the direction they had ta-
ken. He vas carefully conducted on shore,
and led along rough and tangled path, break
ing through trees and bushes TO effect theirpro-
eress. After several minutes of this uncertain
course he had to crawl on his hands and knees
through narrow passage which seemed like a
low, damp cave, for some distance, his COM
panion urging him on, until at last he was bid
to stand upright, and the bandage was remov-
ed from his eyes.
To the astonishment of Leclerc he found
bimselfin total darkness, shut out from stars
and sky-not a ray of light was discernible.-
He spoke, and his voice resounded on allsides,
rolling along from echo to echo, like the rum
bling ofdistant thunder. cold chill ran through
his frame, and his faith in his Indian friend was
well-nigh failing. Had he inadvertently pro-
yoked his ire? and was he brought there to
perish alone? But the brave Sac warrior was
in the meantime producing light, and sud-
denly setting fire to heap OF dry rubbish he
had collected on the way, behold what won-
ders were revealed to Leclerc. He found him
self in vast vault of gliltering crystals. High
M above his head, and around on oil sides as
far as the remotest glmmer oflight could reach,
glttering crystals OF pure lead were packed In
every direction. Bright and smooth, like mil
lions OF little mirrors, shone the metal. " Be-
hold the treasures that lies buried beneath our
yipwamsn exclaimed the Indian; but the
Sac warrior only knows this cave, and he will
never tell to white man the riches Of our hunt
ing grounds Lcclerc was permitted TO RAM
: bile at will, and thoroughly convince himself OF
r the Teallty OF Nuis uulieW MeNtthf NhAaS
, chief dragged in more branches TO heap on the
fire; but no information could be ELECTED, moi
one hint as 10 the locality could be drawn from
4 him. And when at length the astonishment o
old Pierre had abated, and his vision satiated
. with the beauty of this subterranean palace
' the bandages were replaced over his eyes, ant
: he was reconducted, on hands and knees, along
n the craggy paths to the canoe; and aftera repe
tition OF the same deceptive turnings, and iiy'
= or six hours of steady rowing, he was landed
taken TO his own home, and once more restor
g ed to the privileges of sight,
i On his death bed, Pierre Leclerc reveale,
,c the secret TO his son, who subsequently spen
upwards of two years in exploring the bank
Of the Mississippi on each side within thirt,
S miles of the spot where he dwelt; but in vain
to This treasure is still buried secret. That i
y exists, is a well known fact in that neighbor
hood and who can ioretell the circumstanc
that NAV sooner or later bring ii to light?
y This cave is supposed TO be of galena, or sui
st phuret lead, whose crystals are in cuhcs, pre-
10 senting bright, smooth surface. The exis
tencc oflead throughout that region, extending
far beyond the mining districts, is frequenu
detected. Its presence is also indicated by th
of alead plant ofbotanists, "amorpha caryseens,
ut which is found in great quantities for man
T. miles in that vicinity Of the Mississippi; bu
he whether this enc mysterious cavern will b
H. ever revealed or not, belongs only to the futur
,r annals OF time. The levelling for road, u
It. the foundation of building; the agricultnris
d. or naturalist in his researches, may in a mo
ment dis ,over it; or, on the contrary, the hard
working farmer may even now be partaking {