Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1873-02-25
Il Legend Of the Mohawk Val
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| n ANSSA0 W aAO "A~Ae. N@~~ ~
The valleyiof the Mokawsk Is sne of the
most picturesque and beautiful in the
world. And,if it is Htractiye now, what
must it have been before Its acres were
given to tillagc, and its mountain sides
robbed of their Eorestcovering? 4
At one point a high mountain ends on
one side in terrible precipfce of at least
two hundred feet, at the base of which
the river rolls and tumbles over its rocky
bed, Connected with this mountain is a
legend which, although never before put
in print, still lives in the traditions of the
! neighborhood. It is as follows
4 Mere thana hundred years ago, Brave
| Bear was one Of the Youngest and hand
soonest Warriors of the tribe of Indians
which dwelt in the Mohawk Valley. Tall,
straight. and powerful, his physical PROV
ess won for him wide fame among his
people, Indeed, he and White Deer, the
chiefs pretty daughter, were the pride
and boast Of the tribe; and, as the chief
| had no son, the marriage of White Deer
with Brave Bear was ultimately, by gene
raj consent, to elevate the latter to the
rulership Of the tribe. is ~.
y The young people asSented to this plant
for it chimed exactly with their desire
Time went on, and the day fixed upon for
the performance of the marriage rites
drew near. i! ISIS g" gre Oh
At this time, white settlers had invad-
cd come portions of the Mohawk Valley
and within few miles of the hunting
grounds of Brave Bear s tribe lived a
a family named Patterson, consisting of a
husband, wife, and daughter Mary Bat
terson, Just past sixteen, was fresh,
! blooming, and healthy. Pure air and ex-
ereise kept her cheeks red, her limbs su
pie her spirits buoyant, and the whole
valley could not boast of a prettier grl.
r One day Brave Bear, wandering near
the clearing, came upon Mary Probably
he had never seen a white girl before, or,
if he had, not one so attractive as Mary.
Although a little frightened by the en-
counter, for the place was solitary, the
! girl was treasured by the Indians kindly
demeanor. Indeed, he showed has admi-
ration so plainly that Mary could not but
see it. He paid her the broadestof COM
pliments in terribly broken English. and
followed her to her own door. Then he
turned suddenly, and was gone The fact
was, that the savage was thoroughly i'm
pressed by Mary's charms, SO different
from the dusky beauty of the White Deer.
| The pale-faced girl was in his dreams that
! night, in spite of the proximity of his
marriage to the chief daughter,
! With an Indian treacherous by nature,
the evil wish is father to the deed. Brave
Bear sudden love for Mary blinded him
to every other sentiment. All was swal-
lowed up in desire to possess the newly
found treasure, and his seheming brain
readily concocted plan for her abduction.
Accustomed to the proverbial submission
| of Indian women, he imagined that, once
in possession of Mary, she would quietly
become his wife.
Stealthily watching her movements, he
soon caught her at sufficient distance
from her house to suit his purpose. Seiz-
ing her in his powerful arms, he bore her
rapidly off. She screamed, but no friend
! " ears heard it. She entreated, but her
captor would only assure her that no vio-
lencs was intended She was, he added,
to become his squaw; only, he further ex-
| planned, it would be necessary to hide her
for few days in some safe place. His
marriage to White Deer was at hand, and
although the laws of his tribe did not
prevent an Indian having two or more
wives at once, he wished to have one
marital ceremony fairly concluded before
another was begun.
Brave Bear, after carrying his captive
some distance, babe her walk Knowing
ING the uselessness of resistance she obey
ed After awhile he securely blndfolded
and led her, to prevent her finding the
wav home in case she got away.
After walk that seemed of many
miles to poor Mary, the Indian stopped
and removed the bandaged from her eyes
Upon looking around, she saw that dense
forests surrounded them on three sides,
but the fourth was a nearly perpendicu-
lar rock. Pushing aside the vines which
evergreen the latter, the mouth of a small
cave was disclosed. Into it Brave Bear
conducted the girl The interior had
evidently been roughly fitted up for her
reception. There was a couch of skins,
some food, water, &c. Thereshe was to
remain. as her captor cautioned her, with
ont ventering more than few feet from
the entrance. He then left her.
Mary's first thoughts were of escape !;
but a moments reflection convinced. her
that it would be impossible. To fly
would be fooliShness, as she would be un-
able to find her way home. Therefore
she determined to stay where she was,
and hope for the best, being at least safe
from hunger.
That night she slept but little, and in
the morning her eyes red with weeping,
she went out, and sat disconsolately upon
the fallen trunk of tree.
Now. this CHANGED to be the day of
Brave Bears marriage to White Deer
The latter, with heart overfowing with
love for the handsome young warrior, rose
as happy as lark, and wandered off into
the woods for an early walk.
As she went along she came upon the
captive, Mary, who still sat crying: The
sight of girl so unhappy, when she her
self was SO joyous, touched the heart of
the Indian maiden with pity. She ad-
dressed Mary as her limited command of
English would permit. The conversation,
robbed of its dialect, was as follows: =,
"Why does the white maiden weep p
| asked the savage: ,-;,Iz l.r5 r.,, :,
hi Because she is in very great trouble, :"
replied Mary -.r.. ~
't,sShe is too beautiful to weep; the
tears dim the brightness of her eyes
What is her trouble p
tShe has been carried off-away from
her home and friends-by wicked In
dian; and she weeps because she does
! not wish to remain here.
"Why did the Indian steal her?"
To make her his squaw.
"What is his name y
Brave Bear.
The swarthy features of the Indian girl
grew an unearthly pale, and she fell 20
the ground in swoon. Hastily bringing
| - 10 a.. f.c,,, Al s,,nr,I,r IN The cnue