The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-04-19
DISCOVERY.
OF A MIRACULOUS MYTHULOGI-
FVCAL RELIC IN CAIRO .g
CAPT. FALLS FALLS IN WITH
MARQUETTS MILL.
HOW THE Won DERFUL GRIND
Err WAS LOST.

only knows how old), intimately con-
nected with tho history of the mighty
rivers whose swollen waters flow so swift.
ly past our city, has recently been discov-
cred by Capt. Walter Falls in an excays-
tion made near his former residence at
Birds, Point, and brought over to this
city and placed in charge Of Capt. w. NJ.
Williams, whose extensive geographic
and historic knowledge and antiquarian
research eminently qualify him for
custodian of this Invaluable memento of
/. q prehistoric age.
From variou. Inscriptions, hieroglyph.
les, astrological and csbalistic signs found
upon 1t Capt Williams has succeeded
in decipherlng its tradition.
The two most notable characters in
scribed upon itare a Maltese cross and
figure resembling sickle. But we will
proceed with the legend which the inscrip-
tions unfold and to the veritablc relic
itself. e Bt
On tho 18th Of May, 1879, Pierre Mar
quette and Louis .Iole. Left the trading
post of St. Ignace with two canoes. five
voysgers, supply of corn, smoked meat,
arms and cooking utensils, among which
was very anceint hand mill which had
been an heir loon in the Marquette fam.
lily as long as such family had existed and
ne human family has n longer pedigree,
this reaching back to long before Adam
was little boy, when no and Evo ran
about in their fg loaf pinafores. The
Marquette family trace their lineage to an
smour between Mars and Cores, tho god
dess of tho grain harvest, and who WAS
ct the same timo m incorrigible coquette,
and was as often spoken of 'The Co.
quc:te' ss b. her agricultural appeln-
ton. Hence tho issue of this union took
upon themselves name which combined
the two, leaving off the first syllable of
coquette and prefxing "mar;" and thus we
have Marquette. The imprint of the sickle
upon tho northeast corner Of tho nil fully
substsntiates the ownership Of Ceres, rs
that was her symbol, secured by letters
patent which even Jupiter, tho rathor Of
all the gods, mover dared to infringe. still
farther proof exists in the we'll known
maxim that "the mills of tho gods
grind slow" Capt. Williams, who is
quite an expert grindist, solemnly AYERS
that no mill did ever grind slower.
The Marquettes attributed miraculous
qualities to this mill; and wcIl they might
considering its supernatural origin. They
never undertook any important enterprise
without IL, certainly not on such an expe. {,
dition as Pierre and his companions had |
now, embarked, 10, it being nothing loss
than an attempt 10 reach tho "Father Of
WsteFsy and trace his devious. coprso to !
tho son. -------.....- ..---------..
Exactly one month after leaving st. |
Ignacc they passed out upon the bosom of
the mighty river, and 'crossing TO tho OPP
posite bank, landed and 'dooh OF tnefr even
ing meal, grinriing their coffee and
parched corn with tho wonderful mill,
ono Of its wonderful properties being like
that of tho widows oil-cruise-it never
failed 10 grind out the needed supply, no
matter how scantily the hopper was fur
nished. After the meal was over they ro-
turned TO the boats and quietly noatod
with tho current. Thus they proceeded, |
landing to grind and cook, and returning
to Dat, take notes, ish and sleep by turns.
On the nth of July they had reached |
the mouth Of the sArksnsas river, whom,
finding the Indians very hostile in their
they resolved to re.race
their course, and reached Green bay In
Septem Der, after having padded their own
canoe over 1900 miles. Here they separ-
sted. I
Marquette being of frail constitution
to hemorrhages, survived the
separation but Il short time, expiring on
the banks of Lake Michigan, May l6.
1876, after having given explicit instruc-
tons that his mill should be buried with
him. His wishes we're devoutly complied
with; but a year or two afterward party
of Ottawa Indians opened the grave,
placed tho relics in a birchen box and
conveyed them to st. Ignace, where the
mill came into the possession
of no loss person than Rene
Robert Csvelier, Seur La Salle'
who Immediately became inspired with an
irresistible desire to explore tho Missis-
sippi to its mouth. He with party de-
scended the Illinois River in l7G2, and on
the 9Th of February came out upon the
which he found full of float
Ing ice. In few days they noted grsa.
river coming in on tho, right, and found
it's waters 90 exceedingly turbid that the
clearer waters of the Mississippi mingled
with them very reluctantly, Several days
later they discovered another stream COM
ing in on the left, which they named the
but which is now the Ohio.
They landed at night at Birds Point,
which, "a its nams denotes, was
covered, and tho sur.
rounding atmosphere filed with birds.
They found great quantities of
eggs, and were quietly engaged in frying
their ham and eggs whom they were sud-
denly attacked with such fury by a band
of Indi ans that they fed precipatately to
their boats, leaving the miraculous mill;
and, although La Sale and his company
resched tho Gulf of Mexico, the loss of his
min grieved him 40 sorcly, that, upon