The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-08-26
A Legend Of the Cumberland.

A Legend Of the Cumberland.
The world contains among its common
mass of beings @large proportion of cred
ulOus people who stand agape to swallow
everything as it comes fresh from the lips
of the narrator, and no matter how i'm
possible it may be they believe and Elm
wardly digest all they hear and relate it
to others as though it was as true as holy
writ. The incredulous, on the other hand,
doubt all they hear, and hardly believe
what they see with their own eyes, There
are, however, those of another class, Il
sort of go-between, who believe all they
hear that IS at all plausible. The story
am about to relate may be believed or not
believed-iust as the reader chooses; but
am assured by the old lady from whom
heard the narrative that she received 1t
from an old gentleman whose veracity
was never doubted. The story dates back
into the early history of Tennessee and
kentucky, when the Indians occupied
large portion of this section of country.
Between GAINESVILLE, Tenn, and Eddy
vile, KY, on the Cumberland River, there
is a cavern which can only be entered by
diving into the water, and which has no
other light than that reflected from the
bottom Of the river. The exact spot is
now unknown, although some of the old
est citizens of the neighborhood have an
indistinct recollection of having heard of
the cave in their boyhood. 1t was origi-
nally discovered by young Indian chief
while one day diving for his gun, which
he had dropped from his canoe into the
river opposite the cave. The Indian youth
who discovered it for long time kept the
secret to himself, and would often resort
to il in his lonely hours, where, by the aid
of his flint and a piece of dry wood, he
looking at the magnificence of the scene
as the Ii ght reflected back millions of beams
from the numerous stalagmites and stalac-
tites of gigantic size and fantastic forms,
and displayed to his vision hundreds of
avenues, grottoes and cataracts, unsur-
passed for their wonderful appearance. In
order to carry dry wood into the place to
furnish light for his investigations he
would carefully sew it up in skins, to keep
it from coming in contact with the water
as he dived into the cave. The cave was
about fifty feet wide and about the same IN
height. In the course of time this young
son of the forest became enamOred with a
beautiful daughter of one of the back
woodsmen in the settlement, by the name
of Robertson. The girl, contrary to the
wishes of her parents, reciprOcated the
feeling, which of course put the parents
on their guard, and the daughter was
placed under the strictest surveillance.
But love "laughs at locksmiths,;' and on
one occasion, as the guard was withdrawn,
on account of an expected attack from
some untriendly Indians prowling in the
neighborhood, the girl was induced by
the lover to go with him to his beautiful
retreat, which he doubtless described to
her in as striking language as did Claude
Melnotte his palace by the lake of Como
to the fair Pauline. He related to her the
dangers surrounding the entrance to the
cave, and persuaded her to place implicit
of the locality and obey his instructions to
Wallahalla and the girls name was Agnes
Robertson. In those days the daughters of
backwoodsmen could swim, ride and
handle gun with all the dexterity and
skill of their fathers and brothers. Arriv.
ing at the place the lover disappeared be-
meath the surface of the water and the
maiden quickly followed him, to find the
cavern surprising even the magniticencc
and grandeur so beautifully portrayed to
her mind in the native tongue of her In
dian lover Here he informed her she
must remain as his prisoner until he
gained the consent of her parents to their
union. Wallahalla then departed, to re-
turn soon after with dried venison, corn,
wood, the rough cooking utensils of those
aboriginal times, and bedding and such
articles as were necessary for her comfort.
He then babe her adieu, threatening her
with death if she dared to leave the cave
during his absence. Returning to the set
Element Wallahalla found that the place
had been attacked by the foe and the vii
lage burnt to the ground. The parents of
Agnes nourned her as dead, or lingering in
a captivity to which death would be far
preferable. This was providential to the
lovers. The young chief was loudest in
his lamentations over the lost girl, and at
the war-dance of his tribe swore the direst
vengeance against her captors. All the
male portion of the settlement, together
with the friendly tribe to which the young
chief Wallahalla belonged, started in pur-
suit of the foe, to rescue the girl from her
certain fate of death or degradation. After
IA long and tedious march they came upon
the enemy in the neighbOrhoOd of where
Metropolis City, ILL.,, now stands. A
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lacking party, headed by young Walla-
halla, dealt death and destruction to their
foe until their ammunition was exhausted.
At this moment the enemy was reinforced,
and the attacking party was compelled to
which Paducah now stands.
The father of Agnes Robertson was al
most crazed with grief at the loss of his
beloved daughter. In his great agony he
published to the troops the following an
nouncement:
1, Andrew Robertson. will give the res
1owas her hand in marriage, 1000 acres OF
land, 100 head of cattle and horses, 100
pounds of powder and two rifles.
ANDREW ROBERTSON.
This was the largest reward ever be-
fore offered in the section of the country
to which these men belonged, and twenty
men, warriors and riflemen, among them
Wallahalla, stepped forward and rendered
their services to the heart-brOken parent.
The girl herself was fortune to any man.
The parent and his trusty friends, with
the exception of those who were to go in
pursuit of the Iowas in search of Agnes
Robertson, returned to their settlement on
Little River, near the place now known
as Cadiz, in Trigg County, KY, to rebuild
their huts and the stockade which the
Indians had destroyed. Wallahalla sepa-
arated himself from both parties, and by
circuitous route wendell his way to the
cavern in search of his beloved Agnes,
whom he found in almost a starving con-
dition. One more day would have told
the sad tale of death from starvation. AL
though worn out from long and rapid
march, he "stood not in the order of his
going, but went at once" in search offood
for his betrothed.
She was soon restored to her usual
strength, when he related to her the news
from the outer world. A few weeks passed
by, during which time the lovers built the
usual number of castles j. the air. and
allowed sufficient time for the return of
the warriors gone in search of the beauti-
full Agnes, the young chief only going out
in the world to supply game and corn for
their larder.
The full moon shone forth in all its
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