The New York herald., 1877-02-13
A Blind Chase After Savages
Through the Jungles.
A LEGEND OF "FEATHER-SED Bay"
Wonderful Story Of a Confed
crate Deserter.
A TERRESTRIAL INFERNO.
c4y OF THE HERALD EXPLORING ExrEDIr.os

The troubles with tho Indians leIt tne sct'ic's "
Florida httIe time Tor speculation on her natural
wonders until tho removal OF the Scminocs west OF
tho Mississippi But there traditions that the heat
OF conflict bore the whites many times into tho depths
orjunges and previously believed to be i'm
penetrable, where they found the enemy eucamped
and fortified These were OF course the re-
suits Of chance only, and, aite. reIrcatng from Inc
refugees upon which they had stumbled, they always
found that 10 retrace their steps would DO nearly I'M
possible The tangled wildwood presented TO tho re-
Prospective glance clew TO the pathway oil pursuit
which they had made, and in aitcr years when this
was obliterated, curiosity always balled IN at
tempting 10 revisit those sequcstered haunts
PURSUIT INDIANS.
IL was In the year SIS that General jackson marched
to the village Miccosukes and captured 800 scaps
which had been from the crowns OF murdered
white women and during this expedition party of
sayapes was chased throug gh the Flat Pney Woods
into The morass. They followed even there tor,
the season having long been very dry, the waters
were almost entirely absorbed by the thirsty earth,
aud they trod among the tussocks without wetting
heir One Of the pursucrs was the brother ora
man had built his hut oflogs at the utmost verge OF
sivilixation eight miles north OF Sink o. Pnhooks He
Is sn living there and with ready tongue, will narrate
10 any inquirer thrilling tales OF those 'times which
Tried mems souls. " The brother who participated IN
The lapse of years has crowned HIM with white hair,
but he wears the mcin Of Nimrod with the vim OF
The soldier still lighting his eye. Fancy this dgure
clad a suit Of tawny honespun, which harmonizes
well with the rich hue Of his skin In face and hands
There you have the hero OF many desperate handto
hand encounter with the Of white women
and children who gloried In shedding the blood Of the
red Of the Everglades.
BERG MAYSoR
Berg Maynor is mis- name, although in the wild days
Of which speak quarrel with his family, who were
OF the patrican station In Barbados had caused him
to enlist with false account of himself which may be
found tho old rolls il they are yet preserved
in the archives Of He was, according 10 his own
statement witness Of tho assassination of General
Thompson by As-se- -se-ha-he.lar whom, he says, he
tried to KILL but he failed, his gun missed rc 1t is
opned by his neghbors that old Berg dotlng his
part in the war; and merely imagines that he hid
IN the woods when Osceola did the deed but his ac-
count OF the first mentioned incident has tho air Of
truth, and besides Is exactly the Same as that which
he rendered forty years ago hcarthsone and camp
fire listeners
Maynor warning under the leadership OF General
Jessup in 1888. when battle fought the foot
OF the Lime Hill The Indians strong numbers
and fought with obstnacy, but, is their usual Gus
tom retired deeper aud deeper into the forest so as to
draw their enemy into ambush. The whites had long
been dsgusted with the peacc-dabblng policy OF the
government, that they lad at last met their
hitherto almost invisible toe itheir enthusiasm IN
pressing the conflict knew no limits. 1t is said that
Chitto-Tuskunggie, chief and warrior, who figures
prominently in the peace making proceedings, manGu-
vercd the savages this occasion, alternately re-
pcllng and inviting the advances of the whites.
MULES wALLow."
Thus they fought all the day along the old trappers'
path that led through The pines toward tho present ST.
Marks In later years it became wagon road, over
which the planters carried their cotton be hauled TO
the seaboard. and 1t is said that the sloughs and
marshes dubbed by familiar names have each It's
tale of horror famous slough is called ''The Mules
Walow, because In it many planters lost their val
liable beasts of burden, who would sometimes, with
load driver and ALL sink out of sight in the botomlcss
slusn. Here many OF the brave whites became oulcd
In the pursuit. and the Semnoles bctakng themselves
to the neghboring jungle OF 'rl-u swamp" killed
thcm with deliberate shotc. Those who safely trod
the tussocks, however, were not dsmayed and the In
dams gave way with loud shouts and yclls.
TnE HORRORS OF .'rsATrgR RED Bay"
Beyond the ''Mues Wallown there marsh about
which the most remarkable stories narrated 1t
called "Fcathcr Bed Bay" No wild animal when
chased by the hunter known to cross II; the
bayngs oil the hounds might force the little
way from tho nrmcr earth, but it would then become
alarmed with its rapid sinking and struggle even
"nto the jaws OF death. Under the tread oG any
living thing upon the treacherous tussocks tho whole
surface Of the marsh will trembie as II 1t were merely
floating scum on a idden depth Of water As one
surveys tall urze and tutted grass traversed by the
quverng undulaons produced by the breeze and pom
Gers the righfu stories OF the lives which have
been smothered in the uniathomable slime, his
dernent at the application OF the Of "Feathcr
Bed Bay'' Never happy stroke
OF nomenclature achieved. II comparatively un-
known TO the whites until the battle which l have
been narrang took place. The Indians, In retrcatng,
hoped by their superior ghtness of loot TO the
"Fcathcr Bed Bayn before they overtaken. They
would have avoided It had they been pressed very
hoiy, and by boldly attaining the other shore they
thought that the whites would be induced attempt
to follow them. But the trepdaton of the moment
prevented the safe passage upon which .thcy had
rcckoned. The surface of the bay shook under so
many moccasined ice and warrior after warrior sank
in the slime, his last breath gurglng up ike the
croak OF the frog at twilight To add to the
horror OF the scene, which even to the heated whites
was rcpulsve, Indian women, whom runners had
warned Of the nearing struggle as they sat fishing
tho margin of s'Sink o. Pnhooks," appeared on the
further side of s'Feathcr Bed Bay,n wringng their
hands and tearing their hair with terror their hus-
bands brothers, lovers and fathers struggled with the
strange cyciops. Some Of them flung them.
selves with long rcsounding and long remembered
shrieks into the fatal pool Of mire and disappeared
with their defenders stalwart warriors, whose cop
perry flesh seemed to have assumed a redder hue from
having been painted with the blood OF the whites,
hinfully struggled back to the Shore with eyes
ins tongues protrddng aud faces slrcaked with sweat
and gore. There the whites, with the passion of rc.
vcnge grmIy burning in thcr eyes, firing at tho
ngures which attempting to reach the other side:
and those who struggled back, arghted with death in
so sickenins form, given their quicus by blows
inflicted with the butts OF their muskes Their bodies
were thrust back into the mre and never seen more
BLIND CnAsM
Fifty OF the savagcs passed 'Feather Bed Bay"
either by trcading the tussocks with superior quick.