Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-03-10
THE LEGEND OF MARrENsE,s LANE.
The Footprints In the Granite IiowIder
Said to Have Been Made By the Devil.

New Iork SUM-
The advance of improvement has
almost obliteraled MarIense's lane in
Brooklyn, but the old legend connect
ed with IL will doubtless live MANY
years after the lnrmbcrs of the society
Of old Brooklynites who now So fondlv
recall it have passed away. The lane
divided two old Dutch farms, aud, al
though not now upon the maps or
marked by any sign, skirts of Green
wood Cemetery The legend was as
sociated with big granite bowlder
which formed part "f the foundation
Of the boundary fence of one of the
farms. In one side o. the howlder was
deep indentation Resembling that
made by cows hoof IN clay bank
The simple Durrh folks. tile negroes
and The children believed that it was
the footprint of the devil. One story
was that Oi,: Nick cncOuntereu a Dutch
negro late there one night aud chal-
lenged him to dance The negro and
the devil began breakdown, and the
farmer dance with such energy and
50 long that the devil was completely
tired out, ami angirly kicking the
bowlder So hard as To leave his loot
prlts there, he disappeared. The old
Dutch negroes, AS they were called
were famous for, their dancing The
veteran Long Islanders are wont to
tell stories of negroes, dancing for cells
on a barn floor in olden times. and they
say that modern mlnstrrlsv is time
imitation If the fun gwen by these old
Dutch servents.
The above, however. is not deemed
the true legend of Martense lane,
Mr.. Alden J. Spooner. a typical old
Long Islander. who haunts the re-
cesses of the library OF the Long Island
Historical Society. which he helped
to found. had preserved the accepted
legend. 1t had been printed and H.
lustrated and now adurns the reading
room of the Sociely's new building.
This version of the legend is that
Joost, an cid negro fiddler, whose
Nubina countenance was fringed with
gray wool, was returning to his home
late one Saturday night, after having
fiddled for dance in the old Ven
deveer mansion. Joost was in good
spirits, because good spirits were in
him, and when he came down Mar
tense's lane he thought the stars above
him were so beautiful that he would
sit down upon the big granite bowlder
and compose tund to them. lie
roslned his bow. cushioned his chin
upon the woolly beard that rested upon
his fiddle, rolled his eyes heavenward
and began to make delightful music.
The strains floated dreamily away in
the stiffness of the night, and presently
the little stars began to flutter, and
then, as Joost thought, to dance.
AS Joost was in the ecstacy Of max
ing music for celestial reel. a second
fiddle started a strain. Joost turned
and saw the devil, with fiddle and bow
in hand. The devil smiled, and said
that he could play the same tune.
Joost told him that he lied, because the
tune was original. The devil then
challenged the negro to play all the
tunes he knew, and Joost started in.
He sent his bow in frantic strides
across the fiddle strings, beating time
with his foot, and played with all his
might, as though determined to out do
the devil in main strength. The devil
played more composedly, but kept ex-
cellent time. He played second fiddle
for some time, but at length played
first fiddle also
Joost stopped now and then to tight
en- up his fiddle strings and rosln his
bow, and then off he went again, while
the devil kept on fddling. Joost ran
from one tune to another, but the devil
seemed to know them all. At length
Sunday morning dawned, and the early
bells began to toll over in New AM
sterdam. Joost stopped in the midst
of frivolous air, and then started the
tranquil strains of the old song:
Now behold at dawn of day,
Pious Dutchmen watch and pray.
The devil tossed his fiddle and bow
into the air, when they disappeared
and giving the granite bowlder kick.
disappeared in shower of sparks, and
amid the smell Of sulphur, exclalmlng:
That beats the devil.
The next morning Dutchman, ,driv-
ing the COWS through the lane on the
way to pasture, saw one of them stop
and snuff fiddle that was lying in the
grass, covered with dew. Then he saw
Joost sprawled out upon the turf, fast
asleep. Near him there was yellow
stone bottle, which, although empty,
still had the aroma of Schnapps Joost,
when aroused, went toward home with
a lame step and an aching head. Re
calling his experiences of the night, he
went back the same day, and there in
the bowlder was the exact print Of the
devils cloven foot