National Republican., 1883-06-15
THE KIssIN1MEE RIVER.
A Romantic Legend Connected with Its
Name.

cptCtW LetteT.
DANBURY, Conn, June 10.-Until the at.
tention of settlers was called to the Kissim-
NEE country by the Okeechobee Canal COM
pany aud the Diston company, IL was com
paratvely unknown, except to the daring
sportsman and the frontiersman, and its vast
stretches of low prairie, broken here and
there by large lakes and crooked shallow
rivers, was given over to the herdsman aud
the Seminole.
The waters of these lakes are full of black
bass pike, Dream, grinnel and cat.
We spent three weeks at Kissimmee City,
on Lake Tahopekaliga, this winter and they
were very pleasant on account of the fishing,
in spite Of having to rough it good deal.
An eight pound bass, five pound pike, and u
twelve pound cat were tho largest fish that
we landed but as we only used eight ounce
rods 1t was lively work.
/ read wonderful tale of the catch IRE
President made while on this same lake dur
ing his late trip to the Everglades, where no
did not linger, and l have often wondered
how many he really did got; and, also, noted
another thing about his trip, namely, that
he was met ON the banks of the Kissimnee
river by the tribe of Seminoles headed by
Tom Tiger, and that there were Indian
maidens in the party. II was great, but per-
haps uuappreciated, compliment, for there is
an unwritten legend among this tribe that has
the force of law, and runs in this wise
| While the land was yet young and all about
| the Kissimmee river was trackless forest, a
fair Indian maiden sat laving her bronze feet in
| the limpid water of the curving stream, whom
suddenly u pale face stood beside her, his
manly beauty adorned by his dress made
entirely of the plumes Of the beautiful trop-
! ical birds that fitted among the trees. Bend
| ing down he inquired the name of the stream
that was honored by the presence of so much
beauty on its banks. Glancng up through
tho tangles of her raven hair at the youth
she gently murmured, "Kiss-i-mee." Quickly
he obeyed the supposed command, but was
startled at the maidens bushes and attempts
to rise and hasty retreat to tho wigwams OF
her tribe where a council was held, and the
chiefs decided that never more should Indian
maiden honor the banks of the stream whose
misleading name had caused this fair daugh-
ter of their tribe such joy and confusion
Hence, on the banks of this stream was never
seen an Indian maiden until the recent visit
of the great white chief, when the Sem
inoles evidently thought with Henry V:
Nice customs curtsy to great kings.
They had an election for county officers
while / was there and in the afternoon We
walked down to the polls in tho lower end o
the town to SEQ how they were getting on
| We found two men, both somewhat under tht
influence of Dick Swiveller's rosy" sitting
behind an open window, and in front of then
was poll list and a wooden box. There wa
a narrow slit in the top of the box, and tina
same top was very much warped, and it wa
| the easiest box to stuff ever saw. Some on
seems TO have understood it, for there wer
% votes polled and III in tho box at the enc
of the day. Outside the window was
motley crew Of crackers, cowboys, and thre
cattle kings. A great many were drunk, anC
there was variety of shotguns and dog
about. There had been numerous fights, bu
we saw them cafting Off the only iDjuret
party, who had had his lips cut.
| MARGUERITE DIcKINs.