The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-06-02

he irreverent thought flashed through
,ur mind that if this had been the noun
ain to which the devil took our Savior
md this the country he showed him and
offered as the bride to worship him
instead of the bald hills and barren plains
Of Palestine the Christian world have
been all Jews.
With this interesting history of the
Sank Indians, their once populous city,
their 1900 acres of highly cultivated farm
lands lying here in body, the large crops
Of corn, beans, pumpkins, squashes, to
bacco and artichokes annually raised here,
the unmistakable evidences or land marks
left by these Indians still strongly marked
by the corn hills lying within few min
uIes' travel from the cities of Davenport,
Rock Island and Moline, with their So
900 active, intelligent and energetic peo-
pie, not to exceed 1000 of them haver ever
beheld this lovely scenery or inhaled the
pure air upon Black Hawks Watch Tower
They can reach it by cars for the small
sum of one dime from the city of Rock
Island, and when they reach it they will
lllll tuC dhlllIOu u NbfAlEOl bdOiC llotCl,
where they can procure all needed re-
freshments. eve say needed because
spirituous liquors are not among the
needed, and are not furnished nor allowed
to be drank on the Tower About four
hundred yards east of the Tower on the
north bank of Rock river was large
grotto or cave in the rock, a few feet
al l., IL 5-tN nd thrn.1rph
which perculated bright little stream of
pure spring water and settled in natural
basin near the rivers edge. With this
grotto legend of death was connected
and believed. That youthful and poD~
ular chieftains dead body had been found
there with his scalp lock torn off; his
brains scattered over the rocks and his
heart taken out and placed upon his naked
breast These supersiitious people be-
lieved that this was done by their Manitou
in punishment of some secret crime and
from thence forward Stunned this grotto
as they would the deadly mocCasOn snake
for whose venom they have no antidote
But Dove Eye. the fayorite daughter of
an old chieftain, frequently sought this
cave of death, solitary and alone, spend
ing hours there, dressing her hair and
viewing her sylph like form by their re
Election in the water of the basin.
This legend was perpetuated by the
picture of beautiful Indian maiden
dressing her ringlets with brook for her
mirror in an album some 40 years ago
1t being upon the frontispiecc many eh
forts at poetry We're made in dedicatin@
these albums, but none so fine as one by
the late Geo. Fl. Keirsted, for many year:
prominent citizen of Grundy county, I'LL
which, though written 40 years ago in tht
album of Mrs. Dinwiddie, have neve
been printed. 1t is as follows:
Half pleased, half pensive forest born,
Why at the cave at early morn
Ere in the vale the God of day
With glittering beam hath shed his ray
Com thou to look upon the wave,
And in its flood thy form to lave?
Why seek the cave whose CLASSY breast
BY winds unrufiied ever rest,
And where the startled fawn its bed
At thy approach hath frightened fled,
And where the moss and waters meet
Why resteth thou thy buskined feet
And in its mirrored surface seek
Reflection of thy olive cheek?
Why deck thy hair with flowers of morn
That from the parent stem just torn,
Upon the bouquets foliage bright
Still sleep the dewytear Of mighty
Is this thy toilet, Indian maid;
The brook, the glass thy hair to braidr
The cave which hunter feet ne'er grace
For years long gone, thy dressing place;
TITS here tradition marks the ground
A chieftain's mangled form was found;
Each bush and blade were died in red
Around the spot wherein he bled;
His scalplock from his head was torn
And DER the rocks his brains were strewn;
Upon his breast his heart lay bare
And thrObbed not when they found it there.
The legend said twas for crime
And punishment of wrath divine;
No human foot since that time
Hath sought that dark retreat save thine,
The pure soul beaming in thy face
Shows crime hath there no hiding place;
Then why should st thou forbear to tread
The spot the bravest warriors dreads
But more those thoughtful lines express
Than will thy modesty confess,
They tell thy heart is far away
Where thy young lovers footsteps stray;
Thy spirit lowering roDnd his heart
Will turn the ambushed foemen's dart;
Thy spirits self the guide shall be
To lead him home to love and thee
This is the grotto or cave which Blacl
Hawk says was shattered in a Thousand
pieces by thunder clap in 1927. Hi
statement is that in in 1627ayoIng Siou
Indian got lost on the pairie in snow
storm and found his way into a camp o
the Sauks. According to Indian customs
although he was an enemy, he was saf
while accepting their hospitality. He re
manned there for some time on accoun
of the severity of the weather. Becom
ing well acquainted he fell in love wit
the daughter of the Sank at whose viliag
he had been entertained, and before leav
ing for his own country, promised tt
come back to the Sank village for her 8
certain time during the approachin
summer. In July he made his way Il
the Rock river village, secreting himsel
in the woods until he met the object G
his love, who came to the field with he
mother to assist her in hoeing corn.
This statement is confirmed by the un
mistakable evidence of an extensive lant
slide still very distinctly marked at thi
place.
When Black Hawk said the thunde
peal shattered the rocks, etc, he spoB
more truly than would at first though
appear. 1t was the thunder and not th
lightning that shattered this theivin
sand stone rock. 1t was the concussio
did it. With an immense weight on tn
frail rock, which was ready to give ava
and crumble at any moment, when I'll
thunder peal came with its conclusion
causing the hill or promontory to vibrat'
it broke like a pipe stem, precipitatin
an avalanch of earth, rocks and tre'
H., Il. L..
the lovers many fathoms deep.
Thus was the union of this Renee {
the Sious and Juliet of the Sauks, (whos
tribes, like the Montagues and Capulet
were hereditary enemies), defeated b
death, and naught remains to mark Il
spot where they died and were buried tt
gether except the palpable evidence of Q
extensive land slide.