The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-07-01
"Maiden Rock2n


over and over again of the tragic end
of the pretty Indian girl
The old man shook his head slowly.
Il have heard the story" he said
thOughtfully, "but none of the pale
faces have it right
"How do you know?"
81 was there at the time and do
know"
Then is the tradition not true?'
The brave girl did leap from the
high rock"
You must be very old"
"Better than one hundred summers,
he answered, rubbing his thin hand
across his deeply furrowed brow. Il
was young brave then, only a boy,
but have forgotten nothing"
You say the whites do not have the
story of the girl correctly preserved, so
will you tell it to me, that may know
the truth of the Lovers Leap"
YES" the old Indian said and laid
aside his pipe
"WinOna was the daughter of a Da-
kota chief and as bright and lovely as
the fairest flower of the prairie. Many
of the Dakota braves loved the pretty
little squaw and so did one pale face
trader called Seco, who had a trading
post two rifle shots below the bluff.
money and beads for Winona, and the
chief said the squaw should so to the
tepee of Seco and be his WinOna hated
the trader and loveda young Chippewa
brave named Little Coon, and she said
in her heart if she could not 90 in peace
with the Chippewa she would 90 to her
death.
Just at that time the Dakotas and
Chippewas went to war and it was no
longer safe for Little Coon to visit the
home of Winona. He could not stay
away from the pretty squaw, so he
went down to Pepin lake in canoe
covered with tree top and by the
shadows of the night.
''Winona answered Little Coon's call
when he cried out like a little duck.
One night she told her lover that the
chief had sold her to the Prairie
Chicken, or SecO. the trader, and that
her father had said on the next night
she must GO to the tepee of the pale
face to be his squaw. She moaned
pitifully and said she would throw her.
self to death from the nigh bluff before
she would 90 to the trader. Little
Coon asked her to fee with him, but
she said no, for then both herself and
lover would be trailed to certain death
for the Dakota warriors hated the
Chippewa braves. They talked long
and laid plan to deceive the chief and
her people.
Little Coon hid himself near the
bluff all the next day. When night
came the chief took Winona to the
traders post and left her there. The
squaw was sad, but said not word to
Seco. She sat and gazed at the stars
for long time. Seco talked to her
like the cooling of dove. but his words !
touched not her heart. Then she arose /
and ran towards the high hill. The /
trader was afraid he would lose her, |
for she mad told that she would rather |
die than be his squaw and he ran after |
her, but it was like the turtle after the !
gazelle.
"WinOna went with quick feet to the |
top of the bluff and Seco cried out like /
the wild cat and the Dakota chief and |
braves, who were camped up there,
heard him. They ran quick. WinOna
saw them and went to the very brink
chanting the death song. She bowed
herself to the earth. wrapped her
blanket about her breast and with a
wild cry sprang out into the dark air of
the night
The braves drew near the place
where the young squaw had stood and
they heard the sound of heavy fall.
They looked down into the blackness,
but could see nothing four trees deep,
but splash of water was heard and
they knew Winona was no more. They |
went with quick feet to the Pepin lake, /
but the moving water had carried the
dead squaw away forever, they said,
and they turned sadly back to their
lodges"
And they never found the body of
the girl?" asked.
The white-haired old warrior shook
his head.
They did not find the body because
it was not left beneath the high hill and |
it never went down into the lake"
1.-The lover carried it away" | sug-
gested, new thought entering my head
at went away with Little Coon. but
he did not carry it. Winona was not
killed"
The idea was absurd. A human
being could not descend, under full
power of gravitation, hundreds of feet,
and amid broken rocks, without caus-
ing instant death. The red hermit di-
vined my thoughts and he said:
Il have told you that the lovers
planned to deceive the Dakotas. and
hey did. Winona secreted R long,
rawhide rope under her shawl and
dropped it where her lover was secreted
without stopping to speak. as had been
planned. When darkness came Little
Coon went to the top of the bluff and
making a moose on one end of the long
'ope, he laid the circle at the edge OF
he rock, put the thong around pro-
Getting point of stone, and lowered the
end to the earth below, and then went
Town to await the coming of Winona.
when he heard the death song from
he young squaw'S lips, he grasped the
'ope firmly. Winona wound her shawl
around her breast and then put the moose
around her body under her arms, and
vas ready for the leap. A wild cry
'ang out and Little Coon. who was a
rery stout young brave, held tightly
Ind let the little squaw down.
AT the same time he pushed with
lis foot a large, round stone from its
'esting place, and it went splashing in
o the waters of Lake Pepin. As soon
Is Winona touched the earth she and
Ter Chippewa lover ran to the water
where the canoe of Little Coon was
ying, and they padded away. The
ong rope was taken with them. They