The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-03-29
A LONG ISLANDLEGEND.

In lonely hut, situated on the mar
row strip of land which separates the
waters of Oyster pond from the wa
ters of Gardeners bay, in what is"now
the village of Marion, on a dark and
stormy night in the early colonial
time sat an old man and young girl.
White settlements then on Long
Island were few and far between.
The largest of them all was situated
at the mouth of Sterling creek, now
known as Greenport. A few settlers
had pushed out from the parent town
toward the end of the island, aud
there was some half-dozen cabins be-
tween Greenport and Orient Point.
The Montauk tribe, whose chieftain
was a tall and muscular savage, known
as Wyandank, and the Shinnecocks
warriors were not on the best of terms
with the whites, and therefore the
settlers feared to go singly into the
sandy wilderness.
But the old man who had built the
lonely hut by the pebbly beach of
Marion harbor was an exception to
the general rule.
Though white in color, yet at heart
he was as savage as any red brave on
the island.
An outlaw from the white settle
ments, the red warriors of the forest
were far more like his brothers than
the stern colonists who painted to pun
ish him for his evil deeds.
William Stone the outlaw called
himself, but in the Connecticut wa
tiers, when he had sailed with the IA
nous pirate, Robert Kyd. his COM
rades had called him Spanish Will,
and under that title the men of law
sought for him.
After Kyd's capture by the English
frigate, Spanish. Will, who had
escaped both the slaughter and the
execution dock, sought refuge in the
wilderness at the end of Long Island.
Boldly presenting himself to the
Indians, he had claimed to be foe to
the whites and craved their protection.
With him the outlaw carried little
girl, mild and handsome child.
The girl grew to womanhood free
and unrestrained.
The outlaw mingled but little with
the settlers at Greeuport, for he pre-
ferred the society of the dusky red
men.
And the willy chieftain great Wyand-
ank, head of the Montauk tribe, saw,
too. that the mild young girl was fair
te look upon and he proposed to the
outlaw rich lands in exchange for her.
But Mary Stone, as the girl was
called, looked askance when the dusky
chieftain came a-wooing. Not to her
mind was the wigwam of the savage
or the person of the dusky brave.
Then, too. another love was in the
heart of the forest child.
Along the sandy path that led
from the scattered settlement of
Marion to the parent town of Green
port she had met with one of the young
men of the colony who had seemed to
her free young mind to be beyond the
common race of mortals.
Richard Flanders he was called. son
to one of the leading men of the set
tlement.
The outlaw, as keen woodman as
the best of the Montauks, soon discov-
cred the secret meetings Of the lovers
in the forest.
He chuckled at the discovery, for it
suited we'll with his plans. He knew
that Richard Flanders. was betrothed
to the daughter of one of the leading
men at Greenport. and he soon made
known to the father of the girl the
course of action that the young man
was pursuing.
Flanders, when charged with his
deceit, swore that it was not so, and
said that he had simply encountered
the forest maid upon his hunting ex-
cursions. and knew but little of her.
By this willy movement the outlaw
broke up the intimacy existing be-
tween the two and filled the heart of
the girl with fierce rage against all
the white settlers.
| Old Stone wished the girl to become
the wife of the Montauk chief, for he
hungered after the rich lands that the
Indian had promised unto him.
And on the night when father and
daughter sat within the old cabin, one
little month had gone by since the
girl had seen her false lover.
The logs burned fitfully in the open
fireplace, and their flames cast dull
and uncertain light over the room.
The old man had just returned from
the settlement. The daughter, snllen
and distracted, did not seem to notice
his appearance.
Stone seated himself by the fire and
rubbed his hands together softly.
'sThere's brave doings afoot in the
town yonder," he said, with a covert
glance at the girls dark face. Young
Richard Flanders is to be married in
a week."
The girl sprang to her feet, passion
| flaming in her face.
The traitor!" she cried. 81 could
find it iu my heart to kill him with my
| own hand"
There is better way than that,
| the outlaw said. "This chieftain,
Wyandank, is made for thee. my girl.
| He will give many an acre of rich
land If you will consent to be his
squaw, and, if you ask 1t, he will take
vengeance upon this false hound for
| thee"
The girl pondered over the matter
for moment or two.
! II would rather die than live in the
wigwam OF .Wyandank, she replied,
slowly.
The old man drew closer to the girl.
"Listen, Mary. to my plan" he said.
1--WE may gain both lands and VEN
geance, and yet give nothing in return.
Agree to become the sauaw of Wyand-
ank If he will kill Richard for you,
and will sign to me the lands that he
has offered. When the murder is ac-
compIished will contrive a way to
denounce Wyandank as the murderer
Of Flanders. See how good the plan
lls. The tool destroys the traitor; the