The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-12-26
LEGEND OF THE PlASA.
ONE or THE STORIES TOLD m CAL
HouN COUNTY, lLLa,

| w N"NN ~ NNHNNN' hlhNhl
In lGJa when Joliet and Marquette a.
eended tho Illinois river on their return from
tho discovery of tho Mississippi, thay saw on
tho right hand elif, not faraboye tho Illinois
mouth, what they we're Plaasal 10 consider
tho picture Of q devil, The good priest trled
afierward 10 make drawing of heoreature,
and though his drawing was poor and mex
aot he sent II 10 France, where II 10 said 10
be preserved among tho papers 0f tho colony,
ln later days u has been written and talked
about as "ths picture on tho ok above Al.
ton,N II WAS cut and painted AZ No early a
day that tho Indians could give only trade
lions about II, and " might have remained
there until this time, but IN lsiG some jealous
developers Of western resources quurrIed II
away,
This picture, which hther Marquette saw
with startled eyes, considering II a fIn u
aboriginal depraylty, was called tho pIasa
lil'a'sawl or Destroyer Mr. William Nc
Adams, 10 recent book, gives a description
Of tho llasa, and a representation OF 10 which
differs from picture painted by Mayor l.add,
Of Whitehall, only IN two poInla 10 gives
tho creature iish tail aud carries its folds
lengthwlse around the body, while Mr. Ladd
has wound ihls snake lk0 appandage threo
times around tho raHat middle aud onded IL
with dragon dart, Mr., Ladd painted hls
picture from tho description given by Squire
Russell, Of hIufdde, who has heon nearer tho
plasa than any person now living,
have been ~ Squire Russell 10 beg that
he would toll mo all he could recall about
that strange inscription, Of which 10 many
untrue things will doubtless be told al time
goes on,
hQulRr RuaHELL'a HfonY oE THE riAaA.
VI used 10 climb tho rocks 70 look at II
when was boy no said, "l have been
Within slKty foot Of IL once pointed Ii out
from the deck u steamer " an English
lady aud aho locked ~ II with field glaaa
No wings showed that day Tor tho weather
was dry, Tho colora we're always affected by
danpneaa, and stood out distinctly after rain.
Father Marquette eyilently nav tho PIaaa on
a dry day, Tor he pictured h without wlnga
"lhe picture was out into tho surface Of
the rock half an loh Or more, and originally
painted with red, black and blue, I had tho
head of n bear, large, dlaproportloned teeth,
the horna Of an elk, tho aoaly body of n nah,
aud bears legs ending with eagles olawa
Tho tail was AT least llfty feet long, wound
three times around tho body, and ended In
spear head, The upper horns we're painted
rod, the lower portion and head black. Tho
wings were expanded " tho right aud loft Of
tho face, aud tho rinaa waa ~ least sixteen
foot long In head and neck were covered
with a mano aud Ia body oonfusedly col.
ored with all three of tho colora used.
"ln 1t20 Capt Gideon Spencer came up
the Mississippi, and saw tho picture on tho
rock. lle asked the Indians what u was, aud
they told him II was tho Storm Bird, or
Thunderer, that II had been placed there by
a warlko tribe long before any emigration 10
tho great lakes Tho Indians would aro OH
their guns AZ II, aud some Of them made II
offerings Of tobacco, smoked their pipes 10 II,
and performed such other ceremonies na they
made uso OF 10 proptIato bad manltoua while
passing by tho roclin
Tribes who fingered after tho whIto mon
camo had this clear legend Of tho plala hand
od down through generations
A long tlmo ago, when animals Of mon.
ntroue growth still walked the earth, or wl'h
awful bat wings lay upon aud darkened tho
air, this destroyer lived In caves In the rock
along that river now called tho Illinois. His
haunta we're full OF bis Victims bones For a
tllno ho wop u c0ntent0d monster aud salts.
fed himself with buffalo, II was hn custom
10 awoop down upon hord, NJ hIa claws In
tho 0noat and fattost beef, carry hla selection
on 70 hia don, and cat II IN privacy AMI com.
fort But he got taste 0f Indian, and from
that tlmo forth ha game was man An arm.
load Of pap0otcs, plump equNw, or q mus.
oular brave became hla accustomed meal.
Whole tribes were going down tho hopper Of
this creatures jaws There must have boon
d rovsrio side 10 this picture, ~ such pres
nnt personal Satan could hardly help check.
Ing torwardnea In young Indians, StIll tho
least calculating OF savage minds eaw that
lho Destroyer would 0Uon dcpopuOto tho |
country unless tho country succeeded In DO.
him,
oNrrNA vANoUmnia Tnn riAaA.
Ontcga was 40 that time tho great chief Of |
] warlko tribe called tho llmi, llo deter |
mined 70 rid mankInd Of tho pIaaa 10y hook |
,r crook, by blttlO or by strategy 30 like
,nght In tho days Of dragons, ho botook |
himself 10 insting aud Vsonacclng, aud II |
was revealed 20 him from heaven that tho
Piasa could bc taken or only by sacrificing
he best mau In the tribe When this was
proclaimed TO tho tribe they all began to wail
md lament, aud roblgn oytry honor In favor
II Ontcga-hO was tho best man In tho tribe
m tho frat ballot stil thoy did not want
lin sacrificed and earnestly begged hoNould
nyent somo other way Of overcoming tho
'iasa, II may bo supposed that tho pIaas
wooping down aud picking or another
irnyo In the midst Of thoir deliberations
rcconclod thom to Ontogas plan.
llo picked out an exposed rocky point, aud
llroctcd hla people 10 hide In their wigwamS.
before tho PlasaG next dinner tlmo ho had
his bOgt warriors around tho or
'osod rocky point Tho PiNsas horna aud
ead were eocn oranlng out Of its olllr door.
)ntcga mounted tho rock, woaponlos,
rcsacd In tho full costume Of n chief, with
ho royal feathers brstlng from his head.
'ho Plasa contemplated him With extreme
ltlatnctlon, spread monbranod wings, aud
iilod 10 tho encounter Onioga, with folded
rms, chonted his death song, but Just ~ tho
destroyer was dropping like shot from a
not tower upon him tho concealed marks.
ION riddlod u with nrrowa Sharp fllnls Of
Il sorts thrust II through, and shafta stuck
ulvorIng out OF Its carcasA
Not oven tho Zip Of ontcgas plume was
cnt Ho had icon preserved by tho powor
bovo Tor when a man looks with unlnunted
70 and patient courage at approaching ca
unity heaven itself lights for him.
This was tho end Of tbo pngl There wcro
D moro FREQ lunches OF Indian on the banks
that fair river Wo may Imugnc the tribe !
,reodlng out tho uncouth remains noasur-
" them aud grinning, aud quarrollng about
ho had actually killed the plaA, Had they
'en civilized wo might now have multi.
iclty Of volumes proving that ovory war.
or who shot an arrow on that occasion was
70 sole savior Of his tribe, But tholj woro
,ncsf barbarlars, aud IN their hcaitla aud :
additions gave all tho credit to Ontogn
To commemorate tho event, the tmoge OF