Wichita eagle., 1890-01-08
LEGEND OF THE PIASA.
ONE OF THE STORIES TOLD IN CAL
HoUN COUNTY, ILLS.

on Indiaus-Chie< OnteGn Net H:xa on
q Bluff and Killed Hin,-Es Ts ses
In . Rock a. . Weather Signal.
In 1878, when Joliet and Marqcesse es-
cended the Illinois river On toeir return frsn
the discovery Of the Mississippi, they saw on
the right hand cif, not Ter above the Illinois
mouth, what they were pleased 10 consider
the picture of devil The good priest tried
afterwa-d to make a drawing of the creature,
and though his drawing was poor and mex
act he sent it 70 France, where il is said TO
be preserved among the papers of the colony
In later days it has been written and talked
about as ''the picture ON the rock above Al
ton" It was cut and painted at 50 early q
day that the Indians could give only tradi-
tions about it and it might have remained
there until this time, but in lS46Sorne Jealous
developers OF western resources quarried it
AWAY
This picture, which Fsther Marquette saw
with startled eyes, considering it a sign Of
aboriginal depravity, was called the PISA
lPi-a-sawl or Destroyer Mr.. William Ac-
Adams, In recent book, gives a descriyeSen
OF the Piasa, and a representation OF it which
6fferSfrom picture painted by Mayor L..aA,
Of Whitehall, only in two points He gives
the creature . fsh tail and carries It's folds
lengthwise around the body, while Mr. Laid
has wound this snake hike appendage three
times around the Piasa's middle and ended il.
with a dragon dart Mr. Ladd painted his
picture from thedescripsion given BY Squire
Russell, of Bluffdale, whe has been nearer the
Piasa than any person now living.
l have been TO Squire Russell TO beg that
he would tai me ali he could recall about
that strange inscription, of which 50 many
untrue things viii doubtless be told as time
goes on.
SQUIRE RUsSM,L's STORY OF THE PIAsA.
81 used to climb the rocks TO look at il
when l was boy" he said. Il have been
within sixty feet of 1t. fonee pointed it out
from the deck of steamer to an English
lady and she looked at it with field glass.
No wings showed that day, for the weather
was dry. The colors were always affected by
dampness, and stood out distinctly after rain
Father Marquette evidently saw the Piasa on
dry day, for he pictured it without wings.
The picture was cut into the surface of
the rock half an inch or more and originally
painted with red, biack and blue 1t had the
head of q bear, large, dsproportioued teeth,
the horns of an elk, the scaly body of fish,
and a bears legs ending with eagles claws
The tail was at least fifty feet long, wound
three times around the body, and ended in n
spear head. The upper horns were painted
red, the lower portion and head black Ths
wings were expanded to the right and left of
the face, and the Piasa was at least sixteen
feet long. Its head and neck were covered
with a name, and its body confusedly col
ored with all three of toe coiors Csed.
3In 1920 Capt. Gideon Spencer came up
the Mississippi. and say the picture on the
rock. He asked the Indians what 1t WIS., and
they told him it was the Storm Bird, or
Thunderer; that it had been placed there by
a warhke tribe long before any emigration to
the great lakes. The Indians would Gre of
their guns at it, and some of them made it
offerings Of tobacco, smoked their pipes 10 1t,
and performed such other cerernonies as they
made use of to propitiate bad manitous while
passing by the rock"
Tribes who fingered after the white men
came had this clear legend of the Piasa hand
ed down through generations.
A long time ago, when animals Of mon
strous growth still walked the earth, or with
awful bat wings lay upon and darkened the
air, this destroyer lived in caves in the rock
along that river now called the Illinois. His
haunts were full of his victims bones For
time he was a contented monster and salts
fled himself with buffalo 1t was his custom
to swoop down upon a herd, set his claws IN
the finest and fattest beef, carry ms selection
off to his den, and eat it in privacy and com
fort. But he got taste of Indian, and from
that time forth his game was man An arm
lead of papooses, plump squaw, or a Eus-
cular hrava hacarne his p<r,-rrSfs,r7ai meal
Whole tribes were going down the hopper Of
this creatures jaws There u,st have been
a reverse side to this picture, as such a pres
ent personal Satan could hardly help check /.
ing forwardness in Young Indians Still the !
least calculating Of savage minds saw that
the Destroyer wosId soon depopulate the
country unless the country succeeded in de- !
populating him.
OSrEGA yAEQUISHES TiTE PfAsA.
Ontega was at that time the great chief Of /
a wariike tribe called the Httni He deter- /
mined to rid mankind Of the Plaza by book |
or crook, by battle or by strategy So hike |
knight in the days of dragons, he betook /
himself To fasting and yzion-seeing, and it /
was revealed to him from heaven that the /
Piasa could be taken of only by sacrificing 4
the best man in the tribe When this was /
and lament, and resign every honor in favor
Of Ontegs-he wss the best man IN the tribe
on tie Erst ballot. Stil they dad not want /
him sacrificed, and earnestly hegged he wozld 4
invent some otber way Of overcoming tue 4
Piasa- 1t may be supposed That the Piasas
swoopIng down aEfd picking ef another
brave in the RidSt Of heir Sellb-ratinns
reconcilsd them 70 Ostega's p4an
a
directed MS people TO hide in tsear xsxwarn&.
Before the Plsess nex1 dinner tine he had 4
snb1ehsd MS best warriors around the er-
posed rocky point Tas Piasas horns and
bead were seen cxaning out Of is elf door.
0atega mounted tie rock, vcapnnless,
dressed IN the ful costume Of esef, with
the royal feathers bri..iins from his heed.
The Piasa contemplated aim wiSa extrsns
spread rSonbrnned wings, aad
.aiied 70 ih- encounter Ontesa, With folded
arIns, cheated ms death song, cot jaxt - tho
Destroyer was esooE.zg hxe sfpt frSU a
not tower upao him the cancesled ularss-
zen riddled it wfrA arro~z Shsrp eIuix cf
II sorts thrust II throegh, and shmft Et1ck
luiverins ous Il It's caxcass
Not even the TIP Of ontegs,s plume vss
o~nt BE bad he>o p~-erved by the power
.bsve, fer waen e n&n iosxs With sndAxntea
'ye and ps.sent cosr>Es a. spySoAcEiEg csr
ansity b@zven Itself 6Zhts for hin
Tab wes ths end es % Pssse- Tier. were
10 roore free ksscses of I.daAa on tie sankz
Il thai fair river We HAY rsrsgfoe tse trsos
Fz,&ding out the uncsssh remains, rseax1r-
ng them ana grinnIsg. as& qaxyrssiz-s sh<-rt
vac bad actually kI1s1t sne PAx~L Lad trey
,een civilized re miCns .nrv kavs . u.ss-l-
,lssty o< vekuDes proving saAs every var
lsr who sAoe "a 1-rycw sr fAsss crrsss1rx ,sx