Evening journal., 1890-01-01
LEGEND OF THE PIASA.
ONE OF THE STORIES TOLD IN CAL
HoUN COUNTY, ILLS.

IN 1913, when Joliet and Marquette as
ccnded the Illinois river on their return from
tho discovery Of the Mississippi, they saw on
the right hand cliff, not far above the Illinois
mouth, what they were pleased TO consider
the picture Of a devil The good priest tried
afterward to make drawing Of the creature
and though his drawing was poor and mex
act he sent it TO France, where it 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
TOM 1t was cut and painted at 50 early a
day that the Indians could give only tradi-
hons about it, and it might have remained
tSere until this time, but in lS46 solne Jealous
developers Of western resources quarried it
away.
This picture, which Father Marquette saw
with startled ewes, considering it sign Of
aboriginal depravity, was called the Piasa
IPi-a-sawl or Destroyer Mr. William Nc
Adams, in recent book, gives a description
of the Piasa, and representation Of it which
differs from a picture painted by Mayor Ladd.
Of Whitehall, only in two points He gives
the creature a fish tail and carries its folds
lengthwise around the body, while Mr. Iadd
hns wound this snake like appendage three
times around the Piasa's middle and ended it
with dragon dart. Mr.. Ladd painted his
picture fromAthe description given by Squire
Russell, of Bluffdale, who has been nearer the
Piasa than any person now living.
have been to Squire Russell to beg that
he would tell me ali he could recall about
that strange inscription, OF which 50 many
untrue things will doubtless be told as time
goes on.
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81 used to climb the rocks TO look at it
when was boy" he said. 81 have been
within sixty feet Of it. once pointed it out
from the deck Of steamer to an English
lady and she looked at Il with a 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
a 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, black and blue. 1t had the
head Of bear, large, disproportioned teeth,
the horns Of an elk, the scaly body of fish,
and bears legs ending with eagles claws
The tail was at least fifty feet long wound
three times around the body, and ended IN a
spear head The upper horns were painted
red the lower portion and head black. The
wings were expanded 10 the right and left Of
the face, and the Piasa was at least sixteen
feet long. It's head and neck were covered
with name, and its body confusedly col
ored with all three Of the colors used.
"In 1890 Capt Gideon Spencer came up
the Mississippi, and saw the picture on the
rock He asked the Indians what it was, and
they told him it was the Storm Bird, OF
Thunderer; that it had been placed there by
a warlilze tribe long before any emigration tc
the great lakes. The Indians would fire of
their guns at it, and some Of them made il
| offerings Of tobacco, smoked their pipes to it,
and performed such other ceremonies as they
made use Of 10 propitiate bad manitous while
| passing by the rock"
Tribes who fingered after the white mer
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 will
awful bat wings lay upon aud darkened tn
air, this destroyer lived in caves in the rocl
along that river now called the Illinois. Hi
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 herd, set his claws i
the finest and fattest beef, carry his selection
off to his den, and eat it in privacy and CON
fort But he got a taste of Indian, and frou
that time forth his game was man. An arm
lead Of papooses, plump squaw, or mui
cular brave became his accustomed mea
Whole tribes were going down the hopper c
this creatures jaws There must have bee
a reverse side TO this picture, as such q pre-
emit personal Satan could hardly help checl
ing forwardness in young Indians. Still Il
least calculating Of savage minds saw thi
the Destroyer would soon depopulate u
country unless the country succeeded in d
populating him.
oNrEGA vANoUIsHEs THE P1AsA.
Ontega was at that time the great chief
, warlike tribe called the Ilini. He dete
mined 70 rid mankind Of the Piasa by hoo
Z or crook, by battle or by strategy. So like
. knight in the days Of dragons he betoC
himself to fasting and vision-seeing, and
was revealed to him from heaven that Il
Piasa could be taken off only by sacrificir
the best man in the tribe When this W
proclaimed TO the tribe they all began to wa
"a and lament, and resign every honor in fav
Of Ontega-he was the best man in the tri
/, on the first ballot. Still they did not wa
4 him sacrificed, and earnestly begged he wou
!. invent some other way Of overcoming I
Il Piasa. 1t may be supposed that the Piasi
"a swooping down and picking of anoth
brave in the midst Of their deliberatio
h somewhat reconciled them to Ontega's pla
y he picked out an exposed rocky point, a.
y directed his people to hide in their wigwan
as Bo&ore the Piasa's next dinner time he b
" Ambushed his best warriors. around the e
posed rocky point The Piasals horns a
head were seen craning out Of its cliff do
~ Ontega mounted the rock, weaponle
4, dressed in the full costume OF chief, vi
: the royal feathers bristling from his hes
~ The Piasa contemplated him with extrel
N satisfaction, spread membraned wings, a
sailed to the encounter Ontega, with fold
,is arms, chanted his death song, but just as /
a Destroyer was dropping like shot from
ri shot tower upon him the concealed mar
4 mon riddled it with arrows Sharp hints
"a all sorts thrust it through aud shafts stu
IA quivering out of its carcass.
ve Not even the tip of Ontega's plume v
il bent He had been preserved by the pow
re above, for when a man looks with undauni
ve eye and patient courage at approaching
lamity heaven itself fights for him.
This was the end Of the Piasa. There VI
no more free lunches Of Indian on the bar
- of that fair river. We may imagine the tr
v spreading out the uncouth remains, meas
" ing them and grinning, and quarreling alb
fs who had actually killed the Piasa- Had Il
n been civilized we might now have mu
h. phcity Of volumes proving that every W
~. rior who shot an arrow on that occasion '
II. the sole savior OF his tribe. But they W
II. honest barbarians, and in their hearts q
AZ traditions gave all the credit 70 Ontega-
a. To commemorate the event, the image
os the Piasa was cut in the cliff close to its