Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-01-06
HOW MINNEHAHA DIED.
A Minnesota Hunter Takes Exception "a
LonEfeIlow's Romantic Poem.

A Minnesota Hunter Takes Exception to
LonEfenow's Romantic Poem.
Then they buried Mnnehaha;
In the snow grave they made her,
In tho forest deep and dariSsome,
Underneath the moaning hemlociSs;
Clothed her Ia her richest garments;
Wrapped her IN her robes Of ermine,
Covered her with snow like erInine,
Thus they buried Minnehaha-
And there are those residing in Mime
ars,lis today who assert that tho grave of
Aiinnehaha, or Laughing Waters" was
made within few feet Of the famous Mime
haha falls. But a few days since, by the
courtesy Of a newspaper man, was given a
free ride from the city to the falls, the dis
lance being Ave and ono-tenth miles over the
motor line. II you cannot secure pass
your round trip will cost you twenty cents
The trip is a good one and takes you
through beautiful portion of the city, con-
suming about half an hour. Arriving there,
a two minutes walk brings you TO the brink
Of the falls, easily seen from the little cottage
depot. You descend a flight of stone steps
and stand facing the falls about midway
from top 10 bottom.
Here a grand view may be obtained from
q wooden platform built out from the cliff
by an enterprising photographer, who, in the
summer season, takes the picter' Of many a
blushing bride and red faced groom, using
the falls as a background Going down still
lower you are on a level with the creek be-
low, which PUSHES through a tortuous rocky
gully 10 the open country miles away.
You may cross the stream, If You choose,
ON a rustic bridge 20 the opposite shore, and
here for many rods you win see the names OF
people residing in about every state In the
union carved in the soft white and red lime
stone walls, pieces OF which may be crushed
between me fingers as easily as q lump Of
-four. II you hike you may walk behind the
water as 10 comes over the edge, as there is a
safe rocky path the entire distance, many
feet wide, made by nature The water falls
about sixty feet. The falls are in the shape
OF horseshoe, with the ends as bank OF
the falls on either side OF the stream below.
Years ago It must have been a wild and
romantic spot, but today it is cleared upn
70 that but few trees line the bank. AT
present one looking at the grain fields above
cannot help thinking that Rad Minnehaha
lived until now her lover, Hiawatha, could
have supplied her with AN abundance Of food
and thus save her from death by starvation,
and more especially when by walking but a
few feet he would have encountered first
class country grocery store with an awning
covered restaurant attached
The day that visited the place a newly
welded couple were also there, and the
groom held in his hand Longfellow's poems
containing the written story of Minnehaha,
Hiawatha and old Nokomis. Seating them
selves ON a stone he read the tale to her, oc-
casionally stopping to express his senti-
mentsn ON the same every word OF which
she drank in with open mouth. In the midst
OF schools inn an old settler with grizzled
beard and shaggy hair, and dressed in a suit
Of coon skin, with hat and shoes to match,
came up and became an attentive listener.
AS the reading continued the hump in his
back from age became more "humpihed,
and at the conclusion Of the story he spread
his sentiments" by FIRST asking;
"Who writ thatf'
"Longfellow, sir.n
"Well, he don't know darned thing bout
il, and the gal didn't starve % de'th. nnther.
I've been round here nigh onto fifty year,
and my grandfather shot bears in this county
before me, aud / allow to know all bout it,
You see, this Hiawatha went a-huntin and
found the gal with the Dakota Injuns. He
stayed there all summer, and finally in the
fall the two on 'em Hoped. just as they
come 10 these ERE falls her Injun dad and
brother cum up TO em and was just going e
nab EN- both when they run TO the edge and
jumped over the falls, and both was kill
dead Now, don't know who this err
Longfellow mought be, but, by gosh h'
don't know what he writ when he said that.
After delivering himself the hump on BIZ
back gradually softened down and the ole
settler went on over to the grocery store I,
see If ICY johnson had found his yaller COW
what was lost along a week ago. and TIN
groom, looking after his retreating figure
simply said, "Well, by thundern-his brid
remarking, 81 should say as much" IT.
just possible that the exact fate of Minneha
ha, Hiawatha and Nokomis will never b
fully known, but the falls are here just tn
same.-Cor. Albany Argus