Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-12-03
a CURIOUS RELIC.


Soto was Buried a. 1871.
From tho Chicago Tribnce: ut
seems not 20 be generally known."
said Rack Howe, of Tnhlequah. a
prc.ninent citizen Of the Choctaw Ma
ton. Mt the Grand Pacific yesterday,
that Mississippi is to furnish for the
worlds fair q most interesting relic
connected with the earliest cxplora-
tions of America. II isn't SO strange,
though, after all, for people in their
zeal TO honor Columbus seem to have
entirely forgotten that there were any
other explorers. The relic of which i
speak is nothing less than the hole left
ey the decaying of the stump upon
which grew tho tree that furnished
Ferdinand DE Soto's rude coffin.
You will remember that DE Soto,
fascinated by the marvellous stories of
Fiorida's wealth brought TO Spain by
the four survivors OF Narva-z's expedi-
ton, set sail for the wonder land with
a company of GOO armed men in the
spring Of 1889. After wandering
about in tho interior for three years he
sickened and died on the banks OF the
Mississippi in l54i. His followers cut
down an oak atdcad of night, followed
out the trunk. placed d. Soto's body
in it aud rolled it into the Father of
Waters
"a handsome dragoon named FL
Hudu, in Dc Soto's command, one day
rescued n Choctaw ~maiden,from drown
ing. The natives were very much
afraid OF the fair skinned men mounted
on such strange, ferocious looking
beasts, for they had never seen horses
before. and they nearly broke their
necks getting out of tho way
whenever De Soto's little army
appeared. Goroo, the maiden. in her
haste to vanish. had fallen into n deep
creek. When sine found out she was
not TO be eaten she felt grateful TO her
rescuer Goroo fell madly in owe with
FL lludu. She tried in every way con-
sistent with aboriginal propriety to
touch a responsive cord in the dra-
goon's heart, but in vain. So she fol-
lowed the explorers secretly and at a
distance, content il she but caught q
glimpse of her beloved in IA whole
days travel Goroo was lowering
about the camp the night Of DE Soto's
burial She saw n detachment Of SOL
dicrs armed with axes walk to the out
skirts OF the camp, take off their doub-
lots. hang them upon a sapling, and
begin chopping down a tree. FL Huda
was among the number, so Goroo crept
up us near as possible and squatted
down behind u bush 10 gaze upon
her adored. While e. Hudu was chop
ping away he raised his AK n little
higher thar usual for n mighty stroke;
il caught in a grape vine, the bit struck
tho tree sidewise, and the poll came
down with terrific force on FL lludu's
big toes With a howl of anguish
that seemed to rend the heavens lie
grabbed his foot in both hands and
danced on one foot straight into the
bush that concealed Goroo AS Goroo
had no time 10 run she decided TO
make the be, OF il. After remarking
In her musical native tongue. %, dear,
Mr.. IIudu. this is so unexpected she
piucitei the leaves Of n certain plant,
chewed them and applied them
to the dragons wounded toe.
Her tender solicitude mel
ted the heart of the stern
soldier. lie deserted his companions
then and there and returned
with Goroo to her people Naturally
Nv ePpN wv ihN = PNSdiitt
charm for this pair and they used often
to visit it.
The story has been handed down
and the stump pointed out to genera
ton after generation to the present
day. am u lineal descendant of FL
IIudu and Goroo and | know where the
tree grew rs well a il | had planted it
myself. OF course the stump rotted
after awhile, but it left a hole which
never ii led up. 1t is that hole which
/, in Company with other capitalists OF
my nation, propose to exhibit at
the worlds fair. AS q proof OF
authenticity we propose TO bring along
49, --rhi-r--~- ~-~-.- i~t~ = -i~-, -
the forest, on which tho soldiers hung
their doublets hat night Trenches
will be dug all around tho hole and
long heavy planks will be driven I'M
der il. 10 these will be bolted planks
on each of the four sides, making n
hnge box. This box will be trans
fcrred to a specially constructed barge
in the river: tho box will be towed up
the Mississippi and Illinois rivers as
far as possible. Apparatus used for
moving houses will then be brought
into requisition TO transport this re-
markable relic the remaining distance
to Chicago"