The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1895-09-12
BETrER YHAN A NOVEL
because It Ia Shorter. and It May Be
Just rs True,

In the year 1902 the land that
now comprises Delaware county, O.,
was the Ii, lting grounds of the Dol
aware Indians. The Sachem No
chestree, Moon That's Full, had two
wives. Laughing Brook, who had
a daughter named Wild Flower.
whose lover was young chief of
the Wyandot tribe. The second wife
was named Old Woman That Scolds.
She also had a daughter, Fleet as the
Wind, who was also in love with
the Wyandot chief, who preferred
Wild Flower.
The old sachem possessed a great
treasure, the secret of which he con-
fided to Laughing Brook. Old Wom-
an That Soolds and her daughter at
tempted to murder Laughing Brook
and Wild Flower to get the secret.
Laughing Brook died, but before her
death told her daughter that the
treasure was buried in a cave on the
east bank of the Scioto river, about
one mile south of where the village
of Bellepoint now stands. Wild
Flower fled after her mother 8 death,
married the Wyandot CHIEF and
went west with him.
In the fall of 1872 she adopted a
white girl baby that the tribe had
stolen from wealthy family in IL
linois. The baby never knew her
parents and believed herself to be a
true Indian until the fall of 1898,
when Wild Flower told her the story
of her birth and also the story of
the treasure cave, which she had
never before told to a living soul.
The girls name among the Indians
was Deermeedia, meaning Like the
Dove, but the name her parents had
given her was Nellie King.
After hearing the remarkable sto.
ry of Wild Flower Miss Nellie made
up her mind she would in the spring
seek out the cave on the banks of
the Scioto and with the money try
and find her parents among her own
people.
Nellie had good education, hav-
ing attended the Indian school for
many years, and was besides very
pretty. She had a friend, an Indian
about IS years old, who had been
her companion from childhood. He
would not listen to her going alone,
so she told him of the treasure cave
and they came to Delaware on April
:, 1894
After resting in Delaware for a
day or two Miss Nellie and her old
friend, the Indian, went to the coun-
try in the vicinity of Bellepoint and
procured board and lodging at a
farmhouse close to where the sup
posed hidden treasure was to be
found. They spent most of their
time on the river in canoe, exam
lining the banks and looking for the
cave until they were regarded with
suspicion by the good country folks,
for they kept their secret. One
morning after a heavy rain they
went in their boat on the river as
usual, hunting for some trace of the
cave. The river had risen TO a |
great height and was bank full. A |
floating log demolished the frail
craft. The Indian was thrown out |
of the boat, and striking on his head
against floating log met his death.
Nellie would have been drowned
had she not been seen by one of a
party of campers, who had strayed
from his camp at Millville, to float
down the stream in boat watching
out for wild ducks. Before she sank
the second time the hunter pulled
her into his boat. Her companion
himself as Dave Norton
of Delaware. He took her to his
boarding house and promised to find
the body of the Indian, but was I'M
successful.
Dawes acquaintance with Nellie
ripened into love. Nellie recipro-
Gated. They took up the hunt for
the cave together, but the high wa (
ters had washed away all traces to
the cave, and to this day the treas
ure is unknown. Shortly after this
Dave and Nellie were married, and
with the assistance of Ben S. Lee
she has been able to find her rela-
tives, who are prominent and
wealthy people of Chicago.-Cincin-
natl Commercial Gazette.
No Respect For the Lawmakers Anyway.
There seems to be very little re-
SneOt for tho law in this nlana - tho