Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-14
The Legend of Black Creek
 Falls.

It was in the old days when there was nothing to vie with natures beauty save the loveliness of Indian maidens. And the very loveliest maid of all the tribes that dwelled in Alabama, was Noccalu- lah. whose plighted lover was the brave Berthsonah, famed alike for the beauty of his person and his deeds in war. The story of these two gave a name to the famous Noccalulah or Black Creek falls, hard by the pleasant and prosperous lit- tie city of Gadsden.
 Once upon time night went to sleep on the lower Lookout mountain ranges, as it did on half the world beside, and out of it's deep stiffness came no sound except the noise of falling waters. Far up among the pines whose signs were d perpetual love-making to the clouds, 0 silvery stream was coming down rock bed in gentle haste to kiss the verdue In the plain below Suddenly, forgetting the mission of a brook is to murmur and to bless, with roar, as If in anger, 1t madly dashed itself full 50 feet sheer down the frowning precipice that barred Its way.
 In this soft night of June, upon a rock that stretched far out above this shim- mering, roaring, rushing, spraying mass of beauty, sat Noccalulah as she had often sat before waiting for the coming
 
 stream the course of true love, then, as now, sometimes found Instructions in it's path, and the cliff down which the waters tumbled was not sterner in it's bald declivity than Noccalulah's warrior father in his hatred of the maids be- throthed. Old Narcoochee had somehow found the lovers trysting place was on this rockey ledge above the falls where the sound of their sweet wooing was drowned for envious ears by the hoarse quarreling of the cataract.
 From the village in the valley where BerthSonah was every eyes delight to the wfgwam on the mountain where old Narcoochee ruled in state, rarely trod- den pathway led. Its course was by the gulch along whose broken and tumu1tu- ous bottom the waters from the falls went angrily toward the shining river of the Coosas, and by this dim dangerous road Berthsonah came to meet the eager and the lovely Noccalulah. On that eventful night the dread Narcoochee had planned to capture and destroy the hated chieftain of the rival village and the too persistent suitor of his beauteous - daughter.
 Watching the fair Noccalulah as she slipped from her dainty wigwam and ripped across the hills to welcome the appointed hour, old Narcoochee and a band of trusted braves followed stealth fly the maids light step. One half the band hid beside the path little below tilG lONOlS lHcctlL6 PldCc, tHG OlneIS farther down. Soon Berthsonah's step was heard and the chieftain passed his foes, betraying in his looks and haste the belated lover impatient to be there. The war whoop of his enemies behind him and above him, was his first and sudden warning. On his right the impassable mountain drowned. on his left the abyss of the gulch was yawning.
 Even the aboriginal lovers of the beau- tiful had. in that early day, hewed out
 
 tain path to the foot of the leaping waters. This dangerous way was open, yet it led to capture and to death as sure, for out of the deep fastness there was no escape. Thinking only of the loved one waiting, Berthsonah broke from the touch of his on-coming foes and plunged down the rocSey and precipitous way. Pausing at the foot of the falling waters, he looked upward and there stood his beloved, her arms outstretched in terror, as though to shield him from relentless fate. The same moonlight that wrapped her form in mystic beauty, transformed the torrents spray from sil- yer into things of myraid colored loveli- ness, and every touch of natures fingers did seem to make glory there. Death and hate and fear, were so out of har- mony with the matchless beauty of a scene where love was made to reign in softneSs and sweet peace. But Narcoo- chee and his band have reached the spot
 
 rock where stood the maid, leaning far out now and reaching down her hands as if in pity she implored. Berthsonah's time had come and already Narcoochee's ready club swung high in air, when with mighty effort, as if by madness nerved, the lover chieftain sprang sheer up the roaring falls and dashed aside the rain bown sprays that covered all the curving waters Nor man, nor beast, had ever made such leap before nor since! But a n Id n n a xxh hnr io ha. loved stands. The other is outstretched to her, and see, she clasps it! Alas! the strain upon her dainty fingers was the treacherous ally of the spray-wet rock and mingling her cry of despair with his last war whoop of defiance, maid and chieftain. Noccaluiah and Berthsonah, went down to death together. Lovers who finger in that old trysting place till the moon is risen. and the rainbews glorify the fallsr say they stilI can catch. amid the music of the cataract, that mingled death cry of the loveliest maid ------>-<----- ->-->.>---->>-------~~~>~
 Continued on Fourth Column.