Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-12-20
Story Of the Origin of a Peculiar
Mass of Rock.
IS AN lDYL OF THE sPOkANES
The Fate That Befell False Bride and
Her Louer From the okano.
gan country.

river before blasting powder ruined their |
charm and they were turned from a thing |
of beauty to thing of power, will remem- |
Der that just above the Post street bridge. |
where now stands the power house of
the city water works, there was clearly |
cut in the face of the huge pile Of ba-
saltic rock the face of man, and in
the early days this was known as 1.-THE
Old Man of the Falls" In connection with
this. as well as the formation of the falls,
there is an old Indian legend that has not
before been given TO the public.
Centuries ago there lived here a large
tribe of Indians. The Spokane river was
then a smooth, almost currentless river,
flowing from the great lake ON the east
to the great river on the west, and all
along it's banks were to be found the
camps of the peaceful Spokanes, who in
habited all the country for hundreds of
miles around. Right where the city of
spokane now stands was then the camp
ing place of one of the principal chiefs of
the nation, for the broad valley extending
to the east offered fine pasturage for the
ponies of the Indians. The chief who re-
sided here at that time was Mosquetquat,
whose descendants of the same name
were quite a power not so very many
years ago. Being a powerful chief, he was
further blessed with an interesting fam
| lily, among whom was a young daughter
| renowned far and wide for her beauty and
accomplishments, but at the same time
she was known to be girl with a will of
her own, and If she lived at the present
| day she would no doubt be called fiirt.
Among the suitors who sought an alli-
| ance with the high chief was another and
lesser one, Mox-Noose The suit was
| looked upon with favor by the old chief,
| but not so by the girl. The two old chiefs
settled the matter to their own satisfac-
ton and the marriage was accordingly
performed with all the ceremony and rites
known to the tribe and in manner be-
| fitting girl of her standing.
The married life was not pleasant, and
the new-made bride commenced to look
around for some one with whom she could
| get up a Irritation. She was not long in
finding such, for about this time there
| drifted into the camp young scallowag,
the son of chief who lived on the Okla
| hogan lake. who was so much of an
| Othello that he was compelled to leave
the home of his father in considerable of
a hurry. 1t did not take him long to dis
| cover that the wife of Mox-Noose was
not happy, and with smooth manners he
| soon succeeded in becoming acquainted
with her and heard from her own lips OF
her unpleasant life. The reckless prince
and the no less reckless bride arranged to
meet secretly, and CHEESE for their tryst.
ing place secluded spot back up on the
hill. "Stinging Bee" for that was the
name of the reckless young man, was or
hand promptly, but instead of meeting the
girl he expected, he was confronted with
great white spectre that in solemn ano
dismal voice said, Heed my words, ano
leave at once"
Singing Bee was no coward, and instead
of needing he jumped up and with a
| large club struck at the ghost before him
| but instead of hitting it he was himself
| struck over the head with an invisible
club and sank to the ground insensible.
| The next day. when recounting this to
| the woman, she informed him that when
she had tried to go to the appointed place
| she was intercepted by the ghost and was
| compelled to turn back.
Another meeting was arranged, and this
| time 1t was an immense bear that ap-
| peared upon the scene and prevented the
| meeting. Time and time again they were
confronted by some ghostly animal or
| spectre and prevented from coming to-
| gether.
| Finally it was decided to poison the hus-
band, and with him out of the way they
| felt they could continue their love-making
without difficulty. Singing Bee sought
| poisonous roots in the mountains and in
Mox-Noose's favorite dish were they ad-
ministered to him by his wife, He died
in great agony.
A short time afterward Singing Bee ap-
peared at the lodge of his sweetheart and
arranged that she should fly that night
with him to distant parts of the coun-
| try, where there would be none to inter
| fere with thetlr living together in a low
| ing and peaceable manner. AS they were
planning and plotting the ghost of Mox-
Moose stood before them and in a solemn
manner and warned them that for their
wickedness would they be punished; that
Singing Bee would be turned into great
mass of rock, over which the water would
continuously pour and the unfaithful wife
| would be cast to the bottom of a greaI
pit, where she would ever be compelled
to bear upon her shoulders the weight Of
a great body of water poured there by
the form assumed by Singing Bee.
That night all the country was alarmed
at the terrible noise. The sky was dark
ened, and for hours could be seen tn,
sharp flashes of lightning and nothing
could be heard save the deafening peal
of thunder. When daylight came tn
peaceful river had assumed a new form
The licentions Singing Bee was made int
a hugh mass of rock, and over his should
ers poured the water making the big falls
At the bottom of the whirlpool is to b
found the unfaithful princess. Tn
wronged husband Mox-Noose assumed tn
place of the 1.-THE Old Man of the Falls
that he could always watch and gloa
over his sweet revenge.
A Lucky Child.
Not long ago a 4-year-old child VIII