The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1896-01-03

OCEAN SPRINGS, MISS, FORM
ERLY OLD BILOXI.

New Orleans Times- Democrat.
The picturesque village OF Ocean
Springs, Miss, stands On historic, or
rather, let me say, on prehistoric
ground, for vague whisperings from
the eternity Of the past intimate that
the Indians found here knew some
thing OF paleontology. There Is a
legend Of a race OF anthropagi, the
Nahonlos, mighty giants and yet pas
toral. This ancient people, so tradi.
tion says, used mastodons as beast Of
burden until an epidemic destroyed
the Nahoulo tribe and all OF the mas.
tOdOns but one. This huge animal
deied the fiery thunderbolts OF the
great spirit by ever presenting his
adamantlne head to each bolt, until
at length, becoming weary of the
strife, he fed from the deep forests OF
the Tombigbee to the upper Chicka-
saw Bluffs, where be lcaped across the
mighty waters OF the Mississippi river
and metamorphosed his vulnerable
head into the great Rocky Mountains.
Old chroniclers tell US that In the
excavations Of the sand drifts OF Deer
Island have been found human bones
strewn around the charred remains OF
fire heaps, indicating cannibalian or
gies. But the Indians, the true abor.
igines OF our fair State OF Mississippi,
were In the main a gentler people,
dwelling in wigwams, devoted to the
chase, and expert in the use OF the
bow and arrow and tomahawk. BY
the springs near the Southern bank OF
the stream now called Fort Bayou,
two hundred years ago, were often
gathered Chickasaws, C%hoctaws, Bill
oxis, P~ascagoulas, Natchez, Baya-
Goulas and Maublias, drinking Of the
healing waters, smoking the calumet,
performing barbaric dances and
chanting weird songs. In their softer
moods they heard the voice Of the
great spirit signing through the ever.
green forests, waking plaintive wind
harps into melodious music. When
the crashing thundcrs sounded and
the great waters were dashed into
fury, they said, the great spirit Is an
CRY. But they knew not the true
God. The Natchcz alone seemed to
have an established form Of worship
and this borrowed DO doubt from the
Aztecs In Mexico, their mother coun.
try. Their deity, was the sun, and in
their temple filed with idols rudely
carved, they offered human sacrifices.
The common people were not permit
ted to enter the temple. In the early
dawn the chief, who called himself
the "Great Sum-" attended by his war
riors, held converse with his brother,
the "Sun," so as to be prepared for
the duties OF the day. There is food
here for antiquarian, poet, historian
and Christian. Where are the war
riors that once peopled this land?
Where the Indian women that chant
the death wall for a lost race?
In February, 1899, Lemoyne d'lber-
vile, a gallant French soldier, a Can.
adam by birth 1.-THE third Of eleven
eons of Charles Lemoync, Baron Lon
guell, all officers In the Bourbon scrv-
ice, anchored In the pleasant harbor
OF Ship Island. Accompanied by a
large force, he left his Ships and pro-
ceeded to explore the mainland in
search OF a suitable place for the set
Element Of a French colony. He
found a narrow, elevated peninsular
bounded on the north by a stream now
known as Fort Bayou, on the east and
south by the strait and sound that
separates 1t from Deer Island, and on
the west by that lovely slip Of sea,
Back Bay of Biloxi. This u~ndulating
%peninsular, thirty feet above the tide
water, clad in mid.winter with a for
est Of cedar, magnolia, pine and live
oak, seemed the spot for an ideal
home. A fort built OF wood and
mounted with cannon was estab-
lished. Numbers OF Indians from the
various tribes OF the surrounding
country visited the strangers and babe
them welcome, entertaining them in
their rude, wild way. Eyer mindful
Of their religion, these French colon
lists planted the Roman Catholic cross,
and Father Anastase Douay, as he was
called, performed for them from time
to time, priestly duties. This colony
was also visited by two Catholic
priests, Davion and M%artigny, who
were laboring as missionaries among
the various Indian tribes. This same
year d'1berville returned to France,
leaving his brother, Lcmoyne Bien-
vile, In charge Of the colony, and his
brother, Antoine Lemoyne Sauvolle
de la FilantraO, commandant of the
stockade fort situated at the conflu.
ence Of Fort Bayou with Biloxi bay.
This settlement was called Biloxi
from that tribal branch of Indians
found there, a name signifying
Broken JAR" The noble Chevalier
di Tonti, a friend and companion Of
La Sale, visited these colonists in
100, and was induced to spend some
time with them. This noble Italian
had had the misfortune to lose a hand
while fighting in Sicily and wore q
substitute Of copper, giving rise pos.
sibly TO that wonderful history Of
1.-THE Man Of the Copper Hand" 1t
is said his quaint residence is still to
no caao asnnpn Tho anktruo hnucoc NJ