The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-15
VANN'S TALE TOLD
ROMANTIC LOVE OF 4 POWERFUL
CHEROKEE JHIBF.

to Fedora Isenhauer But When Bis
Tribe was Driven to the Indian Terri
tory She Died-Thirty Years After the
Indian Lover Inquired His Way to Her
Grave and Paid His Homage to Her
Memory-ChIef vanD and His Imitation
of the White Man.
Tahlequah, Jan. -(SpeciaD-Mont-
gomery Folsom writes from Rome,
Georgia, to friend here as follows:
tine quaint and picturesque little
town Of Spring Place, the county seat
Of Murray county, Georgia, is full Of the
history and romance of the Cherokees.
About century ago a Moravian mis-
sionary named Isenhauer removed from
his native home in the valley of the
Rhine to North Carolina, his object be-
ing to teach the Indians the doctrines
of Christianity.
Arriving in North Carolina, he be-
came associated with several others Of
his own peculiar faith, and they deter
mined to enter the Cherokee nation in
the mountain regions, and TO establish
a mission there for the conversion of
across the wild mountain ranges of
South Carolina, crossed the Savannah
river. and passing through Talking
Rock Gap, in the Cohuttah range, they
arrived at Aileeculsa, 1.-THE Place of
Springs" where they found a populous
settlement Of Indians. In the beauti-
full Aileeculsa valley they were welcoTn-
ed by a powerful chief Of the celebrated
Arora, 70, L. -1a~r ono
of the wealthiest and most influential
men in the nation.
THE valley contained innumerable
springs Of free stone, lime stone, and
medical waters, and, sheltered by the
Unaka and CohUttah mountains, it was
an ideal place of abode. There were gold
and silver in the hills, game of all kinds
in the hardy forests, and where a spot
was cleared the soil produced grains,
fruits, and vegetables in the greatest
profusion. Isenhauer and his compan-
ions entered into nego citations with
Nann, who had fully as much white
blood in his veins, and they soon erect
ed a substantial two-StOry house of
hewn timbers and cleared several acres
of land, planting fruit trees and cult
waiting such crops as were suited to the
geneial climate.
'NThe Cherokees, being a people of SUI
perior intelligence, were deeply impress
ed with the teaching of the Christian
ministers, and they and the MoTavians
lived on terms of the best fellowship.
''Vann was an ambitious man, and, as
the whites encroached more and more
upon the domain Of the Indians, he be-
gan to ape their customs. He purchas-
ed slaves and cleared up nearly a hun
dred acres of the rich valley lands,
where he cultivated crops Of wheat and
corn and planted orchards, living like
king. About the year 1880 he decided to
build a palace, and to that end secured
the services of a rowing architect from
New York state, under whose SuperVis-
ion the plans were drawn. Vann's
slaves, of whom he owned about"seven-
ty-fve at that time, made the bricks,
which We're moulded with a cavity on
the side which lay uppermost in the
wall, so a. to retain the mortar. Those
used in the pillars were moulded in
rounded shapes to suit their several
purposes, and all Of them were much
larger than the bricks that are now
made for ordinary building purposes.
Il visited the place a few days ago
and found the mansion in a wonderful
state Of preservation. The house is two
stories high, and, occupying a COM
manding eminence, 1t is a conspicuous
object for miles around, and was, when
first built and for years afterwards, the
only brick house in the vast territory Of
the Cherokee nation. 1t was provided
with an ample cellar with an entrance
a small annex, guarded by a
strong oaken door. Each story consist
ed Of four large rooms, the inside finish
in solid oak, highly polished by the pa
tent workers, and the windows being
long and narrow and furnished with
outside shutter instead Of sash and
lone curious feature about the build
ing is the spiral staircase leading from
one story to the other. IL was built Of
solid oak and so nicely jointed as 10 ap-
pear as one piece, and springs aloft,
connecting the two floors, with not a
brace nor a beam to support 1t. This
stairway is a puzzle TO modern mechan-
les, who have so far been unable to dis
cover the principle upon which it was
so as to sustain itself with
out any visible means of support.
Years afterwards Vann was driven
with his people to the far west. and the
house became the property Of white
owner, of a scientific disposition. In tap
ping around the walls of the northeast
room he discovered "a secret drawer con-
cealed by the oaken wall. Loosing the
planking, he pursued his Investigations
until he discovered five OF these secret
drawers let into the thick walls, proba-
bly, intended as repository for treas
ure. During General Sherman'S opera
tons in north Georgia the house was oc-
cupied alternately by federalS and con-
federates as a field hospital.
when the Indians were removed in
$50. the MOravians abandoned their
mission and were scattered throughout
the country. For many years after
wards the old mission house stood, and
near by il was a little graveyard with
two lonely graves, each marked by a
horizontal slab. one OF limestone and
the other Of native marble. In looking
about for relics of these devoted people
recently. the writer found one Of the
slabs. the one of marble, with the in
scriptiOn on il in rude German letter
ing. telling the simple and pathetic |
story of bereavement. 1t read:
....-.--.--.--. -.....----.s .-.....
FEODaRA JSFNH AT-ER