The Newtown bee., 1896-03-20
The Home ircIo.
INDIAN LEGENDS.

INDIAN LEGENDS.
 FROM CoTHREN's HISTORY OF ANCIENT
 WOODBUM BY PERMISSION OF THE
 AUTHOR, HON WILLIAM C0THREN.
 The Indians had very beautiful GUS tom of honoring their dead chiefs, when
 laid in their last repose. As each Indi-
 an, whether he was on his hunting ex- petitions or the war. path, passed the
 grave of his honored chief, he reveIent- ly cast thereon small stone, selected 1 for that purposc, in token of his respect 1 and remembrauce. At the first settle
 ment of the town, la1ge heap of stones had accumulated in this way, and con l siderable quantity yet remain, after the 1 oillage of the field in its vicinity for the
 long period of 200 years. These stones,
 thus accumulated, were of many differ ent va,ietira, q barge number of them not to be found iu this valley, nor with i in long distances, showing clearly, that l there waa 4 purpose in their accumuIa-
 tion, and verifying the "Craditjon of the
 elders" Shat they were gathered there
 as monument of respect and honor to a 1 buried chiefrain There can be no doubt l of the correctness of the statement as to
 where Pomperaug, Nonnewaug, Wecup- pence and Manquash were buried. pOmperaug had been dead only about 10
 or , years when our fathers came hth- 1 CT. Nythiag is more natural than thar
 his grave should be pointed out to them, | Their first church was built within eight
 rods of the place, and the first minister . | house was not more than 20 rods away. | Nonnewaug lived for more than 10 years after the first settlement, aud Manquash,
 the la t sachem of the Pootatucks, died
 about IDS.
 ] The latter was buried under an apple
 tree, in the old chimney lot, ;" so-called,
 now belonging to Amos Mitchell, short
 distance east Of the old 'Elcazur Mitch ell House." and short distance from the elevated plain on which stood the principal and last village of the POota- l tucks in our territory, the last sad rem 1 nant of them having removed in l759 ard joined the ScatjcOoks at Kent, where there are still few individuals, now lIS7D remaining, on their reservations in the mountains, under the care of d white overseer, appointed by the State. There was still quite a mound remaining over him few years since. His burial
 place is near "lummascete's old or. chard." There are a dcHon of these trees still remaining, seeming 10 flourish quite well, there being apples now (Junc, 1S7D growing on them. Several of them are more than three feet in diameter, and were disposed around the area or plaza of the viIlag" of wigwams. This or chard was called an ''old orchard" :" in several conveyances, dated more than l50 years ago, and was no doubt planted by the Indians soon after the advent of the whites within the bounds of Strat- ford, in lG39,
 It is not known when the death of Wecuppemee occurred. He was V it. ness to a deed (p. 24) dated, July II, 1873. His mark, or totem, was the representa- tion of snake-a pretty good imita- tiOn-and his name was spelled Wecuppe- mee, instead of WeecuFpeemee, the mod ern spelling. The former mode of spell ing, used by Capt John Minor in this deed, is believed to be the correct one. because he so spelled it, and because it truly represents the sound of the name as uttered to this day. Wecuppemee was buried on a little knoll, near the river called by his name, little west of Several small mounds mark the spot to this day. In the adjoining meadow, nu- merous and quite perfect flint and quartz arrow-heads are plowed up yearly. The same is true of meadow near the resi- dence of Theodore Judson, in Hazel Plain, mile or two distant.
 The Indians were more particular than-I our fathers in the selection of their bur ial places. They always selected the most attractive places for their villages and burial grounds, and took great pains 1 in arrayiug the corpse and preparing it l for the necessities of the long journey | before the deceased, on his way to the | happy "hunting grounds" This chief, as was often the case, was buried at 8 place removed from the beautiful burial 1 place on the plain below, by the mur- muring waters of the Housatonic. From the will ge above, and the spot where the sachem was buried, is obtained some of the most delightful views, south and west. A series of hills, with wales be- tween, and now and then 8 cultivated field, as in the early days, rise, one above another, in every direction, mel lowed and softened by the varying tints of the ever-changing sky. Below, the noble river ripples on, in haste to join the ocean. tides. Uncultivated as was he savage, he had mind to appreciate he 1oveliness of nature, and an eye to ieleet the most romantic places. Said a goung lady, while contemplating this scene, on . recent occasion, sthe Indians found out all the most plaees.n None need wonder 8Ne eE .2s,, s,ss s,,g, let tk.ss .,sy1g4 a,,.4