The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-12-10

variations, it has come straight down
from the native Indian tribes. AS II
was first told to me it was not con-
nectcd with the PascagOula river, but
with Old Fort bayou, one OF the
tributaries OF Biloxi Bay. Not very
far from the mouth of the bayou is an
old landing place which has been
known since early days as Spanish
Camp Landing. / have not been able
to find any printed record OF Spanish
occupation OF this place, though II
NAV have been chosen as Il military
canip at some time during the Spanish
rule in Louisiana, but the legend
goes still further back, and is more at
varicncc with history as | have read
it. for it claims that on this bank a
hand nf Biloxi Indians made their last
stand against DE Soto and his men.
and then. being 0utnumbcrcd and re-
fusing to surrender, were driven out
into the deep water OF the bayou.
singing their own weird dirgcs as they
went. "And on stormy nights" my
informant went on to say, iii you
dare to so out and look. you can see
their ghosts marching straight of the
bank at Spanish Camp"
Now DE Sut0, rs far aS l can dis.
cover, did not follow the Gulf Coast
westward beyond Mobile (whcrc he
had great battle and almost de-
stroycd the Moblan tribe), for at
that point some more Indians from
farther north told him stories OF the
mountain of gold in Georgia, and he
set of to discover it. Like many
man since, he did not find the out
come of the mines as rich MS he had
expected, and 50 he turned westward
again across the country, only to reach
his grave in the Mississippi. as well
learned long ago. But the legend Oi
the ldian retreat into the bayou Is
consistent in at least one thing-il
De Soto had CHANGED to come that
way land who knows that he did moi
do so. after all?) he would have liked
nothing better than driving the Biloxi
Indians straight of the bank at
Spanish Camp"
Another version OF the legend
given in Il romance by Mr. Schuyler
Poitcvcnt, Il student OF coast history
is that the BilOxis and the Pascagou
las were driven from the shore by
their enemies, the M0bilians; Mr.
Poitcvcnt chooses Point Scott on tht
nortl, shore of Biloxi bay as the place
n from which the young chief OF tht
Pascagoulas and his bride, the daugl
ter of the Biloxi chief, led their people
into the glittcrlng reaches OF tht
Il moonlt bay. Rather curiously, NJ
Pcnicault's "Annals OF louisiana" 0
which Il translation is given in Is. +
French's Historical Collections o
Louisiana and Florida, contains evi
dencc that Il portion Of the M0biliaI
u tribe was once thus driven into th'
Il water. but took refuge on Dauphin'
Island. where they died almost Il
J. once of a pcstilence. D'lbervillc ex
e ploring party found their bodies there
y and named the place Massacre lslant
q on that account. The name wa
d changed to Dauphinc to give the plac
: a more cheerful sound when Frencl
i fort was built there, and many OF TN
8 troops transferred to it from the oil
u Biloxi fort.
g Charles Gayrrc, the Louisiana histo
r rian, who is probably the most widcl
u accepted authority en- the colonial his
It tory OF the gulf coast, gives quite
q different legend Of the mysteriou
b, music. lIo says that soon after tn
|c removal Of the colonial govcrnmen
e. from the coast OF New Orleans, Go,
crnor Pcricr came across from the nc'
Is capital to visit the coast settlements
It and, stopping among the Pascagoil
S. Indians to the cast OF Biloxi. was t0l
Id the origin OF "the mysterious mus
,c which floats on the watcrs-secmiil
le to issue from cavcrns or grOttOcs
T., The bed OF the rlycr-undcr the vel
m keel OF the boat which contains Vi
Of inQuisitivc traveller, whose ear
II. strikes as the distant concert OF
#. thousand EOlian harps." This trad
IS, tion was that, on the banks OF II
It's Pascagoula river, once lived tribe
re, Indians whose ancestors had emerge
Of from the SEA. They were Il gay al
as childlikc people, passing their tin
an in festivities and in worshipping u
,ly image Of mermaid, In whose temp
I'd, they played strange, sweet music
H." moOnlit nights. But soon after u
)ly destruction Of Mobile by Dc Soto,
'ut 1880. a whitc-faccd, whitc-haire
IN mysterious old man came amo
l0r them. lie wore Il cross hanging abo
ful his neck, and he told them OF Il stran
nd god and Of many things which III
INT could not fully understand. Bnt tn
'ut listened gently, being gentle pcop
&c. and once, in his cagerncss, the
to man talked on until midnight, star
80, ing on the shore Of the river, w'l'
len stretched calm and white before III
lth lighted by the moon. At mit'nlg
} OF there was u supernatural motion a
or excitement Of the river. Great wa
pot came rolling In, there was u so'lnd
tay strange sweet music, and the lndli
OF saw their mermaid goddess float