The Van Buren press., 1898-01-01
INDIANS AND THUNDER.
A Legend as to the AborigfNafs ihss
munity from Lightning.

munity from Lightning.
IT ia a fact commented upon by many
travellers from the earliest times that
the American Indian never suffers from
the effects of thunder and lightning.
No aboriginal American was ever
known to be stricken down by thun.
derbolt, and, though habitual dweiler
In the forests where riyen trees eiNa
proof of the violence of electric phe-
nomena. his tepees or wigWams "efe
and are immune. The latest evidence
brought forward in this behalf is 10 DC
found in Miss Abby L. Ayers new
hook. "In Indian Tents" where the
statement of Louis Jackson, faii-
blooded Passamaquoddy, and for many
years a member of the legislature OF
the state of Maine, is given. 1T is a
well-known fact" he says, taking It's
truth for granted, "that no Indian and
no Indian property were ever injured
by lightning"
Miss Alger goes a step beyond most
Of those who have touched upon the
subject by telling the reason why, quot
ing an ancient Penobscot woman as
her authority for the legend, which
runs TO the effect that the thunder
is grandfather to all the tribes. once
there were two Indian families living
n long distance from each other, but
still farther from all others, SO that
they regarded one another as neigh
bors. There was a daughter III eaeh
family. and the two girls were great
friends. On certain hot afternoon,
near the end of May, one of the girls
told her mother that she believed she
would go to visit her friends. Her
mother objected, for the woods were
thick, the wild beasts fierce, and the
possibility of enemies great-and the
girl was good to look upon. But she
had her way and started. But she had
not gone very far when she came upon
the best-looking young man she had
ever seen. He spoke to her with the
most beautiful voice, and told her such
interesting stories that she forgot what
she was about until she came to great
rock that she had never seen before.
Now, when the young man asked to
have her step inside his cave, which
was in this rock, and rest herself, she
found she was really very tired. lie
begged, and she finally said that If he
would go first she would follow. So in
he went. She was about to go after
him, when a glance into the inside
of the cave showed her that it was not
young man at all, but particularly
hateful kind of large worm, known as
the wi-willmecq, She screamed with
fright and started to run. But before
she had taken a step there was big
peal of thunder, and when she woke up
she was in a great room with an old,
old man.
1t turned out that the old man was
Grandfather Thunder himself, and he
had killed the large worm and cut
him into small pieces. He has three
children. One is spiteful and two are
kind. The first burns trees, the others
cool the air and help the crops. When
| there is low, muttering sound a good
way off that is the grandfather, and
the lightning is his wife. The Indians,
following their good grandfather's adj
vice to the maiden, build fire in his
honor every spring, and there sacrifice
| tobacco to secure his favor for another
year, the entire family sitting around
| in a circle when the weed is thrown
| to the flame. Mr.. Jackson is the au-
thority for further declaring that as
| the smoke of the tobacco arises it is
| not unusual for blue flames to come
gently down from heaven and mingle
with its fumes. And as long as the
| Indians continue to make this offering
| of remembrance, so long will the thun-
der roll by them and the lightning leave
them Observation-Disclosures Tele
graph.