Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1898-05-19
"HHNTEDo OAK.
The Spirits OF Long Dead Shawnees
Live i'm Tree of Their Old
I ime Village.
lEufanla Journal.l

Away Dack IN the ~ lneTe
was a Shawnee village on the Can
adian river 65 miles west of Eu-
faula but the old village is long
since grown up in underbrush. On
the spot where the young Shawnee
buck sung his kiowala to his dusky
maiden and courted his best girl
by the light of the full moon, only
an occasional rock hearth and
few graves are left.
Near the old village site now
lives a white man. Just at the
southern border of this white mans
farm is a spot which seems to have
been the thickest settled part of
the Shawnee village and here is a
grove of black oak trees. In this
grove are two large post oak trees,
one at the south and one. at the
north end of the grove. In the
grove can be heard most any day
the buzzing of swarm of bees so
plainly that the. noise has fooled
many old bee hunters but all their
close search has never revealed one
single bee.
But now comes the most peculiar
part of this most peculiar tale.
The large post oak standing at the
north end of the grove is the curl
osiiy of the bunch for not long ago
young white man hearing of the
bees went to the spot and proceed
ed to look carefully up
each tree till he came to the north
oak. He was in two feet of
this tree looking up when he
heard a voice just like carpenter
at work mailing on boards and the
noise seemed to come from the
tree. He went around it several
times trying to locate the hammer
ing but it still seemed to cOme
from the inside of the tree. He
got little scared and went TO a
neighboring house and reported
what he had heard, at the same
time begging The neighbor and one
other man 10 go with him and
listen at the tree.
After guying the young man for
some minutes the trio returned to
the tree and heard the hammer
ing as before stated. The ham
mering continued until one of the
men put his hand on the tree
when it suddenly stopped. The
men went away amazed. A day
or two later one of the party had
occasion to again pass that way.
He slipped up TO the tree and
listened for the hammering, and
sure enough heard it as plain as
ever. He touched the tree with
the end of his finger and as before
the noise stopped at once. This
man and others have tried touch
ing the tree several times since
with the same result.
Now this man and his neigh
bors cannot solve the mysteries of
this enchanted grove. They say
the humming of bees and the
| CuliOuS tdPPliS Va 'H'0
tree can be heard any day; that
the people who do not believe this
can come to the Perkins farm and
test this matter. Mr.. Perkins,
the gentleman in question, says
he will go any day with anybody
as he is himself anxious to solve
I Re h.ee-..ssrstery. 81 The grove is only
about 500 yards from his-hsuse-
Mr.. Perkins says the last time
he was at the old village he slip
ped up as though he was hunt
ing wild game and was very gentle
about placing the tip of one of his
fingers to the tree, but just so
soon as bis finger came in contact
with the tree just that quick did
the hammering cease. He says
this sounds fshy but he has
always been able TO convert Wis
itors into believers and is still
ready to do so. G. G..