The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-28
AN INDIAN DEVILS VISIT.


title Theory of n Gicnt Black Tooth.
OLD TowN. Nc, May 26.-"Heem come some
more, same las time Al seen heem. becg lax
some moose. twelve. twenty feet long. iIecm
tooth shine some like some iciclc on 10 house
gutter. Hcern growl moro beeg as 70 iocomotit
holler. Heem Pomoolu zis tim for sure. All
seen hCcm.'
The stolid faces Of the Indians who heard
Alexander Nicolas tell Of his meeting with an
Indian devil while trapping muskrats on the
shores Of Abal stream at tho base OF Mount
Katahdin did not relax u muscle as the tale
went on at intcrminablc length. As he was a
practical minded Indian without a trace Of
imagination his hearers knew he was not capa-
bic of inventIng a lie. and the conviction grew
that the story teller had either seen All Indian
devil In the flesh or some strolling woodsman
had played n practical Joke upon him.
As well as he can remember the animal APP
pcared to him on a May niGl,t,comingw within ten
rods of the campfire. near which he was sitting
skinning muSkrats. AS nearly as he could es-
innate the visitor was fully fifteen feet long
from tin to tip. II was not a panther. because
%panthers are OF the color OF fresh iron rust.
while the caller was p~rcttily barred with stripes
Of slate gray and brown. What convinced him
that the beast was an Indian devil was the
presence OF four long white tusks that pro-
truded from the animals mouth and shone
like polished ivory. In all the traditions of the
tribe the men who had seen Indian devils and
| lived to tell about it had described them as hav-
ing great pointed tusks nearly a foot long.
Aim skeen heem musluash an smoke
heem pire." said Alex as he continued the
! tale. "Bim'by Al hef skeen seek, maybe ten.
an look oop. Wat Al see. you tlnk =? Mogrel
| Heem all thar. set oOp on heem tail. lax some
dog. an lap heem chop so heem hungry. Watts
Aim do Watts you do. you bin thar-heyP
! Al t'row heem one musluash what Al skeen.
Heem peek heem oop an eet him lax some sas-
sigc. Course All t'row heem some more. an
some more after hccm. which Pomoola Get
hecm all. TOid' MusIuash wat Al skeen
all gone. Pomoola. heem want more. Mus
quash skin pay - cents at 20 store. Alex
skcen not breeng nuching nowhcr? Musquash
skeen mine longs. Al hei eet. Ny skeen Po-
moola's pretty dam Iucck. Al trow him mus
quash wat All don't vet skeen. an bimebv Po-
NICOLA heem go way. Al go way. too. lax Al
scarf. Al don't wass stop teel Al geet home.
Wat YOU say now-hevT 2"
Indian traditions that have been handed
down in wigwam tales for centuries differ az
to the size. coloring and general habits of the
Indian devil. but all unite in declaring that no
| has four long incurved canine teeth that hang
| outside his mouth. giving the creature a most
ferocious look. The Abenaki story asserts
that a pair OF these animals, who are bullet
and arrow proof. and defy all weapons except
a thunderbolt. live on the steep side Of Mount
katahdin. where they kill and eat moose and
other large game. taking Il sunburned brave
or n suuaw by way OF dessert whenever one
happens to be nearby. A. for the whites. an
Indian devil will not taste of their flesh.
Therefore. while a few Indians have survived
a meeting with Pomoola. no Caucasian ever
saw one.
century ago. when the Old Town tribe con-
tanned more than 1000 souls. Pomoola took
five or Sin Indians as toll every year. In Sep
TENDER. 1923. IA party of twenty-onc braves and
squawS were coming down the West Branch
with fourteen canoes loaded with moose and
caribou meat when an Indian devil visited
them over night while they camped on tho
shore OF 10 Mary Lake. and killed four. The
fall rains had swollen the streams and made
the current very swift. Though the food
favored the fleeing Indians, Pomoola overlook
them on the following day. and
out. tipped over a canoe in South Twin Lake.
drowning two braves and a Squaw. The ami
NAL swan about in the lake for an hour.
waiting for the bodies to come up. and
then gave chase to the party. The Indians
had passed from Elbow Lake into Milineckert
Rims when they saw their enemy behind.
There was a brisk gale blowing at the time.
and the skv was dark with thGnderclouds. As
the canoes shot OUT Of the rips into smooth
water beyond the men in the near canoe saw
ronOola stretch his striped logs up the trunk
Of q great yellow birch tree. testing his claws
upon the tough bark to see If they were sharp
enough. When ho was stretched out ut full
length. twice as long as II canoe for four
men, II thunlerholt fell. splitting tho tree
into slivcrs and filing the air with sulphurouS
smoke. As the vapor lifted they saw the Indian
devil lying dead on the bank of the stream.
A line Of scorched fur marked the passage
Of the lightning from the animals nose to its
hips. where the current divided and passed
down the hind legs to the ground. One OF tho
ivory tusks had been turned coal black by the
stroke. the others remaining untouched. The
body was taken to Old Town on two canoes,
and for "A week the Indians did nothing but
celebrate the death of their ancient enemy.
The black tooth was given to Sol SockaleNis.
who was chief at that time. 1t is kept as an
heirloom in the SocknleXis family. Though
somewhat damaged from rough usage. it is
eight inches long, and the inside edge is still
sharp.
Scientific men who have examined tho trophy
are inclined II To believe that il comes from the
law of the sahrr-tooth tiger. IN animal which
gco'osists say Lived in Maine about six million
years ago. Opposed to this assertion is the
tradition Of the SockaiexiI family, which de.
clares that the tooth was taken from the upper
Jaw OF an Indian devil that WAS killed by light
ming in September. 1928.