The sun., 1900-12-09
AN INDIAN PILGRIM BAND.
xrsrygiOrs yIsITs ram To srOr
~ VEsT tIH,ftft.
Iu,Is Knows of the sefsmon' psrorms"
Ther. for NAM years white inr"dsf
hIIied only One Pilgrim lest S'" snd
none This A setr~t of the woods,

This 10 the year whom the Indians should
have returned on their strange pilgrimage N
N. West virginia forest Every ~" years
f.r al unnc,uunted time the dwihdinE band
has come no man knows whenc" nor why
and p,ariins from the three points In The
v!lds up Camphell's crock, has Followed INC
hidden trail 10 the top Of IN" denscly Vood"d
slope then returned, no man knows WHITTIER
U.r,lly they have como late ia October or
early In November. always before the nrst
snow Now th. ,rnil Is lost under drifts. and
the expected band has not como The vood'-
men say that the Indians must all be dead,
and that the mystery Of that secret pil Rrimnse
viii never be solved
,ampbel's Creek porrs a turRld spring
food into tha kanawha River few miles
above Charleston. the capital uf the state
In summer " is ~,,t ltrickle ofwator. tinhiing
through a deer. wld and dcnselr wooded
sulch Seve al miles back from the kanswha
tributary stream auemen's Campbell .
Greek. and just below It's mouth a curious
mound Jnts out from the banX From this
mound rise three large trees. a sycamore. a
slaar maple and baech So clio sely punched
that yard above the ground a circle five
feet in dn meter would include the three bolea
These are he three points Beyond them the
preolpitous bank isa tangle Of underhrush
and tree gro with for several rods, bnt a little
further up thero IL a natural clearing. giving
a free view to the very summit OF the ACTIVITY.
where stands gigantic black OAK, rising from
a thicket of small growth From no other
point in Tia" guch j. this oak visible Indor
and through the lower brush along this
clearing and up W the great oak winds tho
hidden tral Years sgp "a white man sought
to follow that trail and paid with his life for
his temerity
Cp to within a few wears, when coal and
lumber interest, brought a l!''lr settlement
to the creek, the only inhabitants uf that
region were n few vootsmen who lived mainly
on the game they shot j. Is from them
that tho early account, II tie Indian visits
came How long 'h"sc visits have continued
ran be only n matter Cf conjecture. but all the
streams tributary 10 the Kauawha were
famous hunting grounds fer the savages n
hundred years ago. and no' improbahlv
hundreds of wears before that Tradition
of the region has II that the first pilgrimage
10 be encountered hy n white man was some
time IN the early SOS, when n hunter Of
thar locality IN following a bear was all but
surprised by the Indians and had only time
10 throw himself behind "a fallen trunk as they
came trotting up the creek bed in single hle
They we're in ful reeala and there were
between eighty and one hundred Of them
Gathering around the three points they
waited there in silence for the falling of dark
ness. and the hunter shiverlny behind his
log, in the cool October afternoon must
perforce wait with them A. the rising Of
the moon a signal cry brought the band
again into single file They plunged into the
scarcely penetrabe brush and set about
the ascent Of the bank Presently In the
strong moonlight the wondering huntsman
saw tho line of dusky bodies appear In the
clearing and wind up toward the towering
oak. Another signal call told him that the band
had reached the summit and he crept away
u his home, thankful to escape unnoted
From this time on hunters and trappers
saw at Intervals Of some wears companies
OF Indians going to or returning from the
mysterious spot. Once two settlers who
we're going down the Kanawha in n dugout
saw the band emerge from the forest on the
west bank Of the river opposite the creeks
mouth and start to ford Some Of the young
braves caught sight OF them and gave chase.
but the whites piled their paddles and e.
capped The periods when large numbers
OF the redskins were seen were always five
years apart, though small bands were seen in
some Of the OFF years They always came
late in tho fall and timed their visits rs
"a bring them 10 the creek shortly before
nightfan Their number grew steadily less
Hi'oi iHp' 'lIN'' WAY Ilp S'lllfflfNt OF ina
fans within far distance Of the spot Evil
IDENTIFY the pilgrims Of a branch of some Vest
ern tribe as they were noticed always coming
from or going toward the western bank OF |
the river In Charleston and other con-
siderable towns the woodsmen's accounts
OF the strange visitors we're regarded as local
myths until in 1881 they received a sinister ,
confirmation Late in the '7oS n family
named Cozens settled on Campbell's Creek, /
near the three points The head Of the family |
had heard of the Indians and expires sed his |
Intention Of finding out why they came there |
If opportunity were given to him One Of |
tho band. so tradition said. alvavs carried "A !
lars" sack which was taken away filed with /!
something when tho company departed |
Cozens had n theory that the redmen mado |
th" ascent II the Hidden Trail Ia dclve for |
gold. There are many stories Of rock gold |
In West Virginia. hut no gold So far as any |
BODY has ever discovered
No Indians were sesn nv tho new settler
until one Novemhcr afternoon in $3.50. when
he saw the band coming M the cIeok, about
thirty strong Against the Ternonstrancea
OF his terrified family he watched then, until
they set out by moonlight on the hidden
trail and then followed
Very early on the following morning Coz
sns's brother. who had been sitting up waiting
Tor him to return, saw the band come down 10
the creek. scatter and disappear Over tho
shoulder ~ the leader was slung a bulky sack
Giving them time 10 get away the white man
took the trail and. after a hard struggle, torn
by the thorns Of tho wild blackberry and stung
bv the blows OF tho sprincv pawpaw brush,
he emerged into the clearing and made his !
way swiftly ~ the top Of tho acclivitv, taiing
the black oak as hiS glids Around the tree
he found an area OF trRmpled brush and tho
ashss OF "A hig IRE Nearby lly the body or
Cozens. There vls knife wound in his hacl,
and his head was s'alplrss THRILLING tho
savaces he had boon outtrailcd and slain
Five year later tho Indians cana again
Nobody saw them coue hut thov verc socn
crossing the kanawha on their return los,
than twenty comprisel the band. Two or
three years later 1T Is uncertain which-thrco
redskins visited the place. but they probably
did not represent the ceremonial vi grlmn TO Of
the band In ,Sao Tho band returned and
wore seen AZ the three points by nephew or /
the dead CNzcns. lIe started 10 follow thr,,l |
unobs"ryed M he supros"d. but thcrc sud.
denly burst from the brush near him three
70 i~kins armed with knives and only his feet
moss Of foot saved him Tho next day great