Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-05-02
ANOTHER
Voice From the
Dim Past,
Adds Interest to River
Styx Region.
An Editor Tells of an
Indian Maid
Who Mourned and Searched For
Her Murdered Lover.

Editor. w. j. SwiSher OF the WauS-
worth Banner, sends the Democrat
phantom appearing in the vicinity of
River StyX bridge, ut Rittman. This
time the visitor from sprit-land takes
the romantic form of an Indian
maiden in quest of her murdered lover.
1t follows:
Since the appearance Of the article
in The Banner several weeks ago rel
ative to the phantom train on the
Erie old settlers in the Chippewa val
ley have brought to. mind an old In
dian tradition relating to the very
spot described in the article concern
ing the phantom train. 1t is well
known that the section traversed by
the Chippewa and the Styx afforded
every inducement to the indian who
in early days roamed the woods at
will, and the underground about
these streams in those days abound
ed in all kinds of game and t,lerr
was also then an abundance of water
| in these streams over which glided
| canoes, padded along by dusky in
dian maidens, who chanted their
love songs, or plunged beneath the
waters in their grlish sports. This
spot was the hiding place of the
deer, the bear wild cats, wolves and
foxes. Here annually the Chippewas
came and camped during the
summer This was long before the
railroad was built and before the
dredge and bitches had reduced the
Styx from good sized creek to u
small ditch
On one occasion while the indians
were enroute from the lake to this
section they We're surprised by Il lot
of Delawares, Chocktaws and Min
goes and number of the Chippewas
were killed, including IL young chief
who was espoused to the daughter
of an older chief of the tribe. The
loss of her lover drove the indian
maiden to madness and she deserted
her tribe ana disappeared in the
wilderness and the tribe never foun.l
her or learned what became of her.
There was tradition among the
Chippewas that the spirit of this
maiden had returned to the creek at
midnight Oh the night of the 21st Of
October each year since 1921. So
strongly had this tradition gained a
hold upon these indians that they
could not be induced TO go near that
portion Of the Styx during October.
1t was on the night of October ., ,
1927, two young men decided to test
the truth Of this indian tradition, so
they set out from the mouth OF the
Styx north until they reached the
spot a little north of where the rail-
road bridge now stands when they
concluded they were far enough and
they stood still to await events.
Dark clouds obscured the skies, owls
hooted, and wolves snarled and
barked away in the jungles. Each
stood mOtionless for some time busy
with his own thoughts. Precisely at
II o'clock there shot out from the
opposite side of the stream, or pond,
it was then, a bark canoe, bearing a
headlight, such as was used by
hunters in those days, in its bow,
while in the stern sat q beautiful
indian maiden of about 20 summers.
dressed after the fashion of her tribe.
The canoe glided around over the
pond like bird until the third time
when it entered the channel and
shot down stream. The two young
men breathlessly watched the canoe
as its headlight began to disappear
doxvn tha crook when tha enalI x,aa