The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-06-08
MYSIEHY OF GULF ISLAND.
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Mats a. 81 Chests W '
NJ oHtT,Ss. Jun. q p~fr. is'and
I'm lnui Rev. on IA cna-t ~ Mississippi
j. again giving M" i--n Z" Il Tho main 'nd
81 Iark.uu county 'hr sans cr- g. ~t'
,,tion. tina The inhabitants 'hrrvah'ui-.
both r-i-kin. and Whi,e-, have had Tor
:. ,-ral centuries Trc ,.and haa hcn
rrputri to 10 haunted frum t.mo 'mrl.-
moral
several natural explorations have h~~n
given ~ ~" PECULIAR IU'-"s NEsche nara"
from th,- u~ninhabi,si spot. bat they do NJ
explain everything. a. for la III"
chang In N" character ~ N" noiss h'nfd
Daring tive indian DAYS aud tho~' 81 th"
earlier Fprrch settlement, th" island was
noted for -'hr mysterious music of ~"
~Tn.cagyuja.- which hlloh all who heard
h With awe and admiration They had
been no snourr explained by a na,urn.''
than " was -uNCeded hy music 81 n difg"-
ike ~-nlr,nnity. To-day m. people 81 the
ne~iyLhurhoJd arr troubled 10y noises of n
very different character moaning and
grutning such a. might b" expected from
ghosts A. tho island was used n n milf
tary cemetery during the civil War by the
Coufrdrratcs IN" ghost theory u IN favor
among the fishermen and hunters Of the
naighborhood
The Island Is gloomy. barren and for
bidding. and has not been inhabited Tor
years II 10 ,4id To have been the rende2-
vous OF pirates during IA" days Of tho
buccaneers and this popular tradition
EXPLAINS the fact thai It's surface u Scared
with Aules dug by treasure hunters Tho
traditions - the pirates and 81 the hidden
hooty afford more material for the be-
licv"rS in tn" theory Of ghosts.
Whom the French landed A. old Biloxi.
now Ocean Springs, in 1870. they found the
region around the mouth e the Pascagoula
River. and particularly his island. which
has always been called Devils Island In
Indian. French aud English. viewed with
gr-a, awe and reverence" nv the Indian =
" thai rcgion. the Pascagoul,s or Bread
Eaters.
Grvarre tells IN. Indian tradition In his
history 81 Louisiana, md there seems 20
10 no reason TO doubt that The tradition
IL founded on fact The P~a-cagoui1s
told the French that Devils Island and the
Pa-cagouia coa-t had been inhabited
more than n century and \ half before
IA. coming II the French by an entirely
different race from IN" indian Of the
country. much lighter In color and nearly
white.
Thcv had come from tie sea. and II was
believed Ivy the Indians that they were
born ct the ~NG, which accounted Tor their
ligh' cpuplaN'pr- These s.a people had
~ trouble with tie Indians. were quiet
and pcaCtahl" and remained whore they
landed. instead - travelling around the
country.
Ia.V did NOT carry on war nor hunt, hut
supynTted themselves almost entirely Ly
tine fish aud oysters they caught. They
Won. a gav reople. loving pleasure and
devoted ~ music and their religious services
consisted IN a." singing Of soi Z and hymns
In their great 'eir pie
What SUPPLIED 'h" Indians most was
thai th'v Worship" - a mermaid, In 'hc
form Of a -pl"ndldiy carved wooden statue.
which fac, convinced the Indians all the
NOR" that thc-' PEOPLE had risen from the
rea The Indians Frequently visited the
Temple. there tring the utmost smity To-
tween them and the -~a people.
Ia 1889, shortly after tie destruction Of
tho Indian settlement Of Mauyila (Mohile)
nv neSuio, a Catholic priest who hsscame
separated from the spanish invaders wan
dered along the Mlssissippi ooast looking
for u ship and finally came Va the Pasca-
guula country. whore he scttlst among
the sea people He l. said hy tho Indians
~ have converted them all 10 Christianitv.
their mermaid goddess being dethroned
and cast into 'he sea
flN n lew NthFr FlNfF Nv III VI ~
priest a viutcnt hurricane visited the country
during which the mermaid they had wor-
-hiIyel va. declared 10y tho Indians TO
ha," "'urnei to the s@a People and up
braIlrd 'i"m for de-cr'irg her Whom che
t"gau singing the songs with which they
had formerly worshiprsd her, IN" entir.
population rushed to the shore and srrang
into the ~as. leaving the priest the only
b. Hthi'art - IN" country And he re-
waiu"i there mourning ~" 'Oss ~ his
congregation. until b" dial some years
u'''Tv art
IT, slpYrr' = their story the Indians
',nk the reuch Cuioncl 80 tho sven. of this
tragedy tn" zen people, they insisted.
N.r" still alive. only they had returned To
the - vh'uor they an" and were living
90 caves ard rrottocs below the ocean,
wur-nlppiug their odd goddess, III" mer-
ma Md n proof of the story, they
asked 'h" French to listen To the singing
Of ih'," ~'a dwellcrs
From tb" waters Il the Gulf Immediately
l"low III" broad Chat.aux ~ ia" French,
70. the most plaintiff and melotious -
music. rising and falling with all III" "a
d.n~' ~ q HYMN ltarvllle, Blenvill"
and their follower wcr' greatly Impressed
los the mys'"r .pus music ~ Nh" P~Rscacoila,
and The iud,an ira ition wss a'c"itsi as
l-,yorl dispute hv tho sIi-r~ti'ipl- FrenCh
-u.I'.r~ a. uv tho Pa~CaPoI'a- thcnfs,es,
aud ~ survives to this day anon g SONS
81 %" dV'I'"rs GA the coast
Nj. ga err merely gives he story and
makes no ,rurt To explain of cluridn'cit
7, j. LujouU' DIV a tradition founded on
fact. and tl' 1"a Trpvl" wcu' probably
tho wre'sCi crew ~ SOM. European vessel
who. h-ing thrown up from IN" so. were
supposed V ~" Indians 80 hav" l-"n norm
Of Tho 'r'u1 mag" w"rshipT-Nd
hv the son people nav hav" l-s'n IN" ve-~'ls
figure head. of'-V tho ncIr" ~ a '1irt on
spanish bo'u, which might easily have
aly,lrrl % fH" Indians go ~ a mermaid
The a'a T.,opi" wer" EVIDENTLY destroyed
m ono az tI.sn Glf hurricane. which -
frequently visit IA" Mississippi coast.
sub would H. a Crmmuu-S'n-" eNplann-
'iru Il IN" story ~ frr III" mysterious
mu,Ic 81 the P~l-cagoIla il wa explained
.r.,. wear. ngl bv . Naturalist who after
thorough invest cation found the noi-e
To- b. Ia - q variety " IN" drunfish
Ia. f-h, gathering IN schools at crrtain
sasurS - To" YEAR, produce noi-~ that,
rising through ~" water, Civ oT n mo-
lo.ilUs music. These drums r'ill come Ia
Grand Paw snd ~" music !. there W, hut
q j. Astonishing how II has lu-i ~ sttrac-
'iou since the mystery has bard away,
and few % 'u listen 20 u to-day compared
with the hundreds Who went formerly.
NuN n-v NOISE oujir from lEtt'- Island
and Grand BnN nCv arc 'niirrly Din rent