The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-04
A MEXICAN LEGEND.

! Many, many years ago d poor and
humble Indian was working in his field
| of maize, wedding out the wild dahlias
and morning giories, when he noticed an
eagle soaring round and round above
| his head. Immediately he thought of his
httle flock OF goats feeding on the hillside
and ran TO see If they were safe, but
! there were no young kids among them
and he returned TO his wedding. The
! eagle continued 10 circle about him, and
| he thought there must be a nest of young
birds under the corn that the eagle had
! its eye upon. Suddenly the great bird of
prey swoeped down upon him and beat
its strong wings about his ears until he
was all but insensible. He knew. how
ever, that the sharp talons stuck through
, his thin garments and caught in the
quivering flesh of his back. and then
that he was being borne high in the air.
far from mis- home and all that was
dear TO him. From his great height he
looked down upon the scene amid which
his whole life had been passed. and then
through fear and sorrow lost conscious
mess entirely. When he revived he found
himself in dark cave. but before him
stood the Spirit of the Mountain. radiant
as vision and speaking with the voice
of a prophet: go thou to the great
MonteZuma." said the spirit, land warn
him that the gods are angry and the end
OF his reign approacheth. larry not Bid
him prepare. Naught can appease the
gods. nor prolong his rule over the peo-
pie
After the delivery OF this message by
the Spirit of the Mountain the eagle
again took the Indian as if he were a
babe. and, holding him securely in it's
claws, bore him to Tenochtitlan
(Mexicc) and set him down at the corner
Of a street on the north side of the Ala
media on the spot where the Church of
San Hipolito now stands. This was then
the western end of the island on which
the Aztec city stood. Near it ran a
canal and close by that stood the strong
house for sacrificial slaves. Both the
canal and the prison Were fortified, yet
this point was foretold by the Spirit of
the Mountain to be the scene of greatest
disaster.
Later. when the Conqueror came and
the struggle centered at this spot. the
prophecy was vIvidly recalled and strong
mems arms lost their cunning and even
MonteZuma himself was dismayed In
stead of rallying his troops by brave
words. he repeated to himself: 1T is TO
be; it is TO be- During the dismal
night the canal was filled with corpses.
Over this canal Alvarado made his IA
nous leap to safety-and renown, for
the street in Mexico City is named for
the event-and sfterward he occupied the
Aztec prison. On the corner of the wall
Is now recorded the great losses OF the
Noche Triste and the equalization of the
city. Below this inscription, in rude re-
lief, is carved the Indian in the eagles
claws being carried to the cave and
surrounded by Aztec weapons, symbolical
of the disastrous struggle to come.
Soon after the conquest a Spanish SOL
der erected a memorial to his comrades
who fell here 1t was pious hermitage
and he called it the Chapel of the Mar
tyrs. Later it was dedicated to St Hip
polytus, because the city succumbed to
its enemies on that saints day, August
18th. In 1899 the municipality took pos
session of the memorial chapel and began
the church that today stands with one Of
its two towers yet unfinished.