The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-11-07
LAST OF THE MOnICANS.
DEATH OF ELMIRA MORRIS AT
 NORWALK HOSPITAL.
Indian Woman who Passed Away This week-Had Been Living in and About NorvaIk for Over a Century.

The death of Elrnira Morris, which oc- cured last Saturday night, at the Nor walk hospital, recalls the fact that she was one of the tribe of Indians which formerly roamed this part of the coun- try Elmira was said to be literally the last of the Mohicans She was a mem Der of that tribe, the remnants of which Tweed in the eastern part of this state. She was said to be over one hundred vars old, but her exact age is not defi- nitely known.
 About ninety-three years ago she was taken from her tribe. At that time it was said that she was girl of seven years of age. She was placed in the family of Henry Lamb, now long since dead, and served there for a number of years as domestic. After that she went to the old Connecticut Hotel, where she worked in the same capacity, The hotel was located on the site of the present Boston store, and was at that time under the management of James Stevens.
 1 Her Indian birth cropped out at times and showed itself more particularly in her nomadic nature. She loved to trav- el from one town to another, and as result was known all over the county. f Occasionally she would wander into 1 New York state, She lived for some 1 time in house on upper Main street, i but the owner of the property sold the, land in 1899, and the house in which she had lived was torn down. After that her life was very precarieus one, and at one time she was discovered in starving condition in an old houss on the West Norwalk road. When over eighty years of age she walked from Pound Ridge to West Norwalk. V Eln1ira was never an object of beauty, and looked least attractive, though more nearly typical, when she was en- gagged in the soothing operation of 1 smoking her nicotine stained clay pipe, which must have done duty for a num- Der of years. Her shrivelled head was surmounted by long straight locks Of unkernpt hair, and quite a moustache graeed her upper lip, in vain attempt to disguise the fact that she was tooth less. Her chin also bore sparse crop of whiskers. Her copper complexion was scanned deep with wrinkles. Add to this a body deformed by disease and warped by age and rheumatism and you have a fairly faithful picture of the last of the Moficans.
 Elmira was too young when taken from the members of her tribe to re- membr about them and their ways, but she retained number of interesting le- gends which had been told her by other members of her tribe.
 Many moons before the white settlers migrated to Norwalk from the eastward Elmira's tribe lived in large Indian community, which occupied the ground now known as Wilson's Point, and loca- ted between that point and Village Cove. The cove had the Indian name of Pampaskashanke, while the west bank, known as Hickory Bluff, went by the name of Rooton, from which Roton Point takes it's name. One of the le- gends of the tribe which Elmira remem- bered was an eventful council which was held by the braves of her tribe in that ocality. The question to be deci- ded was whether or not the tribe should go to war with tribe in the northern part of the state, The older members
 were in favor of peace, but the young
 bucks, being hot headed and ready for
 battle, were strongly in favor of war.
 Finally, after lengthy argument, the
 younger braves rushed upon the old men and severed their heads from their
 bodies. After this bloody act, the
 young men were in doubt as to what
 they should do with the heads. After
 conferring together they decided that
 it would be best to sink them in Pam-
 paskeshanke Cove. They were tied to-
 gether by means. of their scalp locks,
 weighted with stones and the young
 bucks, getting into their canoes, pad
 dled out to the center of the cove and
 dropped them into the water, where
 doubtless the skulls rest to-day.
 The Great Spirit, however was not pleased with this act of murder of the
 young braves. Soon after the staring
 eyes had disappeared beneath the water a scum was noticed coming to the sur.
 face and collecting together around the spot where the heads had been sunk
 The young bucks noticed this and theii
 bravery began to fail them. Their feel
 ings soon changed to those of abject ter. , TOT as the scum began to take on 8
 blood red hue.
 The scum was still gathering over the spot at sundown, and it may readily be imagined that the young braves die not spend a very pleasant night. The next morning they were on the bank
 and as the sun rose they were mortified to see that where the scum had been , was then gigantic Indian head, which seemed to float in the midst of the scum
 It seemed to resemble the faces of the
 old men who had been killed, and tc each of the murderers looked like the
 face of the man he himself had slain. As they watched it, the scum began tt grow into the form of a pair of wings : which supported this Meduca-like head : The wings began to move up and down feebly at first, but with increasing strength and toward noon the horrit creature was able to raise itself iron the water. As the afternoon waned, tn,
 shape gave terrific struggle and sue ceeded in getting clear of the water. flew straight for the shore. The bucks had not an atom of bravery left then
 and fled, shrieking in terror. The faste
 they ran into the woods, the faster tn, , winged terror pursued them. It wen from one to the other, beating him witt i it's wings which dripped blood.
 Jt iS said that fha trihe dad into .,l,a