Newport daily independent., 1906-01-13
THE LAKE OF SACRIFICE.
Louisiana Body of Water AbSxa Which There Is an Indian
 Legend.

Lake Ca-ta-ou-la. tlre sacred lake ss the Indians. lies snsconced. as*lt vera in the deep solitude os the forest which skirts the Attakapas prairie on the east side of the Teche at about aine miles from the town os s. Mar tinville. The beauty Of its scenery and it's picturesque landscapes hays probably no equal in the state. says the New Orleans Ststes It's waters have the transparency of crystal. and It's depth avsrags from 90 t0 t0s feet.
 The word Ca-ta-ou-la means ,hs .aks of sacrifice. The following legend. as dramatic and tragicai as the Biblical narrative of ths death of Jsphthans . daughter, gives us the origin of that name.
 The Tetimetchsc Indiana, being threatened with dire calamity. the ns turs of which we know not. their prayermen consulted their oracles, and were informed that to propitiats ths great Manitou and to avert ttre csiami- ty fair maiden of the tribe was to be sacrificed to the cruel god and her soul drowned in the placid waters of Lake Ca-ta-ou-la.
 The beautiful At-ta-la, the fair daughter of the chief offered herself as willing victim to propittate ths Great Spirit.
 Dressed In all the fnery and pio- -uresqueness of apparel of an Indian princess she repaired to the lake in whose waters she was to find watery grave, followed by the weeping maid ens and the stern warriors of the tribe
 She glided ip her light canoe on the waters of the lake until she had reached the middle of the stream. and with her eyes upraised and hands sx- tended toward the heavenly mansion ot the great Manitou she offered him her youth and her life blood as A sacrifice to propitiate him and so avert the calamity that threatened hes people.
 With radiant smile she then turned toward the shore of the lake whers knelt the weeping maidens. She waved her hand gently to them, bidding them an eternal adieu, and plunged into itS waters to be seen no more.
 Supersititous persons assert that even to this day in times of great calamity and misfortune, when the moon spans the sky and shines serene In the high heavens, streaking with silvery fringe the gentle nipples of the lake, shadowy form is seen glid. ing on it's waters in light canoe. with hands extended heavenward, and they say that all at once, uttering a wild and unearthly shriek, the shadowy form plunges headlong into the waterr and disappears, while the terror-strick- en denizens of the forest answer the shrieks with howls and lugubrious hoot- ings.
 From that time Lake Ca-ta-ou-la be. came the sacred lake of the Indians, and every year they repaired to this spot to propitiate the great Manitou with their offerings and sacrifices. Into it's crystalline waters they plunged themselves to get cleansed of their moral and physical impurities; into it's sacred waters they dipped their amu- lets and arrows to avert approaching calamities and to protect themselves against the devices of the evil spirit, He who could not make this yearly pilgrimage felt Respondent and uu- happy, and his inability to follow ths others in the saintly journey bodad bIm no good.
 If while performing his immersion in the lake one should happen to drown, his memory was execrated. and his death was considered the 1udg- ment of the great Manitcu as an atone ment for the crimes committed by him
 The lake is still called Ca-ta-ou-la. the lake of sacrifice, but the great Manitou, like his Indian worshipers. is now thing of the past.