The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-11
IN THE ACKNOWLEDGES.
Strange Legends of Indian Pass and
Other Tales.

rich in Indian legends and folklore.
, but no attempt has been made to pre-
serve them collectively They are
scattered far and wide over an area
as wide as the Adirondacks themselves.
Some are very well known. and have
been reduced to printed FORM Others
! have their record only in the stories
handed down from one generation of
guides to another. Yet practically
every part of the Great North Woods
has its own pet Indian legend, or If
not a legend. some tale of mysterious
Influences supposed to have given
name or character to some prominent
natural feature of the section Near
Lake Placid there are a number of
interesting legends connected with the
lie OF the Indians. filled with ad-
venture, love. and pathos- The same is
true of the region about the St. Regis
chain of lakes. the Saranacs, and Of the
country roundabout pleasant Valley"
as Eliza BEETHOVEN was formerly known
Two men who have done much 10
preserve in some kind of form the
Indian legends and stories of the
burg. who for many years conducted
Adirondack Lodge, a few miles out
side of the Village of Lake Placid. and
s r. Stoddard. the Adirondack pio-
OF the legends gathered by Mr.. Van
Hoevenburg have appeared A feature
OF the life a Adirondack Lodge, I'M
til it was destroyed by forest fires a
AC" Seasons ago, was the ToldllOH u
stories around a great blazing camp
nre after dark Mr.. Van Hoevenberg,
during the many years he has been in
the Adirondacks has familiarized him
and stories concerning the region
around Lake Placid The legend Of
Indian Pass he has made a subject of
an epic poem.
wonders of the Adirondacks- 1t is
a great cut in the mountain by which
Lake Placid is surrounded Its walls,
which are almost perpendicular, rise to
height of about 1000 feet. The
legend connected with this weird
piece of natures handiwork has it
that guide, pausing beside a noun |
tain spring to quench his thirst one hot |
the ground near by Despite the eff |
facing wear of rain and sun upon the |
writing. he was able to decipher |
enough to inform him that If at mid /
night on the Sth of September he |
would scale Summit Rock. the highest
point in the pass. he would see to the |
west a hemlock tree overhanging the |
chasm below. To the SOUTH in line |
he would see the mouth of a cave, the |
writing told him. In this cave, guard
ed by the spirit of one of their number, /
according to instructions on the torn
paper. he would find an immense
treasure hidden there by the Indians
many years before The location de-
scribed is now often visited by summer
guests in Lake Placid. and is looked
upon as an object of great interest
Ii is a great cliff at the east of Wall
face Mountain. and near Mount Nc
Intyre. Its walls rise in air as alb
ruptIy as the sides of a house
According to the legend, the guide
made the trial. Returning at midnight
IN the Sth of September, he climbed
to the hemlock and, looking up. dis
rerned far above his head the yawning
!, T in he sI6 -
the rock wall. He imagined he could
ma Ike out a series of small cuts in the
rock by means of which he could
reach the spot, and drawing off his
volver, he started Never daring to
ook behind lest ne should become
1izzy and fall. he tightly Rugged the
face of the rock wall. up which he
went slowly. inch by inch In one
place he had to jump to reach a pro-
iecting ledge. AS he made the leap
he rock gave way beneath his feet,
put ne caught a stout shrub and drew
himself up. after hanging for time
N midair over the yawning chasm
below. Finally he reached the mouth
IF the cavern, and. peering in. dis
cerned the treasure piled up on the
-ock floor.
At the same time he caught sight
IF a great form with dark, forbidding
ace and flaming eyes. advancing up
IN him. He drew his revolver and
ired at 1t. but even as he did so he
cit himself caught up in two great.
muscular hands and borne. despite
lis struggles. to the edge of the rock
platform before the entrance to the | ,
ave Just for a second he was sus-
pended in air. Then his captor re-
eased his hold and the unfortunate ,
nan shot downward like a stone. His !
BODY struck the old hemlock tree. and
hat. giving way, went down too, ser
ing in a manner TO break the force :
II his fall.
When he regained his senses he
ound that it was broad daylight
)ne arm was broken and his whole
,cdy was mangled and bruised. His {
irst thought was that it had all been :
ONE hideous dream. but the pain in l
lis arm and body. the hemlock tree
N the ground near by. and a golden | :
rnament he still ciutched in one {
and told him the occurrences of the !
light had been only too real The I
egend concludes by pointing to the :
act that the uprooting of the hemlock :
o the hiding place of the Indian trea- I
ure, an apparently safe conclusion, | I
ince it has never vet been found.
The legend of the forsaken village is c
mother interesting story of the Lake
'iacid country which Mr.. Van Hoe {
enburg has made the subject of I
much inquiry AS far as the facts go. e
he forsaken village was the little viii '
lge OF '-Adro ndack.'' some miles from t
AXE Placid. which was years ago the l
Gene of iron ore mining operations t
onducted by a party OF capitalists on r
ne strength of a discovery OF some r
ch iron ore made by an Indian in d
ne locality It is now in the preserve
{ the Tahawus Club When. after a | I
reat amount of money had been ex- Z
ended in the mining undertaking, the a
rice of iron fell the project was | n
handonsd with such speed that the a
eopIc of the little hamlet did not stop il
, remove from their homes their few O
ousehold goods. Another reason b
,r this course on their part was that q