The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-22
STRANGE STORIES
 OF ACKNOWLEDGES Legends of Indian Pass and
 Other Tales REGION RICH IN FOLKLORE Stories of the "Forsaken Villaqe," of the Devils Fungus, of Discov- cry Mountain and Pursuit
 of Oseetah.
REGION RICH IN FOLKLORE
yening Post.

collectively. They are scattered far and wide over an area as wide as the Adiron- dacks themselves. Some are very well known, and have been reduced to printed form. Others have their record only in the staries handed down from one gener- ation of guides to another. Yet practical ly every part of the Great North Woods has it's own pet Indian legend, or if not I legend, some tale of mysterious influences supposed to have given name or charac- ter to some prominent natural feature of the section. Near Lake Placid there are a number of interesting legends connect ed with the life of the Indians, filled with adventure, love and pathos. The same Is true of the legend about the St. Regis chain of lakes, the Saranacs, and of the country round about Pheasant Valley" as Elzabethtown was formerly known.
 Two men who have done much to pre- serve in some kind of form the Indian legends and stories of the Adirondacks are Henry Van Hoevenburg, who for many years conducted Adirondack Lodge, a few miles outside of the village of Lake Placid, and S. R. Stoddard. the Adiron- dack pioneer, in whose Northern Month ly many of the legends gathered by MT. Van Hoevenburg have appeared. A fea- ture of the life of Adirondack Lodge, Ln- til it was destroyed by forest fires a few seasons ago, was the relation of stories around a great blazing camp fire after dark. MT. Van Hoevenburg, during the many years he has been in the Adiron- dacks, has familarzed himself with all the important legends and stories con- corning the region around Lake Placid. The legend of Indian Pass he has made the subject of an epic poem
 Legend of Indian Pass.
 Indian Pass is one of the natural won- ders of the Adirondacks It is a great cut in the mountain by which Lake Placid is surrounded. It's walls, which are all most perpendicular rise to a height of about 2Oo0 feet The legend connected with this weird place of natures handlworK has it that a guide, pausng beside d mountain spring to quench his thirst one hot summer day, spied bit of paper on the ground near by. Despite the effacng wear of rain and sun upon the writing, he was able to decipher enough to in- form him that if at midnight 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 with it's trunk, but 1000 feet higher up, he would see the mouth of cave the writing told him. In this cave, guarded by the spirit of one of their num- ber according to the 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 the sum mer guests in Lake Placid, and is looked upon as an object of great interest. lt is q great cliff at the east of Wallface mountain and near Mount Mcintyre. It's walls rise in air as abruptly as the sides of a house.
 According to the legend the guide made the trial Returning at midnight on the Sth of September, he climbed to the hem lock, and, looking up, descerned far above his head the yawning mouth of the cavern in the side of the rock wall. He imagined he could make out series or small cuts in the rock by means of which he could reach the spot, and, drawing off his boots and socks and priIn- ing his revolver, he started. Never dar- ing to look behind lest he should become dizzy and fall he tightly hugged the face of the rock wall, up which he went slow ly, inch by inch. In one place he had to jump to reach a projecting ledge. As he made the leap the rock gave way beneath his feet, but he caught stout shrub ana drew himself up, after hanging Tor time in mdair over the yawnlng chasin below Finally he reached the mouth or the cavern, and, peering in, deseerned the treasure piled up on the rock floor.
 Guarded by Spirit.
 At the same instant he caught sight or a great form with dark, forbidding face and flaming eyes, advancing upon him. He drew his revolver and fired at 1t, but even as he did so he felt himself caught up in two great muscular hands and borne, despite his struggles, to the edge of the rock platform before the entrance to the cave. Just for a second he was suspended in air. Then his captor re- leased his hold and the unfortunate man shot downward like a stone. His body struck the old hemlock tree, and that, giving way, went down too, serving Tn Il manner to break the force of his Tall.
 When he regained his senses he found that 1t was broad daylight. One arm was broken and his whole body was mansieu and bruised His first thought was that it had all been some hideous dream. put the pain in his arm and body, the heii- loc,s tree on the ground near by and golden ornament he still clutched Tn one hand told him the occurrences of the night had been only too real. The legehu concludes by pointing to the fact that the rnrootinp of the hemock tree has forever ohliterated all clews to the hiding place of the Indian treasure. an apparently safe conclusion, since 1t has never ye' been found.
 Forsaken Village.
 The legend of the forsaken village IS another interesting story or the LaNe Placid country which MT. Van HoeVeh- hurg has made the subject or much lh- ouirv As far as the fact go, the for sa,sen village was the little village or