The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1912-02-03

About the year 1S20 there lived ar
Indian chief by the name of "Grea
Meon", whose village was situated OF
the shores of the bay, in front of wher'
Carol avenue now is. Great Moon wal
a kindly semi civilized savage, and h'
had a beautiful daughter, whom he hae
destined to wed "Littie Wolf, the sor
of "Great Wolf, the chief of the
Chicasaws, the great tribe that owned
| the lands north of the Choctaws. Blu
the maiden, with the perversity of hel
sex in such matters, made up her minc
to wed a handsome young Frenchmar
from Biloxi, by the name of Adolph
Guion; so, despite the prejudices OF hel
people and the traditions Of her race
she married the young Frenchman. The
old chief, though bitterly opposed tc
, the union, made the best of it and
loaded his son-in-law with every kind
ness.
For while all went well, but, as the
weeks passed, Adolph Gpion grew tired
of his Indian bride and began to long
for his people in Biloxi; so, one dark
night, he stole canoe, and, ere the sun
had risen on another day, the unfaith-
| full Frenchman had deserted the Indian
| maiden forever.
Old "Great Moon" and his tribe
vowed vengeance, but the deserted bride
was inconsolable and paced the sea
shore night after night, beseeching the
the moon and stars to send the truant
husband back to her arms, but time
passed, and he came not. Then the
good old chief died, and all the maiden's
love turned to hate, and, over her
fathers dead body, she swore to avenge
her wrongs and atone for her disobedi-
ence.
The years passed, but never a word
or sign from Adolph Guion.
The Indian woman still prayed for
vengeance.
One night, when the moon was hid
ing her face behind bank of clouds
and the low line of trees onsHenderson's
Point loomed lone and drear, canoe,
in which sat a stern faced woman,
drifted aimlessly over the mournful
swell of the waves. So deep was her
mood that she did not see canoe pad
died by solitary 'pale face. until it
grated against her own. 1t was Adolphe
Guion coming back, but fire CLEANED
from the eyes of the once beautiful saw
age. She snatched her hunting knife
from her waist and, with quick move
ment, drove it into the faithless heart
of the Frenchman. With groan he
fell backward-the canoe turned bottom
upwards-the dark waters parted, and
beneath them sank Adolphe Guion, to
rise no more.
The moon came from behind the
clouds and threw silvery pathway
across the bay from shore to shore.
Upon the bright sheen of the water
drifted an overturned canoe, while pad
ding wildly towards the land dashed a
savage, from whose bright beady eyes
all reason had flown.
To this day, what is left of our old
Indians VOW, on dark, still nights, they
have seen shadowy canoes drifting over
near Henderson's Point.
The summers and winters come and
go, the sun shines just the same, and
the birds and the moaning pines oi
| Spring Park wake the air above the
magnolia grove, where Oyola has slept
for nigh onto seventy years, awaiting
| the advent of the "Great Spirit" to
bear his earthly body off to the Happy
Hunting Grounds.
Oyola was native of our own fail
| Bay st. Louis, then called Choncon-
poulon, which signifies .''bad grass
| in the Choctaw dialect.
| Oyola was tall and symmetrical, with
face of unusual intelligence. He was
famed as a great hunter for miles
around, and, after one of his hnnts, tht
Indians and such white people as he
liked would fare well on venison ano
wild ducks. In this way, Oyola was
well beloved by the white people, az
well as by the members of his own tribe
| The Choctaws, at that period. were 3
semi -civilized tribe of Red Men, ane
were generally on good terms with tht
white families living about.
| Their chief, Mockiekiah, was a wise
Indian and endeavored TO keep his peo
| pie quiet and peaceful. Such thins
as scalping was unheard of, and muir
Iderer was always shot for his crime
after having been tried and condemned
A popularity of the proceedings wa
that only three days elapsed between
trial and execution. and during thos'
three days the doomed Indian wal
i allowed full liberty to go where hs
1 wished and do as he pleased Th'
strankest part was that they never at
tempted to escape and always appearet
at the appointed time and met deati
with great courage. Some, during thei
three days respite, would go about bid
| ding family and friends farewell ant
settling up affairs in general; others i
| getting on big spree; others yet wouls
| 60 around collecting hunting materia