The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-07
MICHIGAN
ANTHONY
A Christmas In Which In
dams Took Part
By F. A. mitchell

about it a good deal. In these days
when chimneys are small and some
of them are not opened up for fire
places it must be very hard for man,
and a very fat man at that, such as
Kriss Kringle Is pictured, to come down
at all, and when we consider that he
carries large pack Of toys with him
1t would seem that it must be harder
still. 1t would be much easier for him
to leave the gifts on the porch or In
some other place easily reached.
I'll tell you why, think, Santa Claus
comes down the chimney with his
pack. He began TO bring little children
gifts many years ago. At that time
chimneys we're very different from
what they are now, and the f1replaces
were different too. The chimneys were
SO large that chimney sweeps would go
down into them and clean out the ac-
cumuated SCOT. The fireplaces were
deep and wide There were In those
DAYS no cook stoves in which to pre-
pare meals. The cooking was done in
the fireplace. There was an iron I'm
plement In every fireplace called a
crane, on which the kettle was hung
and could be swung over the fire. An
other implement was the spit, some
thing like a big arrow, which was stuck
into the meat so that the cook might
hold It In position to be cooked.
In those days, too, the houses, es-
pecially Of the great mass Of poor peo-
nj Ior MI tba 0hfpopnvT 70 a q
much more easily reached than now.
I can conceive Of a snowdrift against
the side of a PEASANTS cabin forming
a perfect slope with the roof to the
ground, and when packed hard or in
crusted Santa Claus might drive his
RENDERS right up to the chimney top,
and nothing would be easier than for
him to let himself down into the great
fireplace and leave his gifts there
I have told you these things about
how Santa Claus got into the habit Of
descending the chimney with his gifts
"a habit that seems to have stuck to
him-hecau | am going to tell you
a story about family who lived sew
eral hundred years ago in the Dutch
colony which Is now the state Of
New YOrk-in one of those low houses
with big chimney. The people OF
the colony were mostly Dutch, and
they called Santa Claus st. Nicholas,
he being their patron saint.
Schenectady, now CITY, was one
of the first settlements in the north
and west part Of the colony, and the
inhabitants made their living by trap
ping wild animals and selling their
skins Sometimes the Indians would
bring In the pelts, as they called them,
and sell them to the whites, who
would sell them again. On the other
side Of the Mohawk river from Science
tady is a place where the Indians used
to torture and burn the prisoners TAX
en- In war.
In Schenectady lived q fur trader by
the name OF Van Schoonhoven, with
his wife and several little children,
the oldest Of whom was girl seven
years of age, named Katrina One
day Van Schoonhoven was returning
from trapping expedition with pelts
and coming to the river bank opposite
the settlement he found number OF
Indians in the act Of executing some
captives. They had tortured and burn
ed all the prisoners except one person
a warrior whose wife and children
were bidding him goodby before hi
went to the stake. Van Schoonhoven
filled with pity for this family, Offered
the savages all his pelts for the cap
tive's life. The offer was accepted
and the released man and his famil!
went with the white man to Science
tady. They were taken to his cabin
where they were given food and woult
have been given shelter IL they hat
not preferred to remain In the open
These Indians were Mohlcans, an,
since the family name was unpro
nounceable they were called Mohical
Anthony, Mohican Mary, and so on
each being given a name. They re
mafhed O long while In Schenectad
and learned much of the white man
customs. OF course they were yer
4 8Iatelul 10 tHe man VINO mad save
the fathers life by giving a whole sea
4 sons catch of pelts, which he woul
otherwise have sold for more tina
f100, or $500. 1t was winter when tn
family came to abide with the Va
Schoonhovens, and they spent a Christ
mas there. Katrina Van Schoonhove
tried to explain to them how st. Niche
las would come down the chimney o
Christmas morning, but they could nc
see how he could drive his sleigh u
on to the roof of the cabin.
But when on Christmas eve the chi
dren were told to hang their moccasin
to the chimney piece and the mex
morning received them full Of toy
they believed what had been told then
The Van Schoonhovens, father an
mother, were much amused one Chris
mas morning to find that the Indian
had placed boards against the side {
he cabin so that St Nicholas coul
Rive his RENDERS up ON to the roof.
In the early spring Mohican Al
/&nnn hf. xx-ffa anH HE obtIdr~o.. Al,