The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-03-18

tNe UldleCI 1OI j, we nave 1oca-lil-ho, VI
giving hina the Cherokee pronuncia-
ton, we have Isa-hee-na, then intro
ducing the k, the sign of the definite
article, we have Isa-k-hee-na, or writ
ten euphonically Isaqueena, the way
or path of the Deer's Head.
Could anything be palmer even to
one not familiar with the tongue of
the Red man than that these two hy-
bred words refer to the same person?
But what is still more remarkable is
the fact that hate and derision, just
such as we would expect from savage
hearts, are inwoven into the very
form of the words. The change or
translation from the original Choc-
taw to Cateechee, which, as we have
already seen, embodies the derisicn
of the Cherokees, was equal to saying
in derision "Choctaw Deer's Head,
Cherokee Rabbits Head" Again the
change of their derisive name to lsa-
queena is thoroughly in keeping with
the naivete of these savages. Now
that she has out-witted them and
leaped down the chasm, with her babe
bound to her back, as supposed, to
her death, thus disappointing them in
their desire to punish her, they
change eehe to the tongue of their
hated enemies. She is Isl now, or
Isa, the ehoctaw deer, so they NAM
ed the place of escape Isaqeuena, The
way of the Deer's Head of the Hated
Choctaws. In every particular these
two hybred words breathe the most
convincing internal evidence to the
truth of the traction.
Ninety-Six was a settlement IN
1850 and Adair stayed in the house
with Captain Francis some time dur
ing that year. If Captain Francis
had a dwelling there in 1850 it must
have been before that date. The
place was called Ninety-six in 1850
and Adair says it was so called be-
cause it was that distance from Kee-
owee. If it was NinetySSix in 1850
then it mast have been called by that
name prior to that time, when no In
,Han papers ofzany consequence were
kept by the Colonial s:govegnment.
Therefore, the heroic ride of Catee-
chee took place prior to 1850. That
is settled fact.
Christian Priber, a German jesuit,
was among the Gherokses FROM I 2 / 1885,
174s in the interest .of the FGench'
: He adopted their mode Of life, spoke
and wrote their langaage perfectly
says Adair, and instigpated them
against the English settlements
Therefore, ti1.s incident of catec-
ehee's ride, to save her lover, neces-
sarily took place before 1850. Pr:ber
wrought among them tshp to'f4s,
when he was: captured and barely
ESCAPED with his life in the blowing
up Of a magazine while II prison IN
Mobile, Ala. Adair regrets the de-
struction by fire of The papers bf Pri-
,ber. Therefore, if Nhety-Six;Fwas go
called in 1850, may it not have been
in l74s-9, and may not the attempted
foray have been one: of the EIstiga-
tions wrought cut by Priber before
l74S, and may not the full account
of that which has been saved by ira
dition have been written out by
Priber and burned in Mobile?' Ger
tainly no legend was ever better sus-
tanned by facts, coincidents and
plausible circumstant!al evidence as
well as by facts which are inherent IN
the names which survive. ri,
:: Again, Quo-ran-he-quah, as AdaEr
informs US, was a grea. camping
ground for the traders as early as
1880, then why not have estimated
the distance to Coronaca, and why
not have called it Eighty-Four if the
designation of a mere stopping place
wa; intended and nothing more? II
the term meant the distance with
nctltng else connected with it that
would have. been the natural conelu-
sion: But alas for the Legend
Busters"-and a pitiable set they are
they would ignore the chiefest fac
tor that gives charm to history. The
imagination is just as necessary to
readable history as the bare record
or bare facts for it invests history
with it's romantic side.
In the light of these facts l leave
an enlightened public to Judge the
merits of the claims of Cateechee's
ride and heroic leap down 1saqueena