The Belding banner-news., 1921-12-21

ne peninsula oil MlcniBdu, WheiS
once the Red Man roamed untram-
meled amidst the great pine forests,
abounds in Indian legends, Strange,
indeed, were the tales told by the
aborigines Of lakes, rivers ana hills
IN the early days.
Yet one of the strangest stories,
which is not all legend but which is
partly the white mans story, is the
tale of the haunted lake, the face IN
the sky and the buried gold which
never has been found, although
searching parties from time to time
have made efforts to locate it.
The tale itself concerns Lake Wa
basis, rather large inland sheet of
water lying in Oakfield township,
Kent county, near Greenville; to
Chief Wabasis, himself, who met
tragic death; of his rival, Neogwa-
nah, ani of an uncanny voice from
the sky.
The first event leading up to the
tragedy and subsequent ghost story
occurred in 1885 when Indians along
the Grand river, or O-Wash-Ta-
Nong, held council in the vicinity of
Grand Rapids to consider proposal
from the government for the pur-
chase of their land ana their remov-
| al to new home near the Mississip-
pi river
At this meeting Wabasis, half
breed, known as the White Swan and
Neoggamah, full blood Indian,
strove for the leadership of the
tribe, Wabasis favoring acceptance
Of the white mans proposal and Ne
ogganth opposing lit. The argu-
ments of Wabasis prevailed, howev-
er, and it was decides TO accept the
proposition. Wabasis was sent to
Washington, along with other chiefs
to sign the necessary treaty.
During his absence the chief Ne
/ ogamah was subjected to r!dicule for
having been outgeneraled by his riv-
al and when Wabasis returned from
the conference the chief who had o.
mained at home was his deac liest
enemy.
Neoggamah had some followers in
{ the tribe and before the return OF
Wabasis he and his friencs had sue
ceeded in opening the minds of the
other Indians to the suspicion that
all was not right as regarded the
treaty
So it was that when Wabasis re-
( turned from Washington he hadn't
as many friends in the tribe as he
had when he left for the capitol.
Another thing which brought him
! into almost immediate disfavor
shortly after his return was his an
rouncement that the Indians were to
receive no god for their lands, mere
/ w being given home in the west
which, he declared. was much super
or to the tract they occupied in
Michigan.
Matters came to such a state that
Wabasis was brought before the
tribe for trial and it was on this oc-
cason that Neoggamah showed his
craftiness in pleading for the life OF
the now discredited White Swan.
Convicted Of being traitor, Wa
basis thereupon was given one OF
the oldest sentences ever given by
a Judge. red or white.
IL was ecided to keep him prison
er, with his squaw and papoose, IN
a narrow strip of land on the shores
of the lake which afterward bore his
name. Boundaries were set over
which, on pain of death, he was new
er to step.
For a number Of years Wabasi:
and his family lived in the narrow
strip of land, subsisting upon tisf
from the lake and game hunted II
the nearby woods. On small por
ton OF his land he raised littl'
corn.
Members Of the tribe never visit
ed him excepting to taunt, and al
his dealings were with Indians o.
other tribes or with travellers will
whoa he bartered for tobacco.
But even in his exile Wsbas's wa'
not safe from the machinat 'ons o
his enemy Neoggamah, for the latte
had not yet finished with the maj
who had beaten him in argumen
before the whole tribe.
AMI IL was with no peaceful
thoughts in his head that Neogga
NAH one day sought out Wabasi
with an invitation for the latter t
attend feast Of corn which was Z
be held near what is now Plainfiel
lust to the north Of Grand Rapids.
At first Wabasis demurred. II
didn't care to be executed for disc
| bevinp the sentence of the tribe, bu
| Neoggamah prevailed upon him
| 90 by informing him that most Q
| those who had been present when h
was sentenced had died and that e.
rest of the tribe had practically foi
gotten the matter.
| Wabasis at first was skeptical bl
when he got to thinking over ma
tiers the call of the corn dance wa
too strong and when the feast ws
| he'd the exiled chief was in the hug
throng.
As the rude music wave1 fast'
and faster and the bodies of II
hraves swung in rhythm to the fral
tic beat of the tom tom and the
| was whiskey, many of the i
| dians be anne gloriouslv drunk.
The orgy ended in the murder
| Wabasis, probably by the ham,
| Neoggamah, although history do
not saw. the fact remains, howeve
| that Wabasis was slain, but wheth
bv tomahawk or knife there Is
record.
The same night the dead chief. W
buried. not as we If TO 'av knC
but buried in the Indian fashion II
body all but the head. was interr