Year: 1872

From the Milwaukee Sentinel.l


On the whole line OF the Mississippi


river there is not, perhaps, any grande


scenery than that about Lansing, Iowa


A short distance below the town, on tn,
west side of the river, stands nobl,


bluff, shooting up almost perpendicu


larly to the height of four hundred feet


The base of the bluff, which is only {


few rods from the waters edge, is frontec


by sloping beach, thick set with rough


Jagged rocks, among which few stunteC


trees and shrubs grow. The summit o


the bluff falls off gracefully into a leve


tract of land, covered in summer with g
luxurious growth of grass and flowers
while the brink of the steep ends ab
ruptly in a broad, naked rock, from
which o. charming view Of the river


both above and below, can be had. Upon
this rock the Indians used to meet to re
count their deeds of war, engage in their
wild dances, and view the face of nature
so pleasantly spread out in broad beauty
below. Here, long ago q band belong
ing to the tribe Of the Winnebagos


had camped for the night. Among theii
number was En.ow-kaw-kaw, beautiful
girl, the daughter of Waw-ma-na-naw-
kawrkaw, the medicine man of the tribe.
There were two young men in the COM
pany, aw-chaw-ku-chaw, COM
ing thunder, and Rob-kaw, the great
hunter. They were both great favorites
with the father of that maiden, and he
had often burned incense to the Great
Spirit for victory to the one, and prac-
ticed countless incantations that the
other might return safe and successful
from the hunt. The regard which the
father had for each held him back from
even word or sign that could in any
way decide the contest in the maiden S
breast as which of the two she should
choose. The slightest indication from
him would have settled the case, but he
would not do it. Thus matters stood on
the night when the band stood about the
campfire on the broad rock overlooking
the great river. The rivals, sitting in
silent gloom at the fire, eyed each
other part, and though they had never
talked together on the subject of their
Jealousy, they instinctively understood
the whole difficulty. In full view where
the unsteady freight fell warmest, sat
the lovely En-ow-kaw-kaw on a mat,
weaving necklace OF beads. She
looked pretter than ever before in the
eyes 1of the dusky wooers. They
glanced at each other. At last one of
them spoke a word which the other con-
strued into menace, when they both
sprang to their feet, and in the madness
of rage challenged each other TO test
of courage for the hand of the young
woman, a test which was no less haz-
ardous than that of leaping over the
broad rock to the level below In an
instant they flung away their blankets,
and each eager TO be first, ran to the
edge and leaped off at once inte the
pale moonlight and the sleep of death.


The men went down the winding path
on the side of the bluff, stretched out
the mangled bodies of the foolish lovers
on the green grass, and while they stood
in dismal sorrow around them, wild,
weird strain was heard from the rock
above. En-ow. kaw.kaw was chanting
the death requiem, which told that she,
too, had decided there to end her life


Her father, the medicine man, knew the
meaning ct the song, and with step as
light and swift as tigers he assembled
the path, stole up behind her, seized her
in his arms, and bore her away. In the
morning the bodies were inferred with
all the ancestral rights OF Indian burial,
the band went gloomily away, and since
that time no camp fire has been lighted
upon the rock; but the view from the
hight is as grand as ever, and men have
agreed that the place shall always be
known by the name Of the Lover Leap.