IROOUOIS MYTHS AND LEGENDS 



2 9 



customary fluency. Her journalistic work became neglected and 

 she was unable to finish her work on myths and mystics of the 

 Iroquois, which now forms the basis of this volume. 



On the evening of November 18th she was invited to take dinner 

 with Chief Tahamont of the Abenakis, his family and friends at 

 the chief's residence on West 26th street. The Indians waited 

 anxiously for her appearance and finally fearing that something 

 serious had detained her dispatched one of their number, a young 

 Mohawk, to her home. Upon his arrival at the house he entered, 

 there being no response to his rapping, and found her unconscious 

 where she had fallen. She was yet breathing but expired before 

 a physician arrived. Upon her desk was an almost illegible note 

 which she had left for the writer of this sketch just before she 

 fell. She wrote that she felt death upon her and left directions as 

 to certain matters. The day of her death was the first on which 

 the writer had been absent from her home for several weeks. 



The Indians of New York were immediately notified and 50 

 came from all parts of the State to attend the funeral. Some were 

 engaged in their farm work when the telegram was handed them 

 and in order to reach New York in time some came just as they 

 were, rather than miss the only train which would bring them to 

 the funeral. Her faithful friends to the last were the " pagans " 

 who allowed neither ceremony nor convention to prevent them 

 from carrying out the honors due the noble dead. After their 

 ancient way they addressed her as she lay in state and poured out 

 their grief to the spirit which they believed hovered over the body. 

 The Indian matrons who were present placed about her neck the 

 sacred beads and the men placed a pair of moccasins at her feet. 

 Charms and death journey requisites were also placed at her side. 

 The chieftain emblem, a string of purple wampum which had lain 

 above her was lifted and outspread again in the form of " the 

 horns " of a chief's office. The wampum was then handed to 

 Joseph Keppler, a New York publisher who for several years had 

 studied with Mrs Converse and to whom the Senecas had given a 

 national adoption. His clan name is Gy-ant-wa-ka, the name 

 once held by the celebrated Cornplanter. Mr Keppler accepted 

 the wampum and his election as the successor of Mrs Converse 

 afterward was confirmed by the Indians on the reservations. 



After the funeral ceremony (November 22) which was held in 

 the Merritt Chapel on 8th avenue, Rev. Dr Sill of St Chrysostom's 

 Chapel, of which Mrs Converse was a member, officiating, her 

 body was shipped to Elmira for interment. 



