rf N - -*. ->»5»-««'^'^-iV?'': ^^_^i^ w v»/*. '-s»^_j* *\ *3£* 4 ^ ^^^>>Q*t^- ^-.-.^ w • ^-.-.^ -«^ Jr.~B-.«. —A ^."J^*T' > ^* 1 '^^^'. »*>>'>* 1*~-^ rfV-j* y^n 1S«w Al J >\x yPf* ^ V-> i^Vi >>''* **"W J/'Y'ik s-T* ^^ 1/ -.*3i ,-'<▼ T**v. ^i'Vik .- "T ••* ^-^ifV^ 2. jfff* itiiem m. ■§• u JH — — -41 • ^Mg;: :&. * *^'^|fP^ STORIES OF MISSOURI BY / / JOHN R. MUSICK AUTHOR OF "THE COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL NOVELS' iMq- c\ NEW YORK •:• CINCINNATI-:- CHICAGO AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY " i897 I NX PR EFACE. The early inhabitants oi Missouri were a peculiar people. First oi .ill were the Indians, When they settled there, no one knows. Next came the French, then the Spaniards, and lastly the Americans. The last named were mostly from Kentucky, Tennessee, .mil Yii ginia. Nearly .ill t lu* American settlers in Missouri were the descendants oi pioneers who had grown accustomed to the trying scenes oi forest life. They were a rigidly honesl people. No locks were «>n their doors, and they had no need oi .1 11 y As they were dependent on each other for protection, what belonged to one was freely loaned to his neighbor. It .1 pioneei wanted to borrow his neighbor's ax, and did not find the man .11 home, he took the ax without asking, and returned it when done with it. rhe early Missourians were rude and uncultured, but unselfish and brave. Stories of them, and of the people who preceded and followed them, are both entertaining and instructive. They serve to explain many curious names, customs, m\(\ laws, which to a person unfamiliar with the people must remain a mystery. 5 In the preparation of these stories, the author received valuable aid from the following persons : Dr. Willis P. King, author of " Stories of a Country Doctor " ; Hon- orable A. A. Lesueur, Secretary of State for Missouri ; Honorable J. A. Wickham, Adjutant General ; Professor J. R. Kirk, State Superintendent of Public Schools ; Professor J. M. Greenwood of Kansas City; Major J. B. Merwin of St. Louis ; and Professor C. E. Ross, Secretary of the North Missouri State Normal School. Also from Colonel W. F. Switzler's " History of Mis- souri." Many of these stories have in some form been in print before, but there are a number that appear for the first time. Care has been taken to select those typical of the time, characteristic of the people, and unques- tionably true ; also to select such as throw some light on the history of Missouri. The author trusts that this little volume may stim- ulate his young readers to learn more of the great State in which they live. They can never become good citizens without having some knowledge of their own State and the people who founded it. CONTENTS. i. French and Spanish Period FAGE I. Father Marquette 9 II. The Explorations of La Salle . 14 III. The Silver Hunter . l 9 IV. The First Settlers . 24 V. Pierre Laclede, and the Hunter 3 2 VI. French Missourians . 39 VII. Attack on St. Louis . • 45 VIII. Daniel Boone in Missouri 53 IX. Maturin Bouvet and the Osages 59 2. Territorial Period. X. Louisiana Purchase ....... 66 XI. The First Schoolmasters . 72 XII. Early Missourians .... 78 XIII. Western Boatmen .... 86 XIV. The Blockhouse at the Big Spring . 96 XV. The Lewis and Clark Expedition 101 XVI. Pike in Northeast Missouri 108 XVII. Captain Cole. — A Plucky Frenchwoman 112 XVIII. Missouri Rangers .... 118 XIX. The Captive ..... 125 XX. Boone's Salt Works .... 130 XXI. Cooper and Callaway 136 XXII. The Earthquake at New Madrid 7 H3 XXIII. Missouri Territory XXIV. Fanatical Pilgrims XXV. The Early Lawyer PAGE 151 157 163 XXVI. Thomas H. Benton • 171 XXVII. Some Customs and People of the Past . 176 XXVIII. The New Capital . 183 XXIX. The Big Neck War. — The Platte Purchase . 188 XXX. The Mormons . 196 XXXI. The Honey War. — Colonel Gentry . . 208 XXXII. Doniphan and Price . . 214 4. Civil War Period. XXXIII. Border Trouble . • 223 XXXIV. A Season of Doubt . 232 XXXV. Camp Jackson • 237 XXXVI. A Governor's Flight . . 245 XXXVII. A Hero's Death . . 250 XK< I. FATHER MARQUETTE. ONE hundred and thirty-two years after De Soto discovered the Mississippi River there lived in Canada two great explorers. One was a priest known in history as Father Marquette ; the other, a fur trader named Robert de La Salle. Canada then belonged to France, and these explorers were Frenchmen. Three great European powers had at this time planted colonies in North America. The English colonies were along the Atlantic coast, the Spanish were confined to Florida and Mexico, and most of the French settle- ments were in Lower Canada. All the great country now known as the Mississippi valley was unexplored, and no one lived there except wandering tribes of Indian savages. Marquette and La Salle had heard of the mighty river from the Indians, and determined to go into the wilderness in search of it. They did not start together, and it is doubtful if one knew what the other's intentions were, for their paths in life were quite different. 9 IO The first to reach the Mississippi was the priest. Father Marquette was a good man. He did not come to the New World to gain riches, fame, or power, as did many others. He had heard that there were heathen in America who knew not the true God, and his mission to the wilderness was to teach them of the Great Being who made us. For five years he had been working in the region of the Great Lakes, and for the last two years his station was at the foot of Lake Michigan. The Indians talked very freely with Marquette about the great river and wilderness which the white men had not yet seen. In this manner they kindled within his breast a desire to visit the tribes which lived in that country. In the year 1673, with a small party, he set out on his remarkable journey. One of the men who went with him was a French- man named Joliet. This explorer was not a priest, like Father Marquette, but an ambitious man. He too was eager to see the great river and the vast country it drained, but he cared little about converting the Indians to Christianity. His object was to extend the territory and power of his king. Marquette and Joliet embarked on Lake Michigan in birch-bark canoes, and made their way up Green Bay and Fox River to the watershed between the Missis- sippi and the Lakes. Then by crossing a short portage they reached the Wisconsin River. The country be- tween the Wisconsin and the head waters of the Fox was a wild prairie, over which the boatmen were com- pelled to carry their light boats on their shoulders. Embarking on the bosom of the Wisconsin, the men II drifted down the stream in their canoes. On June 17, 1673, they discovered the Mississippi at the mouth of the Wisconsin. They then began their voyage down the larger stream. From time to time they landed and searched for Indians, but for a long time saw no sign of any. One day, when they had brought their boats near the shore, Joliet pointed to the sandy bank and said, — " There are some footprints ! " Father Marquette glanced in the direction indicated by Joliet's finger, and saw that a path had been made up the sloping bank. The priest ordered the boats to land, and went on shore. "Here is a path leading through the woods," he said. " Let us follow it." Joliet was a bold man, but for a moment he hesitated. The priest, however, knew no fear, and his companion was soon induced to accompany him and the interpret- ers along the well-beaten path. About six miles from the river they came upon an Indian village. The savages were surprised at first ; but when the interpreters made themselves known, they received the travelers very kindly, gave them some dried venison, and told them much about the country. One of the chiefs gave Marquette a calu- met. This was a pipe with a stone bowl and a stem ornamented with eagle's feathers. It was an emblem of peace. He was told that he would meet hostile Indians on his way, and that if he held up the calumet they would not harm him, but treat him as a friend. 5^ 12 Marquette and Joliet were advised, however, not to proceed down the river, for below there was a great demon which would devour them if they persisted in their journey. Despite this warning, they resumed their voyage as before. The only demons that they found were some strange paintings on a rocky bluff. Continuing down the Mississippi, supported by food obtained from the Indians along the shore, they reached the mouth of the Missouri River, where they landed. Unless De Soto or some of his party entered the terri- tory of what is now Missouri (which is doubted by some), Marquette and his followers were the first white men that did so. That great, dark stream which flowed into the Missis- sippi was called by Father Marquette Pekitanoui (pek- i-tan-o-wee), meaning " Muddy Water." The river was known as Muddy Water until 171 2, when it was named Missouri from a tribe of Indians who inhabited the country at its mouth. Resuming their voyage, the explorers floated some distance below the mouth of the Missouri, and beyond the present limits of the State. One day they discov- ered a number of Indians armed with clubs and bows and arrows, coming toward them in canoes. They saw at once that the party was hostile. The little band of adventurers were unable to defend themselves against so great odds, and their situation was desperate. When the Indians had come almost within bowshot, Father Marquette rose in his boat and held aloft the calumet. That emblem of peace was recognized, and the savages finally surrounded the white men as friends. i3 The travelers were then taken to an Indian village, where they were kindly entertained as long as they wished to stay. Marquette and Joliet gave their hosts some presents, which strengthened the bond of friend- ship. As they were not prepared to explore the river to its mouth, they now turned about and went back to the settlements in Canada, having satisfied themselves that the great river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. About two years later the priest died while on a journey in the wilderness. He had but two companions with him at the time. One supported his head, while the other held a crucifix before his eyes as long as he could see. He was buried in the forest on the shore of Lake Michigan. >*■ II. THE EXPLORATIONS OF LA SALLE. WHILE Marquette and Joliet were exploring the Mississippi, the fur trader, La Salle, was trying to raise a force for the same purpose. La Salle was a brave, ambitious, and persevering man. He was eager to extend the power of France, in the hope that by so doing he might increase his own riches and honors. The stories told by the Indians fired him with a determination to find the great river of which he had read in the old Spanish chronicles, and to take possession of it in the name of his king. The earliest French explorers had a wrong idea of the course of the Mississippi River. From what they could gather from the natives, they thought that it flowed into the Pacific, and that it would thus afford a passage to China. Such a passage would have been of great advantage to French merchants in trading with that country, since it would shorten the distance their ships had to sail, by many thousands of miles. With a party of his countrymen, La Salle set out from Montreal, by way of Lake Ontario, to find the Mississippi. His followers did not possess stout hearts like his own, and when they had marched a few days into the great forest, they began to wish themselves safely back in their settlements again. 14 i5 There were many dangers surrounding them. Not only was the wily Indian ever ready to slay them, but the dense forests abounded in bears, panthers, and poisonous reptiles, which were a constant menace to their safety. " Let us return," they implored La Salle, " or else we shall wander so far that we shall be lost in the forest and never find our way home again." But La Salle thundered back, " I will go on ! " in a voice of such determination that his followers knew it was useless to try to dissuade him. They thereupon held a consultation among themselves, and that night they one and all deserted him. On waking next morning La Salle found only the Indian guide with him. But he was so brave and so determined, that with this single companion he pushed on through the wilderness until he reached the Ohio River. He had gone too far east to strike the Missouri or the Mississippi. While he was trying to explore the Ohio to its mouth, his one remaining companion deserted him. He was now alone in an unknown wilderness, and, realizing how useless and hopeless it was to attempt to explore that vast country unaided, he turned about and wandered back to Montreal. La Salle did not despair. He went to France, and some years later secured aid and authority • from the king to explore the great river and take possession of it in his name. From the course of the tributaries of the stream which he had seen, as well as from the report of Marquette, La Salle became convinced that the great i6 Mississippi was not an outlet to China, but flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. On his return to Canada, in 1678, he secured men and supplies, built a ship on the Niagara River, and sailed up Lake Erie and Lake Huron to the foot of Lake Michigan. Then the ship was sent back, and the men made their way southward to the head of the lake in canoes. In December, 1679, with a party consisting of thirty- three men, La Salle embarked in eight canoes on the St. Joseph River in Michigan. They sailed up the stream a number of miles, then crossed the snow-cov- ered plain by a long portage to the source of the Kanka- kee River, and then floated down this till they reached the Illinois. Here at a point below Peoria Lake they went into camp and built a fort. The Illinois Indians, because of mistreatment by some French traders, had become very hostile, and for some time it seemed as if the expedition would be a failure. But La Salle made a treaty with them, by which he promised to protect them against their enemies. It became necessary for La Salle to make a trip from his fort on the Illinois to Canada for more supplies, and to look after some of his affairs, which were in a very confused state. On reaching Montreal, he made a last effort to appease his creditors and borrow money for his new equipment. He succeeded ; but soon came the news that the men left in the fort had deserted him. Undismayed, he once more gathered a band of followers and set out for the Illinois by the same dreary route through lake, river, and forest. i7 La Salle's original plan was to build a large vessel with which to explore the Mississippi, but he had not obtained sufficient money and implements to construct such a craft, and the desertion of his men put an end to the enterprise. This time, therefore, he decided to make the trip down the stream in canoes. With twenty Frenchmen and twenty-eight Indians, he ascended the Chicago River, crossed a portage, and embarked on the Illinois River, in these rude boats. It was early in 1682, nine years after the priest Mar- quette had discovered the Mississippi and Missouri. The weather was very cold, and the men suffered much ; but with the determined perseverance so charac- teristic of La Salle, they continued their voyage down the stream. At the mouth of the Illinois, they entered the Missis- sippi River ; then, continuing down, they reached the STO. OF MO. i8 mouth of the Missouri. Here they landed and rested for a short time. Again white men were in what is now the State of Missouri. La Salle was earnestly warned by the Indians not to proceed further down the river, and was told that there was a great demon below that would destroy him ; but he was not the man to be frightened at such tales. With his followers, he explored the Mississippi to its very mouth, confirming his opinion that it flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. On April 9, 1682, La Salle in a formal manner took possession of the whole Mississippi valley, in the name of the King of France. In honor of Louis XIV., the reigning king, the ex- plorer named the new territory Louisiana. What is now known as Missouri formed a part of that great country, as did all the territory between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains; and for more than a hundred years afterwards this region was called by the name Louisiana. Five years later, La Salle met his death in the wilder- ness of Texas, while leading a small party through that country. He became involved in a quarrel with his men, and was shot from ambush by one of them, named Duhaut. III. THE SILVER HUNTER. ABOUT thirty-five years after La Salle took pos- session of Louisiana for France, the region was placed under the control of a company of traders and speculators, known as the Mississippi Company. New Orleans was built and was for a long time the chief town in the Mississippi valley ; and gradually trading posts and forts, which afterwards became settlements and towns, were established farther up the river. Two of the most important of these, Kaskaskia and Fort Chartres, were in what is now known as Illinois. At that time, however, this name was given to a much larger region, Missouri itself being included in what was called the Illinois District. One of the directors of the Mississippi Company was Sieur Renault (sometimes spelled Renaud), the son of a celebrated iron founder of France. Renault was already a rich man, but, being of an adventurous spirit and having heard much of the New World, he deter- mined to try his fortunes there. It was believed by him, and by many others of his time, that there were rich gold and silver mines in Missouri. Perhaps this belief was founded on the traditions of the Indians. In 1 719, Renault, with two hundred miners and 19 20 mechanics, sailed from France to America. He stopped at Santo Domingo on his way, and purchased a large number of slaves for working the mines. Some histo- rians say he bought five hundred. These slaves were mostly negroes who had been brought by the Spaniards from Africa to work in their gold and silver mines in Santo Domingo. Renault did not linger long on his way, for next year (1720) he was at Fort Chartres, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, about ten miles above the present site of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. The wild shores on the Missouri side, with their high hills, bluffs, and deep forests, seemed to his imagination filled with hidden treasure ; and from Fort Chartres he sent frequent expeditions over into what is now Mis- souri to explore for silver. Not receiving any satisfactory report from his men, he himself crossed the river with a party, among whom was a man named La Motte, a relative of the acting governor of the company. They journeyed far into the wilderness, braving many dangers, and digging wherever they thought silver might be found. One day, while Renault was in advance with a party of slaves and prospectors, they were attacked by a large brown bear, which charged on them with great fury. Renault's companions fled, but he himself remained near a tree, and when the ferocious beast was quite close, leveled his gun and shot it in the brain. Hearing the report of the gun, the men came back and found the silver hunter standing over the dead bear. 21 "You have done a great thing," said one of the miners; "you have slain a monster bear." "Yes," replied Renault, "but had I depended on you, it might have slain me." Though the followers of Renault were ashamed of their conduct, they had such dread of the forest, that they could hardly be persuaded to venture further. But they were soon joined by La Motte, who with a few miners and slaves had been separated from the rest for several days ; and the whole party then con- tinued their explorations together. They prosecuted their search for silver with great diligence. Nearly all of what is now Ste. Genevieve County was explored by them. Shafts were sunk and mines opened. Lead was found in abundance, but practically no silver. Many of Renault's old mines, overgrown with trees and covered with moss, have been rediscovered by more recent explorers. One, the " Mine La Motte," is still operated, and is still known by the name its discoverers gave it. It is beyond question the oldest mine in Missouri. One day some of Renault's miners, who had been on a prospecting tour, told him of a wonderful cavern they had found. The silver hunter set out with them to see it. Reaching a rocky ledge, the prospectors led him into the entrance of an immense cave. They had with them some pine knots for torches ; and, lighting these, they proceeded to explore the won- derful place. They first came to a vast underground chamber. A succession of passages led from this, and in them were millions of pounds of lead ore adhering 22 to the sides, roof, and bottom. Not only did the men discover lead, but zinc and iron ores also, although these were not present in so large quantities as the lead. This cavern is to-day known as the " Valle Mines," and is among the richest lead-producing mines in Mis- souri. It was named for one of the early settlers in Ste. Genevieve, of whom we shall hear later. Renault and his companions did not attempt to work it, as they had other mines more convenient to Fort Chartres. Failing to find silver in paying quantities, Renault became disheartened. One evening, as he sat by the camp fire, lamenting his failure, a companion asked, — " Why don't you dig for lead ? You would get more silver for it than you will ever find in these rocks and hills." The idea struck the silver hunter very favorably, and he determined at once to act upon it. Next day he proceeded to open up two mines, and set his slaves to taking out lead ore ; and he also constructed rude fur- naces for smelting it. Before long a number of other mines were opened and worked quite extensively ; but just how many were operated by Sieur Renault and his miners is not positively known. After the lead had been smelted and separated from the dross, it was carried away on pack horses. The pack saddle in that day was a very rude affair. It was built on a forked stick, placed so that one fork came down on each side of the horse. Suspended from this were large pockets of leather, which would hold as much as the animal could carry. When the pack horses were loaded, a whole caravan 23 of them was sent in charge of a man or boy along the narrow path through the forest to the river opposite Fort Chartres. The lead was then taken across the river in boats, while driv- er and pack horses returned to the mines and furnaces for ** '•&*& '\J_ more. From Fort Chartres the lead was sent down the Mis- sissippi to New Orleans, and afterwards was conveyed to France. Just how much lead was produced in Mis- souri in those early days is not known. Some writers say the amount was small, some that it was consid- erable. Renault failed to find silver, but he will ever be re- membered as the first man who carried on a productive enterprise in Missouri. He opened mines for an ore of greater value to mankind than silver. IV. THE FIRST SETTLERS. ABOUT the year 1730, there lived at Fort Chartres, in Illinois, two Frenchmen, named Francis and Jean Baptiste Valle. These men were brothers, and were noted for their honesty, kindness, and bravery. While members of the Mississippi Company and others from New Orleans and France were searching the rocks and hills of Missouri for gold and silver, these brothers and some friends were traveling through that country, trad- ing with the Indians. They gave the Indians blankets, hatchets, beads, trin- kets, and other things valued by the savages, and re- ceived in exchange various kinds of furs. When they traveled on water, they loaded their boats with such merchandise as was suitable for their trade, and pad- dled along the streams. Sometimes they would be sev- eral clays going from one Indian village to another. When they arrived at one, either Francis or his brother stood up in the boat, holding in one hand a calumet, and in the other some article of traffic. These meant peace and a desire to trade. Then they would land, and transact their business by means of an interpreter whom they had with them. But they did not always travel by water. Sometimes 24 25 they loaded their goods on pack horses, and went sev- eral days' journey into the forests of Missouri, visiting far-off tribes. When a large number of valuable furs had been collected, they were sent down the river to New Orleans, and from there taken in ships to France. These early traders were very much pleased with the country on the west side of the river, and began to think seriously of crossing over and establishing a trading post there. The soil was fertile, and the Indians were peace- able. A trading post in Missouri, they reasoned, would be much more convenient than Fort Chartres. Accordingly, about the year 1735, the Valle brothers and several of their friends crossed the river with their families, and established a post, which in time grew into the town of Ste. Genevieve. Its site, however, was three miles distant from the present town of the same name. The post consisted chiefly of one large blockhouse, in which the commandant lived, and which served as the common storehouse ; but there were a few smaller houses as well. The blockhouse was intended also to be a refuge for all the people in case of an attack by Indians ; and it was provided with portholes from which to fire upon the assailants. These were the first settlers in Missouri. Their names, so far as known, were as follows : Francis Valle, commandant of the post; Jean Baptiste Valle, his brother ; Joseph Loiselle, Jean Baptiste Maurice, Fran- cis Coleman, Jacques Boyer, Henri Maurice, Parfant Dufour, Louis Boidue, B. N. James, and J. B. T. Pratt. They were men of simple habits and strong constitu- tions, as honest as they were hospitable ; and they 26 cheerfully adapted themselves to their circumstances. Rich and handsome clothing was unknown to them. The men wore homespun trousers, blue woolen shirts, moccasins, and a coon-skin cap in summer ; to this in winter they added buckskin leggings and a hunting shirt made of the skin of some wild animal. The clothing of the women was equally simple. A dress of calico, a Spanish mantilla thrown over the shoulders, and a handkerchief tied carelessly about the neck — this was the usual attire of a Missouri lady of that day. There was no effort at display. Their homes were rude log huts, with chimneys made of sticks and mud, though some of the better houses had chimneys of stone. Few houses had more than one room, with one door and one window. Contentment and prosperity blessed these first set- tlers. The hardships and privations which they suf- fered in common served but to bind them more closely together. Disputes and lawsuits were almost unknown, and for many years this little settlement formed, as it were, one family. On the death of Francis Valle, the first commandant, his brother Jean Baptiste was selected for that important post. The commandant was the ruler of the little colony. He was the judge and governor in peace, and the leader in time of war. Jean Baptiste Valle was regarded with all the respect of a king, yet his rule was more like a father's than a sovereign's. The men of the settlement were usually occupied in hunting deer and elk, trapping beaver, mink, and otter, and trading with the Indians. The rifle furnished much of their clothing and most of the food for the family ; 27 for wild game of all kinds was found in abundance. Half a dozen hides could nearly always have been seen tacked up on the outside of the house to dry. But hunting, trapping, and trading were not the only indus- tries of these first settlers. They early discovered that the soil was productive, and began to plant corn and to sow wheat. At first they produced only enough to sup- ply their own wants, but this was the beginning of the great agricultural industry in Missouri. Their farming implements were of the simplest kind, and were mostly of home make. Their plow, for in- stance, was made from a forked tree, cut off near the point of branching. One fork was left long enough to serve as a pole to which to attach a yoke of oxen, while the other fork was cut off about two feet from the trunk, and sharpened to pierce the earth. A pair of rude han- dles were then fastened to the top, and the plow was complete. The products of the chase, mines, trapping, and trad- ing were sent down the river to New Orleans in barges or flatboats constructed by the settlers, who brought back in return articles needful for their own comfort and for traffic with the Indians. The voyages down the river were long and tedious, and were attended with great danger. When fathers, brothers, and friends departed on these journeys, it was months before they returned. Hostile Indians often attacked them, and the treacherous stream was filled with hidden snags and sand bars, which sometimes destroyed their boats. But the bold pioneers of Ste. Genevieve braved all these dangers. On reaching 28 New Orleans they laid their boats along the levees, sought out the French ships which were in the harbor, and exchanged their peltries and lead for such articles as they needed. After the settlers had finished their trading, the hardest task of all yet lay before them. Going down the stream they usually floated with the current, aided by sweeps or large . oars ; but the return trip K was difficult. A mast was / I sometimes rigged on each ™3-m boat, and if the wind was favorable they spread their sails and glided on their way towards home. Often, however, the wind was contrary or the river was crooked, so that they could not use a sail to any ad- vantage. Then they were compelled to cordelle the boat up the stream. The boatmen walked along the shore, and by aid of a long rope pulled the boat after One or two were left on board to steer, and keep the prow from running into the bank. In this way many a weary day was passed before they came to the end of their journey. But the life of the first French settlers in Missouri was not all toil and hardship. They had various kinds them. 2 9 of amusements and merrymakings, among which the " king's ball " held an important place. It occurred once a year and was looked forward to with eagerness by both young and old. Every inhabitant of the vil- lage was in attendance. One feature of this ball was the cutting and eating of a large cake in which had been placed four beans. Each person getting a bean in his slice was to be one of the " kings " or leaders of the next ball. Another gathering was known as the "guinolee." This was a masked ball which afforded much amuse- ment. Among the men, old-fashioned " shooting matches" were a favorite sport. These brought about a perfection in marksmanship that has never been ex- celled, and that was of great advantage to them in their forest life. History leaves but a brief record of these first set- tlers. For over half a century little is known of them. In 1785, however, a flood in the Mississippi destroyed the old town of Ste. Genevieve, and the settlers then moved their homes to the present site. Mingled with the early history of Ste. Genevieve are a number of legends, among which is the story of an Indian maiden whose name is not known. Several years after the settlement had been established, there came to the village a young French trader named Francis Maisonville. While trading with some Indians, he met this Indian maiden and loved her. His love was returned, and they were married by a priest. For some reason the dusky friends of the bride opposed this union, and one day, while the husband was absent, her 30 brother, with some of his companions, seized her and carried her away into the wilderness. When the husband returned and found his wife gone, he summoned some white friends and set out to over- take the Indians and bring her back. But the cunning savages waded long distances in streams, walked back- wards, and used many other devices to conceal their trail and confuse their pursuers as to the course they had taken. After days of fruitless search, the white men gave up the chase in despair, and returned to Ste. Genevieve. Meanwhile, the bride had been taken to an Indian village about six days' journey from Ste. Genevieve. Here she was kept in an Indian wigwam, guarded by two aged squaws. One night the old women, worn out with watching, fell asleep. A gentle rain was falling, as the prisoner knew by the patter on the wigwam. Ever watchful for an opportunity to escape, she crawled stealthily to the door. She moved as noise- lessly as possible, for all depended upon her not arous- ing the sleeping women. Her hands and feet were tied with strips of deerskin. Holding her wrists out under the drip from the wigwam, she soon wet the thongs, which were then easily stretched so that she slipped her hands out. Then she untied her feet, and, after giving the sleep- ing women a careful glance, ran out into the darkness and rain. She had been gone but a few minutes when her guards awoke and gave the alarm. The brother hastily summoned his fleetest warriors and started in pursuit. 3i For many days the young bride fled through the for- est, subsisting on wild berries and fruits. Sometimes her brother and his friends were so near that she could hear them. One night she crawled into a hollow log to rest. She had been there but a few minutes when she heard the voices of her brother and his warriors close at hand. They built a camp fire near by, and her brother sat on the very log in which she was hiding, while he and his warriors toasted their venison ; but so quiet did she remain that they suspected nothing, and at early dawn they departed. When they were gone she crept from her hiding place, and resumed her journey. At last she reached her home. The husband, almost broken-hearted, was in the cabin when she entered. He was overjoyed to see her, and for fear that her relatives might steal her away again, he took her to live in the blockhouse, or fort. Her brother and rela- tives after a time became reconciled to the marriage, and were ever after the steadfast friends of young Maisonville. The Peoria Indians, who lived in the country around Ste. Genevieve, were more industrious than most of the aborigines. They were strong and straight, and fine specimens of manhood. The women were beautiful, and swift on foot. The honesty and fairness with which the first settlers treated the Indians, prevented misunderstanding and war. Justice was practiced by both races, and the colonists long lived by the side of the Indians in peace. V. PIERRE LACLEDE, AND THE HUNTER. IN November, 1762, France ceded all the vast country then known as Louisiana to Spain. For political reasons, this transaction was kept a profound secret, and the inhabitants of Upper Louisiana did not know of it for several years. The King of France and his officers continued to govern the country as before. In February, 1763, the king ceded to Great Britain all his territory east of the Mississippi, except New Orleans, in spite of the fact that he had previously given a por- tion of the same country to Spain. This treaty was at once made public, and the people of Louisiana soon heard all about it. Fort Chartres, in Illinois, had up to this time been the seat of government and the center of trade for Upper Louisiana, or, as it was sometimes called, the Illinois District. According to the treaty, this town was to be surrendered to the British, and so a new location for government and trade had to be selected for the territory west of the Mississippi River. The colonial treasury was empty, and the govern- ment was unable to build a post in the wilderness. Therefore it was decided to give some private company the exclusive right to trade with the Indians, on condi- 32 33 tion that it should select a site and build the post. This monopoly of the fur trade was to extend throughout the north and northwest of the territory. The firm of Maxent, Laclede & Company received the grant. They fitted out an expedition which left New Orleans August 3, 1763, and wintered at Fort Chartres. The leader of this expedition was the junior member of the firm, and is known in history as Pierre Laclede, though his full name was Pierre Laclede Ligueste. He was a Frenchman, born in Bion, near the base of the Pyrenees Mountains. Trained as a merchant, he seems to have been possessed of intelligence and foresight, as was shown in his selection of the site for the post. During the winter of 1763-4, while his men were quartered at Fort Chartres, Laclede explored the west shore of the Mississippi below the mouth of the Mis- souri. He finally chose as the place for his post the spot where the city of St. Louis now stands. In Feb- ruary, 1764, he sent Auguste Chouteau and a band of workmen to make a clearing and to begin building log cabins at this place. A number of French families crossed over from Fort Chartres, and soon a flourish- ing settlement was established. Laclede called his new town St. Louis, in honor of the King of France ; for it was not yet known even to the leaders that this territory had passed under Spanish control. He laid it out in regular blocks and streets, some of which still bear the names he gave them. His store was on Main Street, in front of the place where the Merchants' Exchange now stands. The firm of Maxent, Laclede & Company, sometimes STO. OF MO. — 3 34 known as the "Louisiana Fur Company," soon did a thriving business. Almost every day the streets of the little town were filled with Indians, bringing furs to trade for such articles as they wanted. A look into the company's store would astonish one accustomed to modern shops. One would see rifles, powder, bullets, hatchets, knives, blankets, gay-colored handkerchiefs, and every trinket calculated to please the savage fancy. In the year 1765 Fort Chartres was surrendered by the French to the British. Captain Sterling was the English officer who took possession of the post. St. Ange de Belle Rive, the French commander of Fort Chartres upon its surrender, removed with his officers 35 and troops to St. Louis on July 17, 1765. From that time the new settlement was considered the capital of Upper Louisiana. Immediately upon his arrival, St. Ange assumed control, though it is doubtful if he had any legal authority to do so. St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, and a small settlement at New Madrid were the only white settlements at this time in what is now Missouri ; but others soon sprang up on the fertile banks of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The mildness of the government, and the liber- ality with which land grants were made, in addition to the advantages which the trade of the country offered, attracted immigration from Canada and Lower Louisiana. Vide Poche, afterwards called Carondelet, in honor of the Baron de Carondelet, was founded by Delor de Tregette in 1767. In 1776, Florisant settlement, after- wards called St. Ferdinand, in honor of the King of Spain, was founded by Beaurosier Dunegant. The vil- lage which sprang up about the settlement was subse- quently named Florisant, while the township in which it is situated is known as St. Ferdinand. These settle- ments are all in St. Louis County, and Carondelet is to-day a suburb of the city of St. Louis. The rich alluvial soil of the valley yielded an abun- dance to the settlers. The Indian fur trade became extensive, and St. Louis rapidly grew into prominence, not only among the French and Spanish, but also among the English, who were now gradually coming across the Alleghanies into the Ohio valley. Among the earliest French settlers in St. Louis was 36 a man named Blanchette, a friend of Laclede and Chouteau. He loved the forest, and preferred hunting to cultivating the soil or trading with the Indians ; so he came to be called " Blanchette Chasseur," or Blan- chette the Hunter. He would spend days alone in the forest with his gun and dogs. On account of rattle- snakes and copperheads, which were abundant, he often climbed into the branches of a tree to sleep. Once, having chased a wounded deer until darkness came upon him, he looked about for a tree in which to pass the night. A large oak with thick clusters of branches and dense foliage seemed to invite him to repose in its bushy top. He climbed to the first fork and took the most comfortable position he could find. Hanging his rifle by a leather strap on a small branch at his side, he prepared to sleep. His faithful clogs, which had been following the deer, returned to their master shortly after he was in his strange bed, and set up a tremendous howling. He spoke to them and ordered them away, but all to no purpose. They remained beneath the tree, barking furiously. " Something is wrong," thought the hunter, "or those dogs would not act in this way." He crept down from the tree, and with his flint and steel kindled a fire. As the light ascended into the branches, he saw a pair of fiery eyes not ten feet from where he had been resting. The hunter raised his rifle, took aim, and fired. An enormous panther fell, mor- tally wounded. The dogs leaped on it, and though it was dying, it succeeded in killing one of them. Blanchette was not only a great marksman, but a 37 great horseman as well, and many stories are told of his skill with horse and rifle. He was once hunting with an Indian friend when they started up a fine fat buck. The Indian fired and missed. " Never mind ; I will get it for you," said Blanchette ; and he galloped away after the deer, which was running toward the river. When the animal reached the water's edge it turned *~ north, whereupon the hunter cut across through the wood to head it off. He came out within a hundred paces of it, and horse and deer sped along neck and neck. Blanchette dropped the rein, and, raising his rifle, brought down the deer at the first shot without slackening his speed. He gave it to his Indian friend, and an hour later had shot one for himself. In 1768, attracted by the abundant game north of the Missouri River, he crossed that stream and built a log cabin. The advantages for hunting and trapping here 38 were so much superior to those south of the river, that he induced some friends to join him. In 1769, he established the post of Les Petites Cotes. A fort was built here, and a settlement sprang up around it, — the first in the present State north of the Missouri. The name was afterwards changed from Les Petites Cotes to St. Charles, which is the name it bears to-day. Thus the cities of St. Louis and St. Charles were founded. Laclede, the founder of St. Louis, died of a fever in June, 1778, while on his way home from New Orleans with a fleet of " keel boats." After his death, Colonel Auguste Chouteau became the owner of his residence. It was enlarged and beautified, and for many years was the finest house in St. Louis. The fate of Blanchette the Hunter is not positively known. Some think he was killed by the Indians, while others say that he died of sickness in St. Charles, the town which he had founded. VI. FRENCH MISSOURIANS. WHEN Great Britain took possession of the country east of the Mississippi, many of the French fami- lies living in Illinois moved to Missouri. By doing so, they supposed that they were still French subjects, for they had not yet heard of the treaty by which Spain acquired all of Louisiana west of the great river. Although they were too far removed from any nation to be much influenced by political changes, they all preferred the French rule to any other. In their manner of settling the French differed from all the other European colonists in America. They preferred to gather in compact little villages, instead of making their homes on separate and often distant farms, as was the custom of the English. The French towns were usually to be found on the margin of a prairie or the banks of some river. The streets were long and narrow, with the dwellings so close together that the sociable villagers could converse with their neighbors from their windows and doorways. Such were the early villages of St. Louis, Ste. Gene- vieve, and St. Charles, which for some time were the largest settlements in Upper Louisiana. They were small patriarchal hamlets, each like one great family 39 40 clustered about a parental home. The houses were simple and much alike, being usually one story high, and surrounded by sheds or galleries. The walls were constructed of rude framework, with upright corner posts and studding, connected horizontally by means of numerous cross ties, not unlike the rounds of a ladder. These held the "cat and clay " (hair or grass and mud) with which the intervening spaces were filled, and which formed a sort of plastering for the inside surface. Each homestead was in a separate lot, inclosed by a rude picket fence. Nearly every village had a common field consisting of hundreds, and often thousands, of acres of uninclosed land. This was free to all for use as a common pasture and for obtaining fuel and timber. In addition to this, each settler had his own field for agriculture. The French pioneers in Missouri were generally a merry people. One writer says of them, — "Care was a stranger in those early days. Amusements, festivals, and holidays made the people happy and content, though in the wilderness and secluded from the great civilized world. While the young and the gay danced, the aged patriarch and his companion looked on and smiled. Even the priest sanctioned and blessed the innocent amusement and recreation." Feasting, dancing, and other amusements were not confined to either sex nor to any class. In the dance, all participated, the bond and the free alike. Even the red men and women from the forest often came to share in the revelry. The Indians regarded the settlers as their friends, 41 and trusted them fully. The French policy towards them was so fair that Missouri did not suffer from the desolating Indian wars which so frequently ravaged the English colonies. In the treatment of slaves, also, the French were so gentle and kind that a writer of the time says, " The world has never seen a more contented and happy people than the negro slaves of the early French of Upper Louisiana." Statute books, lawyers, courts, and prisons were un- heard of among these first settlers. Every man ren- dered unto every other his just due; consequently there was no need of them. Hospitality was a duty, and taverns were unknown ; for every man's door was open to the traveler and stranger. This social charac- teristic is well illustrated by the story of an English- man who came down the river in his boat, and landed at St. Louis. He approached a house in front of which a number of people were gathered, and asked, — " Is this a tavern ? " " No," was the answer. The perplexed traveler pointed to another house and asked, — "Is that a tavern ? " "No." " Will you show me one ? " he asked. The Englishman was astonished when his informer said, — "We have none." " No tavern ! " he cried. " Then where am I to sleep to-night, — in my open boat, or under a tree ? " The Frenchman answered, — 42 "There are many houses here; why not sleep in one of them ? " The traveler then saw that the villagers were offering him the hospitality of their homes. He was entertained that night by Colonel Chouteau. A long war between France and Great Britain had just ended, and the French in Missouri, though removed from the scenes of hostility, had been loyal to the cause of their mother country, and bitterly disliked the English. Neverthe- less, Colonel Chouteau looked after the comfort of his guest, and no unpleasant allusions were made to the recent war. The Englishman and Colonel Chouteau were ever after fast friends. The young men among these early settlers were hunters, trappers, and traders, who rivaled each other in their long journeys on the streams or in the path- less wilder- gone from trating the ness. Sometimes they were their homes for months, pene- most central parts of Mis- souri. When they returned from their long journeys, laden with furs, they were greeted with smiling faces and the warm- est welcome. They often had interesting stories to tell of their wanderings in the forest. Once two young men crossed the Mis- Vl souri and wandered far into the wilderness. 43 When they came back they told of springs of water issuing from the ground, so salty that one could not drink from them. They were a great resort for deer, buffalo, and elk. This place was probably what was afterwards known as Boones Lick, which was at one time famous for its salt works. Often the return of the voyageurs, as these young hunters and traders were called, was celebrated by balls and festivities. " My son has returned from a great journey in the forest," the father would say. " Let us give him a feast and a ball, and be happy that he is with us again." Mechanics by profession were almost unknown in the settlements of Missouri. The great business of all was trading with Indians, caring for flocks and herds, and cultivating enough land to supply themselves with food. Every man was his own carpenter, shoemaker, saddler, and mason. If he wanted a house, he built it. It was a rude affair when finished, but it made a com- fortable home. The life of these pioneers reminds one of Robinson Crusoe, who, like them, had to build his own house and to make his own boat and clothes. There were no public schools for many years. The priests at the forts and trading stations sometimes taught the children, Indian and white alike, to read and write, and gave them a little knowledge of mathematics. These mission schools were the exception, however, rather than the rule, and many grew to be women and men incapable of reading or writing even their own names. 44 The early French settlers did not give much thought to affairs of state. They believed that France was the greatest nation on earth, and trusted to her for pro- tection. They cared nothing for fame, any more than for the luxuries of life. The peace of this happy people was at last broken by a rumor that all Louisiana had been ceded to Spain. In the hour of doubt and anxiety they appealed to their commandant, St. Ange. " I know nothing of it," he answered. But after a while the rumors were confirmed ; and finally a courier came up from New Orleans to say that O'Reilly, the Spanish governor, had taken possession of the country. The people in Missouri had no thought of resisting the Spanish government. If Louisiana had really been ceded to Spain, they were willing to abide by the result. On May 20, 1770, Pedro Piernas, as lieutenant gov- ernor of Louisiana, reached St. Louis and superseded St. Ange. The change was made quietly, with little show or parade. Many regretted that France had abandoned them, but all submitted without a murmur. In time, all became reconciled to the change, for the administration of affairs was mild, and there was little cause to complain of the new ruler. VII. ATTACK ON ST. LOUIS. DON PEDRO PIERNAS, the first Spanish lieu- tenant governor at St. Louis, was an agreeable disappointment. He was a just and kind man, and did everything in his power to assure the French settlers that their private possessions would not be disturbed. A strong friendship sprang up between him and St. Ange, whom he made a captain of infantry. He ap- pointed Martin Duralde, another Frenchman, surveyor to establish the boundaries of the land grants made by St. Ange, and in- a public manner confirmed them. In 1775, Piernas was succeeded by Francisco Cruzat. This man also was a mild ruler, and followed the policy of his predecessor. He lived in the house which Piernas had occupied during his term of office. This house had once belonged to Laclede, and was situated at the corner of Main and Walnut streets. In 1778, Cruzat was succeeded by Don Fernando de Leyba, a drunken, avaricious, feeble-minded Spaniard whom no one could love or respect. For three years a great struggle had been going on between Great Britain and her American colonies on the Atlantic coast. A war so far away could affect the 45 4 6 people of Missouri but little, and most of them seldom gave it a thought. As the Indians of the great North- west, however, had taken sides with the British, some of the settlers advocated the policy of remaining strictly neutral, though the sympathies of all were with the colonies. The avowed sympathy of Spain for the American colonies caused the people of St. Louis some uneasi- ness. This was increased when Colonel Rogers Clark, the American, captured the British posts at Cahokia,. Kaskaskia, and other villages near St. Louis, on the east side of the river. The proximity of one combatant might bring another. Colonel Clark, however, instead of remaining in the vicinity of St. Louis, hastened away to capture the British fort at St. Vincent (now Vin- cennes, Indiana), and the inhabitants of St. Louis began to breathe freely again. But Colonel Chouteau argued to his fellow-townsmen that Spanish sympathy with the colonies made St. Louis an object of British and Indian wrath. This opinion was strengthened when rumors reached St. Louis, day after day, that large bodies of Englishmen and Indians were advancing on the town. The colonel and his brother repeatedly called attention to the defenseless condition of the place, and at last efforts were made to fortify it. A wall of logs and clay was built around it, five feet high, with three gates. The wall was semicircular in form, with the ends terminating at the river. At each of the gates cannon were planted and kept in constant readiness for use. A small fort was also built on what 47 is now Fourth Street, near Walnut ; this was afterward used for a prison. Months passed, and no foe was seen. Winter came and went without any indication of hostilities. Those who had doubted the existence of danger began to twit the more cautious for their extra care in building the fortifications. Even the most apprehensive relaxed their vigilance to some extent. Spring came, and to all appearances peace reigned west of the Mississippi. But in reality the town was soon to be the scene of conflict. A few years before, a French Canadian named Du- charme had been caught trading with Indians in the Spanish territory. As this was in violation of the Spanish laws, his goods were seized and confiscated. Rankling with resentment, he now helped to bring about an attack on St. Louis by a body of Ojibways, Winnebagoes, Sioux, and other Indians, in all about fifteen hundred, under the leadership of a British offi- cer from Fort Michilimackinac. Some historians say there were also one hundred and fifty English soldiers in the hostile force. This numerous band gathered on the eastern shore of the river, a little above St. Louis, and made arrangements to begin the attack on May 26, 1780. May 25th was the festival of Corpus Christi, which was celebrated by the Catholic inhabitants with religious ceremonies, feasting, and rejoicing. A number of men, women, and children left the inclosure, and scattered about over the prairie to pick the wild strawberries which grew there in great abundance. 4 8 Ducharme, with a part of his Indian force, crossed over that day. Spies were sent through the woods to reconnoiter, but fortunately no attack was made. The commanders of the expedition did not think their force on the west side of the river was strong enough to be successful. On the following morning, just before dawn, the re- mainder of the Indians glided across the Mississippi in their canoes, and landed in a dense wood, where is now located the portion of the city called Bremen. They halted long enough to look about and assure them- selves that their arrival was unnoticed. Then they made their way back of the village, hoping to find some of the people at work in the fields. Near where the fair grounds are now situated, there was a spring which was known as Cardinal Spring. Cardinal, the man for whom it was named, and another man, called John Baptiste Riviere, were just at this time near by it, their rifles with them. Cardinal was stooping over for a drink, when Riviere discovered a savage creeping through the tall grass among the trees. " Indians ! Indians ! " he cried, and fired. Cardinal started up and seized his gun, which he had laid at his side. Wild yells rose all around him. He fired, and both Frenchmen then turned to fly. A storm of bullets brought Cardinal bleeding and dying to the ground. Riviere, finding escape impossible, surren- dered and was taken to the Chicago River; but in time he succeeded in gaining his freedom, and returned to St. Louis. There were others outside the fortification. The 49 firing in the direction of Cardinal Spring was the first intimation they had of the presence of a foe. As soon as they heard it, they started for the fort at the top of their speed. It was a race for life. The next victim was an old white-haired man. He had been in the field at work when the firing at Car- dinal Spring was heard. Dropping his hoe, he ran to the fence, seized his gun, and started for the fort. After passing through a grove of trees, he came upon a strip of prairie that lay between him and the fort. Several shots were here fired at him, but all missed. Half a dozen Indians started to head him off. He fired, and for a moment checked them ; but one young warrior, running a little nearer to the old man, leveled his rifle and shot him down. ,„ ,,„ '~> Mr* mwmm w His death was soon avenged. As the old man fell, a swift-footed young Frenchman with loaded gun was running to his relief. Pausing near the body, the young man took aim and shot the STO. OF MO. — 4 50 Indian dead. Then, turning to the fleeing women and children, he cried, — " Run for your lives, — fly to the fort ! " Despite the whizzing of bullets, he proceeded to reload his gun and to cover their flight. Several bullets and arrows struck him before the gun was reloaded. He fired once more, and then fell dead. Both Colonel Auguste Chouteau and his brother Pierre were in the town at the time of the attack. Knowing that there were many people outside the in- closure, they seized their guns and rushed bravely to the rescue. On the way, they rallied a dozen more armed citizens. When they reached the prairie, a ter- rible scene met their eyes. Men, women, and children were flying toward the fort, pursued by savages. " Charge ! " cried Colonel Chouteau. With a shout, his gallant little band of followers dashed forward and fired a volley at the pursuing Indians. Three or four dropped under their deadly aim, and the others came to a halt. This gave an opportunity for the remaining fugitives to reach the fort. The town of St. Louis was in wild confusion. The long-dreaded attack had come at last. Citizens seized their guns and rushed to the defense. Colonel Chou- teau and his brother Pierre were the heroes of the day. "Where are the militia from Ste. Genevieve ? " asked some one. This body of troops, under command of Captain Silvia Francisco Cartabona, had been sent from Ste. Genevieve some time before, to protect the town in case of attack. Now they were nowhere to be seen. Colonel Chouteau sent his brother Pierre to find 5i them. The latter returned in a few moments and said that they were hiding in the houses, and that he was unable to bring them to the walls. " And where is Governor Leyba ? " asked the colonel. " Locked up in his own house, drunk ! " answered Pierre. " Then we have no leader," cried the colonel. " We must defend ourselves." " You shall be our leader. We will fight under you," shouted the people. They could not have chosen a better commander. Auguste Chouteau was brave, be- loved, and trusted. He and his brother, with the most experienced artillerists, managed the cannon. The Indians rallied, and approached the fort. When they were within a short distance of it, they opened an irregular fire on the gates. From the wall and the tops of the houses, the people returned the fire with rifles and muskets. The artillerists then poured in volleys of grapeshot and canister, which swept down the red foes and drove them back. This energetic resistance was unexpected. The strength of the fort, and the roar of the cannon, dismayed the savages. Ducharme was wounded, and his Indian allies became discouraged. It was not long before they abandoned the attack, and recrossed the river. About thirty of the inhabitants of St. Louis were killed. Most of the slain had fallen on the prairie, while trying to reach the fort; many of these were old men, women, and children. About thirty more had been captured and carried away. A number of these 52 were afterward released, and returned to their homes ; some, however, were never seen by their friends again. The cowardly conduct of the lieutenant governor was reported to the authorities at New Orleans, and an appeal was made for his removal. Leyba was there- fore recalled, and Cartabona acted in his place until the arrival of Cruzat, who was again appointed lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana. After Cruzat arrived the fortifications were improved, but the town was not again attacked. In 1788, Cruzat was succeeded by Manuel Perez, as commandant general of the post of St. Louis and the West Illinois country. In 1793, Perez gave place to Zenon Trudeau, who, in 1799, was succeeded by Charles Dehault Delassus de Delusiere, a Frenchman who had been in the service of Spain many years. This man was the last Spanish lieutenant governor. In 1799, Delassus, as he is usually called, had a census taken of the Upper Louisiana settlements. The result was as follows : Ste. Genevieve, 949 ; St. Louis, 925 ; St. Charles, 875 ; New Madrid, 782 ; New Bour- bon, 560; Cape Girardeau, 521; St. Andrew, 393; Marius des Liard, 376 ; St. Ferdinand, 276 ; Carondelet, 184; Meramec, 115; Little Meadows, y2. VIII. DANIEL BOONE IN MISSOURI. ABOUT the year 1797, Daniel Boone, the great hunter and Indian fighter, made up his mind to leave his home and go to Missouri. There were several reasons why the old pioneer decided to take this step, but probably the most important one was the loss of his land. Daniel Boone was a bold pioneer and hunter, but a man of scant education. He knew but little of the tricks of lawyers, — not enough to protect his own in- terests. Taking it for granted that every man was honest like himself, he thought that no great knowl- edge of law was necessary. He had located and en- tered a large tract of land in Kentucky, but through carelessness and ignorance of law had failed to get his papers properly executed and filed, and consequently he lost his possessions. It was a sad blow for the old hero, but he bore up bravely, as he did under all his afflictions. When he found that he must lose his home and land, he decided to begin anew west of the Mississippi. "Are you going into the wilderness again?" asked his wife. " Yes, I want more elbow room. They are getting 53 54 settled up too thick about me. I want to go back into the forest, where I can once more hunt the buffalo and deer." " But you are getting too old," she argued. " Too old ? bah ! My arm is as steady and my eye as true as ever. I'll bring down the game at every shot, never fear." 11 But there is another reason. The country west of the Mississippi is owned by Spain. Would you give up an English home for a Spanish one?" "Our home is where we make it, Rebecca," he answered. "We can be good Spanish subjects, as well as good Americans." Daniel Boone, having spent most of his life on the frontier, neither knew nor cared much about political affairs. Another reason for his deciding to go into Upper Louisiana, or Missouri, was an invitation from Delassus, who later became the Spanish lieutenant governor, and who well knew the worth of such a man as Daniel Boone in building up a new country. Delassus was a wise, patriotic, and unambitious man. He saw that there was a great future for the country over which he afterward held control, but he knew that its resources could not be developed unless it was first peopled. The Anglo-Saxon race had been pouring into the val- leys of the Ohio and the Cumberland from the Atlantic States. If these emigrants could be induced to come west of the Mississippi, the territory might be filled up with a desirable class of inhabitants. No man on the frontier was more highly respected and better able to 55 help in this work than Daniel Boone, and hence Delassus was anxious to have him move into Upper Louisiana. About the year 1797, the old pioneer went over into Missouri and settled in what was known as the Femme Osage (Osage Woman) settlement. This was on the Mis- souri River in the district of St. Charles, aboul forty- five miles west of St. Louis, and about twenty-five miles above the town of St. Charles. This portion of Missouri was then wild and pictur- esque, — just such a country as he loved. Herein the deep forest, where no woodman's ax had yet been heard, j j V ''.,-/•■." '\_f" he built him a log cabin home. He was now too old to ioin in the ex Citing chase, as he had ' W^^ { done in his youth, but with his trusty rifle he would often stroll to the haunts of the deer and elk. Here on the bank of some stream he would quietly lie, sure of his ^amc when the animals came to drink. Soon after his arrival in Missouri, Daniel Boone re- nounced his allegiance to the government of the United States, and became a Spanish subject. On June 11, 1800, Delassus appointed him commandant, or syndic, of the Femme Osa^e district, a position which he ac- cepted. The office was both civil and military. In time of peace, he acted as an adjudicator, or judge, over 56 the people in his district, and in time of war he was their commander. The matters on which he had to pass judgment were such as required honesty and practical common sense, rather than a knowledge of law. He was fearless and upright in his decisions. On one occasion, a desperado who had been terrorizing the people of the Femme Osage district was publicly reprimanded by Boone. The man, who prided himself on his power to overawe the people, cried out, — " If you were not an old man, I should not take that from you." " You great coward," responded Boone, shaking his clenched fist close to the man's face, " if you want to get revenge on me for what I said, don't let my gray hairs stand in the way. Old as I am, I am young enough to whip you." Quite crestfallen, the fellow slunk away and was never again heard to say anything against the old pioneer. There is a story told of one of Boone's decisions, which shows his kindness of heart, as well as his scrupulous honesty. There lived in his settlement a grasping, miserly fellow who had emigrated to Missouri from Virginia. This fnan had a claim against a widow who was very poor. The claim was no doubt a lawful one, but Boone thought that under the circumstances the man ought not to have pressed it. The widow had but one cow, and this the claimant had seized to satisfy his debt. When the commandant had heard the testimony on both sides, he said, — 57 " The widow owes you, Tom Turley ; yet you are a scoundrel to take her only cow to pay the debt. The law says you shall have it. Take it and go, but never look an honest man in the face again." Then, turning to the widow, he added, " Let him have it; I'll give you a better one." He kept his word, for that very day his sons drove a fine cow to the home of the widow. Though acting as a sort of judge, Boone's ignorance of law made him once more a victim of legal technicali- ties. The Spanish lieutenant governor, Delassus, had in the first place given him a grant of a thousand arpents (about 980 acres) of land in the Femme Osage district ; and he afterwards received a further grant of ten thousand arpents, for bringing into Upper Louisiana one hundred families from Virginia and Kentucky. The latter transaction was the result of a definite contract ; and the people whom Boone induced to immigrate into Missouri represented some of the best families of the frontier. Now, in order to confirm the grants, it was necessary to obtain the signature of the direct representative of the Spanish crown, who at that time resided in the city of New Orleans. As Boone neglected to comply with this requirement, his titles to both tracts of land were declared invalid ; but after the country became part of the United States his first grant was confirmed by an act of Congress. This saved to him only a part of what was justly his own. When all Louisiana was purchased by the United States, Boone and his sons again became American 58 citizens. Though the old pioneer was well advanced in years, he took a lively interest in the affairs of the country. He even participated in some of the early struggles with the Indians in Missouri. The red men feared him, even when his eye had grown dim, and his hand feeble with age. It is said that a Sac chief was once leading his warriors to attack a fort held by the whites, when he learned that Daniel Boone was in the fort. He at once stopped his men, turned them about, and started back to his own village, saying, " It is no use to fight if he is in the fort." On March 18, 1813, the brave pioneer's wife died. She was buried on the top of a beautiful hill overlooking the Missouri River, about one mile southeast of the town of Marthasville, in Warren County. Daniel Boone was never the same cheerful, happy old man after her death. On September 26, 1820, Boone himself died, at the residence of his son, Major Nathan Boone, on Femme Osage Creek, in St. Charles County. He was eighty- eight years of age. The house in which he died is still standing. It is of stone, and was the first of the kind ever built in the State. Daniel Boone was buried by the side of his wife, in a cherry coffin which he had made himself, and had kept ready for several years. In 1845, both he and his wife were disinterred and their bodies taken to Frankfort, Kentucky, where they were buried with all the honors and ceremonies due to a hero. IX. MATURIN BOUVET AND THE OSAGES. DURING the administration of Delassus, there was a constant immigration into the villages and settle- ments of Upper Louisiana. Not only were a number of settlers induced to move from the United States to Missouri, but a great many French people came up from New Orleans and what is now Louisiana. This immigration was attended by a frenzied spirit of speculation. Every one was seeking land, which was then given by grant, and not by deed as at present. These grants required long legal proceedings to make them valid, and have been the cause of much litigation in the courts. It was not a healthy speculation. The men did not intend to improve the land, but simply wanted to hold it until it increased in value and could be sold • at great profit. In some cases a large tract would be secured by a single person. A man in St. Charles, named James Mackay, obtained a grant for thirty thousand acres ; and Francis Sevier received one for eight thousand eight hundred acres. We can hardly understand at this day why such large grants should have been made ; we must remember, however, that from the Mississippi to New Mexico the 59 6o country was one vast wilderness. For this reason, a thousand acres seemed to be no more, comparatively, than a grain of sand on the ocean beach. To fix the exact location of the many grants made, surveys were extended a long distance in every direction, although the men engaged in them were liable to be attacked by roving bands of Indians. At this time there lived in St. Charles a Frenchman named Maturin Bouvet. He was a noted hunter and Indian trader. From one of the young men who had been some distance into the upper country, he learned that there was a salt spring in the forest, and he went to investigate it for himself. He found the water so briny that he determined to bring kettles and manufacture salt from it. The Indians had shown a spirit of unfriendliness for several months, and Bouvet was warned not to venture so far from the settlements ; but he was a daring man, and paid no heed to his advisers. With his kettles and a few companions, he embarked upon the river and drifted down to the mouth of the Missouri. Then he sailed up the Mississippi, and continued on till he reached the stream on which the salt spring had been discovered. This is supposed to have been one of the tributaries of Salt River, in either- Pike or Ralls County. When the spring was reached, the men cut some poles with their axes, and from them made a rude shanty. Its shelter was hardly sufficient to protect them from the storms. The country about them was wild, with no human in- habitant near, unless the wandering bands of Indians 6i could be called inhabitants. At night the wild animals came so near to the camp that the men could see the fire light reflected in their eyes. One day a party of Indians came, but the white men drove them away. When they had finished their shanty, they built a fur- nace and hung over it their kettles, which they filled with water from the salt spring. Then they boiled the water until it had all evaporated, and nothing but the salt remained. The yield was considerable. One day, while the salt makers were away from the camp chasing a wounded deer, some Indians came to it and stole three blankets and a few other articles. On discovering his loss, Bouvet was furious. With his companions, he pursued the thieves far into the woods and across the prairies, but did not overtake them. He then went to Delassus, represented that he had been robbed, and demanded reparation. The lieu- tenant governor, always generous in making land grants, gave him "twenty arpents square" for the trifling loss he had sustained. On the same day, by the way, Delassus made two large grants for distillery purposes, and a third to supply the fuel necessary for their use ; and the first distillery in St. Louis was built by Auguste Chouteau, who received one of these grants. The "twenty arpents square" granted to Maturin Bouvet were west of Ste. Genevieve. He engaged four assistants to help him survey his land. Hostile Osages were in the vicinity, and Bouvet was warned to defer locating the bounds ; but, as daring as he was avaricious, he said, — 62 " I'm not afraid of them. They won't come within reach of our rifles." With his four companions, and all the implements necessary to a surveying party, he started out into the forest. To protect themselves from the Indians, the white men. carried rifles slung over their shoulders, even when at work. One day, while running a line across a strip of prairie, one of Bouvet's companions looked over a small stream, and said, — " There they are ! " " Indians ! " exclaimed Bouvet. A party of a dozen savages could be seen standing on a slight elevation, just across the stream. They were gazing coolly at the white men, whom they evi- dently regarded as intruders. Bouvet and his compan- ions dropped their surveying implements, and grasped their rifles. The Indians, however, showed no inclina- tion to attack them, and after a few moments went away into the forest. "There! they are gone," said Bouvet. "We shan't see any more of them." " L on't be deceived ; they'll get reinforcements and come back," said one of his companions. "Nonsense! they'll never bother us," declared Bouvet. No doubt the Frenchman had his land grant in mind, and feared that the Indians would frighten his men away. With the above remark the subject was dropped, and the men resumed their work. Next morning, while they were still around their camp, preparing breakfast, they heard what sounded 63 like a turkey in the woods. One of the men, a Ken- tuckian named Lewis, seized his gun, and started into the dense wood, saying, — " I'll be back soon with a fat gobbler." The noise he heard was not made by a turkey, but by an Indian. By using a bone taken from a turkey's wing, the savages could produce a sound so like the real call as to deceive a wild turkey itself. Such a bone was often used by hunters as a decoy, and was known as a "turkey call" or "cowker." Lewis had been absent but a few moments when those in the camp heard the report of a gun. "There, he's got one of them," said one of the sur- veyors. Two more reports in quick succession puzzled and alarmed them. They had just seized their guns, when Lewis ran through the camp, his left arm shattered by a bullet. " Indians ! Indians ! " he shouted. Bouvet tried to induce his men to make a stand, but they fled without firing a shot. The Indians, a party of Osages, came hurrying toward the camp ; and Bou- vet shot the first one that came in sight. This caused the others to halt. The Frenchman took advantage of the delay to reload his gun, and then, seeing that there were more than a score of the Osages, he decided to escape if he could. A few rods to his left was a ravine, and toward this he ran. The Indians, discovering his design, fired several shots at him. One of their balls wounded him in the left leg, but he limped to the ravine and 6 4 jumped in. The bed was dry, stony, and covered with leaves. The Osages, seeing they had but one man to deal with, became bolder and pressed forward. They knew that the white man was wounded, and counted his cap- ture as sure. They opened fire on him. The bullets whistled about his ears ; they cut off the twigs and leaves of the trees that grew along the sides of the ravine, and shattered the bark from the bodies of the saplings, but did not touch Bouvet. At last he turned and fired at the savages, wounding one of them. The Indians, knowing that his gun was empty, then ran down the hill and threw themselves upon him. He made a desper- ate fight for his life, keeping them off ; for a while with the butt of his rifle and with his knife ; but before long he was knocked down with a club, and made captive. He was taken to the Osage vil- lage, where he was subjected to the most horrible tor- tures, and finally burned at the stake. It was many years before his fate was known ; but at last one of the Indians who was present told how he was captured and put to death. Mm M^S^ - States December 29, 1803, it was not until March 9, 1804, that Upper Louisiana was form- ally handed over to the American au- thorities. On that day, the American troops crossed the river from Cahokia, Illinois, and Don Carlos Delassus delivered the territory to Captain Amos Stoddard of the United States army. A little explanation may make clear a point which seems somewhat confused. Upper Louisiana had not up to this time been surrendered to France. Delassus, the lieutenant governor, still ruled the country as a Spanish official. In order to make the transfer regular and legal, Captain Stoddard was made the agent of France, to receive from Spain the formal surrender of Upper Louisiana. This took place March 9, 1804, and on the next day the territory was transferred from France to the United States, according to the treaty. 7i On March 8, 1804, Missouri belonged to Spain, on the 9th it belonged to France, and on the 10th it was the property of the United States. In three days, Upper Louisiana belonged to three different nations. Though the people of St. Louis were in sympathy with the new republic in the east, they were strongly attached to the old government. It was with feelings of regret and apprehension that they saw the stars and stripes take the place of the well-known flag of Spain. The transfer worked a wonderful change in St. Louis and all the other Missouri settlements. Business be- came more brisk, and the population was rapidly in- creased by an energetic and thrifty class of settlers, who came from the eastern and southern States. On March 26, 1804, two weeks after Captain Stod- dard assumed command of St. Louis, Congress passed an act dividing Louisiana into two parts. The southern part was known as the Territory of Orleans, and later became the State of Louisiana. The northern part was at first called the District of Louisiana, and was attached, for administrative purposes, to Indiana Territory. The next year, however, it was itself made a Territory, and General Wilkinson of the United States army was ap- pointed the first governor. The capital of the Territory was St. Louis, and the executive offices were in the old government building on Main Street, just south of the public square, called La Place d f Armes. XL THE FIRST SCHOOLMASTERS. AN action often produces a result entirely different from that which was expected or planned. What is intended as an injury to a person or country some- times results in a benefit. When Aaron Burr, in 1805, conspired to seize all the western Territories and States, annex them to Mexico, and set up an empire, he hoped not only to make him- self the emperor, but also to strike a blow at the United States government, which he hated. His effort resulted in his own ruin, but was of some practical benefit to Missouri. In 1805 Burr went to St. Louis and held an interview with General Wilkinson, then governor of the Territory. His object was to induce the general to join him in his enterprise of setting up a new empire. Some of Burr's friends insist that Governor Wilkinson did consent to aid in the conspiracy, but they are of doubtful authority, and Wilkinson himself always denied having any such intentions. Burr organized his expedition, started down the Ohio with a fleet of keel boats, and entered the Mississippi with a number of armed men. They were arrested by the United States authorities, and Burr was taken a 72 73 prisoner to Virginia, where he was tried and acquitted. The most of Burr's followers were confined in Missouri, where, after a few weeks or months of imprisonment, they also were acquitted. Many of them were young men from New York City, who were naturally not at all fitted for the rugged life of pioneers. They were men of education and refinement, who now found themselves thrown into a most unfortunate position, with no means of getting back to their far-off homes on the Atlantic coast. Their situation was really deplorable. Left as they were without money, hundreds of miles away from home, surrounded by people with ways and manners wholly different from their own, and yet compelled to live with them, it became a serious question how the young strangers should earn their livelihood. They could not cut down the great trees, nor plow the prairies, nor hunt and trap, as did the hardy frontiersmen. Of what avail was all education in this wilderness, where muscle, and not brains, was in demand ? At last one of them suggested that they turn teachers. They decided to do so ; and, according to the statement of an official of the time, they supplied the Territory with dancing masters, writing masters, and school-teachers for many years. A band of these itinerant pedagogues went up the river to St. Louis and spread over Missouri, pursuing their vocation. They were the first professional school- teachers Missouri ever had. Their lot was a hard one, but they planted the seeds of education, and did much good. Except what little the priests had been able to 74 do in mission schools, education was unknown in Mis- souri until Burr's expedition supplied the Territory with teachers. The country was thinly populated, and the people poor. There were no schoolhouses outside of three or four towns, and the first schools were taught in the cabins of the people. Sometimes a night school was added, which the parents attended. Spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetic were the only branches thought essential at that time. The schoolmaster was paid so much "a head," or for each scholar. He lived with the people in the neighborhood where he taught, and assisted in making fires, splitting wood, milking cows, and in other odd jobs to earn his board. He was paid whatever the people could afford to give him. The great hope of these teachers was to accumulate enough money to return to their homes across the Alleghanies ; but year after year passed by, and they were still as poor as when they were freed from prison. Few, if any, ever returned to New York. Congress appropriated the common fields of the vil- lages to school purposes, but it was a long time before Missouri derived any benefit from a public school fund. There was nothing of the kind during the time of Burr's teachers. When these first itinerant pedagogues, or wandering schoolmasters, became tired of teaching in private houses, they urged the people in the settlements to erect separate buildings for school purposes. In one 75 neighborhood, the frontiersmen began to discuss the plan, and a majority of them approved of it. Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis, and St. Charles already had cabins which were used for schoolhouses ; and these men thought that there was no reason why other settle- ments should not have them also. One day the settlers gathered at a spot agreed upon, with their axes in their hands, for the purpose of beginning their first ... : ^; schoolhouse. The /I . schoolmaster came ; . ; ■.';' f^^A- v i with them to super- / < intend the affair. They began to cut down trees, hew the sides, and notch the ends. Then they laid log upon log until the walls were of the right height. A door was sawed out of one side, and a log left out on the opposite side for the window. Nearly a whole end was taken up with a huge fireplace, above which rose a stick-and-mud chimney. The cracks between the logs were chinked and daubed with clay, mixed with leaves and grass. Some of the men split thin slabs from logs and hewed one side smooth. These were the puncheons of which the floor was made. In other cabin schoolhouses there 76 was often no floor at all. The furniture was composed of benches without backs, and a long thin slab or board for a writing desk. The long window was without glass, but a thin piece of cloth or paper was pasted over it to keep out the wind in winter. In houses of this sort were taught the first schools in Missouri. What text-books did they use ? Almost anything. The only regularity was in the spelling book and arith- metic. For readers some had the New Testament, others Bunyan's " Pilgrim's Progress," Weem's " Life of Marion," of Washington, or of Franklin, or any other book that the family had, or could borrow. St. Louis, St. Charles, Boone, and Howard counties were the first to enjoy anything like respectable schools. As new counties were laid out and settled, each had to pass through the stage of the log schoolhouse, with three months' schooling a year, and the teacher board- ing about among the scholars. Before there was a county school fund, or a county commissioner, the trustees often took it upon themselves to examine an applicant as to his qualifications. The teachers in those clays were usually ignorant, and their examiners more so. There is a story told of one of these examinations, which illustrates the ignorance of both teacher and trustees. The applicant was asked if the earth was round or flat. He answered that he wasn't quite sure, but that he was prepared to teach it either way. After a conference on the part of the trustees, it was decided that he should teach that it was flat. The school children in those days were mischievous, 77 much as they are now in country districts. They had a fashion of " turning the master out" on the last day of school, or at the beginning of the holidays, to make him treat. They would go to the schoolhouse before he did, and bar the door so that he could not get in. It was their purpose to keep him out until he would agree to give them a treat of apples or candy. Sometimes the teacher took this joke all in good part, and sometimes he did not. If he was too obstinate, the "big boys" would seize him and carry him to the near- est stream or pond, and "duck him " in the water until he would agree to treat. Often they would have to cut the ice before they could dip him under the water. ji^Sl XII. EARLY MISSOURIANS. WHEN Louisiana was purchased by the United States, St. Louis was only a village, laid out and built according to the French plan. There were two long streets running parallel with the river, and a number of others intersecting them at right angles. A few houses stood on a line with what is now Third Street, then known as La 7'iie des Granges, or " The Street of Barns." The church building on Second Street was an ordinary ''hewed log house." West of Fourth Street, there was little else than woods and commons. The largest house in St. Louis was the government building on Main Street, near Walnut. There was no post office, and no need of one, for there was no regular postal service in Missouri. A village merchant, however, would bring letters home with his goods, and stick them up in the windows of his store, so that the owners could come and get them. He also took it upon himself to forward letters for his customers. Government boats occasionally ran between St. Louis and New Orleans, but there was no regular passenger or freight line. Furs and lead were the principal arti- cles of export, for farming had hardly become an indus- 78 79 try. Corn, wheat, and vegetables were grown, but only in sufficient quantity to supply home demands. Le Clerc, who lived on Main Street, between Walnut and Elm, was the only baker in the town ; and as yet there were but three blacksmiths and only one physi- cian. There were two little French taverns, both near the corner of Main and Locust streets. One was kept by Yostic, and the other by Laudreville. Merchants were numerous, but they held their goods at very high prices. A store at that time was quite. dif- ferent from one of to-day. A place only a few feet square would contain the entire stock of a merchant. Indeed, it was not unusual for one of the first traders in town to keep his goods in a box or chest, supplied with a lid, which he opened when he wished to display his wares to a customer. Soon after St. Louis became an American town, a post office was found to be necessary. Immigrants were pouring into the new Territory, and St. Louis and the adjoining settlements were increasing their population. The newcomers had friends in the South and East with whom they wished to correspond, and the business of the town had made it more important than many a place of its size. In 1804 the first official post office in St. Louis was established, with Mr. Rufus Easton as postmaster. Mr. Joseph Charless came to St. Louis soon after Louisiana became the property of the United States. He was^i printer by trade, and had a contract to do the printing for the Territory. Mr. Charless was an intelli- gent, enterprising gentleman, and he foresaw a great 8o future for the new town. He conceived the idea of establishing a newspaper in St. Louis, although none as yet had ever been published west of the Mississippi. When Charless mentioned the matter to some friends, they advised against the enterprise ; but he was not to be deterred from his purpose, and on July 12, 1808, he issued the first number of the Missouri Gazette. It was a sheet no larger than a royal octavo page. Notwith- standing the many predictions of failure, the Missouri Gazette prospered, and after the first few months be- came self-sustaining. The name was afterward changed to the Missouri Republican, and still later it became the St. Louis Republic, which is now one of the large daily papers of the city. On November 9, 1809, St. Louis was incorporated as a town, upon the petition of the taxpayers, under the authority of an act of the Territory of Louisiana passed the year before. As is usually the case on the frontier, Missouri was for some time the abode of rough and lawless men ; but among them were to be found those who were quiet and honorable. In fact, some who were called lawless were honest enough in their own way. They might not hesitate to end a quarrel in bloodshed, yet at the same time would not swindle a man out of a cent. Courts were held irregularly in the different districts into which the Territory had been divided. Real estate had increased in value, and the claim jumper, squatter, and land pirate had already appeared on the scene. The pistol and knife were often resorted to in the set- tlement of disputed claims. 8i Much has been said about the rough character of the early Missourians. Some of it is false, and yet a great deal is true. The frontiersman learned to depend on his rifle to supply him with food and to protect his home. Constantly coming in contact with rude men, he par- took of their nature. Liable at any time to be shot or stabbed, he learned to shoot and stab on his own account. Though a frontiersman might be ever so agreeable and pleasant a companion, he was a dangerous person to quarrel with. Lawsuits and disputes over conflicting claims or mining rights often led to bloody contests. There lived in St. Louis about the year 1809 two men, known as Colonel S. and Mr. P. They were the best of friends. Both were gentlemen, as Dickens says, of the " good old stock " ; that is, if we take the stock of a century ago to be good. They had known each other for years, and had never quarreled. But at last they got into a dispute over a mining claim located in the Ste. Genevieve district. Colonel S. pondered long over the matter, and at last made up his mind that there was but one course to pur- sue. He called one day on his neighbor, and, finding him alone, said in his coolest manner, " Good morning, Mr. P." "Good morning, Colonel S. Pray be seated." And the man handed his friend a chair. The colonel seated himself, and a serious expression came over his face as he said, " Mr. P., we have been friends for a long time — " "Yes, Colonel," interrupted Mr. P., quietly. "We have long been friends." STO. OF MO. — 6 82 " And I feel a great regret that any misunderstanding should have arisen between us," resumed the colonel, wiping his troubled face with his handkerchief. " So do I, Colonel, I greatly regret it," put in Mr. P. " Here we are entirely alone, and there is no one to interrupt us. Let us settle the matter in an amicable way." " Certainly, certainly," assented Mr. P., before whose vision there arose a plan of peaceful adjustment of their difficulties. "You know my aversion to lawyers and their quib- bles," continued the colonel. " I have here a couple of friends that have no mistake in them." Hereupon he drew a brace of pistols and presented their butts to /^-^ his friend. " Take your choice ; they are both loaded and equally true." Mr. P. drew back and thanked him kindly, but declined the offer. " Why, my dear Colonel, I would rather lose the whole claim than harm a hair of your head," he said. " So would I. Let us divide, arbitrate, or anything you wish." 83 Their dispute was satisfactorily settled, and blood- shed was averted. Dueling was confined to what were called gentlemen of note, politicians, and leaders in society. It was at this period common in the East as well as the West. The man who had fought a duel, though he might be a murderer, was a sort of hero. In some instances these duelers have been elevated to the highest. posi- tions of honor and trust. There was some excuse for this state of affairs in Missouri. That part of the country still felt the effect of French influence, and with the French nation dueling has not even yet gone out of fashion. Mr. Timothy Flint, a New England clergyman, writes the following about the people of Louisiana at this time ; — and by Louisiana he meant what is now Missouri, — " It is true there are many worthless people here, and the most worthless, it must be confessed, are from New England. It is true there are gamblers, and gougers, and outlaws ; but there are fewer of them than from the nature of things and the character of the age and the world, we ought to expect. I have traveled in these regions thousands of miles, under all circumstances of exposure and danger, and this too in many instances where I was not known to be a minister, or where such knowledge would have had no influence in protecting me. I have never carried the slightest weapon of defense." Mr. Flint is regarded by all historians as the most impartial writer concerning the people of Louisiana 8 4 at that early day. His travels extended over nearly all the Mississippi valley, and his book is said to be the best description of the people west of the Missis- sippi that has ever been published. Mr. Flint draws a fine picture of the backwoodsman of the time : — " He is generally an amiable and virtuous man. He has vices and barbarisms peculiar to his situation. His manners are rough. He wears, it may be, a long- beard. He has a great quantity of bear or deer skin wrought into his household establishment, his furniture, and dress. He carries a knife or dirk in his bosom, and when in the woods has his rifle at his back and a pack of dogs at his heels. An Atlantic stranger transferred directly from one of our cities to his door would recoil from the encounter with him. But remember that his gun and his dogs are among his chief means of support and profit. Remember that all his first days here were passed in dread of savages. Remember that he still encounters them, still meets bears and panthers. Enter his door and tell him you are benighted, and wish the shelter of his cabin for the night. The welcome is indeed seemingly un- gracious, — " ' I reckon you can stay,' or ' I suppose we must let you stay.' But this apparent ungraciousness is the harbinger of every kindness he can bestow, and every comfort his cabin can afford. Good coffee, corn bread and butter, venison, pork, wild and tame fowls, are set before you. His wife, timid, silent, re- served, but constantly attentive to your comfort, does not sit at the table with you, but like the wives of 85 the patriarchs stands and attends on you. You are shown the best bed the house can offer. When the kind hospitality has been afforded you as long as you choose to stay, and when you depart, and speak of your bill, you are most commonly told, with some slight mark of resentment, that they ' don't keep tavern.' Even the flaxen-haired children will turn away from your money. "If we were to try them by the standard of New England customs and opinions, that is to say, the customs of a people under entirely different circum- stances, there would be things in the picture that would strike us offensively. They care little about ministers, and less about paying them. They are averse to all and even the most necessary restraints. They are destitute of the forms and observances of society and religion ; but they are sincere and kind without professions, and have a coarse but substantial morality." Occasionally in the older counties of Missouri may still be seen one of the quaint little cabins of these early pioneers. It is half house and half fortress. A few years ago some of the old French houses, plastered within and without, were still standing in St. Louis and St. Charles counties. Some may even yet be found, a monument of a bygone people who laid the corner stone of this great commonwealth. XIII. WESTERN BOATMEN. UNDER the treaty between Great Britain and France, and still later between Great Britain and Spain, these three nations were to have free use of the Mississippi River. English boats floated down the Ohio into the Mississippi, and thence to New Orleans. From St. Louis, the Spanish and French boats joined the English, and often a dozen of the barks called keel boats would glide down the great stream together. When the thirteen colonies gained their independence, England ceded her rights over the river to the new nation. At the time of the Louisiana purchase, a class of hardy frontiersmen, known as " boatmen," had sprung into existence. These were men who earned their liv- ing by working on the boats which ran up and down the western rivers ; for now it was no longer the cus- tom for each settler to take his own produce to market. The boatmen were brave and muscular, but rude and uneducated ; their lives were full of toil and stirring adventure. Conspicuous among these early navigators was an Irish-American named Mike Fink. He was born in Pittsburg, and we first hear of him as a boatman on the Ohio, where he became famous both at the oar and 86 87 with his rifle. He was made the hero of an early- romance, and songs were sung in his praise. According to his biographer, he was " strong as an ox, and brave as a lion." He was said to be the best marksman in the West ; and at all the shooting matches he was ruled out on account of his skill. Though the novelist and poet have tried to cast a halo of romance about Mike, he was, like many other heroes, only a cruel, treacherous bully. His keel boat was called the " Light-foot," and as it glided down the river Fink used to amuse himself by shooting the tails off from pigs on the shore, without doing them any other harm. He had a friend named Carpenter, who was almost as fine a marksman as him- self. The two used to entertain their companions by shooting tin cups off each other's head. Once, while on a trip up the Mississippi River, Mike and his friend quarreled, but " made up " ; and then, to prove their friendship, they decided to indulge in the 88 tin cup amusement. They drew lots to see which should have the first shot, and the lot fell to Mike. He fired, and Carpenter fell dead. Mike claimed at first that it was an accident, and among the boatmen in the wilderness it passed as such. But a few months later he declared that he had killed Carpenter on purpose, and was glad of it. A man named Talbot, who was a friend of Carpenter, heard Fink's boast, and shot him dead on the spot. There were, however, very few such boatmen as Mike Fink. He gained a reputation for cruelty by which he is remembered to this day. The keel boats of this time were similar to those of the earliest settlers. They were propelled by the cur- rent, aided by sweeps, when going down the .stream, but were usually "cordelled" upstream, though sails were sometimes used. Such was the first mode of navigation to and from Missouri ; and for many years all transportation of freight was done either in this way, or by means of pack horses. There were two methods of cordelling a boat up the stream. Sometimes one end of a long rope was carried on ahead and fastened to some object in the river or on shore, and the crew then stood in the bow and pro- pelled the boat by pulling on the rope. The usual method, however, was for the crew to walk along the shore and pull the boat after them as canal mules do. There is an amusing story told of an Irishman work- ing his passage up the Mississippi in a keel boat. He was at Ste. Genevieve, and wanted to go to St. Louis. Learning that a boat was going up the river to that 8 9 place, he asked the captain if he might work his pas- sage. " Certainly," said the captain, who stood in the bow of the boat with a long pole in his hand. The Irishman took his carpetbag aboard. When all were ready to start, he joined the crew on shore, and, seizing the rope, assisted in pulling the craft upstream. After two or three miles of such navigation he said, — " Faith, if it wasn't for the name of riding, I'd about as soon walk." Keel boats were large in those days. They had cabins, and carried passengers as well as freight. Men, women, and children often took voyages on the rivers in these rude boats. A man who started down the Mississippi in a keel boat, which was wrecked above New Madrid, has left an account of the disaster. This gentleman had under his charge a cousin, who was going to join her husband in New Orleans. " One dark, rainy night our boat drifted rapidly down- stream with the current. We usually 'tied up along the shore ' on very dark nights, but our captain, who was also pilot, declared he could steer in the darkest night that ever came. " Most of the passengers had retired to their cabins and were asleep, when suddenly there came a crash which sent me out of my berth on to the floor. I sprang to my feet, and my first thought was of Nancy (the lady under my charge). I ran to her cabin and found her up and dressed, and not nearly so badly frightened as I had feared she would be. 90 " ' What has happened ? ' she asked. " ' The boat has struck a snag, and may sink. Stay right here until I come for you.' "Then I went on deck, where all was confusion. There were twelve or fifteen passengers there, running about like mad people. " The most excited of all were five men from St. Louis. They had dragged their trunks and carpet- bags to the deck, and were calling for a skiff or yawl to take them ashore. All the captain and mate could do or say to quiet them was in vain. Three or four lanterns were lighted, and served to increase the terror of all by revealing the black, turbid waters into which we were sinking. "The men who had brought their trunks on deck seized one of the yawls, leaped in with their baggage, before any one could prevent them, and pulled to shore, which the flashes of lightning showed was not more than thirty yards away. "About the time they landed with their baggage, I observed that the boat began to rock just like a basin sinking in shallow water. The captain noticed this also, and shouted, — " ' You are all safe. The boat is on a sand bar, and can't sink.' " In fact, one of the crew had cast the lead line a moment before, and had discovered that we were in only about five feet of water. In a moment our keel settled on the sand bar, with the deck and cabins two feet above water. I went back to Nancy, who was anxiously awaiting my return. 9i " ' What shall we do ? ' she asked. " ' Go to bed and sleep until morning,' I answered. "She did so. It rained all night. It was one of those cold, disagreeable rains that make one shiver, and one's bones ache. Next morning we saw five or six wet, miserable wretches sitting on the bank, shiver- ing, and begging the captain to take them on board. "They were the selfish cowards who would have escaped with their luggage and left the remainder of us to drown. Their haste to get on land was so great that they forgot to moor the yawl in which they went ashore, and it had floated away. " Though the captain had another, he would not send for them, and left them all night in the rain. But soon after daylight he sent and brought them all on board. " Our boat had struck a snag which knocked a hole in the bottom ; but fortunately, after striking, we came immediately to such shallow water that we could not sink. "We lived in this grounded boat for over a week before another keel boat came and took us down the river to our journey's end." The dangers of wind and wave were not all that the daring boatmen had to encounter. The wild shores were inhabited by hostile savages, who often attacked them. "Many a time I have helped cordelle a boat up- stream, expecting every moment to be shot down by an ambushed savage," said an old keel-boatman. "Often I have seen the man before me drop by a shot fired from the bushes, and have felt the wind of the Indians' bullets on my face. 9 2 "Once, as we were cordelling our boat up the Mis- souri, the captain had just called out, ' Hand over hand,' which means to take up the slack on the rope, and pull closer to shore. Just then there came the crack of a gun from the bushes up the bank, and Joe Fugate, next before me, went down. " ' All aboard ! ' shouted the captain ; and he shoved the bow in to within six feet of shore. By this time the Indians' bullets from the hill were whistling like hail about us. Two of the boys carried Joe to the boat, and we all got on. Joe was laid in a comforta- ble place, for he was badly hurt, and the rest of us ran for our guns, while the boat was pushed out into the current. " We always carried our guns strapped on our backs when we thought there was danger ; but this attack was a complete surprise. Seizing my rifle, I fired at an Indian who was running down the steep bank toward us, and missed. Two more fired, and he fell. " The hillside was now alive with shouting and yell- ing savages. Our boat reached the middle of the stream and drifted down, the Indians all the while running along the shore and pouring in a continual fire. Two more of our crew were wounded. We had drifted down about half a mile, when we ran upon a sand bar within rifle range of the shore. "The savages, supposing that they had their prey secure, gave utterance to the most appalling yells I ever heard. They came down to the water's edge, and, lying down on the sand, poured a continuous rain of bullets into us. 93 "We knew that unless we could get off the bar we should be compelled to surrender, for our ammu- nition would soon be exhausted, and then the Indians would swim to us, and come aboard our boat. " Four of us volunteered to leap into the water and push the boat off the bar. We leaped in on the oppo- site side from the Indians, and keeping under as much as pos- sible, we crawled around to the bow, placed our shoul- ders against the boat, and lifted and pushed until I thought I could see stars. At last the boat broke ground and drifted away into deep water, leav- ing us four behind. One of the men, named l—j^T-i Joe Sapp, could not swim a stroke. The Indians' bullets were whiz- zing thick as bees about our heads, and we decided that we must somehow get to the boat. - " Bennet and Briggs, who were strong swimmers, told Sapp to place a hand on the back of each, and hold to them, and they would carry him to the boat. They did so. I followed after them, and we all climbed on board. " The Indians followed us for seven miles down the 94 stream, keeping up a continuous fire. Though we had none killed, we had five men wounded, and were de- layed two weeks at Franklin before we could proceed up the river." The savages often captured and robbed the boats on their way down or on their return up the river. Many artifices were resorted to in order to draw the boats in to shore. Once a St. Louis keel boat bound for New Orleans was drifting down the stream, when a man was seen on shore making frantic signals for it to land and take him on board. He wore a hat slouched over his eyes, and as he sat on the bank he kept dipping his hand into the water, apparently washing a wound on his face. The keel boat began to put in to shore, when one of the crew said, — " Maybe it is a trick to decoy us." " How ? " "It may be an Indian in white men's clothes." " I have a spyglass in my cabin. I will get it and see," said the captain. When he had leveled his glass on the person on shore, he saw a dark hand in the water, and a mo- ment later the head was raised so that he could see the face. Sure enough, it was an Indian in the clothes of a white man. Then, turning his glass, the captain discovered heads and rifle barrels peeping out from behind the bushes and trees. He ordered the man at the helm to turn the prow toward the opposite shore, and the sweeps were 95 manned. The boat glided over to the other side of the stream and escaped the trap set for it. The danger, toil, and hardships of the western boat- man were numerous, yet there was a peculiar fasci- nation about the life which caused many to adopt it. These men played an important part in the settlement of Missouri. But the magic influence of steam has done away with the keel-boat system, and that brave, hardy race, once familiar in every river town, has passed away. XIV. THE BLOCKHOUSE AT THE BIG SPRING. THERE is in St. Louis County a place known as the Big Spring. Soon after the territory was pur- chased by the United States, a few families from Virginia and Kentucky settled near it. Their num- bers increased until quite a settlement grew up. The Osages, Pottawatomies, and Iowa Indians fre- quently came down the river in canoes to annoy the settlers at this place. They would come in small thiev- ing bands, and plunder indiscriminately. This annoy- ance, together with the alarm felt over the fate of Bouvet and the killing of others, caused the people at tin- Big Spring to build a blockhouse. Blockhouses were not all alike. This one was made of logs, as usual, but the second story was laid corner- wise on the first, so that ports could be made to cover not only the sides, but the corners as well. The port- holes were not over a foot square, and were provided with blocks of wood with which they could be plugged up after the riflemen had fired, in order to make the people secure while they were reloading. Rumors of Indians in the vicinity very much alarmed the settlers at the Big Spring, and a request was sent to St. Louis for soldiers to guard the blockhouse. 96 97 Twenty privates under a lieutenant were accordingly detailed for this duty. The presence of the garrison, instead of allaying the fears of the people, increased them. The soldiers seemed to be positive evidence of danger. There was in the blockhouse a timid young lady named Fugate, who, unlike most frontier girls, was subject to fainting fits. She supposed that the sol- diers would know all about the Indians, and that they were the proper persons to appeal to for information. Timidly approaching the sentry on duty, she asked, — " Do you think we are in any danger, Mr. Soldier?" The sentry, in a spirit of mischief, answered, " Shouldn't be surprised, madam, if we weren't all dead before morning." With a shriek, Miss Fugate swooned, and was carried to her room. During the night she suffered from hysterics, and her friends feared she would die of fright. The anxiety and dread of the people in the fort were so great that they slept little. Several days passed, and, as no Indians appeared, the soldiers returned to St. Louis, while the people went back to their homes and resumed the work on their farms. One morning, two settlers named Clark and Bed- dington, while going to the river, were astonished to see half a dozen canoes filled with Indians paddling in to shore. They at once hurried back to the settle- ment and warned everybody that they saw. " Go to the blockhouse, run to the blockhouse ; the Indians are coming ! " was the general cry. Two or STO. of mo. — 7 9 8 three settlers lived more than a mile away, and a boy was mounted on a horse and dispatched for them. Before the Indians reached the Big Spring settlement, the whites were all within the blockhouse, and had , most of their live stock within an inclosure suf- ficiently near to protect them. There are con- flicting reports as to the number of the attacking force. Some say there were but sixteen, others say there were thirty- two, while still others put the number at sixty. The Indians had expected to surprise the white people, and had planned to leave the country as soon as they had taken a few scalps and had stolen such property as they could conveniently lay their hands on. It was a great disappointment to find the intended victims in their stronghold. The blockhouse was in a grove of trees, and the savages, taking shelter behind these, opened fire. The shots were returned, and for a while the volleys made it seem as if a battle were raging. Most of the women were as cool as the men, and stood by, molding bullets and loading guns. But 99 Miss Fugate was no pioneer. The crack of rifles shattered her nerves, and after swooning two or three times she became frantic with hysterics. No one within the blockhouse was killed, and but two or three were wounded, and those not seriously. It is not known if any of the Indians were killed. None were found after the fight, but the savages had a way of carrying off their dead and wounded. In connection with this attack, there is a story told which illustrates the cunning of the Indians. A boy saw a savage creeping through the bushes and tall grass on the south side in order to get into a better position. He fired, and the Indian fell. " I've killed one of them! I've killed one of them ! " the lad shouted joyfully. An old hunter named Crow, who thoroughly under- stood the tricks of the wily red man, said, — " Don't be too sure, Jess. Watch him until I get my gun loaded." " What are you going to do ? " the boy asked, when he saw Mr. Crow aiming at the fallen brave. " Don't go to wasting lead on a dead Indian." "Wait and see," was all the answer that the old hunter made. The Indian lay in the grass so that only a part of one shoulder was visible. The white man aimed at that part and fired. The fallen brave leaped to his feet with a yell of pain, and, clapping his hand to his wounded shoulder, ran howling away. " There goes your dead Indian," said Mr. Crow, with a laugh. IOO After that, whenever the boy was inclined to boast of his skill with a rifle, he was silenced by some one asking if he had not slain an Indian at the blockhouse. Finding it impossible to capture the white men's stronghold by storm, and fearing reinforcements from St. Louis, the Indians, after killing some cows and hogs in the woods, hurried to their canoes and pad- dled up the river. The blockhouse was never again attacked. XV. THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION. JUST before the transfer of Louisiana to the United States, in 1803, President Jefferson was preparing to send out an exploring expedition into the territory which now comprises the northwestern part of the United States. Beyond Indian tradition, that region was then unknown. The President's suggestions had been approved by Congress, and in January, 1803, he commissioned Cap- tains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the Missouri River and its principal branches to their fountain heads. They were then to seek and trace to its termination in the Pacific, some stream which might give the most direct and practicable water communica- tion across the continent, for purposes of navigation. At that time railroads were unknown, and navigable streams were the only means by which commerce could be extensively carried on. The expedition of Lewis and Clark was of the utmost importance to Missouri. It resulted in a definite knowl- edge of the great West, and in the subsequent push- ing of settlements and trading posts farther into the interior. Shortly after Lewis and Clark received their orders, 102 the news of the conclusion of the Louisiana purchase reached the United States. In May, 1804, these two officers came to St. Louis with thirty soldiers, a number of guides, and all the necessary supplies. Boats suita- ble for the long journey were constructed. They were of a peculiar make, long and narrow, strong and light, and capable of floating in shallow water. They were provided with sweeps, and with light masts which could be taken down when not needed. The best workmen obtainable were employed in their construction, and few boats have had greater care expended on them. The work was pushed forward so rapidly that the expedition was ready before the end of the month. Then, on the day set for its departure, the whole town of St. Louis turned out to see the bold explorers start ; for their journey was to take them thousands of miles through the wilderness. It was one of the most hazardous undertakings of the time, and it required men of great courage and strength. The party was made up of picked men, inured to the privations and dangers of the West. Yet many thought, when the little party started, that it would never return. Not only were hostile Indians to be met, but there were a thousand other dangers to be confronted in the great wilderness. As the boats glided under easy sail up the broad bosom of the Mississippi, a salute was fired from the fort, handkerchiefs were waved, and the people along the shore gave them many hearty cheers. When they entered the mouth of the Missouri, navi- gation became more difficult. This river is narrower 103 and more crooked than the Mississippi, and the current is much swifter. The explorers were compelled, for the most part, either to depend upon their sweeps, or else to cordelle their boats along the river banks, both of which ways were slow and toilsome. The party reached St. Charles, and rested one day. This was the last landmark of civilization. Beyond, all was a dense and unexplored wilderness. Slowly up the dark stream the boats glided, day after day. All signs of frontier settlements gave way to great forests, hills, and prairies. Sometimes there were towering bluffs on each side of the stream ; sometimes level tracts of forests, and sometimes vast bottoms covered with tall wild grass. Occasionally, a deer forced its way through the mass of tall grass and tangled bushes and vines, and paused on the bank to gaze on the strange procession that was passing up the stream. On June 7, 1804, the explorers reached the mouth of Bonne Femme Creek (Good Woman Creek) in Howard County, a few miles below where the city of Boonville now stands. Being considerably wearied with their journey, they did not move their camp all next day, but explored the river bottom as far back as the mouth of the Moniteau, a stream that empties into the Mis- souri at the southeastern corner of Howard County. At this place there was a lofty bluff and a projecting point of rocks. These were covered with those strange and mysterious hieroglyphic Indian paintings which have baffled all interpretation. While Clark was climbing up a rocky ledge in order 104 to examine the paint- ings more minutely, a singing rattle warned him of danger ; turn- ing, he discovered a large rattlesnake ly- ing coiled up on a shelf of rock within six or eight feet of him. With a stout stick, he struck the reptile a blow that crushed its neck. The noise of the stroke seemed to rouse a whole colony of rattlesnakes. From crevices in the rock, from behind stones, and among bushes there started up such an army of them that Clark and those with him gave up all thought of further investigation, and, retreating hurriedly down the bluff, returned to their camp. Next day they resumed their toilsome journey up the Missouri. They traveled through the heart of the State, and along the northwestern border. Sixteen hundred miles from St. Louis, they went into winter quarters among the Mandan Indians. In April of the next year, they passed the mouth of the Yellowstone River. Crossing the Rocky Mountains, they entered the head waters of the Columbia, and floated down that stream to its mouth in the Pacific. They spent the 105 winter on the south bank of the Columbia, and in the spring set out on their homeward journey. In September, 1806, Lewis and Clark arrived with their party in St. Louis, after an absence of over two years, during which they had traveled more than eight thousand miles. On their return, two of the guides, named Colter and Potts, obtained permission to remain on the Missouri and trap for beaver. Knowing the hostility of the Indians, they used to put out their traps at night, and take them up in the morning, remaining concealed during the day. Early one morning, they were ascending a creek to examine their traps, when they heard a noise like the tramping of wild animals. " That noise was made by Indians, and we had better retreat," said Colter. "Oh, it was a herd of buffalo," declared Potts. "Come, don't be a coward." They proceeded up the creek, but had not gone two hundred yards when four or five hundred Indians appeared on the banks, and began to beckon them to come on shore. As retreat was impossible, Colter turned the head of the canoe in to shore. The moment the craft touched the bank, an Indian seized the gun belonging to Potts. Colter, who was a very strong man, took it away from him and gave it back to Potts, who had remained in the canoe. On receiving the gun, Potts pushed off into the stream, but he had scarcely left the shore when an arrow struck him. " Colter, I am wounded," he cried. io6 " Don't try to escape, but come back to shore," said his comrade. Instead of taking this advice, Potts leveled his gun at the Indian who had wounded him, and shot the savage dead. In a moment, he was pierced by a dozen arrows, and expired. The Indians then seized Colter, stripped him entirely naked, and began to consult on the manner in which they should put him to death. Some favored tying him up as a target, and shooting him to death with their arrows. The chief finally came to Colter, and, placing his hand on the captive's shoulder, asked him if he could run fast. The white man, who understood some of the Indian language, answered that he was a very poor runner. The truth was, he was considered remarkably swift by the hunters who knew him. The chief commanded his warriors to remain where they were, and led Colter out on the prairie three or four hundred yards. Then he released the captive, bidding him save himself if he could. At that instant the war whoop sounded behind him, and, impelled by the hope of saving his life, he ran with a speed that sur- prised himself. Before him lay a prairie about six miles across, and beyond this was a heavy forest which bordered the banks of a stream. Colter felt that if he could reach the forest he would be safe. When about halfway across the prairie, he ventured to glance back over his shoulder, and saw that the Indians were much scattered. He had gained on the most of them, but one who carried a spear was not more than a hundred yards behind him. With confidence in 107 the possibility of escape, he increased his speed to the utmost. So greal were his exertions, that the blood gushed from his nostril and soon almost covered tin' front of Ins body. When within a mile oJ the river, Colter heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Glancing back, he saw tin- savage not twenty yards away. He stopped sud- denly, tinned around, and spread out his arms. The Indian, surprised at the aelion ol Colter, and at the blood)' appearance <>i his body, tried to stop and throw his spear. But he st uinbled and tell, his spear Sticking into the -found and breaking oil in his hand. Colter seized the pointed part oi tin- weapon, pinned the savage to the earth, and then continued Ins flight, lie reached the creek, plunged in, and concealed him- sell under a pile ol driltwood, with his bodv submerged in the water. The Indians were soon all over the drift, searching lor him, but he remained in his hiding plai e all day. At llight, naked and unarmed as he was, he < .one out and stalled oil' to seek white people. For seven days he traveled, subsisting on wild berries and roots which he dug out ol the earth with his hands. White people were reached at last, and he was saved. XVI. PIKE IN NORTHEAST MISSOURI. ABOUT the time that President Jefferson appointed Lewis and Clark to explore the Missouri, Lieuten- ant Zebulon Pike, for whom Pikes Peak is named, was appointed to explore the upper Mississippi. In the afternoon of Friday, August 9, 1805, Lieuten- ant Pike left St. Louis in a keel boat seventy feet long, with provisions for four months. He was accompanied by a crew, one sergeant, seventeen privates, and one in- terpreter. This was the first expedition up the Missis- sippi that was sent out by the United States govern- ment. In 18 10, Lieutenant Pike published a little book de- scribing his journey into northeast Missouri. Although only twenty-five years of age, he had the wisdom of a much older man. He kept a diary in which was a care- ful record of every incident of the journey, even to catching a few fish or losing a dog. On August 15, 1805, he passed the mouth of Salt River, where he says he "left another dog." The Indian name of Salt River was Auhahah or Oahahah. Pike gives us in his diary a brief description of this and the neighboring rivers as they then appeared. " Salt River bears from the Mississippi north 75 108 west, and is about one hundred or one hundred and twenty yards wide at its entrance. When I passed, it appeared to be perfectly mild, with scarcely any cur- rent. About one day's sail up the river, there are salt springs, which have been worked for four years; but I am not informed as to their qualities or productions. In this distance, the navigation of the Mississippi is very much obstructed by bars and islands ; indeed, to such a degree as to render it difficult to find (in many places) a proper channel. The shores are generally a sandy soil, timbered with sugar maple, ash, pecan, locust, and black walnut. " The east side has generally the preference as to situations for building. From this to the river Jauflione (which is our boundary between the Sac Nation and the United States on the west side of the Mississippi) we have the hills on the west shore, and the lowlands on the east, the latter of which are timbered with hickory, oak, ash, maple, pecan, etc. ; the former the same with an increase of oak. The east is a rich sandy soil, and has many eligible situations for cultivation. " About seven miles below the Jauflione a Frenchman is settled on the west shore. He is married to a woman of the Sac Nation, and lives by a little cultivation and the Indian trade. "The river before mentioned is about thirty yards wide at its mouth, and bears from the Mississippi about southwest. In this part the river navigation is good. From this to the Wyaconda River the navigation is easy, with very few impediments, and the soil on both sides is pretty good. This river pays its tribute to the no ^ I m Mississippi by a mouth one hundred yards wide, and bears from the latter nearly due west. Just below its entrance is a small stream fifteen yards wide which discharges itself into the Mississippi." The Frenchman with the Indian wife, whom Pike mentioned, was living in Marion County, Missouri, and was no doubt the first white settler in that part of the State. Pike wrote of him, — " His cattle were in fine order, but his corn was in a bad state of cultivation. About one mile above his house, on the west shore, is a very handsome hill, which he (the Frenchman) informed me is level on the top, with a gradual descent on either side, and a fountain of fine water. This man like- wise told me that two men had been killed on the Big Bay or Three Brothers, and he desired to be informed what measures had been taken in consequence thereof. We encamped four miles above his house." Next day the party made thirty-nine miles without any incident worthy of special mention, except pass- ing three bateaux, probably belonging to trappers and traders. The day following they were fired on by some Indians on the Illinois shore, and were driven over to the Missouri side. On the 19th an accident happened Ill to their boat which delayed them so that they made but fourteen miles that day. Next day they reached the Des Moines rapids and were beyond Missouri. The stream called by Pike the Jauflione was after- wards known as the Jefferion, and is now called the Fabius. No stream in Missouri has been known by more names. Some old writers call it the Geoffrion, and one authority is of the opinion that its original name was Javelot. The last is a French word signify- ing a spear, and doubtless the Indian name was of the same meaning. The name Fabius is said to be derived from a Spanish word meaning a pea or bean. When the stream was discovered, a great quantity of wild peas grew along its banks. In time the south fork of the stream was called the Little Fabba, and many old settlers in Missouri still speak of the two streams as the Fabbas. Their wooded shores became historic during the Civil War. They afforded hiding places for the partisan soldiery of the Confederate army, and many a hot skirmish was fought along their banks. XVII. CAPTAIN COLE. — A PLUCKY FRENCH- WOMAN. EARLY in the history of St. Charles County, prepa- rations were made for defense against the Indians. Companies of rangers were organized, and a number of forts were erected. Each of the forts was built in the form of a parallel- ogram, with blockhouses at the four corners, and with the sides consisting of log cabins and thick palisades. They were strong enough to resist muskets and rifles, but would have been small protection against artillery. Besides affording protection from the Indians, each fort became the nucleus of a little settlement, which ulti- mately grew into a village or thriving district. In 1806 or 1807, a few American families settled on Loutre Island. This island is in the Missouri River, just at the mouth of Loutre Creek, and the settlement on it was among the most exposed of any on the Mis- souri border at that time. In the year 1807 a band of ten Indians, Sacs and Pottawatomies, came from Iowa and the northern part of Missouri, stole seven horses belonging to the inhab- itants of Loutre Island, and then fled northward with them. Five settlers started in pursuit. They were U3 William Temple Cole, Stephen Cole, James Patton, John Gooch, and James Murdock. On the evening of the second day out, the party came in sight of the Indians on the Salt River Prairie, in what is now the southern part of Ralls County. The white men moved forward a mile or so, and then, as darkness was coming on, they went into camp in a dense wood on the bank of Spencer Creek, intending to open friendly negotiations with the Indians on the following morning. Two of the men remained on guard while the others slept. They little dreamed that the sharp eyes of the Indians were upon their camp. The night was dark, and while they slept the savages surrounded them. Suddenly, the cracks of rifles and the most appalling yells rose on the air. W. T. Cole and Gooch were instantly killed. Patton was wounded, but started up on his knees, when a shot laid him dead on his blanket. Stephen Cole and Murdock seized their rifles and fired into the darkness. Murdock leaped through the thicket and dropped down under the bank of the creek, then crawled on hands and knees a long distance up the stream, and escaped. After wandering several days in the forest and prairie, he at last reached Loutre Island. Stephen Cole was left alone to battle with the sav- ages. He was a large, powerful, and very brave man. Two of the Indians threw themselves upon him, and engaged him in a hand-to-hand fight. Knocking down the Indian in front, Cole turned upon one that had wounded him in the back. Seizing his wrist, the white STO. OF MO. — 8 ii4 man wrung the knife from the Indian's hand, and drove it into his heart up to the hilt. The dying yell of the savage called the remaining eight Indians to the spot. In the darkness it was diffi- cult to tell friend from foe. The white man struck right and left, and inflicted some ugly wounds on his enemies. He succeeded in cutting his way through, then leaped over the bank of the creek, and, aided by the darkness, made his escape. Mr. Cole's wound was painful, but not dangerous. He traveled day and night through the woods, until finally Loutre Island was reached. The wounded man at once organized a company to go with him to the place where his companions had been slain. His friends tried to dissuade him from returning, but in vain. As soon as his wound was dressed, he placed himself at the head of a party of armed settlers, and set out for the scene of the late con- flict. The dead were found and buried, but the Indians had fled from that part of the country. In after years, no name was more familiar on the Missouri frontier than that of Captain Stephen Cole. It was he who, in 1812, built Cole's Fort, and it was for him that Cole County was named. He was killed by the Indians in 1824 while returning from Santa Fe, with which town the people in Missouri had opened a brisk trade. From its exposed position, vast territory, and sparse population, north Missouri suffered more from Indian n5 depredations, in the early history of the Territory, than any other part of the country. With few exceptions, the Indians on the Missouri River were peaceable, even during the War of 1812. The northern Indians, how- ever, including the Sacs, Pottawatomies, and Iowas, made frequent incursions into the inhabited portions of the Territory. They would murder and plunder, and then, as soon as they were pursued by rangers, they would flee to the north. One of the most noted conflicts of the early Indian wars was at Cote Sans Dessein, a French settlement in what is now Callaway County, two miles below the mouth of the Osage River. The blockhouse was built on a limestone hill, six hundred yards long, in a piece of bottom land. The hill was a vast and isolated mound, and hence its name, which means a " Hill with- out Design," or an unaccountable hill. Cote Sans Dessein was once a village of considerable importance. Early in the War of 18 12, it was attacked by a large body of Indians. At the time of the attack the blockhouse was occupied only by a Frenchman named Baptiste Louis Roi, with two other men and two women ; but these five persons successfully resisted the determined siege until the rangers from St. Louis came to their relief. The Frenchmen were cool, and, being experienced marksmen, brought down a man at almost every shot. The blockhouse was easily defended, because of its position on the hill, and because there was little under- brush and few trees near by to protect the attacking party. While the men fired through the portholes at n6 the savages, the women molded bullets and loaded guns. Roi was the hero of the fight, but his wife was no less heroic than himself. The Indians, knowing that there were not many in the defending party, tried to storm the fort. Roi dis- covered their design, and ordered all to withhold their fire until the enemv were within a few yards. Then he gave the order, and the guns flashed with such deadly effect that the savages turned about and fled down the hill. Thev next tried to burn the blockhouse. Fastening- combustibles on their arrows, thev shot them into the roof, which in a few moments was on fire. " I'll put it out," cried the brave Madame Roi. "Shoot the savages, and mind not the blazing roof." Seizing a bucket of water, she climbed up by means of an inside ladder, and extinguished the flames. The conflict still raged. Again and again was the roof set in flames by burning arrows, and as often did the heroic Frenchwoman extinguish them. But at last the supply of water was exhausted, and another flaming arrow had stuck in the roof. The fort was on fire, and the band of rangers who were expected from St. Louis had not yet come. Even Roi began to despair. One of the men, peering out from a porthole at this moment, descried the St. Louis rangers coming, but thev were still some distance away. The fort would be in ashes before they could reach it. If those flames could be once more extinguished, the defenders would be saved. Madame Roi was equal to the emergency. ii7 She ran to her cupboard, and, taking from it a pan of milk, once more flew up the ladder and put out the fire. The yells of the disappointed savages had scarcely ceased to reverberate among the hills and forests, when the relief party burst upon them like a tornado. The Indians fled, and Cote Sans Dessein was saved by a plucky Frenchwoman. XVIII. MISSOURI RANGERS. THE early struggles with the Indians in Missouri called into existence a class of military men known as rangers. They were hardy and fearless, always ready for some daring enterprise, and willing to un- dergo any amount of toil and hardship to defend the frontier. Their discipline and manner of service dif- fered from those of the regular army, and most of them served without pay. Though they were divided into companies and regiments, no record has been preserved of their organization ; if any was made, it was de- stroyed when the State capitol burned, about twenty- five years later. Each ranger furnished his own horse, arms, and ammunition. The rations were sometimes provided at the expense of the general government, but often the men had to depend on the wild game of the forest for their food. As there is no record of the early Missouri rangers, we are dependent upon tradition for their history. In 1870, there was still living in Ralls County an old ranger, eighty-four years of age. His name was Richard Chitwood, and to him and a few others of his class the present generation is indebted for much information of those early soldiers. ii9 According to Mr. Chitwood, the first regiment of rangers was organized and commanded by Colonel David Musick, of St. Louis, who was one of the first representatives from that county in the Territorial Legislature. Among his most daring men was his nephew, Asa, of whom many stories are told. The young man was foolhardy in danger, yet came through a score of pitched battles and hard-fought skirmishes unharmed. One day, while a small party of rangers was scout- ing in the woods near the Osage, some Indians were seen to enter a group of trees. The rangers hesitated to attack them, but Asa sprang from his horse and crawled almost to the thicket, when the Indians sud- denly leaped out of it, and ran toward the river. Asa fired his rifle at them ; then, throwing it on the ground, he pursued the savages to the banks of the Osage, with no weapon but his knife. He would even have followed them across the river if he had not been pre- vented by his companions. On another occasion, the rangers were engaged in building a line of forts on the Missouri River in the St. Charles district, and were using a yoke of oxen to draw the logs from the forest. At night the oxen were unyoked and allowed to graze within the circle of camp guards. One night while Asa was on guard, the oxen escaped from the camp, and strayed into the woods. Colonel Musick, enraged at his nephew's carelessness, sent him into the woods to hunt for them. Asa came back after a few hours, and reported that he had been unable to find them. 120 "Go back!" cried the angry colonel, "and don't you dare to return until you have found that yoke of oxen." Asa left the camp and went to Kentucky, where he remained five years. At the end of that time, he returned to St. Louis. The war was over, and the rangers had been discharged for some time. On in- quiry, Asa learned that the colonel lived in the town, so he went to his house and knocked at the door. The colonel answered the summons, and was astonished at being confronted by the deserter of five years before. Asa gave him a serious look, and said, — " I have come to tell you, Uncle Dave, that I haven't found the oxen." Another daring ranger of the time was Jerry Ball, who served in the same regiment as Asa did. He was one of the best marksmen on the frontier. His rifle, a long-barreled gun, was made for hunting bear, and it was said that he could send a bullet twice as far as any one else in the regiment. Once while he was scouting with two or three others on the Missouri, they discovered some Indians across the river. The Indians, supposing themselves at a safe distance, began to make defiant gestures at the rangers. When Jerry Ball dismounted and took aim at them, they shouted in derision. He fired, and fatally wounded one of them, whereupon the others fled. For this feat Jerry was called by the Indians "Long Shot." 121 Though most of the rangers were men of reckless daring, there was occasionally one of quite the oppo- site character. We are told of a certain Harmon who was of this sort, and who, like most cowards, was a great boaster. When the rangers first started on their campaign, he insisted on riding in front. Most of the rangers thought Harmon was very brave ; but there was one old man who declared that he was a most consummate coward, and that he would show himself to be such when they came under fire. Harmon boasted so much of what he would do when they found the Indians, that some of his companions became tired of it, and determined to put his courage to a test. All the company were taken into the secret except two or three of Harmon's most intimate friends. One evening after they had gone into camp, a dozen young men stole away unseen into the forest. Shortly after dark, rapid firing and deafening yells were heard on the right, and the sentries, running into the circle of light made by the camp fire, shouted, — " Indians ! Indians ! " Harmon ran. He did not stop to mount his horse, which had been picketed out to graze ; he did not stop to put on his cap, which had fallen to the ground. A camp dog that stood in his way was kicked aside ; and then the fleeing Harmon was seen to leap over logs, dodge under bushes, and plunge into a muddy swamp, sending the frightened frogs in every direction. Ac- cording to one of the rangers who sometimes wrote doggerel verse, — 122 And Leaped the logs, And scared the frogs, And olunefed into the water. Nor did Harmon stop there. He ran un- til he reached the |H^* nearesl fort, about forty miles dis- tant. On being asked where the others were, he H* ,^ answered, — " All killed. The Indians have killed and scalped every one of them. 1 am all that is left to tell the tale." The people in the fort were for several days in a state of alarm and anxiety; but this was changed to laughter when the company returned from a blood- less campaign, and related the joke that had been played on Harmon. The boaster was effectually cured of his bad habit, but never again went with the rangers. Quite in contrast with Harmon was a ranger known as Little Abe. Though twenty-four years of age, he was so small that he was often mistaken for a boy. He kept his face shaved perfectly smooth, which ■ m t23 added to liis youthful appearance. Little Abe was among the most daring oi the rangers, and was a fine marksman. He could bark a squirrel nine shots out oi ten, a feat which was regarded as the most diffii nil of all to perform. To "bark a squirrel," the rifle musl be aimed so that the ball will strike and shiver the bark of thr limb on which the animal is crouching. The squirrel is thrown into the air as it by an explosion, and is killed by the concussion. Another favorite bat of Little Abe's was snuffing a candle. This shot was always made alter night. A lighted candle was placed on a stump fifty yards from the marksman. He would then take aim offhand, and shoot the top of the wick off; that is, actually snuff the candle without extinguishing the flame. The rangers once started out to puisne a band of [ndians that had come down from the northern part oi the Territory. These savages had stolen a few horses, and then, according to their usual eusloiu, had lied bark toward their homes. The rangers had gone two days' forced march, when they ascertained that ;i party of [ndians had slipped back past them. When last seen, this party was going in the direction of John Patton's house, which was two or three miles from the fort. Patton, who was with the company, became very much alarmed lor his wife: and children, whom he had left al home. When the rangers began the pursuit, no one thought of any savages ^ettin<; in their rear and attack- ing the settlement which they had left. Now, however, they turned about, and hurried back as rapidly as their almost exhausted horses could 124 Ten mil'-:, from Patton's cabin, every horse excepl Little Abe's had ^ivcn out. He pressed on alone, sonic <>l the others following <>n foot. A little before sunset, the rangei came in sighl oi the cabin, and saw fifteen <>r twenty Indians not over .1 fourth <>i ;i mile from it. Little Abe urged his tired horse to the top oJ its speed. When he reached the gate, he sprang from the saddle, leaped into the door, and quickly told Mrs. Patton why he had come. Not dreaming oJ danger, Mrs. Patton had remained ;it home during her husband's absence. She foas a brave woman. She first hastened to take her children to the attic, and then retained to assist in the defense, When Little Abe opened fire on the savages, Mrs. Patton took down a rifle that hung <>n the wall, gave it to him, and then reloaded tin- one he had emptied. The cabin was so neai to the tort that the firing was heard there, and a rescuing party was senl to drive the Savages away. 'I'he remarkable skill and courage of Little Abe enabled him to keep the Indians at bay until help arrived. Three Indians were found dead on the ground, XIX. THE CAPTIVE. *** 'HERE is no more beautiful and irilling tale oi >neer days, t ban the story oi I [elen Patter son. She was horn in Kentucky; but while she was stl11 ;| child Ixt parents removed to St. Louis County, Missouri, and h\ ( - ( | f or a time in a settlement called ("<»ld Water, which is in Si. Ferdinand township. Aboul the year 1808 or 1809, her father took his family to *25 26 the St. Charles district, and settled only a few miles from the home of the veteran backwoodsman, Daniel Boone. At the time of this last removal, Helen was about eighteen years of age. She was a very religious girl, and had been taught to believe that whatever she prayed for would be granted. Shortly after the family had settled in their new home, bands of prowling savages began to roam about the neighborhood. The Indians would plunder the cabins of the settlers during their absence, and drive away their cattle, horses, and hogs. One day, business called all the Patterson family to the village, except Helen. She was busily engaged in spinning, when the house was surrounded by nine Indians. Resistance was useless. She did not attempt to escape or even cry out for help ; for one of the sav- ages who spoke English gave her to understand that she would be killed if she did so. She was told that she must follow the Indians. They took such things as they could conveniently carry, and with their captive set off on foot through the forest, in a northwestern direction. The shrewd girl had brought a ball of yarn with her, and from this she occasionally broke off a bit and dropped it at the side of the path, as a guide to her father and friends, who she knew would soon be in pursuit. This came very near being fatal to Helen, for one of the Indians observed what she was doing, and raised his hatchet to brain her. The others interceded, but the ball of yarn was taken from her, and she was closely 127 watched lest she might resort to some other device for marking a trail. It was early in the' morning when Helen was captured. Her parents were expected to return to the cabin by noon, and she reasoned that they would be in pursuit before the Indians had gone very far. As the savages were on foot, and her father would no doubt follow them on horseback, he might overtake them before dark. The uneasiness expressed by her captors during the afternoon encouraged her in the belief that her friends were in pursuit. A little before sunset, two of the Indians went back to reconnoiter, and the other seven, with the captive, continued on in the forest. Shortly after sunset, the two Indians who had fallen behind joined the others, and all held a short consultation, which the white girl could not understand. The conference lasted but a few moments, and then the savages hastened forward with Helen to a creek, where the banks were sloping, and the water shallow enough for them to wade the stream. By the time they had crossed, it was quite dark. The night was cloudy, and distant thunder could occasionally be heard. The Indians hurried their captive to a place half a mile from the ford, and there tied her with strips of deerskin to one of the low branches of an elm. Her hands were extended above her head, and her wrists were crossed and tied so tightly that she found it impossible to release them. When they had secured her to their own satisfaction, the Indians left her, assuring her that 128 they were going back to the ford to shoot her father and his companions as they crossed it. Helen was almost frantic with fear and grief. Added to the uncertainty of her own fate was the knowledge that her father and friends were marching right into an Indian ambuscade. In the midst of her trouble, she did not forget her pious teaching. She prayed God to send down his angels and release her. But no angel came. In her distress, the rumbling thunders in the distance were unheard, and she' hardly noticed the shower until she was drenched to the skin. The rain thoroughly wet the strips of deerskin with which she was tied, and as they stretched she almost unconsciously slipped her hands from them. Her prayer had been answered by the rain. She hastily untied her feet, and sped away toward the creek. Guided by the lightning's friendly glare, she crossed the stream half a mile above the ford, and hastened to meet her father and friends. At every flash of lightning she strained her eyes, hoping to catch sight of them. At last, moving forms were seen in the distance, but they were too far away for her to determine whether they were white men or Indians. Crouching down at the root of a tree by the path, she waited until they were within a few rods of her, and then cried in a low voice, — "Father! Father!" "That is Helen," said Mr. Patterson. She bounded to her feet, and in a moment was at his side, telling him how she had escaped. The rescuing 129 party was composed of her father and two brothers, a neighbor named Shultz, and Nathan and Daniel M. Boone, sons of the great pioneer, Daniel Boone. She told them where the Indians were lying in am- bush, and the frontiersmen decided to surprise them. They crossed the creek on a log, and stole down to the ford, but the Indians were gone. No doubt the savages had discovered the escape of the prisoner, and, know- ing that their plan to surprise the white men had failed, became frightened and fled. Helen Patterson always believed it was her prayers that saved her father, her brothers, and herself in that trying hour. XX. BOONE'S SALT WORKS. TRANSPORTING goods to Missouri in the early days was very expensive, and the inhabitants soon learned to manufacture many of the things they needed. Among the earliest of their products was salt. Hunters, trappers, and traders who went into the wilderness discovered springs which were so briny that they could not drink the water. Deer, elk, and buffalo frequented these springs to lick the salt deposited around them. For that reason, the banks were called "salt licks"; and hunters used to watch these places for the game which came to them. When the first salt was made in Missouri, is not definitely known. Several places and several persons claim the honor. The early method of making salt was simple enough. Kettles were filled with brine, which was boiled until it had all evaporated, leaving only the salt. Early in the history of Missouri, even before the Spanish had transferred the country to the United States, salt was thus made by settlers. It was not until later years, however, that this became a lucrative business. In February, 1804, Ira P. Nash and two companions went up the Missouri River and located the first claim 130 i3i on public lands in what is now Howard County. They remained there almost a month, and while hunting discovered some springs that were rich with salt. The sons of Daniel Boone, Nathan and Daniel M. Boone, were noted for their courage and enterprise. They heard of the wonderful salt springs in the " upper country," or country up the Missouri River, and in 1806 they set out to examine them. Arriving in what is now Howard County, they selected a location for salt works. During the summer of 1807, the Boone brothers, with three men named Goforth, Baldridge, and Manly, took a large number of kettles, and went up the Missouri River in boats to manufacture salt at the place which they had located. Being compelled to row against the current, their journey was slow and laborious. It was the more so on account of the great caution they were obliged to use in ascending the river, for the dark, muddy stream was filled with hidden snags, rocks, and - sand bars. \ , :''^l Arrived at the salt springs, they built furnaces, placed their kettles over them, and began making salt. The place was soon known as Boones Lick, and all the country 132 above Cedar Creek was called the Boones Lick country. It is this Cedar Creek which now forms the boundary line between Callaway and Boone counties ; at that time it was regarded as the western boundary of the district of St. Charles. Sometime about 1809, five men left St. Charles with their kettles in a boat, drifted down the Missouri to its mouth, and then ascended the Mississippi as far as the mouth of Salt River. They went up this stream until they came to a salt spring in what is now Ralls County. Here, at what was known as Freemores Lick, they built a furnace, dug a well, and began making salt. During the summer they were attacked by Indians, and compelled to leave their works. They threw their kettles into the well, and started for St. Charles. All but one were killed on the way. The man who escaped journeyed all the way to St. Charles through the forest and across the prairie without eating or sleeping until he reached his home. Boone's sons, however, were unmolested, and in the fall they returned to St. Charles with canoes filled with salt. This led others to brave the dangers of the forest in order to share in the new industry. The Boones, however, were the chief salt makers of the time. They were bold, and the Indians feared them more than they did any one else. The name their father had gained was enough to inspire the savages with dread of the sons. The explorations in the salt districts were fruitful of other results. The salt makers and explorers brought back intelligence of a beautiful country. They told of noble streams, grand forests, rolling prairies, and rich 133 soils, and kindled in the hearts of the people a desire to live in that far-away land. Bold pioneers pushed out into the wilderness, and in a short time settlements began to spring up all over the Boones Lick country. It was a large district, requiring three or four days to cross it on horseback, then the chief mode of travel. After the first settlement was made in Howard County, other settlers soon moved into the Boones Lick country, and by the year 1812 there were many small settle- ments here, besides a number of pioneers living at con- siderable distances from any of them. The highway which led to what afterwards became the town of Old Franklin was known as the Boones Lick road. It became the main thoroughfare, and was made suitable for wagons. At one place on this road there lived a pioneer whose nearest neighbor was ten miles distant. His cabin fronted the road, and his wife, lonely in her prairie home, was in the habit of hailing every passer-by, and asking, " What's the news ? " She soon became famous all over the Boones Lick country as the great interrogator. When the War of 181 2 broke out, and the Missourians began to fear an attack from the British and Indians, her desire to learn the news increased. The most terrifying stories were told at that time, and were believed by some. The whole country, for instance, would quickly become alarmed at the report that Brock and Tecumseh were on their march to the Missouri River, with a large army of British and Indians. After a time, most of the frontiersmen learned to 134 discredit these reports ; but the old lady in the lonely cabin still believed everything she heard. A man who had been stopped repeatedly on his way to and from the Boones Lick salt works, and asked if there was any news, determined to test this woman's credulity to the utmost. The next time he rode past her house, she ran to the gate, as usual, and called, — " Stop, Mr. Sinks, what's the news of the Indians ? " Mr. Sinks assumed a very serious look and an- swered, — " Bad, madam, very bad. I am going to get my family out of the country just as soon as possible." " YVhv, what's the trouble ? " " Teeumseh and his Indians have put handspikes under Lake Michigan, and are going to upset it and drown us all." Wringing her hands, and shrieking in an agony of dread, the woman ran to the field where her husband was at work, and urged him to pack up and leave the country before they were drowned. When he learned what was the cause of her alarm, he declared that he didn't believe the Indians could upset the lake if they tried, and that, as he was a good swimmer, he was going to run the chances of getting out, if they did. Portions of the Boones Lick country were for a long time subject to the raids of the Indians. During the winter, the savages remained in their villages and wig- wams, living on the product of the summer's hunt and the labor of the women. But as soon as it was warm enousrh for them to leave their homes, thev began to 135 rob and murder the settlers on the frontier. In May, 1818, a band of them from the northern part of the State slipped down to the Boones Lick country, and approached the house of a pioneer named Ramsey. Mrs. Ramsey was milking her cows, and was not aware of the presence of Indians until they fired at her. She dropped her milking pail and ran toward the house. They fired at her again, and one bullet wounded her ; but she managed to reach the cabin before she fell. Three of the children, who were in the front yard, were tomahawked and scalped. Mr. Ramsey was seri- ously wounded, but he managed to seize his rifle and keep the savages from the house.' Two of the boys escaped and gave the alarm ; and the frontiersmen were not slow in rallying to the rescue. Among those who came to the scene was the old pioneer, Daniel Boone. He washed and dressed the wounds of Mrs. Ramsey, and made the last hours of the dying woman as cqmfortable as possible. When volunteers set out after the Indians, his eyes flashed with the same fire that had inspired him in his younger days, and he said, — " I should like to go with you, boys, but I am no account any more." The Indians were overtaken, four of them killed, and several wounded. Mrs. Ramsey died from her injuries, and was buried by the side of her children who had been killed on the day that she received her wounds. XXI. 1 COOPER AND CALLAWAY. AS said before, the Boones Lick country was settled soon after its exploration. The first to make his home there was Colonel Benjamin Cooper. With his wife and five sons, this pioneer came from Madison County, Kentucky, and in 1808 built a cabin near Boones Lick. Their immigration, like that of many other families, was a result of the search for salt, which was being industriously carried on. They had heard the stories about fertile soil, great forests, and abundant game, and were induced by them to brave all dangers and become the first settlers of what is now Howard County. Colonel Cooper's location was so far beyond any other settlement, that he and his family were in great danger from the Indians. For this reason the governor of the Territory ordered him to live somewhere below the Gasconade River until he could be assured of some protection in his new home. The colonel obeyed the order, and moved to Loutre Island, where he remained for more than a year. In February, 18 10, a number of other emigrants from Madison County, Kentucky, came 1 The material for this chapter is partly from Col. \V. F. Switzler's " History of Missouri." 136 137 to this same place, looking for homes in the new Territory. Cooper at once began to praise the Boones Lick country, and before the month was out he had induced a band of the sturdy pioneers to accompany him and his family to this much-desired locality. They traveled through a trackless forest, on the north side of the Missouri River, and safely reached their destination in March. The wives of the new immigrants did not arrive until August. It did not take long for the settlers to build their cabin homes and clear enough land for cultivation ; but the hostile Indians were a constant menace to the prosperity of the settlement. The Pottawatomies, who were the great horse thieves of the frontier, made fre- quent raids upon the Boones Lick country. In addition to this, the more warlike Iowas, Foxes, and Kickapoos threatened the lives of the settlers. For several years the little band of whites were obliged to rely wholly on themselves for protection; and in 1812 they built five forts. These were Cooper's Fort, Kinkaid's Fort, Fort Hempstead, Fort Head, and Cole's Fort. The tour fust named were all within what is now Howard County; but Cole's Fort was on the south side of the river, not far from where Boonville now stands. It was built and com- manded by Stephen Cole, who, with Hannah Cole and their families, was the first to settle in Cooper County. The settlers' cornfields were cultivated in common, and were near these strongholds. Sentinels were kept around the fields while the men were at work in them. At the first sign of danger, horns were blown, and all the people ran to the forts, where they were sale from $8 attac ts. In spite ad bravei j . ... . s, at diffe ere s the savages x st j Sarshe s sitting in his er's Fort 1 lis his ther children him A-.- Indian, mowing kill him, i, the savage < tain fort aking a - gun, he t< v ! man i lis assass led to the - - s perished the man for as In til s ! s Masse [slar are he had settled in with his to what was called sed some land of Colon* Nathan sse the .... str< s s S small field - uth side l v ::> the sit age oi Mineola ^ v -. we::: u] a Creek t t v. signs its hich he had . - set his son Harris > the fie Id. 139 "Carry your rifle on your back, while at work,' said Mr. Massey, "and if you see an Indian, shoot him and run to the house/' The boy slung his gun across his shoulder by a strap, and began plowing. But the gun was heavy, and after a while he set it against a tn About ten in the morning, a band oi Sac [ndians slyly came down Sallies Branch, and, crawling under the bank, approached within a hundred yards oi the boy at work in the field. They shot him, and then ran up and scalped him. From the cabin door, the mother and sister witne i this terrible <\^A. Ann Massey, the oldest daughter, seized the dinner horn and blew such a blast that the Indians, fearing that the signal was lor a band of white men, became alarmed and fled. Mr. Massey heard the firing and the dinner horn, and hastened home. The Indians had left the horses, and upon these he mounted his family, and set out at once for Fort Clemison, eigh- teen miles away. From that post, a party went to Mr. Massey's house and buried the dead boy. On March 6, 1815, a band of seventy-five or eighty Sac and Fox Indians came down from the northern part of the Territory, and stole a dozen or more horses that were grazing on the mainland near Loutre Island. They hurried away, and succeeded in escaping with their stolen property up Loutre Creek. Captain James I Lllaway, with fifteen rangers, set out at once after the thieves. On the second day, they came upon a fresh trail left by the Indians. Rapidly following it, about two o'clock in the afternoon they came upon the camp, 140 where they found the stolen horses, guarded by a few squaws. All the men were absent, and at sight of the rangers the Indian women fled. Captain Callaway did not pursue them, but collected the horses and started with them toward Loutre Island. Lieutenant Jonathan Riggs, of the rangers, was an old Indian fighter, and a man of caution and judgment. His suspicions were aroused by the disappearance of the savages. He thought that they had dispersed in order to mislead the white men, and that they would make a circuit in front of them and form an ambuscade into which the rangers would fall. He advised his companions to go back by another route. Captain Callaway was a dauntless fellow, and merely laughed at his friend's fears. He believed that the Indians had left the country, and that the rangers would see no more of them. Accordingly, the white men kept on their course. They had reached the crossing at Prairie Fork, a hundred yards or more from Loutre Creek, when a terrible volley was poured into them from in front. It seemed as if the grass and bushes were on fire. Parker Hutchings, Frank McDermit, and James McMillin, who were about a hundred yards in advance with the recap- tured horses, were all three instantly killed by the first volley. Captain Callaway and the remaining rangers charged forward and plunged into the fight. They were met by a murderous fire from an ambushed foe concealed in the timber on the hill and in front. Captain Calla- way's horse was killed under him,' and he himself I4i received a shot in his left arm. Another bullet struck his watch, but the timepiece turned it aside. Leaping from his dead horse, the brave captain shouted, — " Cross the creek, charge them, and fight to the death!" His men dashed forward and plunged into the creek. He followed them, and all were soon in the stream, which >' t/^%-- ;:*£fS\ W&hn : 1^- 4^ $ h was swollen to a considerable size \ by the melting snow. The water was intensely coLd. Captain Calla- way's wounded arm was useless, and he was compelled to swim with but one hand. When his men gained the other shore, they looked back and saw him drifting down the stream. Just then an Indian leveled a gun at him. and shot him in the back of the head. The 142 white men saw him disappear under the water, and then turned again toward their hidden foes. Lieutenant Riggs and the rangers fought valiantly, but the Indians outnumbered them five to one, and were all good marksmen. From the tall grass, behind trees and logs, they continued to shoot the white men, who could scarce see an enemy. The lieutenant at last ordered a retreat, after six of the rangers had fallen in the fierce conflict. The remainder recrossed Prairie Fork, and going a mile above crossed again without meeting any opposition. Next morning they succeeded in reaching the island. Nearly every man was more or less wounded, and every horse had been struck by a bullet. The horses of the settlers were lost. Only one Indian was found dead on the battle ground, and he was buried on the prairie, near the present village of Wellsville. The white men who had been slain in the conflict were searched out and buried. It was several days before the body of Captain Callaway was found, but it was at last discovered, caught by a bush in the stream, several hundred yards below the spot where he had been killed. The body was wrapped in blankets and buried on the side of a steep hill sloping down to Loutre Creek, and across the head of the grave was laid a flat slab, on which was engraved : • " Captain James Callaway, March 7, 181 5." Callaway County was named in honor of this gallant captain of rangers. XXII. THE EARTHQUAKE AT NEW MADRID. NEW MADRID was among the first settlements in Missouri. Though it was prosperous as a busi- ness village and trading post, its inhabitants were noted for their impiety. All the worst elements of a fron- tier river town were to be found here in this place. The residents formed a mixed class of society made up of various races and nationalities, — English, Spanish, French, Indians, and negroes. Their visitors were boatmen, hunters, trappers, and gamblers. All this went to make New Madrid what on the frontier was called "a tough place." History says but little about the town prior to the earthquake, and that little is not to its credit. It is spoken of as the favorite resort of boatmen, who spent "their Sabbaths in drinking, gambling, and fighting." Priest and preacher went unheard, or if they were listened to at all, it was with the utmost indifference. On December 16, 1811, many of the settlers of New Madrid observed that the atmosphere had a strange, murky appearance. Strange phenomena were not unusual on the frontier, and no one felt any great uneasiness at this, although some declared that the air was filled with the odor of sulphur. 143 144 Evening came, and many of the inhabitants retired for the night. Some of the houses were closed and dark, while in others there gleamed lights from tallow candles. There were a number of keel boats tied up along the shore. Some of them were bound for the lower country, and some were on their return trip. Masters and crews of the boats were spending the evening in drinking and gambling. Near ten o'clock at night, there came a low rumbling of subterranean thunder which startled even those who were in deep sleep. Then came the first great shock and crash of the earthquake. Houses trembled, and people ran shrieking into the streets. Lights in the houses were extinguished, and as the night was cloudy, it was intensely dark. A few seconds later there came a second shock, more terrible than the first. This shock, according to eyewitnesses, was " an undulating movement " ; a moving up and down like the billows of the sea. Houses rocked, trees waved together, and the ground sank; while occasionally vivid flashes of lightning gleamed through the troubled clouds, rendering the darkness doubly horrible. The shocks of this earthquake are said to have equaled in violence anything ever before known. The loss of life was not so great as might have been ex- pected, for the country was thinly populated, and the log houses, being low, were not easily overturned. Vast tracts of land were plunged into the Mississippi River. The graveyard at New Madrid, with all its sleeping dead, sank into the stream. Large lakes, H5 many miles in extent, were made in a single hour, while others were drained in the same time. The whole country from the mouth of the Ohio in one direction, and to the St. Francis in another, was con- vulsed to such a degree as to create lakes and islands. Trees split in the middle, lashed one with another, and tangled and matted, inclined in every direction and at every angle. The undulations of the earth's surface were said to resemble the waves of the ocean, and they increased in elevation until the earth burst at the highest point, and great volumes of water, sand, and pit coal were discharged. Great fissures were formed where the earth had burst, and hundreds of them, some of considerable depth, still remained many years after. Large districts were covered with white sand, which destroyed their value for agricultural purposes. Nearly the whole country, particularly that part called Little Prairie, was flooded with water. Through the forests, and in the gloom of darkest night, people fled in water up to their waists, while concussions occurring every few hours appalled all living creatures. Even the birds lost all power or disposition to fly, and sought the protection of their fellow-sufferers. As the people fled through forest and darkness, a person would oc- casionally sink into one of the chasms made by the earthquake, but the cries of the unfortunate brought help at once, and all who stumbled into these holes were rescued. The force of the earthquake was much more de- structive on the river than on the land. The upheaval STO. OF MO. — IO 146 of the river bed caused a tidal wave which for a moment changed the current of the stream. But it was only for a moment ; then the waters rushed into the abyss with fearful velocity. Boats were caught in the eddying, whirling waters and destroyed, while others were thrown high and dry upon the land and left there. An eyewitness of the terrible scene says, — "The general impulse of the people when the shocks commenced was to fly. When the convulsions of the earth were most severe, the people were thrown down at almost every step. In the midst of those scenes of terror, all — Catholics and Protestants, praying and profane — became of one religion, and partook of one feeling. Two hundred people, speaking English, French, and Spanish, crowded together, with pale visages and trembling forms. Mothers clasped their children to their breasts, and as soon as they could speak, all began to invoke aid from God. Even the poor, terrified horses and cattle crowded about the people for protection." " I was in the house with my family," one man said in describing the terrible night. " Some of the children had retired, but my wife was still spinning, and I was reading a book. The first shock, which was preceded by a low rumbling sound like thunder in the bowels of the earth, threw us to the floor. Fortunately our house was not thrown down. " ' God save us, what is it ? ' cried my wife. " ' An earthquake. Let us fly ! ' I answered. " All the children save the infant were awakened by H7 the first shock, and with one impulse we ran toward the door. I opened the door, and we tumbled into the street, where scores of others, screaming and wringing their hands, were assem- bling. " 'The babe ! have you got the baby ? ' asked my wife. " Then, to my hor- ror, I discovered that our helpless infant had been left in the house. I de- termined to rescue it, or die in the effort. " At this moment the second shock came rific than the first. We were all thrown on the ground. It was so dark that we could see only when the pale, sickly flashes of lightning illuminated the sc%ne. One of these flashes followed, or rather accompanied, the second shock, and by aid of it I saw the people all prostrated on the ground. " Assisting my wife to rise, I said, — " ' Stay here with the children. Do not leave on any account, and I will go and fetch the baby ! ' My wife promised to obey, and I started toward the house. The earth was still shaking. I cannot describe the sensa- tions I experienced at that time. It was as if I stood more ter- 148 upon something that swayed from side to side, and sank and rose with irregular motions. " I was thrown down twelve times trying to mount the piazza in front of my dwelling. At last I clutched the steps and crawled into the house, where the cries of the affrighted child could be heard. I seized it, and after many efforts succeeded in rejoining my wife. We sought a high, open spot of ground, and remained there until morning, which it seemed to us would never come. " When morning dawned, no sun shone on us to glad- den our hearts. A dense vapor arose from the seams of the earth, and hid it from view." Little Prairie, which suffered most, contained one hundred families located in a very deep, fertile bottom. Here the earth was torn and rent by the throes of the earthquake, and some places were covered to a depth of two feet with sand. In the first paroxysm of fear, the settlers sought to escape to the hills. The depth of water, however, soon cut off their flight in that direc- tion, and there was nothing to do but wait for the dawn of day before making any other effort to escape. When the danger was all over, every family in the settlement, except two, abandoned their homes and moved away. The cattle and harvest at Little Prairie and New Madrid were nearly all destroyed. The people no longer dared live in houses, so they passed this winter and the succeeding one in bark wigwams and camps, like the Indians'. These were so light that if thrown down they would injure no one. A number of boats loaded with provisions were wrecked on the Mississippi above New Madrid, and their cargoes were driven down by 149 the eddy into the mouth of the bayou which makes the harbor at the village. This accident to the boats was the salvation of the homeless villagers. Flour, beef, pork, bacon, butter, cheese, apples, in short everything that was carried down the river, floated to their ruined hamlet. The owners of boats that came safely into the bayou were so frightened that they disposed of their cargoes at nominal prices, rather than venture further down the stream. Navigation on the Mississippi became exceedingly perilous. So changed was the river, that the oldest pilots were no longer acquainted with it. For two months, shocks continued almost daily, though no others were so severe as the two on the night of December 16. The inhabitants of New Madrid thought that the whole country below them had sunk. A great many islands in the river did sink, and new ones were raised, and the bed of the river was much changed in every respect. After the earthquake, the country about New Madrid exhibited a melancholy aspect. There were great chasms at intervals of half or quarter of a mile, while the intervening space was covered with white sand. Trees torn up and strewn over the ground, or split in the middle as if riven by lightning, were to be seen for many miles. Congress enacted laws permitting the in- habitants of the earthquake district to locate the same amount of lands in other parts of the Territory. Cer- tificates of claims were given to each head of a family who lived in the ruined district. But the inhabitants were mostly ignorant backwoodsmen, and shrewd and iSo unscrupulous speculators cheated them out of their claims, so that they never received any substantial benefit from the law. A gentleman who formerly lived in New Madrid visited it seven years after the earthquake, and wrote, — " When I resided there, this district, formerly so level, rich, and beautiful, had the most melancholy of all aspects of decay — the tokens of former cultivation and inhabitancy, which were now mementos of desola- tion and desertion. Large and beautiful orchards left uninclosed, houses deserted, and deep chasms in the earth were obvious at frequent intervals. Such was the face of the country, although the people had for years become so accustomed to the frequent small shocks, which did no essential injury, that the lands were gradually rising in value, and New Madrid was slowly rebuilding with frail buildings, adapted to the apprehensions of the people." Missouri has never since been visited by a disastrous earthquake, and the dread awakened by the convulsions at New Madrid is no longer felt. XXIII. MISSOURI TERRITORY. THE region which we call Missouri was never known by this name until the year 1812. Before that time, it was known as a part of Louisiana, the Illinois District, Upper Louisiana, the District of Louisiana, and the Territory of Louisiana. No State has had more names or has changed owners more times. In 18 1 2, it did not become the State of Missouri, but the Territory of Missouri. The Territory comprised a con- siderable part of Arkansas, but, on the other hand, the northern and western parts of the present State were occupied and owned by the Indians. So many changes in rulers, names, and boundaries were the cause of many amusing incidents. One gentle- man traveling through the Territory met another from the Boones Lick country, and asked him where he lived ; and the latter replied, — " I lived in the Illinois District yesterday, but we change names and rulers so often that I would not ven- ture to say where I live now, or to what country I belong." On June 4, 1812, Missouri Territory was organized by Congress, with a governor, a legislative council, and a house of representatives. The governor was appointed 15* 152 by the President of the United States, and had the power of absolute veto. Only one man was ever appointed to the office — William Clark, one of the commanders of the Lewis and Clark expedition. His term as governor did not begin till 1813, but it lasted until Missouri became a State, in 1821. In organizing the Territory of Missouri, it was divided into five coun- ties : St. Charles, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girar- deau, and New Madrid. Each of these counties elected members to the Territorial House of Representatives, and together they sent one delegate to Congress. The Legis- lative Council was composed of nine men, selected by the President from a list of eighteen who were chosen by the House of Representatives. The capital of Missouri was St. Louis, and here, in due course, her first Territorial Legislature met. The members were, for the most part, men with little or no experience in lawmaking. It is said that when they had assembled, one member arose and asked, — "What did we come here for? " If the members were ignorant of their duties, the people were still more so. " What's that crowd doing ? " asked a hunter who had just entered the city. " That's the Legislature." " What's a Legislature ? " It was explained to him that a Legislature was an assembly of men who met to make laws for the people. "We don't want any laws," declared the hunter. "We won't have any laws, and the best thing we can do is to drive the Legislature out of town." 153 But the suggestion did not meet with favor, and the legislators were permitted to continue their business uninterrupted. They proceeded first to enact a law regulating a system of weights and measures. They created the office of sheriff in each county, and en- acted a law for taking the census of the Territory. Permanent seats of justice, or county seats, were located, and provision was made for the compensation of all Territorial and county officers. Laws were passed prohibiting crimes, and providing for the punishment of the offenders. Among the early acts, also, was the granting of a charter to the first bank in Missouri — the Bank of St. Louis. People soon began to appreciate the work of the lawmakers, and there was a remarkable change for the better in the morals of the inhabitants. At the second session of the Legislature, laws were enacted to regulate elections, and to suppress vice and immorality on the Sabbath. The offices of Territorial treasurer, auditor, and county surveyor were established, and laws were passed for the improvement of public roads. The Territory filled up rapidly, and new counties were soon formed. In 1 8 16-17, among other acts of the Legislature, was one to encourage the " killing of wolves, panthers, and wild cats." A reward of five dollars was offered for the scalp of every one of these animals that was killed. The scalp was the skin on the top of the head, includ- ing the two ears. Scalps were taken to the clerks of the county courts, who gave an order on the treasury for five dollars for each one. 154 This law met with great favor among hunters and trappers. They concluded that lawmakers were of some use after all, and there was no more talk of running them out of town. Through all the various changes of State government since the early days of Missouri, the "wolf-scalp law," as it is known, has remained on the statute books, subject to only slight modifications. For some time after the formation of the Territory, the Boones Lick country attracted more immigrants than did any other part of Missouri. The town now known as Old Franklin, situated two miles from the present town of Franklin, was laid out in 1816, in what was called Coopers Bottom, opposite the present city of Boonville. Franklin, being in the center of the salt-making district, soon became a thrifty village. About this time a brisk trade between Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico, was opened up. It consisted of an exchange of furs, salt, and the other products of Mis- souri, for coffee, silver, and wool. The trade was known as the Santa Fe trade, and the route pursued by the traders was for many years called the old Santa Fe trail. At first the goods were carried across the country on the backs of pack horses and mules, but after a time wagons were used in place of them. These wagons, because of their sloping beds, and great white covers, were called " prairie schooners," and they were usually drawn by eight or ten horses or oxen. 155 The Santa Fe trade was attended with great toil and danger, so the traders usually traveled in large wagon trains for mutual protection. Sometimes one train contained as many as fifty wagons. Before start- ing on one of these journeys, officers were elected, and every one was obliged to obey them. There was a captain of the wagon train, who had supreme com- mand. Then there was a wagon master, who had control of all the wagons, and who had authority to condemn or abandon any, if the safety of the train required it. A guide was employed who possessed a perfect knowledge of the trail, and of the Indians through whose country it passed, or with whom the party was liable to come into contact. Franklin was the starting point for these fleets of prairie schooners. The increase of this town in wealth and commerce during the" brisk days of the Santa Fe trade, and of the Boones Lick salt works, was wonder- ful. It was here that the first newspaper west of St. i 5 6 Louis was established. It was started by Nathaniel Patton in April, 1819, and was called the Missouri Intelligencer. In May, 1819, the steamboat "Independence," com- manded by Captain Nelson, left St. Louis and began the first trip ever made by any steamer on the Mis- souri River. As it entered the turbid waters of the great stream, all the passengers on board felt that this trial trip was not without danger. The large paddle wheels sent the waves with great force against the sandy banks. Occasionally a rush- ing sound was heard, a violent splash, and great masses of the sandy bank would fall into the stream. To the timid and inexperienced, this was a dangerous sign ; but the brave captain steadily held his course, and at the end of twelve days reached the village of Franklin, his destination. All the town turned out to greet the arrival of the first steamboat at Franklin. But this was only the beginning of navigation on the Missouri, and until railroads supplanted water transportation, the Missouri River was the great thoroughfare by which the interior of the State was reached. XXIV. FANATICAL PILGRIMS. AMONG the many curious people who settled in Mis- souri during the Territorial days, was a class of religious fanatics known in history as the Fanatical Pilgrims. They came to Missouri in the year 1817, and for some time their influence was strongly felt in that part of the Territory in which they had settled. This strange society was heard of first in Lower Canada. A few enthusiastic people began to discuss the deadness and unworthiness of all religious bodies, and grew anxious to separate themselves from all church organizations, in order to form a more perfect society. Others soon caught the enthusiasm, and hastened to join the new movement. What induced these people to start out on a pilgrim- age to the southwest is not positively known. Some think that it came about by misinterpreting the text, "sell whatsoever thou hast, give to the poor, . . . and follow me." However that may be, they sold their earthly possessions, or put them into a common stock, and began their pilgrimage. They had a leader whom they called their prophet. Whether he was an impostor or was insane, it is impos- sible to determine. They traveled through Vermont *57 i 5 8 and New York, gathering recruits all along their route. When questioned as to where they were going, they declared that there was a New Jerusalem far to the southwest, and that they were journeying there to make it their home. They arrived at New Madrid in boats, and walked ashore in Indian file ; the old men in front, and the women and children in the rear. As they walked, they chanted a kind of a hymn, the burden of which was, — " Praise God ! Praise God ! " At New Madrid they stopped and organized their society. They had about eight or ten thousand dollars' worth of property, which was held in common. The prophet was their ruler, spiritual and temporal. He had visions at night, which he expounded in the morning, and by these he determined whether they should stop or go on, whether the journey should be by land or water, — in short, everything was settled by immediate inspiration. Their food was mush and milk prepared in a trough ; and it is said that they stood up in rows by it, and sucked what they wanted through hollow reeds or perforated cornstalks. They imposed terrible penalties on those violating the law of God, as they interpreted it. In some respects they were very much like the Mormons, who followed about two decades later ; but they differed from the later sect in being indolent and filthy, for the Mormons were usually clean and indus- trious. Among other peculiarities, the Fanatical Pil- grims affected a ragged dress in which were dif- 159 ferent stripes, like those of the convicts in peniten- tiaries. They also wore caps made of the same striped material. So formidable a band of ragged pilgrims, marching in perfect order and chanting with a peculiar twang the short phrase, " Praise God ! Praise God ! " had in it something imposing to people like those in Missouri. / it 1 y^ Especially was this the case in New Madrid, where the inhabitants had not yet recovered from the unnatural dread occasioned by the earthquake. The coming of this strange company into a house caused the people a thrill of alarm. Food lost its savor while they were calling upon the inhabitants, standing with eyes turned upward, as motionless as statues, and chant- ing,— i6o "Praise God! Fast and pray!" Small children cried with fright at sight of these people, and hid them- selves from view. At New Madrid, two of the most distinguished pil- grims determined to leave the band. Their intentions were found out, and they were placed in confinement under a guard ; but at last they succeeded in making their escape. One of them was an accomplished lady, whose overwrought imagination had been carried away by the imposing rites of the pilgrims.; and soon after her escape she died from the starvation and hardships she had endured while with them. The band finally settled on Pilgrims Island, opposite Little Prairie, where they remained a long time. Here the most senseless, useless, and wicked rites were prac- ticed. In accordance with his own interpretation of the text, " Let the dead bury their dead," the prophet re- fused to allow his people to make any burials, and the bones of the dead pilgrims were left to bleach in the sun. This sect, which at one time numbered hundreds, finally began to dwindle away. Evil-minded boatmen landed on the island and robbed them, for their religion would not permit them to defend themselves. Many made their escape from the island, and scattered over the southern part of Missouri, wiser and better people. The sheriff of New Madrid was once informed that there were children among these fanatics, starving for want of food ; so he loaded a boat with provisions, and set out for the island with three or four deputies. On reaching the place he was met by the tall, gaunt prophet, hollow-eyed, and staring like a lunatic. i6i "Who are ye ? " he demanded. "I am the sheriff of New Madrid." " What seek ye here ? This is the land of the holy, and we have no need of sheriffs." The officer then explained that he had brought a boat load of provisions for the starving children. At this in- telligence, the little ones, to the number of two or three score, began to press forward, eager to get the food. It was a sad sight. Their little faces were pinched with hunger, and their forms were so emaciated that they were like living skeletons. When the prophet learned the mission of the sheriff, he cried, — " Away with your food. We are commanded to fast and pray ! " He shrieked, and waved his long, bony arms in the air ; and his gaunt form looked so like a specter that for a moment the sheriff was filled with awe. But the sight of the starving children, crowding forward and begging for bread, aroused the officer to a sense of his duty. He started toward the prophet, saying, — " I have come with food for the children. It is my duty to give it to them, and you must not interfere." Turning to the little ones, the prophet cried, — "Take no food!" In such awe was this man held, that the starving children shrank away from the food which they were craving. "You shall not starve those children," declared the sheriff. " Better that their bodies perish than that their souls should be cast into hell fire." STO. OF MO. — I I 162 The sheriff, finding explanation and reasoning use- less, determined to resort to force. " I have brought the children something to eat, and I shall give it to them," he declared. " Do not hinder me." He then ordered the men to bring the food on shore and distribute it among the little ones. The prophet gave utterance to a wild cry, and a dozen of his fol- lowers, gaunt, ragged, and haggard as himself, came to his side. The sheriff drew his sword, and, advancing toward them, cried, — " Stand back, insane wretches ! I shall feed those children, if I have to kill you." The gleam of his sword, the flash of his determined eye, and his threatening manner frightened the prophet and his followers. They fell back, and the children pressed forward and ravenously devoured the food which had been brought for them. The older people could be induced to eat but little, for the prophet declared that God's wrath would fall upon all who touched the food. Many of the pilgrims, cured of their fanaticism, left the island and settled in various parts of Missouri. Dwindled to an insignificant number, the band finally removed to Arkansas, where their leaders died ; and the remainder soon gave up the folly of such a life, and became more sensible and consistent Christians. XXV. THE EARLY LAWYER. OUTSIDE of the towns, some of which were rapidly becoming cities, there was very little liti- gation in Missouri during the Territorial days. In the first place, property was seldom valuable enough to go to law about ; and, besides this, there was a rude honesty and sense of justice among the pioneers, which impelled them to obey the golden rule. Their differences were settled more frequently by arbitration than by law. The plan of arbitration was very simple. Each party would choose a neighbor, and these two would choose a third ; the committee of three would meet, hear both sides, and then go to a log and sit down to discuss the question in dispute. When a decision was reached, they called the interested parties and announced their award, — generally more just than the decision of a court, — and the parties usually accepted it in silence. If, however, they were still disposed to disagree and be unneighborly, some of the pioneers would get them together and lecture them on the " unreasonableness of their differences," and the bad effect it had on the " set- tlement ; " and often the parties would be thus induced to "make up." When they " made up," they shook 163 i6 4 hands in the presence of the committee, and such a settlement was usually lasting. Some of the early justices of the peace, or magis- trates, and even judges of the circuit courts were very ignorant of the law. Their decisions were based on their ideas of justice and their strong common sense. Many amusing stories are told of these early magis- trates, which illustrate the character of the early in- habitants of the State, as well as that of their judicial proceedings. A man named Brown, a blacksmith by trade, was elected justice of the peace. He was a man of some qualifications, as he was able to write, and could read fairly well in the New Testament, the only book he had ; but Brown knew nothing of law, or of legal proceedings. The first case that he had was a difficult one. A man named Nelson came to him and complained of being robbed. Mr. Nelson knew the thief, but to recover the property was impossible, as it had been destroyed. Nelson had a neighbor named Evans. Mr. Evans had a dog named Tray, and this dog was the thief that had robbed Mr. Nelson. During the silent hours of the night, Tray, with malice aforethought, had entered Mr. Nelson's smokehouse and had stolen and carried away three bacon hams. Mr. Evans, the owner of Tray, had no part in the theft, as he was sound asleep, and so, of course, he was not responsible. After giving the matter due consideration, and consulting with disinterested parties, the new magistrate issued a warrant for Tray. The i6 5 constable arrested the dog, and brought him before the magistrate. The blacksmith's shop was converted into a court of justice. As the defendant was unable to speak for himself, the magistrate ordered the constable to summon a jury to try the case. The jury was duly impaneled and sworn, and a number of witnesses were then examined. The testimony brought out against Tray was very damaging. All the while the defendant lay stretched out on the bare earth, his nose between his fore paws, per- fectly unconcerned. The jury were an hour making their verdict. The decision was that the dog should be whipped. "But how about the costs?" asked the magistrate. "The constable is to pay the costs," answered the foreman of the jury, gravely. The constable objected, but no appeal was taken, and, as no one knew how much the costs were, they were never collected. Poor Tray was tied to a tree, and received the full penalty of the sentence ; but it is certain that he never knew why he got that flogging. Dr. Willis P. King, in his " Stories of a Country Doctor," relates an incident which illustrates some of the characteristics of these early justices. " In the ' good old days,' a case was being tried before a justice of the peace. The litigants had had difficulties growing out of the close proximity of their farms. Cross fences, breachy cattle, and other such 1 66 matters had finally brought them into court to settle their disputes. They were very bitter against each other, and as the trial progressed they grew more and more so, until at last they began to hurl invectives at each other right before the seat of justice. Finally they began to 'talk fight ' and one of them said, — " ■ If you can whip me, you can settle this your own way.' " The other responded with a like statement, and at it they went. They were soon down on the floor, rolling and tumbling, biting and gouging, after the fashion of those days. The jury arose to their feet, and everything was excitement and confusion. Several men shouted, — " ' Don't let 'em fight ! Part 'em ! Part 'em ! ' "The justice sprang into the midst of the surging crowd, but instead of ' commanding the peace,' as was his duty, yelled out, — " ' Let 'em alone, men ; let 'em fight it out ; if they can settle it that way, it will save the costs.' ' For judicial purposes, the Territory was divided into judicial circuits, just as it is to-day. The circuits of that time were very extensive. A county was about as large then as a Congressional district is now, but it required several counties to make a circuit. Men having business in court were sometimes compelled to travel from thirty to one hundred miles to reach the place where the judge was to sit. Travel was nearly altogether on horseback. Judge and lawyers went together from town to town, or " rode the circuit," as it was called. Their journeys were 1 67 often through vast forests, or across prairies with only a bridle path to follow. Their books and legal papers were carried in saddlebags. To enliven such a tour through the boundless forest, the lawyers, clients, and judges would relate anecdotes and sketches of ad- venture. If there happened to be one along who had some musical ability, — and such a one could usually be found in the party, — he would unpack a flute or fiddle from his saddlebags, and strike up the melody of some popular air or song of the time, in which the company would often join with a hearty chorus. There were stopping places along the way, usually some lonely cabin, where the frontiersman entertained his guests as best he could. Often eight or ten men would spend the night in a house which had but a single room. The best bed or couch was given to the judge, and if there were others they were occupied by the lawyers. If there were not enough beds, some of the men slept on the floor or in the barn loft. In those days men avoided going to law, for it was thought a disgrace to have "been in court." A man who was continually suing or being sued was considered a meddlesome, quarrelsome fellow, and no one wanted to have any dealings with him. There was a young farmer named Skinner living on the frontier, who was usually a quiet, mild fellow ; but one day he became intoxicated at a logrolling, and was the aggressor in a fist fight. He was arrested and taken 1 68 before a justice of the peace, where he gave bail for his appearance at circuit court. Skinner hated courts and lawyers, for he regarded the latter as meddlesome and unprincipled. He was indicted by the grand jury ; and his father-in-law, with- out his knowledge, employed an attorney to defend him at his trial. When the case of the "State vs. Skinner" was called, the lawyer answered that he appeared for the defendant. " No he don't, Judge," cried Skinner, leaping to his feet. " I don't want any lawyer. I'd rather go to jail than have anything to do with one of those fellows." "What are you going to do with your case ? " asked the judge. " Give me a clearance of that bond, and I don't care what you do with the case." The judge asked what the man meant by "a clear- ance of the bond," and was informed by the defendant that he had given bond for his appearance at court, and that he wanted his sureties released. The judge said he must go on trial, and asked him where his lawyer was. " Here's my lawyer," Skinner answered, tapping his breast. A jury was impaneled ; Skinner defended his own cause, much to the amusement of all ; and he secured an acquittal. Some of the entries to be found in the dockets kept by the early justices of the peace are amusing. The following is a literal transcript of a judgment rendered by one : — 1 69 Pete Lantz Plf. V.S Abe Wolf Deft Before \V. \V. M— J. P. August 1 6, 1822. Plantiff sued Defendant on a plane not of hand. Constable surved papers. Sot for trial August 27th. Now comes Abe Wolf and wants a jury, and i giv it to him. Judgement for lantz for a yerling steer. Abe Wolf wants to appeal, the justis cant see it. During the thirties, there lived a lawyer in Boonville who was a terror to witnesses on cross-examination. He was original, witty, tyrannical, sarcastic, and abusive in his addresses to juries. Strong men grew speech- less when he opened fire on them. A Mr. B., an excellent old farmer, found himself at last dragged into a lawsuit in spite of his aversion to courts. Being unaccustomed to the rigid cross-exami- nation of lawyers, he became confused in some of his statements. The lawyer took advantage of this to abuse him unmercifully before the jury. Mr. B. had a son named John, a great, strapping fellow of nineteen. The lawyer's abuse became unbearable, and before John was hardly aware of what he was about, he leaped to his feet and knocked the lawyer down. John was at once arrested, and fined fifty dollars for contempt of court. His father paid the fine. The lawyer, having washed and dressed his wounds, re- sumed his ungentlemanly and uncalled-for assault on the old man's character. The farmer looked at his son, and said, — "Well, John, I've got a little more money." 170 John needed no second hint, but sprang at the attor- ney. That gentleman, seeing his danger, leaped from an open window and ran down the street at full speed, pursued by John, while the jury applauded. The law- yer's dread of the old man's son, and his own long legs, saved him from a severe beating, but he lost his case. The jury gave a verdict in favor of the man he had abused. XXVI. 1 THOMAS H. BENTON. ON August 10, 1 82 1, Missouri was declared a State. The proposition to admit this Territory into the Union gave rise to a long and bitter debate in Con- gress, as to whether it should be admitted as a free or as a slave State. At last the question was settled by a compromise which was brought about mainly through the efforts of Henry Clay. A bill was passed admit- ting Missouri as a slave State, but prohibiting slavery in all other States that should be admitted to the Union, north of latitude thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes. This was the " Missouri Compromise." Missouri's first State election was held in 1820, be- fore she was formally admitted. Alexander McNair was chosen as the first governor. Other State officers, including members of the State Senate and House of Representatives, were also chosen. The people of the State elected their own representatives to Congress, but the two United States senators had to be chosen by the Legislature or General Assembly, as the legislative branch of the State government was called. David Barton was made one senator without opposition ; but over the second senatorship there arose a bitter contest. 1 The material for this chapter is partly from Switzler's " History of Missouri." Vjl Al)oui the year iNi^ there came t<> Missouri, from Tennessee, ;i m;in who had already distinguished him- self as a lawyer and statesman, Thomas II. Benton, lie was a man <>l great ability, but possessed strong prejudices. I lis friends loved him, and his enemies hated him. Benton was ambitious t<> put himselJ for- ward as a candidate for United States senator, and the announcement oi his intention roused his foes and friends to the highest pitch of excitement. The rivals of Benton for the office were fudge John B. C. I ,ucas, I [enry Elliott, John R. [ones, and Nathaniel ( Jook. I lis i§J '■■^ % Wwt^' ,l)(,st lonnidablc opponent was fudge Lucas, a man who was honorable and popular, and who had proved himself a faithful public officer. Judge Lucas was not only a political, but also a personal enemy of Colonel Ben- ton; for only three years before, his son, Charles Lucas, had been killed by Benton in a duel. The General Assembly met at the Missouri Hotel, corner of Main and Morgan sheets, in St. Louis, Sep- tember l<), [820, for the purpose ol electing I 'inted States senators. When it became known that Kenton was an aspirant for the office, he met with the bitterest opposition that the murdered man's lather could arouse ; yet dueling in those days was not thought to be crfm inal, but honorable, and Kenton had many warm friends. rhomas 11. Benton. 173 After the unanimous election of the first senator, the assembly proceeded to ballot for the other ; but as no one of the candidates received a majority of the votes, there was no choice. The members of the Legislature voted again and again, day after day, with always a similar result. The excitement which was aroused has never been equaled in any other election in the State. The assembly found itself unable to come to any de- cision. Mr. Barton having been already selected, it was thought best to consult his wishes as to which man he would prefer to have for his colleague ; and he chose Benton. This added to the strength of the latter, but from the great opposition to him it still seemed impossible to elect him. Judge Lucas, powerful and influential, rallied all his personal friends to his support, and urged them to re- main steadfast in their opposition to his rival ; and the other candidates, though losing part of their support, still remained in the contest. One of the men who supported neither Lucas nor Benton was Marie Le Due, a Frenchman of consid- erable prominence. He lived in St. Louis, and had been the secretary and assistant of Delassus, the last Spanish lieutenant governor. Le Due was strongly opposed to Benton's election, and had publicly vowed to cut off his right hand before it should ever cast a vote for him. Nevertheless, the friends of Benton determined to win Le Due over to their side ; for it seemed to be their only chance of gaining the one vote now lacking for a majority. Fortunately for Benton, some of his friends 74 had a powerful influence over Le Due. Among them was Colonel Auguste Chouteau, one of the founders of St. Louis, and long a prominent figure in its history. The pet idea of Le Due was to secure from Con- gress the confirmation of the French and Spanish land claims. Knowing this, the shrewd politicians assailed his weakest point. They assured him that the race lay between Benton and Lucas, and that the senator chosen would surely decide the fate of the land grants ; for Benton was in favor of confirming them, while Lucas wanted them declared invalid. Le Due spent most of one night arguing with Benton's friends, and ended by consenting to act with them. But even now there was still trouble, for the friends of Benton remembered that one of their number was dangerously sick, and his vote was necessary for their victory. This member was Daniel Ralls, for whom Ralls County was afterwards named. It was necessary to move quickly, for A M -n it was feared that Ralls might die. Without disclosing their plans, Ben- ton's friends in the assembly hastened to have another vote called for. The room occupied by Mr. Ralls was upstairs in the hotel where the Legisla- 175 ture met, but that day he was too sick to sit in a chair, and almost too weak to stir. Therefore, at the proper time, four negroes carried him into the assembly room just as he lay on his bed. When his name was called, he voted for Thomas H. Benton ; and this vote elected Benton to the United States Senate, of which he was a member for thirty years. Although there was much in the personal character of Benton which one cannot admire, yet he was an able statesman of his day, and his influence was long felt in Missouri. His wisdom and patriotism are unquestion- able. The darkest stain on his character was the killing of young Lucas, and this, it is said, he never ceased to regret. Mr. Ralls died a few days after the election of Benton. That vote was his last official act. XXVII. SOME CUSTOMS AND PEOPLE OF THE PAST. PEOPLE who have always lived in comfortable homes in a city or village, or even on a farm, can- not realize the difficulties and hardships of the pioneer in a new country. The early immigrant in Missouri found a land with rich soil, pure water, beautiful prai- ries, and noble forests ; but what were all these, com- pared with a comfortable home ? It required years of toil to make a home with even a few comforts. The pioneer had to cut down great trees, and build himself a house, or rather a cabin, which was usually inferior to the ordinary cow shed of the present time. He had to turn up the soil with a poor plow, and sometimes even dig it up with a grub- bing hoe, in order to get the hazel roots out. He had to split rails, make fences, build barns and bridges, and perhaps go a hundred miles to mill. Everything had to be done at a sacrifice of time and labor which would be appalling to one of the present age. After all his toil, if his farm should yield more than he could use, his produce became a burden on his hands, unless enough newcomers came in to help him consume it. Such a thing as a market for surplus production was out of the question. 176 177 After Missouri became a State, the pioneer was too far advanced to dress wholly in buckskin, like the settlers who preceded him. The early Missourian therefore raised sheep and grew flax; and his wife and daughters had to spin, dye, warp, and weave, and make all the clothing for the family, — woolen for winter, and linen for summer wear. Though the Indians had been .driven from his im- mediate neighborhood, the Missouri farmer still had enemies. These were the bears, minks, raccoons, crows, blackbirds, and blue jays, which made raids on his pig- pens, henroosts, and cornfields. If the streams became swollen so that he could not go to mill, and the family were out of bread, they had to resort to " gritting." The "gritter" was made from a piece of tin, usually an old coffeepot flattened out. This was first perfo- rated all over with a nail all the perforations being made from the same side, so that the opposite surface was made very rough. The tin was then bent and nailed to a board, with the rough, convex side outward. If the corn was hard, it was boiled until soft enough to be gritted. If it was new corn, just "out of the roasting ear," or if it had "just passed the milk," it did not need to be boiled. The person who did the work sat down and put one end of the gritter in a big wooden tray, and the other end between his knees. Then, grasping the ear of corn by the ends, he rubbed it over the rough surface, cutting off fine particles of meal, which fell into the tray. The meal was then sifted and made into corn bread in the usual way. STO. OF MO. — 1 2 i 7 8 " Lye hominy " was another homemade luxury, which may still be found in some parts of the State. It often took the place of bread, and frequently all the food in the house was pork and hominy. This gave rise to the expression "hog and hominy," which in the early days of the State was a synonym for food. It was impossible to get many nails, and hence some way had to be devised for doing without them. The boards that covered the houses and other buildings were laid on in the usual way, and then weighted down with poles, which were held in position by wooden pins. The man who owned an auger, a drawing knife, a handsaw, and a chisel was considered a person of note. After years and years of such toil and privation, comforts came. Cultivation took the wild nature out of the soil ; better houses succeeded the cabins ; stock grew and multiplied ; mills and towns came nearer ; and schoolhouses became more plentiful, and teachers better prepared for their business. A shiftless class of humanity always appears in the second stage of civilization in a new country. . Missouri was no exception to this rule, and such a class was found within her borders about the time that the Indians were driven out. These people were called "branch-water men," and some of them may yet be found in the wildest parts of the State. The " branch- water man" is a product peculiar to the West. He is never met with in the East, and no history of Europe mentions him. He is usually descended from a long 179 line of "branch-water" ancestry. He is tall, lank, and stoop-shouldered, and has that peculiar listless air of repose which Washington Irving tells us pervades Sleepy Hollow. Yet he is a nomadic personage. He never has a home, and never wants one, unless he can sell it and "move." He is the American gypsy, without the ability to barter and trade, but he is nearly always honest and inoffensive. The branch-water man lives back of some other man's farm, and drinks branch water in preference to digging a well ; because to dig a well would cost him some exertion, and he is an enemy to anything like labor. One can always tell this man by his dog and his wagon. Dr. King thus describes the dog : — " This man's dog is a mongrel. He is a mixture of ail the dogs of the meaner kind that you ever saw. He is generally a yellow dog, and has a long body, short legs, and a bushy tail. As said before, he is a mixture of many breeds of dogs ; but he is most of all ' branch- water man's dog.' When you see that kind of a dog on the streets of a country town, you can find the master by going around to the wood yard and pick- ing out the man with the smallest, trashiest, and meanest load of stove wood in the lot." His wagon is always ancient, the sides showing great indentations made by the teeth of a horse. It is a squeaky old affair which threatens every moment to fall into ruins. The tires are usually too large for the wheels, and are held on with hickory withes. The team that pulls it usually consists of a big horse and a small mule, or a small horse and a big i8o mule, both old, feeble, and thin in flesh. One usually has a big knee, and the other a crooked leg, spring halt, or some other bodily infirmity. If the two beasts possess one eye between them, they are lucky. The branch-water man seldom remains longer than one season in a place. Then he puts his wife and several children into the old creaky wagon, puts out the fire, whistles to his dog, and is ready to move. The creaky old wagon can contain not only his ni - merous family, but all his household effects as well. The young people who grew up in the days of toil and hardship had their enjoyment, just as the young people do now. The old-time dances and "frolics," as they were called, are still remembered with pleasure by some of the older residents of the State. All the young people did not dance in those days. Some had religious scruples against it. The early pioneer preachers forbade it as wicked, and those dances caused no end of trouble and church trials. But often a young convert, at the sound of the fiddle, could not resist the temptation, and before he or she was hardly aware of it, was "on the floor." A substitute for this sort of amusement which was tolerated by the church members was the " social party," "play party," or, as they were sometimes called, "kissing bees." At these, such games as "Weevilly Wheat," "Sister Phceby," "We're March- ing down to Old Quebec," and " King William," were played for the amusement of the young people. i8i If it was announced that there was to be a dance, "frolic," or "kissing bee" at a house on a certain night, soon after dark the young people would begin to arrive. They came from all parts of the country, some on foot, some on horseback, and a few, who came from a distance, in wagons. The dancing was usually of the rudest sort. The fiddler sawed away on his cracked instrument all night long on such airs as " Old Dan Tucker," " Zip Coon," 182 ♦ " Natches under the Hill," " Rickets," " Fisher's Horn- pipe," " Sailor's Hornpipe," " Run, Nigger, Run," "Soap Suds," "Great Big Tater in the Sandy Land," and others of like character. When not engaged in dancing or talking with the girls, the young men usually discussed farming, logging, or clearing off the forest and plowing the ground. In every settlement there were enough pious people to get together and found a church. At first the meet- ings were held in the people's houses, but after a while in schoolhouses; and then, as the population became more dense, a log church was erected. A traveling preacher, usually called a "circuit rider," was engaged to come and preach to the people once a month, or maybe only once in every two months. Several years later, when the congregation became larger and had more money, a Sunday school was organized. A superintendent was chosen, and teach- ers volunteered to instruct the children. Little boys and girls, barefooted and dressed in homespun, were at these schools every Sunday, and in them many laid the foundation of an excellent education. Though the people on the frontier endured much, they were free from many annoyances which civiliza- tion brings, and perhaps, on the whole, enjoyed life as much as their more refined descendants. s XXVIII. . THE NEW CAPITAL. T. LOUIS was the center of commerce in Missouri, but so many settlements had sprung up in the interior that it was not a convenient point for the capital of the State. Members of the Legislature com- plained that they had too great a distance to travel. " Why, I have to start a month before I'm elected, to reach the capital in time for the opening of the Legisla- ture," said one member, who lived far in the interior. In 1 82 1 the capital was changed to St. Charles, but even this location was not sufficiently central. Immi- grants were pushing out upon the broad prairies and into the deep forests, and districts which were a wilder- ness but a short time before were rapidly being filled with frontiersmen's cabins. Farmers, traders, and salt makers had settled all over the Boones Lick country. The members of the Legislature declared that they must have a new capital ; and it was decided to select some place which was favorable in other respects, and at the same time would be easy of access to the mem- bers from the different parts of the State. Five commissioners were appointed to choose the site. They were John Thornton of Howard County, Robert Gray Watson of New Madrid County, John B. 183 1 84 White of Pike County, James Logan of Wayne County, and Jesse B. Boone of Montgomery County. The revised constitution of the State required that the capital be located on the Missouri River within forty miles of the mouth of the Osage. The commis- sioners set out on their expedition, went up to the mouth of the Osage, and proceeded to inspect the coun- try along the shores of the Missouri. The settlers in that part of the jKfe State were often puzzled to know what the committee- men were doing. " Say, are you fellows hunting salt or bee trees ? " asked an old hunter, when he came upon them. " We are hunting for a location for the capital," answered one of the committeemen. The old man gazed at them for a moment in open-mouthed astonishment. He was ashamed to display his ignorance by asking for an explanation, and yet was unable to fathom the meaning of the answer. After a moment's silence, he took his gun from his shoulder, and, shaking his head, said, — "There's no such beast in these woods." The committeemen then explained that they were seeking a location for the State buildings, including a prison. This did not please the old hunter. i8 5 "We don't want them," he said. " What do we want with prisons ? I came here to be free, and as long as you keep away with your laws and prisons I shall be. We don't do anything here to go to prison for, and if you'll keep away with them, we'll all get along first rate." The commissioners did not waste much time arguing with this man, whose ideas of civilization were so differ- ent from their own. After examining many locations, they decided upon the spot where Jefferson City now stands. The land was surveyed, and the commissioners returned to St. Charles and made their report, which was approved by the governor and the General Assembly. In 1822, men were sent out to survey the new town and lay it out in lots. It was called Jefferson City in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. Work was immediately begun upon the State build- ing, and a village soon sprang up about it. The capitol was erected on the four sections of land donated to Missouri by the United States government. It was made of brick, and stood oh precisely the same site as that on which the governor's mansion now stands. It was large enough to meet the needs of the State, but it was destroyed by fire in 1837; and the oldest portion of the present capitol was erected in the next year. During the year 1825, while the first building was in course of construction, Marquis de Lafayette, then visiting the United States, honored Missouri with his presence. He was received at St. Louis with every 1 86 demonstration of joy and gratitude, and as much patri- otism was displayed as if Missouri had been one of the original thirteen colonies. Next year (in 1826), the new State building was far enough advanced for the Legislature to meet at the new capital. It was the fourth meeting of this body since Missouri had become a State. Jefferson City was at this time only a little backwoods village, and most of the buildings were of logs. Hotel accommodations were poor, and when the legislators met it was difficult to provide for them. There is a story told of an enterprising landlord who established a unique hotel in the new capital. His building was a board structure, one story in height and without a floor. The office occupied the front part of the building, and the dining room and kitchen, the rear. A newly elected member of the Legislature asked if he could be provided here with board and lodging. " Certainly," answered the landlord. " That is what I am here for." " Have you a comfortable room and bed ? " " Yes, sir, plenty of good rooms and beds. I will give you number fifteen." The member, who could see nothing but the front office and the kitchen, sat until supper was announced, puzzling his brain to locate room number fifteen. Soon after the meal, he expressed a wish to retire ; and the landlord, seizing a tallow candle, led him to an open space of ground in the rear of his board house. Here a row of tents had been pitched, and before one of them was stuck a pine board on which was rudely 87 painted, " No. 15." Inside the tent was a rude cot, on which the legislator reposed. The first capitol was erected at a cost of twenty-five thousand dollars. It was a simple two-story structure, without any architectural ornamentation. The House of Representatives met on the lower floor, while the Senate was "upstairs." Many anecdotes are told of the mistakes " "'*^3^ of members at the first meeting in the new building. It is said that one member of the House of Representatives took his credentials to the clerk of the Senate. "This does not belong here," said the clerk. "You must take this to the lower house." "Where is that?" " Downstairs." "Why, I saw those fellows down there," said the member, "but I thought it was a grocery." XXIX. THE BIG NECK WAR.— THE PLATTE PURCHASE. DOWN to the year 1824, the extreme northern part of Missouri, or what now comprises the three northern tiers of counties, was unsettled by white men, and was claimed by the Iowa Indians. In that year, a delegation of chiefs and warriors, headed by White Cloud, went to Washington with General William Clark, ex-governor of Missouri. Here a treaty was made, by the terms of which the Indians ceded to the whites all their lands in Missouri — amounting to about two million acres. In return for this, they were to receive five hundred dollars a year for ten years : as was usually the case with Indian treaties, advantage was taken of savage ignorance. The counties of Platte, Buchanan, Andrew, Holt, Atchison, and Nodaway were not at that time a part of Missouri; for, as we shall soon see, they were ac- quired by the Platte purchase in 1837. I n 1824, this district was reserved for the Indians, and they were to remove to it. Among the Indians who took part in this treaty was a celebrated brave called, in English, Big Neck. He was not an hereditary chief, but a bold warrior who by 1 89 his ability had raised himself to the leadership of a band in his tribe. He was very ambitious, and was exceedingly jealous of the hereditary chiefs. With a band of about sixty, he separated himself from the others, and, disregarding the authority of the chiefs, roamed about the country wherever he pleased. His favorite hunting grounds were the vast tracts of land drained by the Chariton and Grand rivers in north- ern Missouri. The Chariton was abundantly supplied with fish, while deer and elk in great numbers roamed over the prairies and through the woods of what is now included in Adair, Macon, Schuyler, and Putnam counties. Big Neck claimed that he did not compre- hend the treaty of 1824, by which he relinquished his lands in Missouri. He said it was his understanding, when he signed the treaty, that he and his band were to be allowed to live along the Chariton River for ten years. He was told he must rejoin his tribe, and live under the authority of his tribal chief, Mahakah. This he refused to do, and for two years made his home on the Chariton. In 1828, most of the Indians having moved according to the treaty, settlements were made along the Chariton River; and a year later, the county of Randolph was formed, which included a large part of north Missouri. One of the settlements, known as the " Cabins of the White Folks," was made near the present site of Kirks- ville ; it did not contain more than a dozen families. Prior to this, there had been some cattle grazers in the Chariton country, and it had also become a noted resort for bee hunters. 190 In July, 1829, Big Neck and his band of sixty Indians came down from the north, and encamped on the Chariton about nine miles northwest of the Cabins of the White Folks. One day, some of these Indians, while hunting along the Chariton bottom, came upon a drove of hogs belonging to the white men, and Uq their dogs killed several. Next day three bold frontiersmen, Isaac Gross, John Cain, and Jim Myers, visited Big Neck at his camp, and not only pro- tested against the con- duct of the Indians, but insisted that they must leave Missouri. " This country now belongs to us," said the white men, " and you must leave it. You signed away your right to it, and now you must pay us for the hogs you have killed, go away, and never come back again." " I did not sign the treaty," Big Neck defiantly replied. " I have come back here to live, and you must take your cattle and^ go away; or, if you want to fight, come on ! " His warriors, with loaded guns in their hands, crowded about him ; and the white men, becoming alarmed, went away. This is the white men's version of the cause of the trouble, but the Indians tell a quite different story. One of their band, called Iowa Jim, said that the whites came upon them while they were in camp resting from their journey, gave them whisky, and made them drunk. The white men then robbed them of their horses and blankets, mistreated their women and chil- dren, and left. Recovering from their debauch, the Indians were hungry, and one of them shot a hog and brought it into camp. Big Neck rebuked the forager for this, saying, — " It is true that we have been robbed, and are hun- gry ; but the hog was not ours, and you should not have shot it." Whichever may be the true story, the settlers, after their interview with the Indians, hurried back to their cabins, and, gathering up what property they could, went with their families down into what is now Ran- dolph County, to the home of William Blackwell, in Silver Creek settlement. In a few hours, the news of the trouble had spread throughout the little town, and a company was formed to drive the Indians out. A messenger was also dispatched to Howard County, to notify the authorities there. By ten o'clock on the morning of the 25th, a party of volunteers, numbering between forty and seventy-five men, set out for the " Cabins," under the command of Captain Trammell. They reached the place on the morning of the 27th. A council was held, and it was decided to proceed to the Indian camp, and compel the Indians to leave the country. Myers, Gross, and Cain accompanied the volunteers. 192 Big Neck and his band had retired some distance up the Chariton, and had gone into camp at a point near the Schuyler County line. The whites advanced to within sight of the camp, and then halted to recon- noiter. Captain Trammell swung his men around to the north, and, coming up, formed a line in the rear of the Indians. Dismounting his men, and leaving every fourth one to hold horses, the captain advanced toward the wigwams with the others, calling for the interpreter. Iowa Jim stepped forward, gun in hand, and Captain Trammell said, — " You must leave this country at once, and stay away. The land belongs to the whites, and you have no right here." Through his interpreter, Big Neck answered, — " The land is ours. We will leave when we please. I am going to see the red-headed governor (General Clark) about it, and he will say I am right." Captain Trammell was cool. He told the Indians that he did not wish to fight, but that they were tres- passers in the country, and must depart. He made no serious objection to their peaceably entering the country to fish and hunt, but a permanent occupation since the recent trouble would be wholly impossible. Big Neck was inclined to assent to the demands of Trammell, and all seemed in a fair way to be adjusted without bloodshed. But some of the whites were determined to bring on a fight. They had marched far and suffered much, and, besides, they were angry. Trammell, seeing the restless feeling of his men, rode back to the main line, 193 which was advancing, and ordered them to keep their places. Some of the Indians were seen to take posi- tion behind trees, and hurriedly load their guns. Milton Bozarth discovered an Indian behind a tree priming his rifle. He called out to Jim Myers, whose attention was in another direction, — " Look out, Jim, or he will shoot you ! " Jim Myers, without waiting for any orders, raised his gun and shot the Indian down. This Indian was the brother of Big Neck. As he fell, mortally wounded, he uttered a terrible yell. Powell Owenby fired, killing a little girl, the child of the Indian that Myers had just slain. William Winn shot and killed the mother of the child. The Indian women, with characteristic shrieks and yells, began to run away, while the warriors, with guns loaded and bows strung, charged the whites. Volleys were exchanged at close quarters. The savages fought well, firing from behind trees and logs. Their steady aim, together with their war whoops and savage yells, was too much for the whites, and all but about fifteen fled at the first onset. The main body of white men, having gained their horses, mounted and rode away ; but Jim Myers, who had fired the first shot, was killed before he could reach his horse. Powell Owenby had mounted and was riding away, when the animal, maddened by the flash and report of guns, became unmanageable, and threw him into a thicket, where the Indians found him, still stunned by the fall. There they quickly shot him to death. Winn had his thigh broken by a bullet, and lay helpless STO. OF MO. — 13 194 on the battlefield. A number of other whites were also wounded. Captain Trammell was struck by an arrow, and rode over a hundred miles with the weapon in his body. He died a few days later from the wound. The Indians found Winn, built a fire, and threw him upon it, but he was dragged from the flames, killed, and scalped by Big Neck. Owenby and Myers were also scalped, and then the savages left the country. An army of militia was called out, and marched to the scene of the trouble, but, as the savages had left, there was nothing for it to do but to bury the dead. Only one Indian was found, and he was some distance from the scene of the conflict, sitting against a tree, stark and stiff in death. He was richly decorated, and was supposed to be the chief's brother, whom Jim Myers had killed. Big Neck himself and five others were afterwards arrested, tried before a jury of frontiersmen, and ac- quitted. This assures one that the Indians were less to blame than the whites. Big Neck never again entered Missouri. When he learned that he was to be banished from the hunting grounds of his fathers, he covered his head with his blanket, and said that he was ashamed for the sun to shine upon him. The Black Hawk War in Illinois in 1831-32 caused the inhabitants of north Missouri great uneasiness. Several companies and regiments were called out, and, acting on false alarms, they made some long marches but did no fighting. Blockhouses and forts were built for protection, but were not needed. However, it was 195 no doubt due to the extraordinary precaution of the governor that an invasion of Missouri was averted. This ended the Indian troubles in Missouri. An important event in the history of Missouri oc- curred in 1837. It was the Platte purchase, by which a valuable tract of land was added to the already large State. The idea originated with General Andrew S. Hughes at a regimental muster in the summer of 1835. At this meeting General Hughes proposed the acqui- sition of the Platte country, inhabited by the Sac and Fox Indians. The matter was called to the attention of Congress. Senator Benton and his colleagues in both houses were in favor of it, and an act was accord- ingly passed to extend the boundary of Missouri so as to include the triangle between the existing line and the Missouri River. The Indians were removed to what is now Kansas. The Platte purchase included all that portion of the State west of a line extending from Kansas City northward to the Iowa line. As said above, this tract is now divided into the counties of Atchison, Andrew, Buchanan, Holt, Nodaway, and Platte ; and to-day it is among the most fertile and beautiful portions of Missouri. XXX. THE MORMONS. ABOUT the time of the expulsion of the Indians from north Missouri, the central and western por- tions of the State were agitated by a religious fanati- cism which in some respects surpassed that of the Fanatical Pilgrims. This new religious sect called themselves the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ; but the common name for them was Mormons. Their leader was Joseph Smith, who declared that he had received revelations from Heaven, with the com- mand to found a new church. He also claimed to have discovered some mysterious plates, which, by divine direction, he dug from the earth in the western part of New York State. These plates he interpreted and published as the Book of Mormon, sometimes called the Mormon Bible. He at once began preaching his new religion, and about the year 1831, with a number of converts, he removed to Kirtland, Ohio. Historians and biographers have dealt very harshly with Joseph Smith. He is represented by some as an unprincipled, lazy fellow, who should have been sent to the penitentiary early in his career. He seems to have been subject to periodical backslidings, occasion- 196 197 ally professing religion, then falling from grace and becoming again a drunken loafer. At last, however, according to his own statement, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a vision, pardoned his sins, and told him where to find the mys- terious plates upon which he was to found the church of " Latter Day Saints." In many respects, the Mormons were like the Fanat- ical Pilgrims. The head of their government, spiritual and temporal, was a prophet, and, like the prophet of the pilgrims, he had visions. Like the pilgrims, also, the Mormons journeyed southwest in search of " Zion " or the New Jerusalem. It was to find this holy spot that Smith visited Missouri in 183 1, and there the search ended, for Independence, Jackson County, seemed to fulfill the conditions. Smith named this place "The New Jerusalem," and then returned to Kirtland. Next year, the prophet visited Missouri with many followers, who all located in Jackson County. They had considerable money, for they entered several hun- dred acres of land, most of which was west of In- dependence. They professed to own all things in common, which really meant, however, that the bishops and prophet owned everything. They established a newspaper, — the first in the county, — and called it The Evening Star. In this journal, the revelations of the prophet appeared in weekly installments. These revelations promised great things to the true believers, but foretold terrible consequences to the Gentiles, as they called all not Mormons. 198 The Gentiles at first merely ridiculed the prophecies thus published ; but it was not long before these prophecies became bold threats. Joseph Smith and his Mormon bishops promised the faithful that they would drive out the Gentiles and take the country. They even declared their intention to unite the Indians of the north with themselves, and to drive away all opponents of , Mormonism. They said that it was the Lord's coun- try, and that the Lord's people were entitled to it. Incensed by such expressions from press and pulpit, the Gentiles in and near Independence rose in a body, destroyed the printing office, and tarred and feath- ered the bishop, with of his companions. 1 i .*. ■*»«*•- .*.•■>.'.*. -»»•?*• j».ojv t J *v*«- .»>/. r ZT*~ *i?» J .i- ' w"^ -V^S* "'w^- *.>*'.*- *^?^'^'V-'.<--* g K 8Jt -^.'V-.t. 'W -^ Pat »*g *' ■*£% I II