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dz
*■ i
^arbarli College Ittirarp
BRIGHT LEGACY
One hftif the Income from thli Legacy, which wm re-
ceiTcd in 1880 ander the will of
JONATHAN BROWN BRIGHT
of Waltham, Maanchiuetta, ia to be expended for booki
for the College Libraiy. The other hnif of the Income
ia deroted to ichoUnhipe in Hftnrftrd UnlTonity for the
benefit of deecendanta of
HENRY BRIGHT, JR.,
who died ai Watertown, Manachnaetta, in 1686. In the
abaence of aach deacendanta, other peraona are eligible
to the acholarahipa. The will reqalrea that thia announce-
ment ahall be made in every book added to the Library
under ita proruiona.
*"""• "' I- ■""«", «1, uu.,,^..
fr
PRRSONAL RECOLLRCTIOXS
or
MANY PROMINENT PEOPLE WHOM I HAVE KNOWN. AND
OF EVENTS— ESPECIALLY OF THOSE RELATINC;
TO THE HISTORY OF ST. LOUIS— DUR-
ING THE FIRST HALF OF THE
I'RESENT CENTURY.
By JOHN F. DARBY
PUBLISHED BY S U B S C R F P T I O N.
ST. LOUIS:
G. I. JONES AND COMPANY.
1880.
\
('nOV 8 18b9 j
r . /
'I.I
\
4
;><^
aC^
Entered e ee e i dlu g to en Aet of Co^gnett In the year 1880, by
JOHN F. DABBT,
In the Qflee o< the LUmurlan o< Oongreee st Washington.
•■ I
PREFATORY NOTE.
This volume is published in response to repented requests
by friends, and in the hgpe that it will prove of interest and
value. Some matters which are spoken of possess an his-
toric interest, and will furnish materials for the future
historian. While conscious of many imperfections in style
and completeness, the author hopes that the matter will
partially atone for the manner.
St. LoufS, Nov. 1, 1880.
PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS
OF
JOHN F. DARBY.
St. Lous ix 1818. — As early as tlie yoar 18()t),
shortly after the return of Lewis and Clark from
the expedition to the Pacific Ocean, my father came
from Xorth Carolina to Upi)er Louisiana, and pur-
chased six hundred acres of land on the watei-s of
Bonhomme Creek, in what was then called the St.
Louis District, Louisiana Territory, bringing some
negroes with him, with a view of establishing a fann
and of removing his family to the countiy. lie
returned to Xorth Carolina, leaving his plantation
in charge of John Ward, a respectable fanner then
living on the watere of Creve (Joiur Lake. For
some yeai-s he was deteiTed from bringing his family
on accoimt of the danger and trouble said to exist
from the Indians.
In the month of November, 1818, John Darby
2 FIRST VIEW OF ST. LOUIS.
removed with his family to what is now Missomi,
and settled on the plantation he had l30ught in 1809
in Bonhonnne Townsliip, St. Louis County, where
he lived till he died, in April, 1823.
My father removed by land when he came to St.
Louis. He had a large covered wagon, drawn by a
five-horse team, which was driven ])y one of the
negro men. My mother rode in an old-fasliioned
gig. We had quite a stock of negroes, and a
goodly number of cattle, hogs, and sheep, which
were driven on foot from Kentucky.
When we reached the eastern ])ank of the Mis-
sissippi, and saw for the first time the town of St.
Louis, it had even then a striking and imposing
appearance when \dewed from the ()i)posite shore.
The first thing to be done ])y the movers was to
cross the great river; the current was strong, and
the waters seemed boiling up from the bottom, and
in places turbid and muddy. The ferry consisted of
a small keel-boat, which was managed entirely liy
■
Frenchmen. Their strange habiliments, manner,
and jabbering in the French language, had a new
and strikfaig effect upon myself and the other cliild-
ren, coming as we did from the plantation in the
Southeni country.
The cattle and stock were di'iven into i)ens in
Illinoistown, which had few inhabitants. The next
A PRIMITIVE PERKY. 3
thing to be done was, get the big wagon across the
river. All the horses were loosened and unhitched
from the wagon. The keel-boat was laid close to
the bank, the bow up-stream, and then the stem
and bow of the boat were tied to trees and stakes
driven in the bank. A couple of strong planks
about eighteen inches wide and ten feet long were
laid directly across the sides of the keel-boat ; then
some ten or twelve men, our own hands assisting,
took hold of the big, heavy wagon, and ran it down
the sandy bank to these planks, placed crosswise on
the keel-boat; the wheels of the wagon resting on
the planks, and extending over the sides of the boat
for about a foot and a half or two feet on each side.
Some blocks of wood were then prepared and driven
under the wheels, both before and behind, so that
they could not move. Then some ropes were
brought, and the fore and hhid wagon-wheels were
tied and lashed together with all the strength and
power that the men had, in order to make the
wagon secure and immovable.
Everything being ready for a start, I jumped into
the boat and determined to be one of the first to
cross the river ; my mother objected, but my father
consented, and I came. Th^ lines were cast off
from the bow and the stem of the keel-boat; as
4 CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI.
the bow of the' vessel was pushed out uito the
sti'eam, the current of the mighty river struck the
prow with great force and power, the Frenchmen
laboring at their oars with an activity and nimble-
ness impossible to describe, and which could only
be fully imderstood by being seen ; every portion of
the body, — every muscle, in fact, — was brought
into play ; each oainsman seemed to throw his whole
soul mto the work. The vessel rocked so that
the ti'ace-chahis at the end of the tongue often
dipped into the river; the large wagon, with its
white sheet on, towered up in the air in the middle
of the Mississippi; the Frenchmen the meanwliile
with great vivacity and animation talked, cursed, and
swore in French, '^prenegard," ^'saere," etc., —
so that the enteiprise seemed a dangerous and
hazardous mideitakmg. Nevertheless these trusty
oarsmen brought us safely to the shore, and
landed us on a sand beach about one hundi-ed fec^t
south of Market Street. At that time the beach
extended from the foot of Market Street foi' about
four or five hundred feet eastwardly before sti'iking
the water hi the river. It took these primitive ferry-
men three days to ferry my father with his family
and effects across the river, at a cost to him of about
fifty dollars for femage.
ARRIVAL AT ST. LOUIS. ;>
The town of St. Louis at that time contained
about two thousand inhabitants, two-thirds of whom
were French and one-third Americans. The prevail-
ing language of the white pensons on the streets was
French ; the negroes of the town all spoke French.
All the inhabitants used French to the negi'oes, their
horses, and their dogs, and used the same tongue
in driving their ox-teams. They used no ox-yokes
and bows, as the Americans did, in hitching their
oxen to wagons and carts ; but instead had a light
piece of wood about two or three inches thick and
about five feet long, laid on the necks of the oxen,
close up to the honis of the animals, and this ])iece
of wood was fastened to the bonis by leather strai)s,
making them pull by the head instead of the neck
and shouldei's. In driving their horses and cattle
they used the words. '^ chuck" and '' see,'' '' march-
deau,'' which the animals all perfectly understood.
The harness on their little Canadian hoi^ses was
of the most primitive character, and patched together
m the most iiide and unworkmanlike manner with
leather straps and buckskin thongs. Their cails
were the inidest specimens of workmanship : large
shafts, with wooden felloes with no iron tire on them.
One great objection to the innovation of the Ameri-
cans, some yeare aftei-wards, when the Americans
6 THE PRINCIPAL STREETS.
began to pave the streets, was that the Aiiierieaiis
put rocks hi the streets and ''broke their wooden
caii>wheels."
At that time there were three i)rincipal streets
running parallel vnth the Mississippi River. The
first was called Main Street ; the next street west
was called Church Street, from the fact that the
Catholic church, the only church edifice then in town,
was located upon it; and the third was called Bani
Street. It is true that Auguste Chouteau and John
B. C. Lucas had laid out an addition to St. Louis
upon their forty-ai*pent lots on the hill west of the
town, but as yet they had made few or no imi)rove-
raents.
The original boundary of the ancient town of
St. Louis began on the Mississippi Kiver near the
mouth of Mill Creek, called by the French "Petite
Re\dere," and ran nearly due west to a i)6int in
the neighborhood of where lleitkamp's liuildings
are now located, on Fourth Sti'cet. From thence
the line ran northwardly to a point near where
the north-east conier of the Southern Hotel is
located, on what is now the conier of Walnut and
Fourth Streets, where there was a fortification and
roiuid tower. In Spanish times it was the jail
or prison-house of the government, and it was
OKIGINAL BOUNDARY LINES. 4
eoiituiued as a jail by the American authorities till
the year 1818, when the new jail was built, on the
site where the Laelede-Bircher Hotel now stands.
The old jail, or round tower, was al)out forty or
fifty feet high, and standing as it did on the brow
of the hill, with no building to obstniet, was a prom-
inent object, easily seen from a distance. The west
line of the town then ran northwardly from this point,
striking Market Street abcmt ten or twelve feet east
of the present eastern intei>»ection of Market and
Fourth Streets, and continuing in a direct line in
the same direction nearly to the south-west corner of
Thii'd Street and where Washington Avenue is now
located, and where there was another stone* fort or
fortification erected ; thence nortlnvardly by a diisfct
line to about or near where the eastern line of Third
intei"sects Chen-y Street. At this i)oint was a large
fortification called ''the old Bastion."' It occupied
more ground, and was by far the best of the forts,
most substantially and strongly built of solid stone :
it looked solid and formidable, and was located on
the east side of Third Street. From tliis point the
line of the town ran nearly due east, a little
north, to Roy's Tower, on the bank of the Mis-
sissippi River; a large round tower, l)uilt of stone,
at that point, about forty or fifty feet high. The
8 DUNCAN'S ISLAND.
eastern boundaiy of the towii was the IVIississippi
River. The southeni, western, and northern ])oiui-
daries of the town, as here marked out, had some
few years before that been enclosed l^y pickets, ten
or twelve feet high, finnly planted in the ground ;
and at different pomts were gates, admitting of
egress and ingress to the towii ; at night these
gates were secured and guarded. In the year 1818
the pickets were gone, but all the fortifications
remained.
There was no wharf or front street, and there
were only two ways of getting from Main Street to
the nver : one was at the foot of Market Sti^eet/and
the other at the foot of what is now called Morgan
Street.
From the foot of Market Street was a sand-bank
extending some five or six hmidred feet eastwardly
before it reached the waters of the Mississii)pi Kiver.
This extended southwardly to the lower end of to>\ii,
where there was then being fonned what is called a
'^tow-head,'' a few cotton wood bushes and willows
growing np on a high i>oint in the sand, and from
this grew what was known af tei^wards as ' ' Dun-
can's Island/- Robert Dimcan taking possession
and putting a house upon it.
The French who had been sent fonvard ])y
DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN FRONT. 9
Laclede, under the command of Auguste Chouteau,
from Fort Chartres, landed at the foot of where Mar-
ket Street now is. From that point south to where
the *' Petite Reviere " emptied, the banks of the
Mississippi w^ere low, and rose very gently, as may
be seen at this day ; and from the creek uj) to this
point (Market Street that is now), the whole space
was covered with a thick growth of timber, such as
hackberry, ash, and pawi)aw. It was to ])e acces-
sible to and have the use of this timber that the
location was made at this point.
A little north of Market Street on the Missis-
sippi, the abrupt bluff began to rise, and so con-
tinued up to near the mouth of Rocky Branch, in
some places higher and in others lower; in many
places rising more than foiiy feet in a peq^endicular,
upright wall of solid limestone, and in othere hang-
ing over, and forming a sort of caveni at the base.
The French called it " ores ecore du Mississippi/ ^^^ —
the abrupt wall or precipice of the Mississippi.
At the base of tliis perpendicular cliff was, when
the river was low, a large, flat rock, extending one
hundred feet or more from the base of the cliff to
the water in the river ; and persons could walk from
Market Street up to Morgan in front of the cliff on
the flat rock.
I
10 MAIN STREET THE BUSINESS CENTRE.
There were springs gushing out of this flat rock
below the steep wall, where many of the inhabitants
got water. Another strange sight was the canying
of buckets suspended to a sort of a yoke fitting
ai'ound the neck, and attached to long strips of
wood hooked to the buckets from the shoulders.
Main Street was pretty compactly built, mostly
with stone, though some frame and log houses still
existed, the log houses of the French being, how-
ever, different from those built by the Americans.
The French built by hewuig the logs, and then
planting them in the groimd peipendicularly ; while
the Americans laid the logs hoiizon tally, and
notched them together at the corners.
All the rich people lived on Main Street; all
the fine houses were there. All the stores were on
Main Street ; all the business of the town was trans-
acted there. In the upper part of Second, or. Church
Sti'eet, there were few houses ; in the lower part there
were more. The houses occupied by families then
were generally small ; there were a few brick houses
in the town, perhaps not more than five or six.
Col. Auguste Chouteau had an elegant domicile,
frontmg on Main Street. His dwelling and houses
for his servants occupied the whole square bounded
north by Market Street, east by Main Street, south
MANSIONS OF THE CHOUTEAUS. 11
by what is now known as Walnut Street, and on the
^west by Second Street. The whole square was en-
closed by a solid stone wall two feet thick and ten
feet high, with port-holes about every ten feet apart,
through which to shoot Indians in case of an attack.
The walls of Col. Chouteau's mansion were two and
a half feet thick, of solid stone-work; two stories
high, and siurounded by a large piazza or portico
about fourteen feet wide, supported by pillains in
front and at the two ends. The house was elegantly
furnished, but at that time* not one of the rooms was
caipeted. In fact, no cari>et8 were then used in St.
Louis. ^The floors of the house were made of black-
walnut, and were polished so finely that they reflected
like a miri'or. He had a train of servants, and eveiy
morning after breakfast some of these inmates of
his household were down on their knees for hours,
with biaishes and wax, keeping the flooi-s polished.
The splendid abode, with its surroundings, had hideed
the appearance of a castle.
Maj. Pien-e Chouteau also had an elegant dom-
icil, built after the same manner and of the same
materials. He, too, occupied a whole square with
his mansion, bounded on the east by Main Street,
on the south by what is known as Vine Street, on
12 A CONTENTED COMMUNITY.
#
the west by Second Street, and on the north by
what is now known as Washington Avenue; the
whole square being enclosed with high, solid stone
walls and having port-holes, in like manner as his
brother's.
When Gen. Lafayette came to St. Louis, in the
year 1825, ^:he city authorities furnished as his quar-
ter the mansion of Maj. Chouteau, as the finest
buildhig and the most splendidly furnished house in
the town. Many a time has it been my good for-
time to dance all night long m that noble old edi-
fice, and to share the noble and generous hospitalit}'^
there dispensed.
• At the time we speak of there was not a single
paved street hi the town. Chouteau's water-mill
and Brazeau's horse-mill did the grinding for
the town . There wa« little commerce ; a few
peltries and a few pigs of lead were all that was
shipped.
But the inhabitants were, beyond doubt, tlie
most happy and contented people that ever lived.
They believed m enjoying life. There was a fiddle
in eveiy house, and a dance somewhere every night.
They were honest, hosi)itable, confiding, and gener-
ous. Xo man locked his door at night, and the
ACTS FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF LAND TITLES. 13
inhabitant slept in security, and soundly, giving him-
self no concern for the safety of the horse in his
stable or of the household goods and effects in his
habitation.
Article III. of the treaty of cession of Louisiana
reads as follows : —
The inhabitants of the ceded territory shall be incoq>orated in
the Union of the United States, and admitted as soon as i)ossibIe,
according to the principles of the Federal Constitution, to the en-
joyment of all the rights, advantages, and immunities of citizens
of the United States, and in the meantime they shall be maintained
and protected in the free enjoyment of their liberty, proi>erty, and
the rehgion which they profess.
In pursuance of this article, Congress passed the
following acts for asceilainrng and adjusting titles
and claims to land in Louisiana, viz. : . Act of March
26, 1804; act of March 2, 1805; act, of Februaiy
26, 1806; act of April 21, 1806; act of March 3,
1807. [Jfotwithstanding these various acts of Con-
gi'ess, up to the year 1811 there were not three
perfect titles to land in the whole temtoiy of Upper
Louisiana.
In the report of the Board of Director of the
St. Louis Public Schools for the year 1876, it is stated
14 THOMAS F. KIDDICK.
that the whole amount of revenue of the public
schools at that time was $789,114.99; that the
property owned by the board consisted of large
landed property donated by the general government,
at the estimated value of $1,252,895.79, yielding
that year an mcome of $52,855.75.
It is proposed to give the ongin of this rich gi'ant
of land to the public schools. It did not orighiate
in Congress, but emanated from and was started by
Thomas F. Riddick, of St. Louis. He was the
man who first conceived the idea of ha\ing this
valuable gi'ant made to the ])ublic schools, and
took steps to have it done. He it was who planned,
labored for, and canied out the project.
In a commmiication from Thomas F. Riddick to
Jeremiah Mon'ow, chairman of the Committee on
Public Lands, dated Washington, March 26, 1812,
occurs this statement. Speaking of certain uncon-
finned claims, Mr. Riddick says, "if confirmed at
once by the outer lines of a aui'vey to be made by
the principal, it would give general satisfaction, and
save the United States a deal of useless investiga-
tion into subjects that are merely matters of indi-
\ddual dispute. The United States can claim no
rights over the same, except a few solitaiy \'illage
lots and inconsiderable vacant spots, of little value.
/
HIS SCHEME FOR ENDOWMENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 15
i?rhich might be given to the inhabitants for the sup-
port of schools.''
In support of this project of giving the vacant
lots to the public schools, as suggested by Thomas
F. Riddick, action was pressed upon Congress by
Edward Hempstead, the then delegate hi Congi'ess
from Missouri Temtory. Mr. Hempstead appealed
to Congress to have these people of Louisiana con-
firmed in their titles to their lands, and urged,
amongst other grounds, the fact that they had been
incorporated into the Union and made citizens of the
United States without their knowledge, authority, or
consent; that by the Spanish law and royal order
the Intendant-General at ^ew Orleans was alone
vested with authority to make grants of land in Lou-
isiana in the name of the sovereign, Ws Catholic
majesty the king of Spain, which gi'ants having not
been perfected before the transfer of the country to
the United States, all these were, as a matter
of course, inchoate and necessarily imperfect. He
therefore urged upon and pleaded with Congress to
pass the act of Jime 13, 1812, which he had pro-
posed, as a matter of justice, and for which the honor
and faith of the nation were bound and solemnly
pledged. Being a delegate merely, he could not
vote, but could only advocate his bill, which was
16 THOMAS F. MDDICK.
voted upon and passed finally by the membei's of
Congress, A portion of the act of Congress is as
follows : —
Be it enacted, etc. Sect. 1. The rights, titles, and claims to
town or village lots, out-lots, common-field lots, and commons in,
adjoining, and belonging to tlie several towns or villages of Portage
des Sioux, St. Charles, St. Louis, St. Ferdinand, Village a Robert,
Little Prairie, and Arkansas, in the Territoiy of Missouri, which
lots have been inhabited, cultivated, or possessed prior to the twen-
tieth day of December, 1803, shall be and the same are liereby
confirmed to tlie inhabitants of the respective towns or villages
aforesaid, according to their several rights in common thereto."
[The i)roviso to this section is omitted as not being necessar\' to
this sketch. Acts of Twelfth Congress, Chap. XCIX.]
Sect. 2. All town or village lots, out-lots, or common-field lots
included in such surveys, which are not riglitfull}'- owned or.
claimed by any private individuals, or iield as commons belonging
to such towns or villages, or that the jiresident of the United
States may not think prt)per to reserve for military purposes, shall
l>e and the same are hereby reserved for the support of schools in
the respective towns or villages aforesaid." [The proviso to tliis
section is also omitted, as not being necessary to this article.
Id., sect. 2. "I
This is the origin of this rich gift to the St.
Louis public schools. The vahie of the lands now
owned by the schools, in round numbers, may be
stated to be worth to-day more than a million and a
half of dollars. The section of this law giving
these lands to the public schools was inserted in the
act by Mr. Hempstead, at the special and eaniest
request of Thomas F. Riddick. Col. Riddick had
■ ^i»- — J U ^ —
GRANT OF LAND FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES. 17
lived here in St. Louis many years before that ; he
knew nearly all the inha1)itants of the then small
French village pei^sonally ; he knew all about the
town, and he knew that there were certain lots of
ground hi the town for which no ri<?htful owners or
claimants could be found. Col. Kiddick started on
horseback and rode all the way to Washington City,
and at his owii individual expense had this desirable
object consummated. In this measure h(» was aided
and supported by Clement B. Peiu'ose, one of the
menibei's of the board of commissioners ai)i)ointed
by the govennnent for adjudicating and passing
upon the titles to lands in Up})er L(misiana. Of
these things I have heard from Col. l{iddi(*k him-
self; and afterwards, Archibald (iramble, Esq., so
long the efficient and active agent of the public
schools in looking after theii' interest in these lands,
infomied me that to Col. Riddick was due the credit
of having this gi'ant of lands made. Further eyi-
dence of this fact wnll be found in the American
State Pj^3ers, title *' Public Lands."
It was my good fortune to have known (Jol.
Riddick intimately and well. T have visited his
house ; have shared his generous hospitality ; and
have enjoyed his friendshi]) and that of the w^hole
family.
18 THOMAS F. RIDDICK.
Col. Riddick was amongst the first trustees of
the public schools. He was a member of the con-
vention that formed the first Constitution of the
State of Missouri, being elected on the same ticket
with such men as Edward Bates, Gov. Mc^air,
Gen. Beniard Pratte, and Pieire Chouteau, Jr.
When he embarked in any measiu'e, he was one of
the most enthusiastic men that ever Uved. He
pied at the Sulphur Springs in Jefferson County,
Missouri, about the year 1830 or 1831, beloved,
honored, and respected by all who knew him. It is
with the most becoming deference and respect
towards the members of the St. Louis Board of
Public Schools, and certainly in no spirit of offi-
ciousness or offeusiveness, that I may be permitted
to express the hope that the veiy intelligent and
worthy gentlemen who compose the board will,
l^efore long, take some suitable action to erect a
proper monument to the memoiy of one who has
confeiTed upon them the means of doing so much
good, and from which those midei* their charge have
been blessed with and have derived such lasting ben-
efits. In fact, so far as these St. Louis public
schools are concerned. Col. Thomas F. Riddick was
the creator and originator of that noble system of
insti'uction in St. Louis.
EDWARD HEMPSTEAD. 19
Of Edward Hempstead, the delejj^ate in Con^res^
who introduced and had passed this act, a word
should be said. His father, Stejihen Hempstead,
who rode in the caniajfe with Lafayette when he
came to St. Louis, hved here. He had several sons
besides Edward Hempstead, — William, Lewis,
Thomas, and Charles S. Thev were all men of
standing and character. Charles S. Hempstead died
ill Galena, Illinois, in the year 1<S75, at the advanced
age of more than eighty years. For more* than
forty yeai*s he had been a i)ractising lawy(»r and
was for many yeai*s the law partner of Mr. Wash-
bunie, so long the minister of the United States
at Paris.
Edward Bates informed me that when Edward
Hempstead first came to St. Louis, he came all the
way from Vincennes, Indiana, on foot, with a little
bundle on his back. He was l)orn in Xew London,
Connecticut, June 8, 1780; received a classical edu-
cation from private tutors, and, having studied law,
was admitted to the bar in 1801. After spending
three yeai-sin Rhode Island practising his profession,
he removed in 1804 to the territory of I^ouisiana,
travelling on hoi'seback and tariying for awhile at
Vincennes, Indiana Territoiy. He first settled in
St. Charles, on the Missouri River ; in 1805 he re-
20 DAVID BARTON.
moved to St. Louis, where he resided the balance of
his life. In 1806 he was appointed deputy attor-
ney-general for the districts of St. Louis and St.
Charles, and in 1809 attoniey-general for the ten-i-
tory of Upper Louisiana, which office he held until
1811, and he was the first delegate to Congress from
the western side of the Mississippi River, represent-
ing Missouri Territoiy from 1811 to 1814. After
his service m Congress, he went upon several expe-
ditions against the Indians ; was elected to the Terri-
torial Assembly, and chosen Speaker. He was a
man of ability, pure and without reproach, and his
loss was deeply lamented by aU who knew him. He
died in St. Louis, 10th of August, 1817, a little over
thirty-seven years of age.
Among the eminent and disthiguished men of
which the western country can boast as having pro-
duced, David Bartox deservedly stands in the front
rank. The great ability with which he discharged
the duties of the high public positions which he held
under the governments of the State of Missouri and
of the United States justly entitles him to this proud
HIS BIRTH AND PAUENTAGK. 21
distinction. Called into public life in the first half-
eentiny of the republic, when men of <jfenius, of
learning, of culture, and ability tilled the hig-hest
plaees in the government, and when the main quali-
fications for official station were cai)acity, hom^stj',
and faithfulness to the ('onstituticm, he was pos-
sessed of these qualities in tht» highest (U»gree. lie
was one of the great men of his time.
It is proi)osed merely to givc» a bnef sketch of
this man. DaAid Barton was the iifth child and
the fii-st son of the Kev. Isaac Barton and his wife,
Keziah Barton, formerly Keziah Muri)hy. lie was
bom in Greene C-ounty, in the State of North Car-
olina, in what is now the State of Tennessee, De-
cember IJr, 1783. His father, the Kev. Isaac Bar-
ton, was born in the State of Manland, on the six-
teenth day of .Vugust, 174(5. Isaac Barton removed
w^ith his father, first to Xorth Carolina, where he
stayed for a short time, and then retimied to Frank-
lin County, Virginia. There he married Keziah
Mui'i)hy, daughter of the Kev. William Muii)hy, on
the ninth day of October, 1772. Shortly after his
marriage, Isaac Barton joined the Baptist Church,
and immediately thereafter he entered the ministry
as a preacher of the (lospel of that denoiuination.
He, with his wife and two children, — Martha, the
22 DAVID BARTON.
mother of the late distinguished statesman and
prominent public man in Tennessee, Spencer Jai*ni-
gan, and his daughter Jane, — removed to what was
then known as the Western Settlements of Xorth
Carolina, in the fall of the year 1780, and there
settled hi what was then Greene County.
The Kev. Isaac Barton came to Greene Comity,
North Carolina, with his wife and two childi'en, in
company with the mountain men. Col. John Sevier
ind Col. Shelby, after their victorious and triumph-
ant return from the battle of King's Moimtain, in
South Carolina.
Of that desperate battle. Lord Rawdon had him-
self declared to the British government that it
showed such daring and determined acts of bravery
and invincible hardihood on the part of the Ameri-
cans as was imknown in modern times.
The Rev. Isaac Barton made his home upon and
selected as his future habitation a piece of land
situated about six miles east of Greenville. It was
on this plantation and farm that David Barton was
bom. Afterwards, Isaac Barton, the father of David
Barton, removed to what is now known as Ham-
blin County, a new county which has been formed
since the year 1870.
The tei'ritory of what constitutes the State of
HIS BROTHERS. 23
Tennessee was a part of the original State of North
Carolina up to the first day of June, 17JK3, Avhen
Temu^ssee was admitted into the Union on an ecpial
footing with the original thirteen States, as an indc^
pendent State of the Union, under the Constitution
of the United States.
The father of David Barton, Isaae Barton, be-
sides being a Baptist minister, was also by oeeupa-
tion a farmer, by which means he supported his
family ; foi' as a preacher, in these early days, he had
no salary or support from the members of the
church. He had born to him twelve children. His
second son, Isaac, died in infancv. His third son,
William Barton, was a plain farmer, who neither
sought nor desired distinction, and who removed to
the State of Missouri, where he died on the thirty-
fii-st day of December, 1843. His fourth s(m, John
Barton, died in the army and in the service of his
country, February 15, 1815. I lis fifth scm, Joshua
Barton, was killed in a duel by Thomas Kector,
June 23, 1823, both i)arties being residents of St.
Louis. And liis youngest and sixth son, Isaac Bar-
ton, the seconds died in Jeffei*son City, Misscmri,
March 25, 1842 ; holding, at the time of his death,
the office of clerk of the United States Court for
the District of Missouri, which also had and exer-
24 DAVID BARTOI^.
cised Circuit Coui-t junsdiction, a position he had
filled for more than twenty-one years, — in fact, fi'om
the firet organization of the United States District
Court after the St^ite of Missouri had been admitted
into the Union.
Of Joshua Barton, the late Edward Bates used
to say that he had the finest legal mind and was the
most accomplished lawyer he had ever known. At
the time of his death he was the United States district
attorney for the Missouri District, and was also the
partner of Edward Bates in the practice of the law
in St. Louis.
The duel in wliicli he was killed grew out of a
publication which Joshua Barton had wiitten and
caused to be printed in the Missouri RepMicaii
newspaper, concerning the conduct of Gen. William
Rector, a brother of Thomas Kector, at that time
surveyor-general of the United States for the States
of Illinois and Missouri. In the correspondence pre-
ceding the challenge, and which led to the duel,
Joshua Barton refused to accept the challenge until
Thomas Rector would admit that the statements
made by Joshua Barton m the publication which
caused the challenge were tnie. Rector admitted
this, and the challenge was accepted. They went
over to Bloody Island, in the Mississippi River (so
DEATH OF HIS PARENTS. 25
called from the numerous duels fouglit there), opjx)-
site the city of St. Louis, within the limits of the
State of Illinois, whei-e they fought Avith pistols,
and Joshua Barton was killed.
His body w^as brought over to St. Louis and
thence tiiken up to St. Charles, and buried by his
good friend Edward Bates near the old round stone
fort w^hieh stood on the high hill on the wx^st bank
of the Missouri River, at the lowei* c»nd of the
town.
The venerable Isaac Barton, having fought the
battle of life for more than fourscore yeai*s, died at
the good old age of eighty-five years, on Xovembei*
10, 1831, in Jefferson County, Tennessee ; having
had bom unto him the goodly and patriarchal num-
ber of twelve children, and raised a familv that was
an ornament and a blessing to society. And, like old
Jacob of patriarchal times, he had lived to see the
greatness, glory, and honor which had been won
for his family and name by his son ; whilst the
mother of Da\id Barton, the wife of the Kev. Isaac
Barton, lived to be over ninety-one years old (the
same old age to which Sara lived when she bore
Isaac, who was born unto Al)raham under the
covenant made by God with liim), when she died,
m Jefferson County, Tennessee, on the tenth day
26 DAVID BARTON.
of N^ovember, 1845, having survived her hiisbi
just fourteen years.
David Barton was educated at Greenville Colle
in what is now Tennessee, formerly in the State
Xorth Carolina, under that fine scholar, Dr.
Baulch. He studied law under Judge Anderson
Tennessee, and was admitted to the bar betw(
the years 1810 and 1812. Soon after he remo^
to St. Louis, and settled in what was then Up
Louisiana. This was about the latter part of
year 1812. Shortly after having established hinu
in his new home he joined one of the volunt
military companies raised in St. Louis, and >v
forth as a piivate soldier to meet the Indians, tl
numerous and warlike, and to aid in protecting
white inhabitants from the barbarous savages.
Among the first lawyei^s to settle in St. Lc
were the three Bartons (David, Joshua, and Isaa
the three McGirks (Mathias, Andrew, and Isaa
Alexander Gray, and James Hawkins Peck, v
was aftei^wards made United States district ju(
for the Missouri District. All these men were fr
the eastern part of Tennessee, where they had r<
the common law and had made themselves
quainted with the system of English jurispruden
But when they came to Ui)per Louisiana, where
APPOmTED CmCUIT JUDGE. 27
civil law obteined and was hi force at that time,
these men found that they were ignorant of the laws
of the country, and entirely unqualified to practice.
By act of Congi-ess, the name of the Ten-itory
was very soon after changed from Upper Louisiana
to that of Missouri Territory, and power was given
for the election of a Tenitorial Legislature. So
soon as the firet Territorial Legislatiu'e met, of
which some of these lawyers were members, they
passed an act, on the nineteenth day of Januaiy,
1816, making the conunon law of England, and
the British statutes made prior to the fourth year of
James I., and which wei*e not inconsistent with the
Constitution and laws of the United States, the
law of the Tenitoiy. This was easily done, because
the whole population of the Territory did not then
exceed ten thousand souls. While the civil law was
at that time, and has ever since been, the law of the
State of Louisiana, and is so to this day, the com-
mon law and British statutes so introduced by the
Territorial Legislature have been, under various acts
of the State of Missouri, made the law of the State
to this day.
Immediately after the introduction of the com-
mon law, David Barton was appointed judge of the
St. Louis Circuit Com't. He was the fii'st Circuit
28 DAVID BARTON.
Court judge who ever held a court west of the
Mississippi River. And it is not saying too much
to assert that the hench of that court has never
had an ahler judge, if indeed it has ever had his
equal, since.
In puT-suance of an act of Congress passed
March 0, 1820, members to a convention to form a
State (constitution were elected, and on the 12th of
June, 1820, they assembled m the old dinhig-room
of the City Hotel, situated on the north-east comer
of Third and Vine Streets. The hotel and dining-
room remains as then, to this day (1880). David
Barton was a member from the county of St. Louis,
and was imanimously elected i>resident of the conven-
tion, which passed the State Constitution which went
into effect on the 19th day of July, 1820. The most
important provisions of that instrument were framed
by David Barton ; and from that day to the pres-
ent it has been called and known as the ''Barton
Constitution."
As presiding officer of that deliberative body
he gave universal satisfaction, and commanded the
resi)ect of all for the dignity, courtesy, and impar-
tialitv with which he dischar«:ed the duties of that
honorable i)ositi(m. The fii-st session of the Cxen-
eral Assembly of the State of Missoiu'i, imder the
ELECTED UNITED STATES SENATOR. 29
Constitution, met in the Missouii Hotel (at that time
situated on Mam Sti'eet in the town of St. Louis)
on Monday, the eighteenth day of Sei)tember, 1820.
At that session two senatoi-s to Congress, to repre-
sent the State of Missouri in the Senate of the
United States, were to be chosen.
David Barton was, without opposition, chosen
senator by that body. For the i)lace of the second
senator there were five applicants, viz. : '^Phomaw II.
Benton, John B. C. Lucas, Henry Elliott, John
Rice Jones, and Nathaniel Cook. After manv
efforts, it was found to be impossible to elect any
of these gentlemen.
Such was the unbounded popularity of David
Barton at that time that he only needed to intimate
whom he desired to be made senator in Congress, to
have him elected. After the ineffectual effort had
been made to elect a second senator, the members
of the Legislature gave to him the privilege of
selecting and naming his colleague, and Barton
chose Thomas II. Benton.
Benton's unpopularity was so great, however,
that with all of Barton's acknowledged strength,
power, and influence m his behalf, it seemed to be
abiiost impossible to elect him. Various plans, cau-
cuses, schemes, and councils were projected and
30 DAVID BARTON.
held to effect his election to the Senate, and consum-
mate the wishes of David Barton.
There was a member of the Legislature from St.
Louis Coimty named Marie Philip Leduc. He was
a Frenchman, and had been secretary of Don Carlos
Dehault Delassus, the last lieutenant-governor of
Upper Louisiana under the Spanish goveniment.
He had asseverated over and over again that he
would lose his right arm before he would vote for
Thomas H. Benton as senator. Judge Jolm B. C.
Lucas, the strongest and most formidable opponent of
Thomas H. Benton for a seat in the United States
Senate, was the father of Charles Lucas, a prominent
lawyer who had been killed in a duel by Benton
about three years before. There was, therefore, a
most bitter and violent feeling, growing out of this
duel, between the friends of Judge Lucas and
of Thomas H. Benton. The friends of Thomas H.
Benton found, upon canvassing the members of the
Legislature, that they could elect him by one ma-
jority if they could win over to their side a single
supporter of Judge Lucas or of one of the other can-
didates.
The friends of the Benton party in the Legisla-
ture therefore determined to make a ' ' dead set ' ' at
Marie Philip Leduc. They combined, united, and
'^ -m ^•■!M^i^n^ii«h*<r^* — " " ' - V- .
THE STRUGGLE TO ELECT HIS COLLEAGUE. 31
brought to bear upon him the personal and powerful
influence of Col. Auguste Chouteau, John P. Ca-
banne. Gen. Bernard Pratte, Maj. Pierre Chouteau,
Sylvester Labadie, and Gregoire Saipy, — all per-
sonal friends of Marie Philip Leduc, all Frenchmen,
all men of wealth, of distinction, of gi*eat influence
and personal popularity.
Col. Auguste Chouteau, wdth Laclede the founder
^f the towTi, a man of the greatest wealth and dis-
junction, was the principal speaker. They all met in
^ i*oom where they had assembled to talk over and
^^euss the matter, and to determine and declare who
^*^Duld be Barton's colleague, and take the steps to
^*^et him. Col. Chouteau urged upon Leduc to
^^^^te for Benton, and to give up his support of
" Vidge Lucas ; because, he said, if Judge Lucas
^*U8 elected senator, the French hihabitants would
»^ fiver have their French and Spanish grants to their
^^iids confii'uied ; that Judge Lucas, as a member of
tVie board of commissioners for adjusting the titles
^ider these grants to the inhabitants of ITpper
Louisiana, had been inimical to and had waiTed
Against the confinnation of their claims for nearly
twenty yeare ; that Benton was friendly^ to and
^ould take an active part in passing the laws con-
"^^ning them in their titles to their lands.
» f4
Aftci' ;ir^iiin;4\ |)U*iHlin;Li\ iiixl rcnsonin;^' with Marie
Philip LcdiK* all night long-, Leduc yielded alxnit
the break of day to the influences brought to bear
upon him, and agi*eed to vote for Benton- It had
been a desperate struggle throughout that sleepless
night. This was on Saturday night, the thirtieth
day of September, 1820. The eleeticm was to come
off on Monday morning, the second day of October,
1820. It was all-important to the Benton men that
the election should be held as soon as possible, for
Daniel Ralls, one of • their votei's, was sick and
might die.
Early in the morning, therefore, directly after
nine o'clock, the two houses met in joint session, in
the large dining-room in the hotel, to vote for
United States senator. Daniel Kails, the sick mem-
ber, was upstaii's in his bed, unable to sit up so
that he could be Hfted into a chair and brought downi
to vote. He was sinking fast ; and if he died, as it
was feared he would, before the electi(m, the Benton
men wcmld not have a majority, and would fail in
electing their man.
A(*cordingly, so soon as the two houses had met
in joint session to elect another senator as the col-
league of David Barton, four large, stout negro
men were taken up stairs into the sick member's
ELECTION OF COL. BENTON TO THE SENATK 33
room, and by direction they seized hold of the bed —
one at each comer — on which the prostrate mem-
ber lay, and brought it down stairs and laid Ralls
doiWTi in the middle of the hall wherein the two
houses of the General Assembly had met. Ralls
was too sick even to raise his head, but when his
name was called, voted for Thomas 11. Benton;
which being done, the four negi'o men took him up
stairs to his room, where he died. For this last act
of his life, the Legislature, at the same session, did
Mr. Ralls the honor to name a coimty after him, —
R^lls Coimty, — one of the oldest counties in the
State.
Through such death-struggles as this it was that
Thomas H. Benton, with the powerful aid of David
Barton, first reached the floor of the American
Senate, where afterwards he used to boast that he
had sei-ved six Roman lustrums.
Barton and Benton failed to take their seats in
the United States Senate for more than a year after
their election, because the State of Missouri was not
admitted into the Union imtil after the passage of
the great compromise act of Mr. Clay, known as
the Missouri Compromise, when, upon the proclama-
tion of President Monroe, the State was admitted.
But when Barton and Benton did take their seats in
8
34 DAVID BARTON.
the Senate, they were looked upon as two of the
most distinguished, able, and talented men of that
body, although from the youngest State at that time
in the Union, and both of them natives of, bom,
and educated in the good old State of North Caro-
lina. Most of the other States, at that period, usu-
ally had one distinguished and talented member of
that body, whilst his colleague, in most cases, was a
very ordinary man, of mediocre talents and ability.
This very short and imperfect sketch will not
permit the writer to enter upon a dissertation upon
the public services of David Barton. He was
elected for two terms as a senator from Missouri,
and served for ten years in the Senate. Before his
retirement from the Senate he delivered that great
speech against the administration of Gen. Jackson,
wherein he, in a masterly philippic that thrilled and
electrified the nation, also arraigned his colleague,
Mr. Benton, for his official misconduct. For force
of statement and clearness of deduction, keen in-
vective, sharp, polished wit, withering sarcasm, and
force of denimciation, it has never been siupassed in
the Senate.
We are told that John Randolph, the accom-
plished Roanoke orator, in the United States House
of Representatives compared Ben. Hardhi of Ken-
ASSAILS JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 35
tiieky to a butcher's knife sharpened upon a brick-
bat, — that he was " rough, and cut deep/' Da\nd
Barton, in this great speech in the Senate, had
nothing of the rough butc*her-knife about him, but
cut with the fine polish and keenness of a razor.
That speech had a demand, and was sought for with
avicKty all over the United States, as much as was
the great speech aftei'wards made in the same sen-
ate-chamber by Daniel Webster, in reply to Ilayne,
on Foote's resohition.
There was an incident connected with this gi'eat
speech of David Barton in the Senate which is
worthy of being related. The senate-diamber was
crowded to its fullest capacity. More than half the
niembers of the House of Representatives had
pressed in upon the floor of the Senate to hear the
speech. The galleries of the Senate were crowded
beyond all precedent, and hundreds of pei-sons filled
up the passage-way, imable to gain admittance.
^niongst the rest, an old frontier backwoodsman
from the western part of Missouri had found his way
J^to the gallery of the senate-chamber, and dming
the deliveiy of Barton's speech became greatly ex-
<^ted, and could hardly contain himself within the
decencies and proprieties due to the occasion. As
soon as Barton had ceased speaking, and the Sen-
36 DAVID BARTON.
ate had been pronounced adjoimied, and while the
dense crowd of people were rising to their feet and
stniggling to leave the chamber, tliis old pioneer
could restrain himself no longer. He rose in the
gallery, with the great crowd of people all around
Wm stri\ing to get out, and shouted to the full
extent of his voice, that could be heard far above
the people thi'oughout the chamber, ' ' Hurrah for
the little red / " " Hurrah for the little red P ' This
sudden shout, under the circumstances, seemed to
astonish and startle for a moment everybody m the
senate-chamber. The eyes of everybody in the hall
were directed to this strange being, dressed as he
was in the habiliments of backwoods life in the far
West. Even after he got out of the Capitol, and on
the streets, where he could give full vent to his power-
ful voice and shout louder, he kept on yelling out,
again and again, at the highest pitch of liis voice,
'' Hurrah for the little red^^'* to the great amazement
of the multitude. Many thought the man was mad.
When asked for an explanation of his imaccount-
able conduct, — for he seemed rational when spoken
to, — he said that he was from the Westeni countiy ,
and that he had formerly indulged in the sport of
fighting chickens, and that at one time he had
owned a little red rooster which could wliip any
RECEPTION AT HOME — FAILS OF RE-ELECTIOX. 37
chicken that could be brought against him ; that
when he saw David Barton, who was an old friend
of his, on that occasion '' putting his licks into them
fellers in the Senate, and bringing them down at
every flutter," it reminded him of his cock-fighting
days, when his little red used to clean out eveiy-
thing in the ring. Barton was hi^ little red.
" IIuiTah for my little red 1 "
This anecdote obtained cuiTency in the papei'S,
and Barton, after that, was veiy often called in the
newspapere '^ Little Red."
When Barton returned from the Senate, his
friends in St. Louis received him with the gi'catest
enthusiasm, and gave him a grand dinner at the Mis-
souri Hotel, — that same old building in which he
had been elected first to the United States Senate.
Hon. Edward Bates presided. It was an elegant
entertainment, and Barton delivered a political
speech.
The writer of this veiy imperfect sketch is one of
the very few sundvors who were present, and one of
the getters-up of that banquet.
When David Bart on. was defeated in his re-elec-
tion to the United States Senate, the whole opposi-
tion press of the administi'ation of Gen. Jackson
'ooked upon it as a national calamity. The defeat of
38 DAVID BARTON.
no man as a member of the Senate ever caused such
a universal regret as this to that intelligent set of
men who afteinvards formed and constituted the
Whig party. The newspapers in the interest of that
powerful and influential political body of men,
throughout the land, teemed with whole columns
speaking of it in tenns as of a misfortime that had
befallen the whole country. A short extract fi-om
one of these papers is hei'e inserted, as showing
the temper and tone of these newspaper articles at
the time.
From the National Journal.
That Mr. Barton has lost his election is a matter of regret,
though not of surprise. It is to be regretted, because he was a
useful and able member of the body to which he belonged. His
State will lose in him one whose loss it cannot easily supply, be-
cause he was always true to its interests, and always ready and
willing to support its welfare. His fearless independence and his
fine feelings made him a formidable opponent, while his talents
and habits of reflection rendered him an able debater. The
''palace slaves " cowered beneath the tempest of his invective,
and the time-serving and obsequious members of executive ven-
geance shrank from tlie blows which he inflicted. During the
last session of Congress he nobly stood forth as the advocate of
the rights of liis country, and tlie deadly enemy of the base and
relentless system of proscription which the despotic head of the
present administration had, in the indulgence of his private malice
and obstinate feelings, thought proper to introduce," etc., etc.
A volume could be filled >vith such essays as
%>
this.
NOMINATED FOR REPRESENTATIVE. 39
As soon as David Barton returned from Wash-
lUgton, his friends determined to run him for the
Xlouse of Representatives, in opposition to Spencer
IPettis, who was then the candidate for Congi'ess
«f the Jackson party, which had an ovenvhelming
:inajority in the State. A meeting was accordingly
dialled and held for this purpose in the city hall in
^he city of St. Louis, on Thursday, the thiiHeth day
of June, 1831, of w^hich William H. Hopkins was
-chosen chairman and Archibald Gamble api)ointed
secretary, at which the followHlng, among other
proceedings, were had : —
On motion, a committee was appointed to draft
resolutions exi^ressive of the sense of the meeting,
whereupon the following gentlemen were appointed,
to wit : Marie P. Leduc, Elijah P. Lovejoy, Edward
Bates, Thomas Cohen, Hamilton R. Gamble, J. W.
Paulding, John F. Darby, and Edward Tracy.
The committee retired, and made a report reccmi-
mending, amongst other things, the nomination of
Da\'id Barton as a candidate for Congress. The
committee notified Mr. Barton of his nomination,
and he wrote a letter of acceptance, as follow^s : —
St. Louis, July .H, 1831.
Gentlemen: Although I have no desire at present to engage
in public life, I am not disposed to abandon our cause when it
may be in adversity, and shall feel proud to ser^'e as a repre-
scntativr in ('<niLri<'ss if rlcctcd to tliiit station. ^\y i)j'in('iples
of national policy are publicly known thoutrhout the State, etc.
[It is deemed unnecessary to copy the whole letter.]
I am, gentlemen, your obedient servant, etc.,
David Barton.
Of all the gentlemen present at that meeting,
and it was large, I am the only survivor ; all the rest
have passed off the stage of life. The State of
Missouri at that time, politically, belonged to the
Jackson party by many thousands majority; and
David Barton, belonging to the opposition, was of
course defeated. He was, however, elected after-
wards to the State Senate, and served for four years
in the Legislature of Missouri as a senator from St.
Louis County. This was the last public service per-
formed by him.
I became most intimate with Judge Barton after
his retirement from the Senate, although I knew him
well before. Many a time it was my pleasure and
proud satisfaction to enjoy his rich conversation, and
to walk out with him in the early morning before
breakfast, to a spring on the Old Manchester Koad,
afterwards called Camp Spring, a mile distant from
the Court House in St. Louis.
There the great statesman and man of genius,
retaining the early recollections and primitive habits
of his boyish days, of drinking out of the mountain
STERLING QUALITIES OF THE MAN. 41
tountains of his native North Carolina, would kneel
down, and supporting his body with his hands, diink
out of the fresh, sparkling spring itself.
In this short sketch it is impossible to do justice
to David Barton, and only a few incidents of his
career have been given. That he was a great man,
is admitted by all who had peraonal knowledge of
him and were honored with his acquaintance.
He was a man of the most sterluig integrity and
honesty.
The session of Congress would expire on the 4th
of March, and the Senate would be convened the
next day by the proclamation of the President, for
executive business : it was charged upon many sen-
ators that they made a claim for mileage, and re-
ceived pay and compensation for such constructive
jouniey. Barton always disdained to make such
charge, and denounced it as illegal and wrong.
An old friend and great admirer of Judge Bar-
ton, who was about to get manied while Barton
was judge, insisted upon Judge Barton's coming to
the wedding and performing the ceremony, as he
was authorized by law to do. Barton attended the
wedding, and performed the ceremony after this
mamier : The parties being present, stood up on the
floor, where all the guests were assembled. The
42 DAVID BARTON.
judge asked, " John Smith, do you take Lucy Jones
to be your wife? " He answered, ^^Ido." ^^Lucy
Jones, do you take John Smith to be your husband?''
She answered, " I do." The judge then said, '^ The
conti'act is complete. I pronounce you man and
wife."
Judge Barton's manner was grave and sedate.
He used no well-tm'ned periods, no modulated ca-
dences or flights of fancy. His gestiu'es were few,
and he carried his point by the force and power of
his reasoning. Where most men failed in reasoning
upon a difficult and abstruse question. Barton always
rose and carried the minds of his hearei-s with him.
Like a strong horse hauling a heavy load up a steep
grade, he would carry the mind of his hearers with
him step by step, and all would assent to his state-
ments as fully as if he were demonstrating a mathe-
matical proposition.
The State of Missouri justly honored David Bar-
ton as well as herself, finst by naming a county after
him, and again by erecting a monument to his mem-
oiy. He was, in truth and in fact, one of the great
men, not only of Missomi, but also of the nation.
He never was married. He died at Boonville, Cooper
Coimty, Missouri, on the twenty-eighth day of Sep-
tember, 1837, where he was buried.
INSCRIPTIONS ON HIS MONUMENT. 43
David Barton's remains are intended in *" Walmd
&?^ove Ce7net€ry^-'' in the eastern part of the city of
Boonville. Over the spot the State of Missomi has
erected a moniinient. It is a plain shaft of white
luarble, about foui^teen feet high, with the following
inscriptions : —
(on the north side.)
**Xu memory' of DaWd Barton, bom in Tennessee, December
14, 1783. Died in Boonville, September 28, 1837."
(on the WE8T SIDE.)
*' He became a citizen of Missouri in 18()<), was Attorney-General
in 1813, Circuit Judge in 1815, and Si>eaker of the
House of Representatives in. 1818."
(on THE EAST SIDE.)
*' He was I*resident of tlie Convention that formed the State
Constitution, Senator in Congress from 1820 to 1831,
and in 1834 State Senator from St. Louis."
(on THE SOUTH SIDE.)
**A profound jurist, an honest and able statesman, a just and
benevolent man.
Erected by the State of Missouri.
1853."
It will be seen that there are some mistakes made
in the inscriptions, as to the dates when he came to
the State and when he was eircnit judge. On the
right bank of the dark rolling Missouri repose the
44 MONSIEUR LA FITTE.
remains of the illustrious statesman, David Barton.
He sleeps there " that sleep that knows no waking."
But so long as the swift current of that great river
laves the shore where his body lies, and empties its
turbid waters into the Gulf of Mexico, will he live
fresh in the memoiy and fond recollections of the
great State he helped to foimd and build up. exon-
eration after generation may be swept off down the
current of time into the vortex of oblivion, but his
is one of the few names ^Hhat were not bora to
die ; " the youth of each succeeding generation will
be taught to revere and respect his memory, and
moved to deeds of the noblest ambition by the
story of his life.
"His memory sparkles o'er the fountain,
His spirit wraps the dusky mountain ;
The meanest rill, the mightiest river.
Rolls mingling with liis name forever."
The last and concluding lines of Byron's ^'Cor-
sair ' ' nm thus : —
"'Tis morn — to venture on his lonel}' hour
Few dare ; though now Anselmo souglit his tower
He was not there — nor seen along the shore.
Ere night, alarmM, their isle is traversed o'er.
Another morn — anotlier bids them seek,
■OH
THE PIRATES OF BARATARIA.
45
4«r'
And shout his name till echo waxeth weak ;
Mount — grotto — cavern — valley search' d in vain,
They find on shore a sea-boat's broken chain :
Their hope re\'ives — they follow o'er the main.
'Tis idle all — moons roll on moons away,
And Conrad comes not — came not since that day :
Nor trace, nor tidings of his doom declare,
Where lives his grief, or perish' d liis despair !
Long mourn' d his band whom none could mourn beside ;
And fair the monument they gave his bride :
For him they raise not the recording stone —
His death yet dubious, deeds too widely known ;
He left a Corsair's name to other times,
Link'd with one virtue, and a thousand crimes."
To the foregoing is a note from Byron in these
Words : —
^ote 17, page 133, last line.
"Link'd with one \artue, and a thousand crimes."
That the point of honor which is represented in
one instance of Conrad's character has not been
carried beyond the bounds of probability may per-
haps be in some degree confiimed by the following
anecdote of a brother buccaneer in the year 1814.
Our readers have all seen the account of the
enterprise against the pirates of Barataria; but
^W, we believe, are informed of the situation,
history, or nature of the establishment. For the
hifonuation of such as are unacquainted with it
we have procured from a friend the followbig inter-
4() MONSIPU'K LA FITTE.
esting naiTative of the main facte, of which he has--
personal knowledge, and which cannot fail to interest
some of our readei-s : —
Barataria is a bay, or nan*ow arm of the Gulf of
Mexico ; it runs through a rich but very flat country,
until it reaches within a mile of the Mississippi River
fifteen miles below the city of Ifew Orleans. The
bay has branches almost innumeral>le, m which per-
sons can be concealed from the severest scrutiny.
It commimicates with three lakes which lie on the
south-west side, and these with the lake of the same
name and which lies contiguous to the sea, where
there is an island formed by the two arms of the
lakes and the sea. The east and the west points of
this island were fortified, in the year 1811, by a band
of pirates imder the command of one Monsieur La
Fitte. A large majority of these outlaws were of
that class of the population of the State of Louisiana
which fled from the island of San Domingo during
the troubles there and took refuge in the island of
Cuba, and when the last war between France and
Spain commenced were compelled to leave the island
upon short notice. Without ceremony they entered
the United States, the most of them the State of
Louisiana, with all the negroes they possessed in
Cuba. They were notified by the governor of that
EXPEDITION AGAINST THE OUTLAWS. 47
State of the clause in the Constitution which forhade
the iinpoitation of slaves, but at the same time
received the assurance of the governor that he would
obtain, if possible, the approbation of the general
government for their retaining this property.
The island of Barataria is situated about latitude
20 deg. 15 min., longitude 92 deg. 30 min., and is as
remarkable for its health as for the superior scale
and shell fish vrith which its waters abound. In the
year 1813 this party had, from its turpitude and
boldness, claimed the attention of the governor of
Louisiana; and to break up the establishment, he
thought to strike at the head. He therefore offered
a reward of 1^500 for the head of Monsieiu' La Fitte,
who was well known to the inhabitants of the city of
Ifew Orleans from his immediate connection, and his
once having been a fencing-master of great reputa-
tion in that city, an art which he had learned in
Bonaparte's army while he was a captain. The
offer of the governor was answered by the offer of
a reward from La Fitte of $15,000 for the head of the
governor. The governor ordered out a company to
march from the city to La Fitte' s island, and to bum
and destroy all the property and to biing to the
city of New Orleans all his banditti. This company,
under the command of a man who had been the
48 MONSIEUR LA FITTB.
intimate associate of this bold captain, approache<
very near to the fortified island before he saw a mai
or heard a sound. He suddenly heard a whistle no
unlike a boatman's call, and found himself siuroundec
by armed men who had emerged from the secre
avenues which led into the bayou. It was upon thii
occasion that the modem Charles de Moor developec
his few noble traits ; for to the man who had comi
to destroy him and all that was dear to him he noi
only spared life, but offered that which would hav(
made the honest soldier easy for the remainder of hii
days. Upon his khidness being indignantly refused.
La Fitte allowed his piisoner to retm-n to the city.
It became evident that this band of pii'ates was noi
to be taken by land. So soon as the augmentatior
of the navy authorized an attack by water, one wai
successfully made ; and now that tliis almost invul-
nerable point and key to JS'ew Orleans is clear of ai
enemy, it is to be hoped the government will hold i1
by a strong military force.
Several of La Fitte' s men lived and died in St,
Louis. With three of them, namely, Michel Mark
(in paiticular) , Martin Dm-and, and Pierre Dei-vin,
I was pei'sonally well acquainted, having knoyn:
them in the city of St. Louis for about fifteen years
They were all Frenchmen, and all small men, — rathei
mCHEL MARLE'S REMINISCENCES. 49
under the middle size, Michel Marie used always
to take an active part in elections ; and when I wa«
a candidate before the people for various offices, such
as the mayoralty, the Legislature, and Congress,
Michel Marie was always on hand as one of my
most enthusiastic and zealous supporters. On such
occasions he would go to the polls, and would shout
and cheer for his candidate m the most boister-
ous and vehement manner. He used to recite many
incidents and anecdotes connected with the career of
La Fitte. He said that after La Fitte had offered
the $15,000 reward for the head of the governor of
Louisiana (which he did in all the French and
Snglish newspapers printed in IS'ew Orleans, the
morning after the governor had offered a reward of
$500 for the head of La Fitte) , his excellency became
alarmed at the large reward offered for his head,
and for some days secreted himself in his house, lest
the great reward offered might be an inducement to
parties to kidnap or capture him. Artd when after-
wards he did venture into the sti'eets, he always
had some person with him as a protector or body-
guard.
Another story of La Fitters adventures, as related
"y Michel Marie, was this : La Fitte had obtained in-
formation that a merchant vessel was soon to sail from
50 MONSIEUR LA PTTTE.
Vera Cruz for London with an immenBe amount o;
gold and silver coin on board. La Rtte determine
to capture her and secure the treasure. He starte
out from Barataria with one of his best ships, wel
armed and equipped, and with a strong force of picke<M
men. He beat about in the Gulf of Mexico for som
daj-B, just out of sight of land, waiting for the yesse
with the treasure to leave port. At last the merchant — ■
man started on her voyage. She had barely got outn:
of sight of land when she was discovered by La Fitte^nB
who bore down upon her with his piratical craft an^M
captured her, with all her treasure.
Amongst others on board was foimd a lady pas —
senger dressed in black, and also a Catholic priest. —
When the men took hold of the priest, they inquired-?
of their commander what should be done with him.
**Overl>oard with liim/' shouted La Fitte; and the^
man of sjicred calling was tossed into the sea. A*
the IhmJv of the holv father struck the water, his
black gi>wn tilled full of air and spread out over the
siu^ace : he soon siink Ixnieath the waves, maldng the
sign of the cn>ss as he went down, to rise no more.
Towards the lady dressed in black the piratical hero
would suffer no disres|HH^t, indignity, or insult, and
finallv had her conveviHl in safetv to Xew Orleans.
La Fitte had Ivuvlv sivureil all the treasure and
ONE OF THE STORIES TOLD OP THE PIRATE. 51
sixnk the merchant vessel, when, turning his course
toij^ard his rendezvous at Barataria, he saw in the
distance an English man-of-war pressing down upon
him under full sail. He ordered all sails spread,
and endeavored to run away from the hostile ship.
Every possible exertion was made to escape, yet the
formidable enemy seemed visibly gaining on the
pirate, and approaching nearer and nearer every min-
ute. La Fitte announced to his confederates that it
was impossible to escape from the pursuing vessel,
and that they must therefore prepare to fight her.
He made a speech to his men, brief but to the point,
and told them that they all knew what would be their
fate if they were captured, and therefore '^eveiy
man must fight till he dies." The man-of-war came
booming up under full sail, and fired a shot across
the bow of the piratical vessel. La Fitte was ready
for action, and returned the fire promptly and with
spirit. The British fired always as the vessel rose
^pon the wave, which caused the shot very often to
pa«8 over the vessel without striking her ; while the
•
pirates fired always as the vessel sunk in the wave^
and nearly every shot struck her adversary and
counted with effect as a serious damage to the bel-
%erent vessel. La Fitte had a most experienced
and efficient gunner. While the captain of the man-
52 MONSIEUR LA FITTE.
of-war was standing on the deck of his vessel
waving his sword over his head, and cheering and
encouraging his men in the midst of the fight, a shot
from the pirate cut off both his legs just above the
ankle, and the brave commander fell upon the deck.
He did not forget his position, and retaining his self-
possession, he called for a barrel of flom*, which was
brought from the hold of the vesseV; the head was
knocked out, and some of the flour was tumbled out
on the deck. The intrepid captain ordered the men
to lift him up and set him upright in the barrel of
flour, with the stumps of his legs set down in the
flour to keep him from bleeding to death. The gal-
lant captain, standing upright upon his stumps in the
flour-barrel, again waved his sword over his head,
and again cheered and encouraged his men. The
fight went bravely on; broadside after broadside
belched forth from the brass cannon of each ship ;
the combat was desperate and doubtful. La Fitte's
men were the best gunners, and seemed to give the
most damaging and effective shots. At last one of
the men came running to the captain of the pirate,
and told him that the shot was all out. *^Load up
the guns with doubloons and dollars," cried the ready-
witted commander ; wliich was done instantly. The
British sailors and seamen, finding themselves fired
EFFECT OF SPECIE PAYMENT. 53
into and shot down with gold and silver coin, became
panio-stricken, and almost paralyzed with terror;
and as the man-of-war had ceased firing, La Fitte
made good his escape, having won the fight. He
whipped the man-of-war and sailed away, with the
balance of the valuable treasure that had not been
shot away at the British, to his place of safety at
Barataria. Such is one among the numerous stories
of La Fitte' s adventures and perils as detailed by
Michel Marie, who claimed to have been in the en-
gagement, and spent many years in the service of the
the renowned piratical hero of the Gulf of Mexico.
About nine a. m. on the 29th day of April,
1825, Gen. Lafayette, in a tour through the country,
arrived in St. Louis on the steamboat Natchez.
The steamboat on which he had left JSTew Orleans
^^ up the night before at the village of Carondelet,
five miles below the city. In the meantime the news
spread throughout the city that the distinguished
^itor would arrive in town the next morning.
Everybody was up bright and early in the morning
to meet and greet the great man .
In order to understand the subject properly, it is
54 GEN. LAFAYETTE.
but right to give a short statement of the condition of
the town and affairs at that time. There was no wharf
in front of the city. At the foot of Market Street, and
again at the foot of what was then called Oak Sti'eet,
now Morgan Street, were the only two landings in the
city. From a short distance north of Market Street
all the way up to Morgan Street the primitive bluffs
of the Mississippi rose up in a state of nature, to the
height of twenty feet, and in some places more : as
the French called it, ' ' ores ecore du Mississippy ' ' —
the abrupt wall or perpendicular bank of the Missis-
sippi River. Seventh Street was the western
limit of the city, beyond which were the fences of
Judge John B. Lucas, Maj. Christy, and othei-s,
enclosing pastures, meadows, etc. The com't-house
square was entirely vacant, except a pillory and
whipping-post in the centre, on which malefactore,
rogues, and evil-doers not sentenced to be hanged
were whipped with a raw cowhide on their bare backs
by the sheriff of the county, who in each particular
case was sworn by the clerk of the court '' to lay on
the lashes to the best of his skill and ability, so help
him God. " Market Street only extended to Eighth
Street; all beyond that to the west was Chouteau's
Pond, woods, hazel-brush, etc., etc. All the space
between Market Sti'eet and Wasliington Avenue and
BE VISITS ST. Loxns. 55
Fourth aod Fifth Streets was unimproved, — no
honiBee, no enclosures ; all in a state of nature, — no
gradmg, no paving.
At that time the city of St. Louis had only been
incorporated a little more than a year. Dr.
William Carr Lane was mayor. He was a man of
fine personal appearance indeed ; and was, besides, an
accomplished scholar, of the most noble and generous
impulses, and of pleasing and winning manners and
address.
The seat of government of the State of Missouri
Was then located at St. Charles, and Frederick Bates
was governor. As there was no executive mansion
at St. Charles, and the Legislature was not in session,
Grov. Bates stayed mostly at home on his farm, up
m Bonhomme,- on the bluffs of the Missouri River
^ St. Louis County, about five miles above St.
Charles. During his absence from the seat of gov-
ernment. Gov. Bates would leave the executive de-
partment of the State in the hands of his secretary of
®tate, Hamilton Rowan Gamble. Gov. Bates would
&o over to St. Charles every week and stay a day or
®^j as business required. When the city authorities
*^Und that Gen. Lafayette was about to visit St.
^ouis, they, in those primitive days of honest mu-
^^cipal governments, began to doubt their authority
56 »EN. LAPAYKTTK.
to appropriate money from the treasury to entertain
their visitor.
Dr. William Carr Lane, the mayor, in this emer-
gency, took his horse and rode all the way out
to Gov. Bates's farm, more than twenty miles frouE
St. Louis, to beg the governor to come into town,
and receive G^en. Lafayette; the expectation being-
that some of the moneyed men would advance tha
funds with which to entertain the general, and that if
the governor would take part, they would afterwards
get the State to make an appropriation to cover the
expenses of the entertamment.
Gov. Frederick Bates refused to have anything to
do with the matter. He said the State had made no
appropriation to entertain Gen. Lafayette, and that
he would take no part in any proceeding of any
kind unless there had been money enough provided
to entertain him in a manner becoming the dignity
and character of the State.
Dr. William Carr Lane told the writer hereof
that he returned from the visit to Gov. Bates de-
spondent, disheartened, and almost discouraged.
But something must be done, and that quickly. His
honor the mayor went around and saw the alder-
men, Joseph Charless, Archibald Gamble, Henry
Von Phul, Mary P. Leduc, William H. Savage, and
AN ECONOMICAL RECBPTION. 57
others. These gentlemen decided that they would
take from the city treasury so much money as was
necessary to entertam G^n. Lafayette, and if there
was any objection made they would join together and
refund the same. That worthy and good man, Dr.
Waiiam Carr Lane, mformed me afterwards — for
we talked upon the subject of Gren. Lafayette's visit
hundreds of times afterwards — that the whole ex-
pense of entertaining the distinguished guest to the
city was exactly thirty-seven dollars. The people all
seemed to acquiesce in the expenditure, although
there was no authority in the charter. Indeed, these
worthy officials of the city government economized
and managed to the best advantage, the efficient,
^tive, and energetic mayor taking the lead. They
^ent to Maj. Pierre Chouteau and engaged his
house as the quarters of Gen. Lafayette. Maj.
Chouteau was a man of great wealth, and as gener-
ons as he was rich, and granted the use of his house,
costly, elegantly and richly furnished as it was, as
the headquarters of Gen. Lafayette. Here apart-
Dients were prepared for the general, free of expense,
-^t that early day there were no hacks or carriages
^ St. Louis, and the next move was to get a con-
^^yance to take the expected guest from the steam-
Wt to the quarters thus provided for him. Maj.
58 GEN. LAFAYETTE.
Thomas Biddle, paymaster in the United Sta
Army, brother of Nicholas Biddle, at that ti
president of the United States Bank, had a barou-
and two white horses ; and Judge James H. Pe
of the United States District Court, had a barou
and two white horses, Maj. Biddle was kind enoi
to lend his barouche and horses for the occasion , i
Judge Peck was so obliging as to lend his two wl
horses to the city authorities, to convey the gr
man from the steamboat to his quarters. 1
proper committee of reception had been appoin
on the part of the Board of Aldermen, designated
ribbons worn through the button-holes in the laj
of their coats. Sullivan Blood, then town constat
had been appointed grand marshal of the day, \^
John Simonds, Jr., and John K. Walker, assist
marshals. The aiTangements were now all comp]
to receive and welcome Gen. Lafayette. The peo
of the whole city began to assemble at the foot
Market Street, on the 29th day of April, 1825 ; i
shortly after nine o'clock m the morning the stes
boat [N^atchez was seen down the river, in the Ca
Ida Bend, with colors flying. It took but a i
minutes for the boat to reach the foot of Mar
Street. The crowd w^as great; old and youi
men, women, and children, white and black, 1
A LUDICROUS INCIDBNT. 59
assembled together, and when the boat touched the
shore there was considerable cheering. As soon as
the planks had been run out from the boat to the
shore, Gen. Lafayette came on shore, where he was
met by and hitroduced to the mayor, William Carr
Lane. The mayor had his address of welcome writ-
ten out, and commenced to read it to the distin-
guished visitor. The mayor^s voice was low, and
although it was a fine piece of composition, the noise
and confusion were so great that very few persons
could hear it. To this address the eminent visitor
replied in appropriate terms. The mayor was sm^-
rounded with his aldermen and committees of recep-
tion. There was no military party or power present
at the reception, and it was almost impossible for the
D^rshal to keep order in the crowd.
Amongst the outskirts of the multitude was a
l^uteher by the name of Roth — Jacob Roth; he
J'ode a sorrel horse with a long tail, the hair of which
had been cut square off at the end. At that period
ni08t of the people of the town kept their own cows,
and the cattle ranged out on the prahie and came
home at night to the domicile of the respective
<>wner8. This man Roth had been indicted in the
Circuit Court for stealhig the people's cows and
taking beef of them, which in many instances he
60 GBN. LAPAYBTTB.
would sell to the real owners. On the occasion ^
the reception of Lafayette, Roth was very greasy
from the handling of meats, and he held in hand i
greasy leather whip, with which he was accustomec
to drive cattle. So soon as Gen. Lafayette hac
replied to the address of welcome made by Mayoi
William Carr Lane, Jacob Roth jumped off his hors^
and ran up to Lafayette, saying, as loud as he coul<
shout, '' Whooraw for liberty ! Old fellow, just giv*
us your hand. Whooraw for liberty ! Hand out yon
paw ; old fellow, just give us your hand. How ar<
you?'' — and seizing Lafayette by the hand, h^
shook it violently.
Just at that moment one of the committeemen,
who had imbibed considerable, seeing the butche:3
Roth, in his greasy plight, shaking hands witlr
Lafayette so violently, called out to him, and said :
'^ Go 'way ! Go 'way from there, I tell you ! You
stole a cow." To this Roth replied, *^I'm as good
as you are, you old puss-g — rascal, if I did steal a
cow." The same inebriated committeeman wa€
afraid Lafayette would fall into bad company, and
he went up to the distinguished visitor and took him
by the arm, and pointing to Jacob Roth, said,
''Don't you associate with that fellow! he stole a
cow."
THE PROCESSION. 61
The barouche with the four white horses was now
brought into requisition ; Gen. Lafayette was assisted
into the carriage ; the mayor, William Carr Lane, was
seated by his side on the back seat ; and Col. Augnste
Chouteau, with Laclede, the founder of the tol;v^l,
and Stephen Hempstead, an old Revolutionary soldier,
originally from Connecticut, who had fought with
Lafayette in the War of the Revolution, took the front
seat. These four filled the carriage. The hoi-ses
were balky, and at first would not pull, never havmg
been worked together before. After some delay, the
vehicle was driven up to the quartei-s prepared for Gen .^^
Lafayette at Maj. Pierre Chouteau's elegant mansion,
where the distinguished guest was to receive com-
pany. The great body of the people followed on
foot behind the carriage. The horse troop of Capt.
Archibald Gamble, which in the meantime had
formed and taken position on Main Street m front of
CoL Auguste Cliouteau's residence, more than a
square from the reception at the foot of Market
Street, now joined in the procession, in the rear of the
great body of the people walking behind the carriage,
and proceeded up Main Street to Maj. Chouteau's
niansion. All the men from Capt. Gamble's com-
pany dismomited from their horses, getting some
^oys to hold them, formed uito line on foot, and
62 GEN. LAFAYETTE.
with drawn swords marched on to the piazza of tl
building, where they formed into single line, whe
Gren, Lafayette was brought, on the arm of th
mayor, and introduced to them. After the militar
reception. Gen. Lafayette took some gentleman b
the arm and marched along in front of the line, an
was introduced to each member of the troop sep^
rately , by name, and when so introduced, shook banc
with every individual. The members of tlie con
pany then withdrew.
There was then living hi St. Louis an ol
Frenchman by the name of Alexander Bellessem^
He was commonly called **01d Eleckzan." He w^
a very old man, and had lived in St. Louis man
years, keeping a tavern on Second Street, on th
west side, between Myrtle and Spruce Streets. H
had been one of Lafayette's soldiers in the Revolr
tionaiy War, had come with him from France, an
had helped to fight for American liberty. He ha
been shot through the shoulder and had been lef
for dead upon the battle-field at Yorktown. But h
had recovered, and had crawled out from the dea<
and wounded upon that historic field of human gore
and had with limping gait and shattered frame, man;
years before, made his way from the East to St
Louis, where he met a French population, and wher
AN APFECTING MEETING. 63
he could fraternize with a people who were consonant
in feeling, in notions of life, in sympathy, in social
intercourse, and religion. As soon as Gren. Lafayette
had withdrawn from his presentation to the military
troop of Capt. Gamble, Alexander Bellesseme pre-
sented himself before him, and asked the general if
he knew him. Lafayette paused, looked at him, and
scrutinized him closely, and then replied that he did
not. Mr. Bellesseme then told the general who he
was, and related some incident which happened on
board the ship as they were coming from France,
which Lafayette remembered, and thus brought him
to mmd. At this the two old soldiei-s rushed mto
each other's arms, embraced and hugged each other
warmly, and shed tears of joy most profusely. The
man of world-wide fame and renown pressing to his
bosom the war-worn veteran who had contributed so
much to his greatness and gloiy , had a most touching
effect upon all present, and there was not a dry eye in
the room. There was, however, no ' ^ Beecherism "
in the case.
After the distinguished visitor had received a great
many calls, he was taken in the barouche, now drawn
^y two horses only, and with some of the gentlemen in
attendance driven upon the hill and around the town
*o see the city. It so happened that Capt. David B.
64 GEN. LAFAYETTE.
Hill, who wa8 a commander of a militia compait J
had his men out on parade on the green court-hou-i^
square, then unimproved.
Capt. David B. Hill was a carpenter and buildei
He was a man of singular peculiarities. He died ii
St. Louis about the year 1873, at the advanced ag"^
of eighty-four years. He wore colored spectacles
with side-glasses ; was addicted to the habit of tak
ing snuff in immoderate quantities. He spoke wit:l
a whining accent through his nose. As soon a^
Capt. Hill saw Gen. Lafayette approaching in thi*
barouche, he became very much excited, and begai
to take snuff . '^ Gentlemen,'' said he, *' Gen. Lai.
fayette, the great apostle of liberty, is coming. Yoi
must prepare to salute Gen. Lafayette, the grea
apostle of liberty [taking more snuff]. Attentioim
company! All you in roundabouts, or short-tailec
coats, take the rear rank. All you with long-
tailed coats take the front rank." The captaii
paused to take a fresh supply of snuff into his nasa
organ. ''Xow," said the commander of the com-
pany, **all those ha\dng sticks, laths, and umbrellas
in the front rank, exchange them with those whc
have guns in the rear rank.'' Just then Robert X
Moore, commonly called '"Big Bob Moore," a notec
individual about town, called out to Capt. Hill, anc:
CAPT. HILL'S COMPANY "PRESENT ARMS/» 65
said, '^Captingl Capting! I say, Cooney Fox is
priming his gun with brandy/' '' I'll be concarned,"
said Capt. Hill, *Mf it isn't a scandalous shame, to
be guilty of such conduct right in the presence of
Gren. Lafayette, — at the most important period of
a man's whole life, — when about to salute Gen.
Lafayette. If it wam't for the presence of Gen.
Lafayette, the great apostle of liberty, I'd put you
under arrest Immediately."
By this time the general had alighted from the
carriage, and walked up in front of Capt. David B.
Hill's company, when the captain ordered the com-
pany to ** present arms;" after which the visitor
withdrew and entered his carriage. It may be sup-
posed that in all the wars in which Gen. Lafayette
had been engaged, he had never met or encountered a
niore Falstaffian military organization. This much
is due to Capt. David B. Hill's military genius, as
showing his ready resource of mind in case of an
emergency. It is proper to state that Capt. David
B. Hill had military taste, and that he afterwards
organized a fine military company of volunteers,
elegantly uniformed, which he called the " Marions,"
in honor of the distinguished Revolutionary patriot,
^hich he took great pride in commanding, and
^hieh he paraded on the Fourth of July and other
66 GEN. LAFAYETTE.
public occasions. This independent company o:^
Capt. HilPs some mischievous persons nicknamed
Capt. Davy Hill's ** Mary Anns," by which name^
they were generally known and called.
Gen. Lafayette got into the carriage arid was
driven to the Freemasons' lodge, where he was duly
received as an honorary member. From thence he
was driven back to his quarters, where he received
calls and visits until four o'clock, when he was most
sumptuously and elegantly entertained with a fine
dinner, at which were all the officials and prominent
citizens of the town.
In the evening a splendid ball was given in honor
of the man of world-wide fame, glory, and distinc-
tion, at the City Hotel, on the comer of Vine and
Third Streets, where all of the most elegant and
accomplished people of the city were assembled.
Gen. Lafayette, after supper at the ball, was
taken by the committee from the ball-room to the
steamboat, at the foot of Market Street, where he
slept. His baggage had not been removed from the
boat. He was under engagement to meet a com-
mittee of citizens of the State of Illinois at the Kas-
kaskia Landing, on the Mississippi River, the next
day at twelve o'clock, and be escorted to that ancient
and time-honored town, at that time the capital of
that great State, and therefore could not delay.
FINAL ADIEU TO ST. LOUIS. 67
The n^xt morning, when all the inhabitants of
the city slumbered after the exciting and festive
scenes of the day and night before, just at the dawn
of day, the steamboat Natchez raised steam, pushed
off into the current, and glided down the Mississippi
River with the great man on board. He was not
(iisturbed in his slumbers till the steamer was in the
vicinity of the dilapidated town of Herculaneum,
almost half-way to the Kaskaskia Landing, when he
was summoned to breakfast.
The general, on his visit here, was accompanied
by his son, George Washington Lafayette; M. L.
Vassiem', his secretary ; Mr. Tf. Lyon, Col. Moore,
Col. Duross, Mr. Prieut, recorder of N^ew Orleans ;
Mr. Creive, secretary of the governor of Louisiana,
and one or two othens.
Amongst the distinguished men engaged in laying
the foundation of this city and building up the same,
no one was more prominent than John Mullanphy.
He was amongst the earliest settlers in St. Louis
after the acquisition of the coimtry by the govern-
naent of the United States, arriving here as early as
about the year 1804, where he lived, except when
68 JOHN MULLANPHY.
occasionally absent, up to the time of his death,
which occurred in July, 1833, at the age of about
sixty-nine years.
Mr. Mullanphy was an Irishman by birth, and
when a young man went forth from his native land
to France, joined the army, and became a non-com-
missioned officer in the Irish Brigade, and remained
till the brigade was dispersed during the French
Revolution, when Louis XYI. and his queen were
imprisoned and executed. He served in the army of
the great I^apoleon, and being honorably discharged,
he returned to Ireland, where he married an Irish
lady, and then came to the United States in the year
1795. When he first came to the country he settled
and lived for awhile in Philadelphia, and afterwards
in Baltimore, where he was engaged in keeping a
small store. He resided in Baltimore several years,
after which he purchased a quantity of books and
stationary, and in 1798 removed with his family to
Frankfort, Kentucky, where he became domiciled,
and opened a book-store. Here he resided for
several years. The country was all new and thinly
settled, and books at that early day were in great
demand. All this occurred before the year 1800.
A man of but limited education, so far as the knowl-
edge of books was concerned, he was possessed of
ESTABLISHES A BUSINESS IN ST. LOUIS. 69
great powers of mind, and had most thoroughly read
and studied mankind and the world, and was fully
acquainted with all its lights and shades.
He, however, read much, and had one of the finest
libraries of any gentleman west of the Mississippi.
Mr. MuUanphy was^ moreover, a man of great enter-
prise, foresight, and judgment. As early as the year
1802 (perhaps before that time), he built a brig at
Frankfort, on the Kentucky River, loaded her with
produce and sent her to the East Indies, while the
mouth of the Mississippi River was yet in the posses-
sion and imder the control and dominion of Spain.
Mr. Mullanphy, after his removal to and settlement
in St. Louis, in 1814, a step which he took mainly at
the suggestion of the late Charles Gratiot, opened a
large store and did a lucrative business, livhig with
his family in a very humble and unpretending way.
He was also appointed a justice of the peace in this
city, one among the first appointments made under
the United States government. From his long
service in the French army, he had the advantage of
understanding and speaking the French language
fluently and well. By this means he was able to
ti-ansact business with ease with the inhabitants,
among whom the Fi*ench language prevailed. In
his day and time, Mr. Mullanphy built many houses.
70 JOHN MULLANPHY.
and contributed more than any other mdividual to the
building up of St. Louis. He was frequently elected
alderman, and was always at his post, taking an
active and prominent part in planning and projecting
improvements, and supporting zealously everything
tending to advance the city's interest and prosperity.
He was a director in the Branch Bank of the United
States at St. Louis from the time of its establish-
ment, in 1829, until his death. He took more stock
in the Louisville and Poi-tland Canal, and advanced
more money toward that enterprise, than any other
man in the United States.
John Mullanphy was most liberal in his gifts for
charitable objects and purposes, and no one who has
ever lived in St. Louis has done so much for objects
of this character. He made a gift of that large
piece of ground on which the Sisters of Charity
Hospital was situated, extending from Third to
Fourth Streets, and from Spruce to Almond Streets.
He also made a lease of that large and valuable piece
of ground opposite the South Mai'ket, on Fourth
Street, where the Sacred Heart convent is situated,
for educational purposes, and for the maintenance of
twenty-five oi-phan girls as long as the trust is com-
plied with ; the lease being made for nine hundred
and ninetv-nine years, and the full consideration
HIS UNOSTENTATIOUS CHARITY. 71
ng the sum of one dollar. He also furnished and
It, at his own individual cost and expense, the
mery and' convent in the town of Florissant,
ere he lived for a number of years. Mr. Mullan-
( was a Catholic, and most firmly attached to the
chings and doctrines of that church. He was
3ral and imostentatious hi what he did.
At one time Mr. Daniel D. Page was the only
•son who kept a baker's shop in St. Louis. It
3 located on Main Street, below Walnut Street,
was said that Mr. Mullanphy went to Mr. Page,
vately, and gave him three or four hundred dollars
money, and cautioned him not to speak of it or
ntion the matter to any one, but to give out bread
the poor families and indigent persons who should
1 for it, as if it was a gift from the baker himself ;
i when he (Page) had distributed bread in that
y to the amount of money deposited, to let him
ow, and he would deposit more money. AVhen,
Tefore, little barefooted boys or girls, poorly clad,
uld go to the bakery, shy, timid, and almost afraid
come up to the counter, having no money, Mr.
ge would call them in and give them one, two, or
ee loaves of bread, — as nuich as the family re-
ired. The news soon spread abroad that ''Page
s giving bread to all the poor people down town,'*
72 JOHN MULLANPHY.
and Mr. Page's name and praise was in the mouth
of every one.
Mr. Mullanphy was a man of strong prejudices,
and most tenacious of his rights. He has told the
writer frequently that he would spend a thousand
dollars before he would be cheated or defrauded out
of one dollar. In consequence of the large number
of buildings erected by him, and the immense amount
of property owned by him, he was frequently en-
gaged in lawsuits with mechanics, laborers, and
others, who sued him, and, as he considered, imposed
upon him. In the course of this litigation the suits
were frequently transfeiTcd, on a change of venue,
to St. Charles County. This was, of com'se, before
the days of railroads. Mr. Mullanphy always went
to St. Charles with his lawyers to look after his law-
suits, his conveyance being a small wagon, which his
servant would drive. On these occasions he w^ould
always take a box of his pure wine, labelling his box
'' Tracts ;" for he imported for his own use the finest
and purest wine ever drank in St. Louis. He fur-
nished his counsel on these occasions with this fine
wine ; and in the evening, after court-hours, at the
hotel hi St. Charles, was most entertaining and inter-
esting in giving his recollections of Xapoleon and
the leminiscences of his service in the French anny.
ALWAYS TKNACIors OF IIIS LK(;aI. KI(;HT>. 7)3
As illiistratini>: somewhat his tenacity in standin*::
up for his nghts in a lawsuit, the following circum-
stance may be mentioned : Amongst other posses-
sions, Mr. Mullanphy owned a brewery. He em-
ployed '^old Victor Hab,'' as he was familiarly
called, to bore out a pump, for the doing of w^hich
Mr. Hab charged Mr. Mullanphy seven dollars. Mr.
Mullanphy refused to pay. Hab sued him before
Justice Gamier, Mr. John Bent being his lawyer. I
was employed by Mr. Mullanphy to defend. Judg-
ment was given against Mr. Mullanphy, who took
an appeal to the Circuit Court, where, as counsel for
the defendant, I nonsuited the plaintiff. Mr. Hab
sued him again before the justice, where he again
obtained judgment; the defendant again took an
appeal to the higher court, where I again nonsuited
the plaintiff. The result was that, from the large
number of witnesses attending, Mr. Hab was mulcted
about fifty dollars costs. My client paid me twenty
dollars rather than pay the two dollars difference
between himself and the plaintiff, besides losing the
tinie in attending court ; for he was always present,
^^d sat by the counsel who tried his suits.
Another peculiarity about Mr. Mullanphy was his
ST^at antipathy to Masonry. He used to say that
tae Freemasons had cheated him out of fifty thou-
74 JOHN MULLANPHY.
sand dollars in verdicts. One day, in tiying a ease in
court, the witness on the stand testifying before the
jury put his hand up to his head and ran his fingers
through his hair. **Lookl look!" said Mr. Mul-
lanphy, elbowing his lawyer, ** he's giving the jury
the sign ; he's a Freemason."
He used to come to my office and show me their
** grips and signs," saying, " You are a young man,
and I want to admonish you to look out for these
fellows." At that time there was great excitement
on the subject of Freemasonry, growing out of the
Morgan affair in New York.
Another incident showing Mr. Mullanphy's char-
acter is this : Once he went to collect four dollars
rent due from a poor widow. The woman tiied
hard to beg off, and asked him to forgive her the
rent. *'You are a rich man," she said, ^' and will
never miss it." *'No," said the landlord, ^'you
must pay the rent." She paid it and he left. Mr.
Mullanphy went the same day and bought a cow, and
sent it to the woman as a present, and told her she
could sell milk enough from that cow to pay her
rent, and have enough left foi* herself, — that she must
'^help herself." On another occasion, when sittmg
at the board with the directors in the Branch Bank
of the United States, a note of a mechanic for five
fflS COTTON SEIZED BY GEN. JACKSON. 75
hundred dollars came up for discount. Every mem-
ber of the board except Mr. Mullanphy voted
against it. Mr. Mullanphy asked why the note
was rejected, as the maker was good. Some mem-
ber answered for the board, and said the indorser
was not responsible. Mr. Mullanphy asked a gen-
tleman next him at the board to move to reconsider
the vote by which the note was rejected, which was
done in obedience to his request. Mr. Mullanphy
immediatelv wrote his own name across the back of
the note, and said, " Will it pass now, gentlemen? ''
It was, of course, voted for by the whole board ex-
cept the last indorser, who could not vote on his own
indorsement by the rules.
There was a story told of the manner in which
Mullanphy had made his immense fortune, which is
as follows : He went to New Orleans during the War
of 1812, and was there buying cotton when Gen.
Jackson was making preparations to receive the
British. Gren. Jackson's quartermaster took all the
cotton in the place to make breastworks, Mullanphy' s
cotton among the rest. Mr. Mullanphy was very
angry because his cotton was taken, and said he
would go and see Gen. Jackson. He was quite ex-
cited, and came up to Gen. Jackson's quarters, where
he saw the fl*g flying, and a sergeant with his musket
\
\
76 JOHN MULLANPHY.
pacing up and down before the door. He accosted
the sergeant, and said he wanted to see Gen.
Jackson. The soldier directed him to walk in.
Mr. MuUanphy went up just in front of the old hero,
who was writing at the table, and said, " Gen. Jack-
son, your quartermaster has taken all my cotton,"
mentioning the number of bales. The old general
stopped writing, lifted his spectacles from his eyes
to the top of his head, as his manner was, and look-
ing right at Mr. Mullanphy, asked, '* Is this cotton
yours ? " '' Yes , ' ' said Mullanphy . * ' Then , by the
Etenial, there is no one more interested in defend-
ing it," said the general. *' Sergeant," said he,
calling out to the soldier in front of his door, *' bring
a musket, put it into this man's hands, march him
into the ranks, and make him fight for his cotton."
The cotton-buyer was marched off, put into the
ranks, and fought for his cotton. In a Life of
Gen. Jackson published in 1828, in Boston, this
passage occurs: *'An additional number of bales
of cotton were taken to defend the embrasures.
A Frenchman whose property had been thus seized,
fearful of the injury it might sustain, proceeded
in person to Gen. Jackson to reclaim it, and to
demand its delivery. The general, having heard
his complaint and ascertained from him that he was
COMPELLED TO FIGHT FOR HIS PROPERTY. 77
unemployed in any military service, directed a musket
to be brought to him, and placing it in his hands,
ordered him on the line ; remarking at the same time
that, as he seemed to be a man possessed of prop-
erty, he knew of none who had a better right to fight
to defend it." This occurred with Mr. MiiUanphy,
and the biographer of Gen . Jackson made a mistake
in calling him a Frenchman.
. When Mr. Mullanphy, many years after, went
to Washington City as a witness in the trial of Judge
Peek, Gen. Jackson, who was then president of the
United States, treated him with great distinction and
consideration.
After the battle was over, Mr. Mullanphy said
he could hear people on all sides saying they
would Iciok to the government for pay for their
cotton ; and he knew it would take a long time
to get money out of the government. Great delay,
much expense, and an act of Congress would have
been required. He went to Gen. Jackson, and said
if he would order the same number of somid bales,
not torn by cannon-balls or damaged in any way,
returned to him as had been taken from him, he
would give a release for all claims upon the govern-
ment. " Gen. Jackson directed his quartermaster
to do this, and Mullanphy received the same number
78 JOHN MULLANPHY.
of sound bales as had been taken from him. All the
balance of the cotton used in the breastworks was
put up at auction and sold for a mere trifle.
No cotton could be sold for more than three or four
cents a poimd. After the battle, Mr. Mullanphy
seemed to have a premonition that peace would be
made soon. The mails were carried to New Orleans
at that time all the way by land, on horseback, via
Natchez. No steamboats were running there at that
date, and no mail-coaches ran in that flat, swampy
comitry. Mr. Mullanphy hired a couple of men to
take a skiff and row him up the Mississippi River to
Natchez. They ate and slept in the skiff. No one
knew the object of his visit ; the men with him knew
nothing of his purpose, and were left in charge of
the skiff on their arrival at Natchez, with injunctions
to stay m the boat all the time, as he did not know
what minute he might want to return. He went up
into the town of Natchez, and sauntered around,
when late in the evening the post-rider came riding
at full speed, shouting '' Peace, peace ! '' having, it
was said, got a fresh horse every ten miles to hasten
the glad tidings and prevent the further destruction
of life. Mr. Mullanphy ran down to the river,
jumped into his skiff, and ordered his men to row
with all their might for New Orleans, as he had im-
THE KKKP FORESIGHT THAT MADE HIS FORTUNE. 79
portant business there to attend to. The men knew
not what had occurred, and rowed all night and all
next day with the swift currents of the Mississippi,
reaching New Orleans in good time. Mr. Mullan-
phy was the only man in the city who had the news of
peace. He was self-composed, — showed no excite-
ment. He began purchasing all the cotton he could
buy, or could bargain for. He had about two days
the start of the othei*8. Late in the evening of the
second day, from thp large amount of cotton pur-
chased by him, people began to talk, and suspect that
he had some secret information. The third day, in the
morning, the whole to^ii was rejoicing ; the news of
peace had come, and cannon were announcing it.
But Mr. Mullanphy had the cotton. Mr. Mullanphy
chartered a vessel and took the cotton , which he had
purchased at three or four cents a pound, to England,
where he sold it, as was reported, at thirty cents per
pound. And a part of the specie and bullion brought
"^ck by him as the returns from his cotton was sold
"J him to the government of the United States, on
^Mch to base the capital for the Bank of the United
^^tates.
Mr. Mullanphy had twelve children, all of whom
^^re finely educated, mostly in Eui'ope. Ellen, his
80 JOHN MULLANPHY.
eldest daughter, died at the age of thirty, in a eon-
vent in Paris. All the rest of the children are dead
except three daughters, who still survive, namely,
Mrs. Graham, Mrs. Chambers, and Mrs. Boycc.
His daughter Jane mairied Charles Chambers,
Esq. ; Catherine married Maj. Richard Graham, of
the United States Army ; Ann married Maj . Thomas
Biddle, of the United States Army, who was killed
in a duel with Spencer Pettis ; Mary mairied Gen.
Harney, of the United States Army ; Eliza married
James Clemens, Jr., Esq.; and Octavia married-
Dr. Delaney, and after his death. Judge Boyce, of
Louisiana. The son, after whom the Fund Associa—
tion is named, was Judge Bryan MuUanphy, who left
one-third of his estate for the relief of immigrants to
the West. Mr. John MuUanphy, at the time of his
death, was said to be the wealthiest man in the Val-
ley of the Mississippi, his estate being reckoned by
millions. He was a inost worthy and good man.
In charitable deeds he never had a superior in the
city of St. Louis, and his works will live after him
as long as the Mississippi River laves the shores of
the city where the mstitutions founded by him in the
cause of humanity and religion shall stand ; and so
long as the seats of learning and structures dedicated
CAPT. JOSEPH CX)NWAY. 81
to religion shall have votaries who worship at the
shrine of Him who came to ' ' save that which was
lost,'' will the evidence of his noble charity be main-
tained and benefit mankind.
Capt. Joseph Conway was one of the pioneers of
the West. He came to Louisiana during Spanish
times, and settled in Bonhonune, St. Louis District,
in the year 1798, on the piece of land granted
to him that same year by Zenon Tiiideau, at that
time lieutenant-governor of Upper Louisiana. He
improved his fann, and cultivated and lived on it for
more than thirty years, and up to the time of his
<leath, which occurred on the twenty-seventh day of
December, 1830. He was bom in Virginia, the four-
teenth day of December, 1763. He raised a large
family, several of his sons having been honored
^th positions of public trust, such as judge of
the County Court, sheriff of St. Louis (Jounty,
^^d member of the Legislature, discharging the
duties of the various offices they filled with honor
and credit to themselves and to the entire satisfaction
^f the public.
Capt. Conway came to Kentucky in early youth.
(>
82 CAPT. JOSEPH CONWAY.
and as soon as he was able to bear arms he took an
active and distmguished part in* the Indian wars
which accompanied the early settlement of that
State. Young, brave, and daring, he was associated
with Daniel Boone and many of the bold spirits of
that time in almost all their hazardous and dangerous
enterprises. Boone came to this country and got his
grant of land from Zenon Trudeau on the Femme
Osage, in St. Charles, about the same time that
Capt. Conway obtained his grant from the same
Spanish governor of Upper Louisiana.
He fought imder Gen. Harmer, and was in the
battle which marked his defeat. Once, when the
Indians were in hot pursuit, he dodged behind a tree
and tm'ned and fired, and again loaded his gun as he
ran, and in this manner killed seven Indians. He
also fought under Gen. Wayne, and shared in his
victories. The horrors of the border war he had
witnessed in common with his associates, but his suf-
erings far exceeded those of most of his comrades.
In different battles he was shot three different
times. He was tomahawked by the savages, and
scalped three times.
At one time he wa^ left for dead upon the battle-
field by the enemy, but he revived and recovered,
and was taken prisoner, and made to march bare-
HIS SUFFERINGS AT THE HANDS OF THE INDIANS. 83
footed, his feet bleeding at almost every step, with
the Indians, from the Ohio River to Detroit. The
blood flowed down his back from the raw and un-
healed wounds m the head, from wliieh the scalp had
been taken. Still he was made to trudge on amidst
pain and suffering by his barbarous cai)tors ; a white
woman, who was also a captive, with the character-
istic sympathy and kindness which beUmgs to her
sex, gave to Capt. Conway a handkerchief, which
she tied with womanly tenderness around his bleed-
ing head to protect the gaping wounds from the
weather. It was a most humane act, and relieved
his sufferings greatly during that long, tiresome, and
tedious march.
The incredible sufferings, privations, hardships,.
and exposures which Capt. Conway was made to en-
dure during his captivity are beyond precedent, and
win hardly be described, and but for his vigorous
constitution he must have sunk under them. On
• the bleak shores of the Canadian frontier he was de-
tained four years as a prisoner, with no human habi-
tation to protect him from the severity of the
leather, and made to endure and to bear all the pri-
vations incident to that barbarous condition of life.
After Capt. Conway took up his residence in
Louisiana, he rendered great service to the Territory
84 JOHN SMITH T.
and to the government, in going forth to meet and
repel the Indians in their attacks upon the thin and
unprotected settlements of tlie whites.
Often when I was a boy, when he would come intc
the house, would I in my boyish curiosity creej
around his chair to get a good look at the back o:
his head, to see where the Indians had taken off the
scalps from his head. Capt. Conway was, m fact
one of the bravest and noblest men that ever lived ii
the State of Missouri, and of the strictest integrity
He left a name and a fame that commanded th^
res})ect and affectionate regard of all who knew hint
during life.
In the early settlement, first of Upper Louisiana^
the Territory of Missouri, and afterwards the State
of Missouri, John Smith T was one of the mos<
noted and conspicuous characters.
John Smith T was bom in Georgia, and when a
young man removed to Tennessee, and settled in the
neighborhood of N^ashville. There were so many
John Smiths that he determined to add the cs^ital
letter T at the end of his name, not onlv to dis-
tinguish him from the other John Smiths in the
country, but also to indicate that he was ''John
LOCATES AT STE. GENEVIEVE. 85
Smith of Tennessee,' ' for which the letter T stood.
John Smith T became distinguished for his great
expertness in the use of fire-arms, the duels he had
fought, and the number of men he had killed. It
was said he had killed fifteen men, mostly in duels,
where his own life was in danger.
It is not our purpose to give an account of the
different individuals slain by Col. Jack Smith T, as
he was commonly called, because such a detail would
fill a whole volume, but merely a few incidents, anec-
dotes, and notices illustrating the conduct and char-
acter of this extraordinary man .
Col. Smith, after moving from Tennessee, settled
in Kentucky, on the Ohio River, near the mouth of
the Cumberland, and from him the place took its
name, ''Smithland,'' and is so known to this day.
Col. Smith left Smithland and came to Upper Louis-
iana, and settled in what was then known as Ste.
Genevieve County, about the time the country was
transferred to the United States. He built houses,
*n<i improved a farm, and carried on mining opera-
tions at a place called Shibboleth, where he lived for
* number of yeare. He was a man of wealth. He
^wned a claim to land in Alabama, called " the Yazoo
claim,'' for which it was said the government of the
United States offered him one hundred thousand
86 JOHN SMITH T.
dollai*s cash. This he afterwards lost in a lawsuil
which was decided against him.
Col. Smith, when he settled in Ste. Genevieve
Ccmnty, was appointed a judge in the Ste. Greneviev€
Court of Common Pleas, a tiibmial analogous to oui
present County Court system imder the State gov-
ernment. Col. Smith created himself a self-consti-
tuted delegate, without any election or authority 0:1
law, to look after the interest of the Tenitory and tc
lay before the authorities at Washington the griev-
ances of the inhabitants. This he did at his owi:
expense.
It is proper to remark that Col. Jack Smith X
always went armed. He had two pistols under hie
coat in a belt around his body, generally two pocket-
pistols in his side coat-pocket, and a dirk in hie
bosom. He had a negro man, a slave, named Dave,
who was an excellent gunsmith and a fine mechanic-
He had a gunsmith-shop near the house, built ex-
pressly for Dave to work in and keep his rifles, guns^
and pistols in order. Dave had no other work
whatever to do.
About the time of Aaron Burr's expedition down
the Mississippi, a man named Otho Schrader came to
Ste. Genoieve. He was an Austrian by birth, and
said he had been aid-de-camp to the Ai'chduke
ATTEMPTS TO JOIN BURR'S liSXICAN EXPEDITION. 87
Charles in the first battle with Napoleon. He used
to relate many anecdotes of the Archduke Charles ;
among others, how when he found the battle going
against him he tore open his shirt-collar on the battle-
field, and became greatly excited, — that same battle
where Maria Louise, a princess about six years old, had
to be sent away to keep her from falling into the hands
of Napoleon ; Maria Louise, who a few years after-
wards, when she grew to be a woman, fell into the
arms and fond embrace of Xapoleon. Otho Schra-
der, du-ectly after coming to Ste. Genevieve, ^as
taken up by the good people of that district, as then
called, and made coroner; thinking, perhaps, as he
had buried so many dead bodies on the battle-field
^th N^apoleon, he was well adapted to perform the
duties of such an office.
Col. Jack Smith T was then judge of the Court
^f Common Pleas for Ste. Grenevieve, and Henry
-C^odge, afterwards senator from Wisconsin, was
sheriff of the district of Ste. Genevieve. Smith
*ttd Dodge were then good friends, although they
"^^came enemies afterwards. Having heard that
-^Xirr was going down the Mississippi to go over and
^liip Mexico, then a Spanish province, these gentle-
^^n said if there was any fighting they must take a
hand in it. Cols. Smith and Dodge started immedi-
88 JOHN SMITH T.
ately, in some canoes, from Ste. Grenevieve down the
Mississippi River to join Burr.
When they reached New Madrid, there they f omid
President Jefferson's proclamation denouncing Burr
and his whole enterprise as unlawful. Cols. Smitb
and Dodge were mortified ; sold their canoes, bought
horses, and came back home to Ste. Grenevieve-
Smith lived on his farm in the country ; Dodge lived,
in the town of Ste. Genevieve. When Dodge got to
town he found great excitement; the grand jurjr
were in session, and had actually indicted Dodge andL
Smith for ti'eason. Dodge surrendered himself ancL
gave bail for his appearance. After doing this^
Dodge, who considered himself greatly outraged hy
the action of the grand jury, pulled off his coat,
rolled up his sleeves, and whipped nine of the grand
jurors. Henry Dodge was a tall man, over six feet
high, as straight as an Indian, and possessed of great
strength. He would have whipped every member of
the grand jury if the rest had not run away.
In the meantime Col. Jack Smith T heard what
had been done. One day, about dinner-time, he
ordered one of his negro men to bring out his horse,
put his saddle and holsters on, and hitch it at the
gate ready for him to ride after dinner. He looked
out at the front door and saw Otho Schrader, the
DECLINES TO BE ARRESTED FOR TREASON.
89
coroner, riding up. Col. Smith went to the door
and called out to Schrader, *•' I know what you have
corae for : you have come with a writ to arrest me.
If you attempt it you are a dead man ; I will not be
arrested.'' After some further conversation he said,
''It was a great outrage to indict me for treason.
Tm as good a friend to the United States as any
man in the Territory." He said further, ''Mr.
Schrader, dinner is just ready, — get down and come
itt and take dinner; but mark, if you attempt to
Diove a finger, or make a motion ta arrest me, you
are a dead man." Schrader got off his horse, came
iato the house, and Col. Smith pointed to a chair at
the table, which Schrader took. Col. Smith took a
seat at the opposite side of the table, and in doing
so he pulled out one of his pistols from his belt,
cocked it, and laid it down by his plate, the muzzle
Across the table toward Schrader ; Col. Smith all the
^hile ordering the servants to wait upon the gentle-'
^^n, inquiring if he would not "take something
^ore," how he " liked his soup," etc.
Dinner being over, the two gentlemen got on
''*>«ir horses and rode into town side by side, con-
^^rsing all the way. A great crowd was in the
*^^feet ; but Smith was not a prisoner, and never was
^t^iwted on that indictment.
90 JOHN SMITH T.
Otho Schrader was afterwards appointed by Presi-
dent Jefferson, with John B. C. Lucas and Return
Josiah Meigs, Jr., to make laws within and for the
Territory of Upper Louisiana, and to administer the
same.
Lionel Browne, a nephew of Aaron Burr, lived
at Potosi, in Washington County, Missouri. For
some alleged remarks Smith had made about his
sister, he sent Smith a challenge. Augustus Jones^
then of Potosi, still living in Texas at a great olJ-
age, was his second. Col. Smith accepted the chal —
lenge, and chose Col. McClanahan as his seconds
The parties went immediately to Herculaneum, on,
the Mississippi River, and crossed over into Monroe^
County, Illinois. The pistols were loaded, the
ground measured off, and the principals placed.
The pistols, being cocked, were then handed to them.
The rules and agreement of the high contracting
parties, upon which the lives of two human beings
in full health and in the full enjoyment of all their
mental faculties depended, had been reduced to
writing. It was provided that after the pistols had
been cocked and put into the hands of the belliger-
ents, the second who had won the giving of the word
(generally done by tossing up a piece of coin) should
put the question, ^' Gentlemen, are you ready? " If
KILLS LIONEL BROWNE IN A DUEL. 91
the parties answer '^Yes," or *' Ready," then the
second proceeds to count ^^ one," ''two," "three."
^N'either party is permitted to fire before the word
''one," nor after the word "three." In this ease.
Col. Smith, with the rapidity of lightning, as soon
as the word "one" was pronounced, put a ball right
into the centre of Lionel Browne's forehead, and he
fell dead before the word "three" was uttered.
Smith was not touched. Some one raised a false
alarm that the civil authorities in Illhiois were after
them; and McClanahan, forgetting to uncock his
pistol, put it into his pantaloons pocket cocked, and
ran down the bank of the river. In rowing the
skiff across the Mississippi, the pistol went off and
wounded him in the leg so that he was laid up for
six months.
In the year 1829 Col. Smith went to N'ashville
and challenged Gen. Sam. Houston to fight a duel.
Gen. Houston refused to accept the challenge, and
published a sort of an aplogetic card in the papers ;
saying, amongst other things, that he had no dispo-
sition ' ' to quote a quan'el with Col. Smith of Mis-
souri." They did not fight, for Gen. Houston
backed squarely out.
In the month of June, 1827, I went for the first
time to Potosi, Washington County, Missouri, to
attend court, where I spent a week during the term.
92 JOHN SMITH T.
Col. Benton and Arthur L. Maginnis stopped at the
same hotel with myself ; and Col. Smith, who lived
m the country, not far from town, and whom I then
and there saw for the first time, dmed at the hotel
with us every day for a week. He was the friend
and acquaintance of Col. Benton and Maginnis.
A man of more polished manners and more cour-
teous demeanor I never met. He was a gentleman
in every respect.
The last man that Col. John Smith T killed was
a man named Ball, of Ste. Genevieve. Smith was-
arrested and put in jail. John Scott and Beverly
Allen defended him, and got a verdict of acquittal
for him, on an indictment for murder. They suc-
ceeded in getting him out on bail before the trial
came off. While on bail, he came to St. Louis ; the
news of his previous history and the story of the
present killing was in the mouth of everybody. In
stepping into the Missouri Hotel one morning, in
going to breakfast, 1 saw Col. Jack Smith T leaning
on his elbow on the counter at the office. I went up
to him, spoke to him, shook hands with him. There
were quite a number of gentlemen in the office, and
the eyes of every person in the room were upon him ;
such was his appearance as to attract the attentidn
of all to whom he was a stranger.
In stature he was rather imder the middle size ;
VISITS ST. LOUIS. 93
his head was perfectly white. He wore a leather
huckskin huntingnshirt, and a pair of shoes with the
tau on them. He seemed, as it were, from liis ven-
erable appearance, to have a sort of Daniel Boone
aspect about him which attracted the gaze of every-
one.
When I left the room, several came after me to
inquire who that man was ; and when I told them it
w^as John Smith T, they all seemed to shy off and
avoid him. N^o one would sit around the fire with
him; every person seemed to have a dread and
fear of him.
As he walked along the street, all the young men
^xxd clerks in the stores would run out and point at
^^im with dread and fear, and dodge into the stores
^g^ain. Col. Smith had engaged me to draw some
d^ieds for him. I told him to call at my office, then
^xi Main Street, and I would have them ready by
t-Wree o'clock. He came at the appointed hour, but
r had not returned from court. He rapped at my
^oor, — many persons on the opposite side of the
^^reet peeping at him and watchmg him. And when
*- came to my office, a half-dozen of these parties
^^«me running to me to tell me, and warn nie to look
*^Xlt, that old Smith was looking for me. As if he
^^uld have no business with any one except to shoot
i
94 JOHN SMITH T.
One Sunday, at the City Hotel, St. Louis, he wa
sitting at the table drinking wine, in company wit
'' Dare-devil Bill Gordon,'' a congenial spirit. Gen
Street, an old militiaman from up the country, aske
some one to introduce him to Col. Smith. This wa
done, when the old militia gentleman said he was a<
quainted with his '' brother, Gen. Smith," etc. A
that Col. Smith, with a great oath, said, " Gei]
Smith was bom with a silver spoon in his moutl
and did not have to work for his money like I did.'
Saying which, he pulled a pistol from his belt an
laid it down by his plate. The old militia genen
made a hasty retreat from the dining-room, an
never again wanted to come near Col. John Smit
T.
It is deemed unnecessary to give further detail
of the eventful career of this extraordinary man
his trip to l^Tew Mexico and his mining operation
would fill a volume of most thnlling events. Hi
brother, Reuben Smith, had been captured by th
Spaniards, and made to work with other Ameri
cans in the mines, like convicts, at Chihuahua
Col. Smith started, " solitary and alone," to tha
then far-off country, to try and rescue his brother
With a courage, self-reliance, and determinatio
possessed by few men, he encountered perils, dan
gers, and difficulties at almost every step, all o
r«'
ms WIPE AND DAUGHTER. 95
which he met without flinching, and with a bravery
and daring unsurpassed, and encountering savages
and wild animals nearly the whole way.
Col. Smith had a most amiable wife, mild and
gentle as possible for woman to be, and he was most
devotedly attached to her. Through all his ti'oubles
and trials she clung to him with the true love of
woman, — stronger than David's love for Jonathan.
Col. Smith had only one child, a daughter, who first
married John Dedrick, by whom she had two chil-
dren, a son and a daughter. She aftei-wards married
James M. White, a gentleman of high character and
of the greatest respectability, universally esteemed
by his neighbors. By this marriage with James M.
White she had and raised a large family of children.
She was gentle and amiable in her manners, respected
and beloved by eveiybody who knew her. She had
l)elonged to the Presbyterian Chm'ch, in which she
had been bred, and from which she voluntarily with-
drew and attached herself to the Roman Catholic
Church from conscientious convictions alone. In
that faith she afterwards lived and died, having been
a most devout member of the church, a regular
attendant on the matin service, and chanting before
the same altar her evening prayers. Col. John Smith
T loved his daughter with as deep affection and
96 JOHN SMITH T.
warm attachment as any man that ever lived. She
was his only child, and she could truly say, —
^^AU his wealth was counted mine ;
He had but only me."
He was a man of wealth, as well as a man of
great enterprise. We knew Mrs. White well, and
have acted as counsel for her in some matters in
court.
It was said that Col. Smith was nmch attached to
Mr. Dedrick, his first son-in-law, but disliked Mr.
White. It was also reported — and as hearsay only
we repeat it — that sometimes, when in his cups, the
colonel would pull out his pistol from his belt and
point it at Capt. White, who was a large, stout man,
and make him dance till he could hardly stand up.
His home was at Shibboleth, in Washington
County. He also opened a large farm in Saline
County, Missouri. He went to Tennessee, in the
neighl)orhood of Memphis, to open a cotton planta--
tion, in the year 1835, where he died a natural deaths
none but his negroes being present. His remain^
were brought up on a steamboat to Selma, Jeffersor*
County, Missouri, where his son-in-law, James M^
White, lived, and were buried in March, 1835.
We could add many other interesting incidents*
and anecdotes concerning John Smith T, — his quar—
PELIX GRUNDY. 97
rels and lawsuits with (xen. Ja(*k8()ii, his quan'els
with Gren. Dodge and other individualH, — but it
would make this essay too long. John Smith T
killed the most of the men he shot in fair and open
duels, where his own life was at stake ; in what, in
his day and time, was considered honorable, open,
manly warfai-e. And when he killed any man in
any sudden quarrel or broil, he always stood his trial,
and was always honorably acquitted by a jury of his
country. He was as polished and courteous a gen-
tleman as ever lived in the State of Missoiun, and as
'Mnild a mannered man as ever put a bullet into the
human body."
Judge Felix (xrundy was a native of Virginia,
bom among the mountains of Berkley Coimty on
the 11th of September, 1775. In 178(), his father
moved his family to Kentucky, where his son was
^ucated under the tuiticm of Dr. James Priestley.
He pursued his legal studies under the direction of
George Nicholas, then the most celebrated coun-
sellor in the West ; was admitted to the Kentucky
W about 1797 ; a delegate from Washington County
to the State Convention for revising the Constitu-
tion of Kentuck}'^ in 1799; soon after selected a
7
98 FELIX GRUNDY.
member of the General Assembly of that State, and
so contmued by successive re-elections, some of them
unanimous, until November, 1806, at which time he
was appointed judge of the Court of Appeals, and
subsequently chief justice of the State.
In the year 1808, Judge Grundy resigned his
office as chief justice of the State of Kentucky and
removed to Tennessee, intending to devote himself
exclusively to his profession ; he came to Nashville,
where he ever aftei-wards resided. His practice soon
became lucrative and extensive ; but as the national
controversy began to assume a warlike character, .his
patriotic feelings became enlisted, and in 1811 he
was elected to Congress from his district with great
unanimity. We will not attempt in this place to do
justice to his bold and noble course on the war ques-
tion. It is fresh in the memory of the aged, and
is a tale of patriotism which every Tennessee mother
loves to tell to her children. On a future occasion,
perhaps, the pen of some other shall recur to its
instructive and interesting particulars.
Mr. Grundy left Congress in the year 1814, and
for fifteen years his extensive practice at law and
the nurture and education of his children formed his
principal and favorite employment, with the excep-
tion of temporary official trusts, and occasional
HIS OFTIOIAL LIFE. 99
service as a member of the Legislature of Tennessee.
In 1829, he was elected to the United States Senate
by the Legislature, to fill out the unexpired term of
his predecessor; was re-elected for six years in
1833, and continued a member of that body initil
1837, when he was invited by President Van Buren
to a seat in the Cabinet as attorney-general of the
United States. In the fall of 1839, Tennessee again
summoned him into her service, when he cheerfully
laid down the emoluments and honors of a Cabinet
officer to enter again into the more arduous and less
lucrative duties of United States senator. The peo-
ple of his own State called upon him, and he could
not be, as he never had been, deaf to their calls and
their interests.
Judge Grundy was one of the pioneers of the
West; and if he did not take an active part by
wielding the weapons of warfare upon the frontier,
he did much in maturer years to open to the world
the vast natural resources of the Valley of the Mis-
sissippi. " I was too young," said he, in an eloquent
speech delivered in the Senate a few years ago, when
some observations reminded him of the incidents of
his early life, — *^ I was too young to participate in
these dangers and difficulties, but I can remember
when death was in almost every bush, and every
100 FBLDC GRUNDY.
thicket contained an ambuscade. If I am asked to
trace my memory back and name the first indelible
impression it received, it would be the sight of my
eldest brother bleeding and dying under the wounds
inflicted by the tomahawk and scalping-knife.
Another and another went in the same way ! I
have seen a widowed mother plundered of her whole
property in a single night ; from affluence and ease
reduced to poverty in a moment, and compelled to
labor with her own hands to support and educate her
last and favonte son, — him who now addresses you!
Sir, [continued Mr. G., addressing the vice-president,
and looking round upon his associates in the Senate
with a good deal of emotion] the ancient sufferings
of the West were great. I know it. I need turn
to no document to teach me what they were. They
are wiitten upon my memory, — a part of them upon
my heart. Those of us who are here are but the
remnant, the wreck of large families lost in effect-
ing the early settlement of the West. As I look
around, I see the monuments of former suffer-
ing and woe. Ask my colleague [Gen. Desha]
what he remembers. He will tell you that while
his father was in piu'suit of one paily of Indians,
another band came and murdered two of his brothers.
Inquire of yonder gentleman from Arkansas [Gov.
STYLE OP HIS ORATOKY. 101
Pope] what became of his brother-in-law, Oldham.
He will tell you that he went out to battle, — but
never retimied. Ask that representative from Ken-
tucky [Mr. Wickliffe] where is his uncle, the gallant
Hardin. He will answer that he was intrepid enough
to carry a flag of truce to the hostile savages ; they
would not recognize the protection wliich the flag of
peace threw around him, and he was slain. If I
turn to my old classmate and friend [Mr. Kowan ] ,
now a grave and potent senator, I am reminded of a
mother's courage and intrepidity, in the son whom
she rescued fix)m savage hands when in the very
gi-asp of death."
Judge Grundy was one of the most eloquent
men of the time. His manner as a debater was
courteous ; always bearing himself toward his oppo-
nents with respect rather to his own honor than their
deserts. His style was elegant, combining a gener-
ous flow of sentiment with a nervous and powerful,
yet calm and dignified, expression. Truly has it
been remarked by a writer in the United States Mag-
dzine, that his coimtenance, " though marked by a
mild and bland expression, was full of intelligence.
His conversation was characteiized by easy humor,
and his mannera were simple and unaffected.
Though not of a disposition to permit difference in
102 FELIX GRUNDY.
political sentiments to affect his private intercourse,
he was yet remarkable for his own consistency and
firmness in adhering to those principles which he
adopted in the outset of public life. Commencing
as a Republican of the old school, he so continued
without deviation ; and no circumstance, however
trying, ever induced him to waver in his early faith.
As a senator, he always felt that pride of place jus-
tifiable in one who had so entirely achieved a promi-
nent position by hie own exertions ; and although in
wit and sarcasm he had no superior, yet he has never
been known to indulge in remarks unsuited to the
high theatre in which he acted so conspicuous a part.
N^ever did he degrade the elevated body of which he
was a member, by language that could not fail to
lower it in public estimation."
He eloquently and conclusively vindicated, on
more than one occasion, the majority of which he
was a part, from the imputation of a disregard of its
independence and honor ; and he defended the Senate
itself from the charge that it could be ever lost tcp
the manly assertion of its own rights. It was dur^
ing one of these debates that he concluded a veiy"
able speech, of which unfortunately there is no re-^
port, by the following language, illustrative of the^s^
opinions: '^ If," said he, ''the time shall com^
HIS LBGAL ATTAINMENTS. 103
when the Goddess of Liberty can find no resting-
place in the executive mahsion ; when the spirit of
faction shall expel her from the other end of the
Capitol, yet she will linger about this chamber, un-
willing to be gone ; and if at last she shall be com-
pelled to take her final flight, the parting impress of
her feet will be foimd upon that dome which over-
shadows the American Senate."
As a jurist, few if any American citizens have
enjoyed a more enviable reputation. " The widow's
son," at Bardstown, in Kentucky, who more than
three-quarters of a century ago, was closely plying
his youthful energies to the law-books of Mr. Nicho-
las, came forth, step by step, up the steep of judicial
fame, until by his own indefatigable efforts, and, as
it were, with his own hand, he wrote his name at the
top of *'the scroll of legal distinction," and took
his seat as attorney-general of the United States.
Before he left Kentucky, and when not yet thirty-five
^ years of age, he stood at the head of the bar of that
Commonwealth. As a master in his profession , he has
given to the bar of Tennessee many young men who,
under the influence of his instruction, have advanced
to posts of honor and trust, not only in the science of
legal jurispnidence, but in the life political. It is a
matter of becoming State pride that among his stu-
104 FELIX GRUNDY.
dents, who stand forth as brilliant ornaments of 1
bar and the State, may be named in his day the I
publican governor of Tennessee, between whom a
his venerable law-tutor there had always existed h
mony of sentiment and feeling, the most intim
private and public relations.
' ' It is not upon the public career of Ju<
Grundy — brilliant, bold, consistent, ai. exempl
though it has been — that we most love to dw
To know him was to enjoy the circle at his own f
side. To enjoy the hospitalities of his home wat
admire the intelligence of his eye, the fine feelii
of his heart, the chastity of his mind, and the hi;
toned benevolence of his character. With a pri\
character devoid of spot or blemish, he was genen
beloved. His neighbors who knew him most ii
niately bear his eulogy upon their heai^ts, impres
with the unwritten characters of gratitude more
during than any language that we can choose,
he was not born to the heritage of wealth, he i
bom to an inheritance which wealth can never p
chase, nor any of the untoward incidents of
impair. He was bom to the careful watchfulnc
the sleepless vigils, and imerring guidance of a pi
and devoted mother, who, like the bearer of Wa
ington, was one of the rf nowned class of Virgi
PURITY OP mS PRIVATE LIFE. 105
matrons, and under whose constant and anxious care
and solicitude his youthful mind was deeply and in-
delibly imbued with the cardinal virtues of sound
morality and the Christian religion. In every act of
his well-spent life, whether of a public or private
nature, were to be seen the benign influences of those
early impressions received in the maternal school of
uniform piety, unwavering honesty of purpose, and
inflexible integrity. To the day of his demise he was
a pillar of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was
a member ; and while tortured with the most agoniz-
ing pains preceding his dissolution, yet retaining his
mental faculties, he took a last and affectionate fare-
well of his family and friends in the spirit of calm
resignation to the will of Omnipotence.''
Mr. Grundy died at four o'clock p. m. on Satur-
day, December 19, 1840.
Felix Grundy, in his day and time, was beyond
doubt a man of the finest legal abilities in the United
States. He had filled many positions of honor and
distinction, and amongst others that of member of
the Convention that formed the Constitution of
Kentucky, very often a member of the Legislature
of that State and of Tennessee, chief justice of
Kentucky, member of both House of Congress,
and attorney-general of the United States under
106 FKLIX GRUNDY.
the administration of President Van Buren; all
which positions he filled with marked ability •
On the sixteenth day of March, 1825, Palemon \
Winchester, a young lawyer of talents, fine abilil
and of great promise, who had been indicted for t
murder of Daniel H. Smith, at Edwardsville, Ulino
was tried for murder. The trial was one that cre^t
intense excitement, and pervaded the public mi
with the deepest interest. Smith, the man who m
killed, generally went by the name of Rarified Smit
and was a man of much humor and wit, and a gre
caiicaturist. It was because of di'awings made
Rarified Smith that the quarrel between him a
Winchester originated.
Felix Grundy and Henry Starr appeared
comisel for defendant, and Alfred Coles and Benj
min Mills, men of fine talents and education, co
ducted the prosecution. The Hon. Samuel McRo
erts presided as judge. A large crowd of peop
attended the trial of the case from the beginning
the close.
The master-mind of Grundy was manifested
every movement throughout the trial. In selectii
the jury, in every instance the first question pi
pounded by Grundy to the juror who had been swo
to answer questions was, what State he was from,
A CELEBRATED CRIMINAL TRIAL. 107
where he had been bom and raised; and if the
juror answered that he was from Vermont, Massa-
chusetts, or from any other State than Tennessee,
the counsel would tell him to stand aside, and reject
him. One juror who had been sworn to answer
questions, in reply to the usual inquiry as to whether
he had formed and expressed an opmion in regard to
the ease, said that he had. Gnuidy asked the juror
^here he was from, and he answered, " from Tenny-
^ee." " We'll take him," said the able lawyer, and
he immediately took his seat as a juror to tiy the
cause.
In this manner the counsel for the defence suc-
^^€jded in getting a jury of original Tennesseeans.
Ajtiother part of the management on the part of the
ie^fence was to get Winchester's wife and children
^Vki all their relations to come into court and arrange
tHemselves in a row along the side of the defendant.
A.t the head of this formidable phalanx of criers was
Seated Gov. Xinian Edwards, whose fine and com-
i^anding personal appearance, with his elegant, strik-
^g, intellectual face and venerable gray head, gave
effect to the picture ; which was also heightened by
the elegance of dress and neatness of apparel in
^hich his excellency was habited. Mr. Grundy
^ving thus completed his arrangements, and made
108 FELEX GRUNDY.
the proper disposition of his forces for defence, s^
to speak, the trial began. After three days' trial
the defendant was triumphantly acquitted, amidst
plaudits and shouts.
Mr. Ben Mills, for the people, opened the case
for the prosecution. In doing so he alluded, amongst
other things, to the fact that Mr. Grundy, one oP
the most eminent lawyers in the United States, haA
been retained as counsel for the defendant, and haA
ridden all the way from N^ashville, Tennessee, to Ed—
wardsville on horseback, in the middle of March, *
distance of four or five hundred miles, at the breaking"
up of winter, when the frost was all out of th^
ground ; his horee sinking to his knees in the mu^
almost at every step the whole way. This, of itsel'f ?
should be taken as some evidence of the desperate*
ness of the defendant's case; that a man of M^*
Grundy's great abilities and character, and at his ag^
(he was then fifty-five years old), could not be e^^
pected or induced to encounter these hardships an^
personal sufferings without being paid a very heav^
compensation by way of a fee, etc.
When Mr. Grundy came to reply to this part o^
the speech of the prosecution, he said, amongst
other things, that this statement of the prosecutingT
attorney was but another illustration of the ' ' eold-^
Ills SKILL AND TACT AS AN A 1)V( X'A'l'K. 109
blooded Yankees and Yankee character;'' that
they looked upon ' ' money ' ' as the mo\diig power
and '" consideration for human actions " with all men,
as it was with themselves; that the ''cold-blooded,
anfeeling, hard-hearted Yankees'' could conceive of
no higher motives of human action than '"money."
'* Thank God/' he said, "that he had l)een bred
and raised in a country — as they [the juiy] had
been — where honor and the noblest impulses of
the heart moved and controlled the actions of
men."
He went on to say : ' ' When the messenger
came after me to Nashville, and told me of the diffi-
culty that Palemon had got into, I told him 1 would
not go, — I was sorry to hear of the trouble that had
befallen the boy, but I could not go to Edwardsville
to defend him. Winchester's children (the father of
Palemon) and mine played together. They went to
the same school. The families and children were
attached to each other. I had resolved, gentlemen
/>f the jury, not to go. I could not go. The whole
^mily were greatly distressed to hear of the misfor-
t*ine that had befallen Palemon, almost as much as if
^^ had been one of our own children. At last,"
said he, ** gentlemen of the jury, my little flaxen-
haired daughter, Malvina, who went to school with
110 FELIX GRUNDY.
Gren. Winchester's children, the father of Palen
came and threw her arms around my neck where I
and burst into tears, and said, ' Pa, you must gc
As he said this, Mr. Grundy burst into a flood of t
and boo-hooed audibly ; at the same time, old C
Edwards boo-hooed aloud, with his whole band
company of criers and weepers. The feeling com
nicated itself to the jury, all of whom cried;
in truth and in fact, there was hardly a dry ey<
the court-room. This was one of the finest pi<
of acting during the whole trial. As Mr. Gru
recovered himself, after wiping his eyes with
handkerchief, he said to the jury, ''^Pardon
gentlemen of the juiy, this weakness. I do
my children, and this is why I am here to del
Palemon. From a consideration of feeling, of d
and affection, I was induced to come here to dei
this case, — the son and child of my old friend, —
this is why I am here now. No money could 1
induced me to come." Such scenes took place
quently during the whole trial.
I was not present at the trial, but heard c
from a dozen friends who were present at the ti
and who gave me an account of it in all its min
and details. One striking and remarkal)le fact ^
that notwithstanding Rarified Smith, who had 1
HIS INTKLLKCTIAI. sn»KllI( )KIT V. Ill
killed, was a Yankee, and Benjamin Mills, the assist-
ant prosecuting-attomey was a Yankee, and nearly
half the population of Madison County were Yan-
kees, the eminent counsel denounced the Yankees in
the most unmeasured t^jrms, without hesitation or re-
straint.
To my old and valued friend, the Rev. John M.
Peck, deceased, late of Rock Spring, Illinois, who
attended the trial throughout, I am indebted for most
of the details. That gentleman, in his lifetime,
more than a dozen times detailed to me all the inci-
dents of this trial, remarking at the time that it was
one of the most powerful evidences and illustraticms
of power of mind and thought, exercised by one
nian over his fellow-men, that he had ever witnessed.
To my ancient and valued friend, the honorable
and distinguished Joseph Gillespie, so long the able
^^i learned judge of the Circuit Courts of Madison
^M St. Clair Coimties, in Illihois, who was present
during this remarkable ti-ial, I am also indebted for
^any incidents and details.
Among other things, Judge Gillespie said:
''Maj. Lee and an old man named Wilden both
swore that they were in the room, and saw Winches-
ter, with a knife in his hand, approach Smith ; but
^y were both proved to have been so drunk as to
112 FKLES: GRUNDY.
be incapable of knowing what was going on, and
Grundy's cross-examination completely riddled their
testimony, so that it had no weight with the jury.''
I quote further from his Honor, Judge Grillespie,
who says : ' ' Winchester was a very popular man.
I remember the facts and surroimdings of the case
very distinctly. The impression made upon my mind
was that Grundy was the most lordly man I ever
beheld. He made it appear that every right exer-
>
cised by the prosecution was a generous concession
on the part of the defence. One would think, to
hear him talk, that he was giving away all the rights
of his client to avoid controversy. He had an air
and a manner that was absolutely overwhelming.
When he discovered that a point was about to be
ruled agamst him, he would rise with the most ma-
jestic and apparently sincere air imaginable, and with
a graceful wave of the hand he would say to the
other side, ' Take it, gentlemen ; take all. Any-
thing to avoid trespassing longer upon the patience
of this jury and this couit. We can afford to con-
cede everything your consciences will permit you to
ask.' I think he was the most consummate actor I
ever saw in a court-house. He was likewise a man-
ager ; he attended to the outside affairs as well as
to those inside the bar. He had his auxiliaries as
^^
PATRICK WALSH. 113
y^eW posted as ever Napoleon airanged his forces.
Plaudits and tears always came in the right places.''
The witnesses are all dead, and of the bystanders (so
far as I know), I alone am left to tell the story.
There was a venerable justice of the peace in St.
Liouis, in early times, named Patrick Walsh. He was
an Irishman by birth. His office was on Olive a
few doors west of Main Street. About the year
1832, I had a case before '' old Justice Walsh,'' and
there was a lawyer opposed to me named John New-
man. The opposing attorney had some time before
demanded a jury, and the court laid the case over till
the twenty-second day of February. The parties
met promptly at the hour to which the trial had been
adjourned, and announced that they were ready.
The Grays, a volunteer military company which
had been organized in the city, at that time were
marching through the streets in honor of the day,
with banners and music. The people had collected
in large numbers, and were standing on the sidewalks
looking at the parade. The constable went out to
summon a jury of six, and very soon came back and
reported that he could not get a jury, — that every
8
114 PATRICK WALSH.
man he attempted to summon said to him thai
would see him in Guinea before he would eonsen
serve on a jury that day. As counsel for the p!
tiff, I said, ^' Let us agree to waive the jury anc
the case before the court ; " a proposition which
agi'eed to. But the venerable Patrick Walsh,
justice, said that his record showed that a jury
been called for, and that he would not try the
after a jury had been demanded; that whene^
party came into his court, he intended to have '
law admuiistered in all its pristine and prim
purity.'' Daniel Busby, the constable, said tha
had seen ' ' Big Bob Moore ' ' standing down at
corner, with a cigar in his mouth, and perhapi
could get ' ' Big Bob Moore ' ' to come up and e
as a juror. I then made the proposition to the c
counsel, that, as it was so difficult to get a j
we should try the case before a jury of one, ing
of six men, which was agreed to. We then
Constable Busby to go out and bring in '' Big
Moore'' as a juror, when the i)arties infonned the <
that, by consent of i)artie8, we would try the cas
fore a jury of cme man. Mr. Moore was accept*
a jury in the case, and duly sworn well and tiii
try the case, and a ti-ue verdict give according tc
dence. The case was formally opened and exph
to the jury l)v tlu* coiuisc*! for xUv plaintiff, after
wliicli the witnesses were swoi'u and examined. The
evidence in the case having been closed, the lawyers,
both for plaintiff and defendant, then made their
arguments to the jury and the case was closed.
When the trial was finished, and the time had come
for the jury to make up a verdict, as the justice
had only the one room, all the persons in the office,
including the justice, constable, parties, lawyei-s,
and witnesses, left the court-room, and went out on
to the sidewalk to let the jury consider and make up
its verdict. There was some ice on the sidewalk, and
it Was quite a chilly, cold day ; and as we all waited
^d waited outside a considerable time, some of the
^nipany complained of the cold, and finally asked
Constable Busby to open the door and see what was
the matter with " Big Bob Moore," and why he was
^ long in making up a verdict. The constable
^P^ned the door and called out, ''Mr. Moore, have
y^ix agreed upon a verdict yet? " He replied
P'^omptly, ** Not ezactly." We waited still a while
lotiger, when it was then suggested to 'Squire Walsh
tHat it would be better for him to go in and see what
^as the trouble with the jury. So we all went into
ttie room, when the venerable justice ordered every-
1^y to take off their hats in the court-room ; which
116 MOSES TAYLOK.
beingldone, he directed the constable to calUthe ;
The constable said, *'The jury will answer to
name when called," and cried out, '' Rober
Moore ! ' ' Mr. Moore answered, ' ' Here. ' '
constable announced to the court that '' the jury
aU present." The court then inquired, '' Mr. M<
have you agreed upon a verdict?" The jury of
then stood up and said to the court, '^Not ezi
'Squire." He further said, "' 'Squire, the jui
himg. When I look at one side of the case, 1 1
I ought to give it that way ; l)ut then I come to
at the evidence on the other side, I see I cannot
a verdict for that side, and so the jury is hung, i
cannot make up a verdict." The jury of one
then discharged and the case continued. So n
for a juiy of one.
There was another justice of the peace in the
of St. Louis, many years ago, named Moses Taj
He was a short, chunky, fat old fellow, abou
broad as a bale of cotton, and he used to call hin
the " natural Falstaff," and pride himself upon
proportions. Although he had not wit himself
was the great cause of much wit in others.
A TRIAL IN TAVLOKS (oriir. 117
A couple of yoimg men, in driving down to Vide
Poche, as (Jarondelet was then called, came in ccmtact
with a Frenchman driving his cart along the road.
One of the young men sprang out of the buggy and
struck the Frenchman several severe blows. The
Frencfiman employed Wilson Primm, a lawyer of high
standing, to bring suit for assault and battery agauist
the young men. After the young men had been ar-
rested^ they sent for me to go down and defend them.
I tried to beg off, and asked to be excused, and even
'^fused to go before the justice, stating that I had
long since refused to practise in a justice's court. I
^^commended them to get some young lawyer to at^
t^nd to the case. Still they insisted and urged upon
^^^^ to go and defend them ; that the Frenchnum had
^^ gaged Primiti, who was a first-rate lawyer, and
^^tom a young attorney would not be able to fairly
^^eet, and that they must get a lawyer whom they
^ Apposed able to coi)e with the able gentleman on the
^tlier side ; claiming that they had always voted for
*^d supported me when I had been a candidate for
^^ce, and that I must help them out of the present
^^^rape. Finally I consented to go.
Havmg been over-persuaded, I went down to
^Tistice Moses Taylor's office to defend the young
^^en. When we amved there, a jury of twelve men.
i
118 M08B8 TAYLOR.
who had been summoned, some six or eight witnessed)
and the pi^osecutor with his coimsel (Prinmi) were
in attendance. With myself and my clients, the
constable, and some spectators who had collected r
the room was full of people.
When that large specimen of humanity, the big"
fat justice, who represented the State of Missouri
called the case for trial, the parties annoimced theuR-
selves ready to proceed. I, as counsel for the defend
ants, entered a motion to dismiss the proceedings foi
certain irregularities and defects, to which I drew th.^
attention of the court. While I was making m^
speech, the old justice would say aloud, *^Goo<I-
good ; that' s the law, — good . ' ' Mr. Piimm replied t^
this, '' Hold on ; if the court please, I have a word t^
say." Justice Taylor said, " Very well ; when Mr"
Darby gets through, you shall have your say-so.'
When I had concluded my argument, Mr. Primm ad-
di'essed the court in reply. He was combating the
position I had taken, and as he was proceeding witb
his speech the justice would say aloud, '^ Mr. Darby ^
Primm is right. AVhat have you got to say tcj
that? " To which I replied, ''When Mr. Primm getm
through, I will show the fallacy of his argument."'
And when I, in turn, was replying to Mr. Primm^
the ponderous old Moses Taylor would say, '^ Mr..
A COMPLACENT JUSTICE. 119
Primm, Mr. Darby is right after all ; he has the law
an his side, sfa* ; he is right." And so we went on, and
kept makmg speeches, first on one side and then
on the other, without any regularity as to the pro-
ceedings. The venerable justice would always de-
cide in favor of the counsel who made the last
speech. We had been conducting the proceedings
iu this manner for a long time, — nearly an hour, —
Mid could not get to the trial of the case before
tHe jiuy. After a pause, Mr. Primm rose, and with
* solemn countenance and maimer said, '^ If the
Gc>urt please, I have a motion to make to the court,
*xxd one which I hope my friend Mr. Darby will not
^Jipose ; it is this : I move the court to adjourn to
Louis Vacheri's drinking-saloon, and let us all take
^ liom." ^^ Good, good,'' said old Moses Taylor;
the court will entertain that motion without de-
t>^te." Calling out to his constable, Peter Guy on, he
^^id, ^' Peter e^ adjourn the court into Louis Vacheri's
^^nking-house, and let us all take a honi." Con-
^tiable Peter Guy on made proclamation thus : ^ ' O yes,
^^ yes, the Honorable Moses Taylor's Couit is now
^^joumed into Louis Vacheri's groceiy for us all to
^^ke a horn." The whole crowd went in and all
^^ok a drink, being treated by Mr. Primm.
I took Mr. Primm aside and said to him that
120 JOSEPH V. GARNIEK.
we should never be able to get the ease tried before
Justice Taylor, and requested him to see his client
and I would see mine, and try if we could not
settle the case ; that we had spent an hour and done
nothing. Conferinng privately with my clients,
they directed me to settle the case as I saw proper,
adding, ''If we can get off with the costs, we will
be satisfied." I went to Mr. Primm and told hini
that my clients would agree to pay the costs if Ix^
would dismiss the suit. Mr. Primm saw his party?
and came back to me and said if my men woul^
pay the costs and treat the whole company, th.^
prosecutor would dismiss the suit. The parties de^-
fendant being informed of the proposition, agreed t^3
it ; and the suit was settled in that way in the drink:^
ing-saloon, my clients handing ten dollars to tk^?
constable to j)ay all costs, and calling up and treat::—
ing the whole company.
Thei'e was another justice of the peace in St^
Louis, who had held that official position almost
from the beginning of the Amei'ican goverament^
in Louisiana. It was Joseph V. Cxaniier, who
died about thii-ty yeai-s ago. His widow, said to l>e
A DIFFICrLT passa(;k. 121
upwards of ninety years, is still living in this city.
i Mr. Gamier had come to this eountiy from France,
about the begmnmg of the present century. He
resided at first in New York, and afterwards in
Washington City. He joined the old Federal party
in politics, and used to wear the l)lack cockade in the
times of old John Adams.
Mr. Gamier was a very small man, and had a
tremendously big nose, which was apt to airest the
attention of any one meeting him. In the early
settlement of St. Louis, the houses w^ere not set in
regular line, so that in many places the sidewalks
Were not more that two feet broad. The meeting of
persons in these narrow pass-ways would cause one
^f the parties to step into the street. One day a
^tr^nger, a Frenchman, with a veiy largo nose, met
M?r. Gamier in one of these naiTow pathways. The
^ti^anger stopped and looked at Mr. Gamier, stanng
^t him with great amazement and a theatrical sur-
F^^se, which caused Mr. Gamier to stoj) and look at
*'t^e stranger with an inquiring glance. As soon as
Gamier had done this, the stranger put his hand to
*^ie nose, pulled it to one side, and said to Gamier in
*^rench, " Go by," and then passed on.
On one occasion, in an assault and battery case
^^fore Justice Gamier, an Irishman named Jinnny
122 JOSEPH y. GARNIER.
Nagle appeared to conduct the defence. Mr. Nagle
became very offensive in his manner and language
before the court, — loud, boisterous, and unruly.
Then it was, for the first time, we heard the expreg-
sion and inquiry, " What is the difference, in the eye
of the law, whether he said ^ Come out here, McCartr
ney,' or 'McCartney, come here? ' " Justice Gamier
at last stopped Jimmy Nagle, and asked him where
he was from ; to which the defending attorney replied
that he was ' ' an attorney and counsellor at law front
Cahokia, in Illmois, sure/' The court then said to
him, ''If you are not more respectful to the court,
the court will have to fine you for contempt.'*
Thereupon the Cahokia legal gentleman replied,
" Your court is most damnably impregnated with
dignity, sm-e." Whereupon Justice Gamier fined
him two doUai-s for contempt of court.
Justice Garnier, in his capacity of justice, usa^
to take the acknowledgments of deeds and the reliti"'
quishment of dower of mairied women. The iortf^
for the relinquishment of dower of a married woma^
by statute law usually ran thus : —
*'And the said Mary Ann Smith, wife of the sai^
James Smith, being by me made acquainted with tb^
contents of said deed, acknowledged, on an exami^
nation separate and apart from her said husband, th^*
A QIEEK ACKNOWLKIXJMKNT. 1 2»}
she executed the same, and relinquishes her dower
in the real estate themn mentioned, freely, and with-
out compulsion or undue influence of her said hus-
band,'' etc.
Justice Gamier, being negligent and careless,
wrote out an acknowledgment to a deed thus : ''And
the Bidd Mary Ann Smith, wife of the said James
Smith, being by me made acquainted with the conterUs
ojT her said htisband, acknowledged, on an examina-
tion separate and apart from her said husband, that
Ae executed," etc. The deed, with that acknowl-
c<igment so made, was actually entered of record, and
®o remains to this day.
In the year 1820, Joseph J. Monroe, a 'brother ta
tHe then president of the United States, James Mon-
'^Oe, came to St. Louis to live. He was a practising
^'wyer, and a gentleman of education and elegant
^l^d polished manners. He died here in the year
lQ24 or 1825.
He went down to Jackson, the county seat of
Oape Girardeau County, to attend court, John D.
^-3ook, circuit judge, presiding. He had a peculiar
"^ay of talking in a soft and gentle tone and manner ;
124 JOHN D. COOK.
and when he came back he told all about his trip.
He said : '' Gentlemen, I will tell you how this man.
Judge John D. Cook, decides his cases. When the
lawyei*s have argued their cases before the judge, he
gets up off the bench and goes out by the wood-pile
and picks up a chip, and he then climbs over the
fence into the corn-field, and he goes away off into
the field where nobody can see him, and he looks all
around to assure himself that he is entirely unob-
served, and then he spits upon the chip and throws
it up, and says, ' Wet for plaintiff, dry for defend-
ant ; ' and that is the way John D. Cook decides his
cases. And, moreover," said he, "gentlemen, this
John D. Cook is a danmed ugly man."
Another anecdote which I have heard concerning
Judge John 1). Cook is this: Judge Cook was
holding court, and the country folks all came into
court on the first day of the term, as was customary
with the farming people ; and among the rest there
was a very tall man, by the name of Kennedy, a head
higher than the l)alance of the people in attendance
on the court. Mr. Kennedy was said to have worn
a large broad-l)riiumed hat, which as a matter of
course attracted attention, as it was elevated on
his tall figuiv above the crowd. The court and
A LEGAL SET-OFF. 125
sheriff both observed him. The sheriff called out
to him, '^ Take off your hat in the eourfc-house/'
Old man Kennedy shouted out, " My head is bald, —
my head is bald, I say; I can't take off my hat/'
After the sheriff had called out once or twice, and
Mr. Kennedy would not take off his hat, because he
said his head would get cold, as his head was bald,
Judge Cook said, ' ' Mr. Sheriff, bring that man be-
fore the court; the tribunals of the countiy must
be respected. Everybody must have respect for the
court.-' Old man Kennedy was chewing tobacco
w^hen brought before the cornet, and the judge said to
him, ' ' Why didn't you take your hat off when ordered
to do so by the sheriff ? ' ' Mr. Kennedy replied,
^' Judge, my head is bald, — my head is bald, and I
shall take cold if I take off my hat." The judge then
said, '' Mr. Clerk, enter up a fine of five dollars against
Mr. Kennedy for refusing to take his hat off in the
court-house when ordered to do so by the sheriff.
The tribunals of the country must be respected . ' ' Old
man Kennedy chewed his tobacco very emphatically,
ran his hand down into his pocket and hauled out two
dollars in silver, and held them up to the judge, say-
ing, '* Judge, here are two dollars, and the three
you owed me last night when we quit playing poker
126 WILLIAM STOKES.
will make us even, won't it? " To which the judge
replied with a short, emphatic direction to the sheriff
to take that man out of the courfc-house.
William Stokes came to St. Louis from England
in the year 1819 or 1820. He was reputed to be
a man of wealth, and had brought with him at that
time the sum of one hmidred and fifty thousand
dollars in gold, which then was of more value west
of the Mississippi River than two millions of gold
would be to-day. He was a man of education,
refined manners, and cultivation. He brought with
him a lady of polished manners, who had been bred
in the highest circles of English society, who was
introduced to society in St. Louis as his wife.
William Stokes had also an unmarried sister who
came with him. Miss Stokes was a lady of educa-
tion, prepossessing in appearance, and of wiiming
manners. She had been bred, educated, and reared
in the best society of England.
William Stokes and family were received in St.
Louis with most open-handed hospitality, courtesy,
and kindness. They were couited, feasted, feted.
PUBCHASB8 LAND AND BUILDS A FINE MANSION. 127
id entertained by everybody. Parties and banquets
ere lavished upon them.
The history and story of William Stokes possess
iffieient public interest to be told, and I propose
) give some of the incidents of the man as con-
ected with the past history of St. Louis.
When William Stokes came to St. Louis, he
Dught about two hundred acres of land at the end
F the first tier of f orty-arpent lots extending west-
ardly from the original town of St. Louis, being
t>out two miles west of the town. It was a lovely
>ot, on that elevated piece of ground this side of
hat was formerly designated and termed by the
'rench the '* Grand Prairie." At that time there
^as not a human habitation to be seen in the prairie
ive the residence of Rector, north of the St. Charles
U)ad. The ground was rolling, with little clumps of
rab-apple trees interspersed, around which wild rose-
ushes grew and were entwined. The rich, green,
ixuriant sward waved to the gentle breeze like a
pesh wheat-field in May. To add to the scene, John
^. Cabanne's windmill could be seen in the distance,
cross the prairie near the timber, with its large
dngs, fifty or sixty feet long, flying in the air like a
tiing of life ; herds were grazing, too, in this uncul-
128 WILLIAM STOKES.
tivated pasture, which made it one of the pleasantes
of scenes.
As showing the effect of this beautiful prospeci
upon the human mind and feelings, I beg leave tc
relate an incident. A gentleman who came to St.
Louis by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and
consequently had never seen a prairie, rode out on
hoi*seback alone on the St. Charles Road, to take a
look at the coimtry. When he came to the apex of
that beautiful eminence north of the St. Charles Road
called by the French '' Cote Brilliante," he paused
to admire and contemplate the lovely scene before
him. So charmed was he, that in his enthusiasm he
raised himself in the stirrups, took off his hat, an<
shouted ^^Gloiyl" This place which we have s^
tempted to desciibe was to the west and adjoininj
the spot where ' ' old Stokes ' ' had built his hous^
at that time perhaps the finest and most costly pri
vate residence in the county of St. Louis. Xo e^
pense was spai-ed ; out-buildings, stables, and bam
were erected at a gi*eat outlay of money ; ground
were opened, improved, and ornamented ; orcharde
gardens, fruit trees, and shrubbery were planted
plants and flowers were set out, and elegant walk
were made and ornamented. Everything that taste
COL. JOHN OTALLON. 129
cultivation, and refinement could invent, or wealth
purchase, had been procured with a bountiful hand
by the founder of this elegant coiuitry-seat.
John O' Fallon woed, won, and mariied Miss
Stokes. And who was John O' Fallon? One of the
most popular and distinguished men in the city of
St. Louis, or the State of Missouri was ever honored
with or could boast of. Born near Louisville, Ken-
tucky, when a young man he went forth to help fight
the battles of his countiy. He had been aid to Gen.
William Henry Harrison, and was in the ever-memo-
rable battle of Tippecanoe, where the Indians, who
had been trained by Tecumseh, fought with unusual
desperation and courage. The whites knew that if
they were defeated in that battle, the tomahawk and
scalping-knife of the savages would be reeking with
the blood of all the women and children in eveiy
log-cabin in the then thin settlement upon the banks
of the Ohio. Eveiy white man, therefore, who went
into that battle, did so with a finn determination to
conquer or die, — to come off victorious or leave his
bones on the battle-field. In that engagement the
loud voice of O' Fallon could be heard far above the
din of battle and the clash of arms, almost in the
last words of Mannion, ''On, soldiers, on; charge,
Davis, charge!" Davis did charge, and in that
9
130 WILLIAM STOKES.
charge the gallant, the heroic Jo. Davis fell. O'Fal-
lon j)au8ed not. He dropped no ill-timed tear over
the bleeding body of his dying friend, but with his
briglit steel still pointing to the foe, led the way into
the thickest of the fight, his brave comrades falling on
every side of him, his own pei*son all besmeared with
dust and blood from the wounds on his own body;
still self-possessed, still encouraging and loudly
cheering his men, as if to drown the shrieks of the
wounded and dying ; till at last one loud, one victori-
ous shout along the whole line of battle proclaimed
the enemy fled, the battle fought, and the victory
won. It was then and there that he received the
honorable scar on his person, in defence of his coun-
try, that he carried thi'ough life and went with to
the gi'ave.
O' Fallon had fought along the whole Canada
frontier in the war of 1812, where he was charged
with the duty of defending his country's honor;
winning from his commander. Gen. William Henry
Harrison, the proud eulogium, that ^'whenever
O' Fallon was on duty, and in command, he could
always sleep soundly and secure.''
Such was the man who married Miss Stokes.
The alliance strengthened ^'old Stokes'' in his plans
and schemes of happiness in his new home, and
HIS REAL WIFE APPEARS. 131
assured him of a strong foothold in the new comnm-
iiity . As he rode out on hoi'seback from St. Louis
to his princely mansion, when reaching the gate at
the end of the cultivated lawn in front of his domi-
cile, the sun, with his rich, red, broad disk, was just
fiinlcing beneath the western horizon, beyond the
piuiines and beautiful landscai)e we have mentioned.
The ^^ew was most charming and enchanting. Here
*'c>lcl Stokes,'' Mrith complacent satisfaction, after
the buffets and storms of life, inwardlv said to
WiiTeelf, here was repose and quiet.
" So friendly to the best pursuits of man ;
Friendly to thought, to Wrtue and to peace.
Rural life in genial leisure passed," etc.
3n the midst of these dreams of future ha})i)iness
^^^<i pleasure, Marianne Stokes, the real wife of AMl-
liaixi Stokes, made her appearance in St. Louis,
charging her husband, William Stokes, with having
^"^iidoned his real wife, taken u}) with his house-
^^^j)er in England, and passed her off on society
^ liis lawful wife.
Here was evinced another trait of human nature
^ common the world over. The peo])le, and i)ro-
fe^sed friends of *'old Stokes,'' who had basked in
*^^ sunshine of his wx*alth and di'unk of the cup of
™^ hospitality, deserted, shunned, and avoided him.
132 WILLIAM STOKES.
One gentleman in particular, who claimed to belongs
to the elite of society, and who was fond of showing*
such attentions and marks of courteous, refined
respect to the lady at balls and parties as was due to
her supposed rank and station in society, spoke ill-
naturedly of her, said ''she never looked like a-
lady, — that he could always see something about
her that indicated she had been bred in the kitchen^
and accustomed to the handling of pot^, skillets, and
ovens." This was a vile slander. She had beeiv
well bi'ed and educated.
The real Mi-s. Stokes was a lady that had been
accustomed to the best society in England. Comii^g
hei'e, howevei% into this backwoods countiy, wh^n
the grades in life were so marked in her own counti'y *
she seemed to have an irre})ressible contempt, as ^
were, for the whole people and their supposed equ^l
ity ; not politically, but in manners and custon^^
She boarded at Mrs. Paddock's ; and it was said ^^
her that she scorned to eat with the knives and forl^*
of the rude and unpolished people she considert?^
herself thrown among, and that she carried in h^
pocket a very fine little mahogany case in which weK^
enclosed a knife, foi-k, and silver spoon which ^\%^
iilwavK used at table.
*/
Mai-ianne Stokes employed Col. Luke Edwar^
A SUIT FOR DIVORCE. 133
La^vless, with whom Mr. Geyer and John Scott of
Ste. Genevieve were associated, and filed a bill for
divorce and alimony against AVilliani Stokes. Ben-
ton, Strother, and Fans defended and answered for
Stofees. Col. Lawless was the principal counsel for
the complainant, and was very severe in his bill,
chai-ging that Stokes had taken up \\ith ''one Ann
Sniith, whom he had taken from the Ailest class of
the population of the city of London, and ke})t and
supported the said Ann as his mistress." The case
^'^s tried before ^Tathaniel Beverly Tucker, judge
^f the St. Louis Cii'cuit Court.
A jury was sworn to find a special verdict of the
^^^*t8. It consisted of the following well-known names
^ St. Louis, to wit: George Morton, Gabiiel C.
^^rre, Joseph AVhite, John R. (xuy, Joseph Liggett,
^'^^nathan Johnson, James J. Purdy, John Sutton,
^^^inpsey Jackson, William Anderson, James Loper, '
^^^d James B. Lewis. A decree of divoi-ce was
ultimately obtained. The case was taken to the
^^preme Court.
Judge Pettibone, of the Sui)reme Court of Mis-
^Otxri, and the other two judges, did not seem to
^^Hsure Stokes so much. Judge Pettil)one said:
It appears by the complainant's own showing that
^*^^ and her husband separated by consent in 1807^
134 WILLIAM STOKES.
and that they had never smce lived together ; that m
1816 she left the neighborhood in England, and went
over to France. * * * The laws of England af-
forded her redress ; she was free to seek it there if
she wished it ; she was under no coercion of her hus-
band, for she lived separate from him ; she was not
forced away by him before she could have an oppor-
tunity to make her complaints. If for nhie years
she could behold, without complaining, the open
adultery and profligacy of her husband, I see no
reason why the courts of this country should at this
hour 1)0 called upon to interfere in her behalf. It is
against good policy and good morals to do it-
Investigating cases of this kind leaves a bad id*"
pression upon the public mind and has a tendency
to deprave the pu))lic moi*als, and ought to be r^^
sorted to only where the due administration of justic=^
imperiously I'cquires it. Every offence committ^^
within our own country ^against the morals aU^
manners of socic»ty we are bound to notice an^
punish, whenever we can get an opportunity. Bu*
it is carrying our comity very far to say that \*'^
nuist investigate the adulteries and family quaiTcl^
which took place in England perhaps ten yeat^
ago, wlu»n the i)artic.s had an opportunity of apply^^
ing to their own courts. And I am unwilling t^
HIS DAILY PRAYER. 135
3taTt>li8h the principle that parties may lie by in
lieir own country under injuries of this kind, and
hen come here and ask us for the redress which they
Qig-ht and ought to have obtained there.''
During the progress of the suit, and before the
inal decree, the court ordered Stokes to pay ninety
ioUars a month to Marianne Stokes, ]>endejite lite.
The Circuit Court had adjourned, and Lawless would
go and get a copy of this judgment from that court
^^^d sue Stokes on it before a justice of the peace,
^ho then had jurisdiction to the extent of ninety
^oUai-s. Stokes's lawyer told him it was not legal ;
^ut Stokes could not help himself. Xobody would
ro his secmity in an appeal. Poor ''old Stokes"
^ould ride into town every morning to see his
^Wyers. He had a daily prayer which he repeated
^ his counsel ; it was : '' The Lord protect me from
lawyer who has only one client." Sullivan Blood
'"as then constable. Every month he would go out
^* ^*old Stokes's" place and serve him with a sum-
'^otis. After judgment, the same Constable Blood
^ould go out with an execution in which was a clause
f capias satisfaciendum^ and for '' want of sufficient
*<^od8 and chattels" whereon to lew, he was com-
^^luled by the writ to take the body of the said
vVilliam Stokes, and commit him to the common
136 WILLIAM STOKES.
jail of St. Louis Comity," etc. Very* often tl
same Constable Blood would go out to the ' ' Stok
place '' in the winter months, when the sleet, ice, ai
snow were on the ground, and tell him if the men'
was not paid he would have to bring him in ai
commit his body to the miserable old stone ja
which stood where the ' ' Laclede Hotel ' ' now stand
Stokes would use his daily prayer, for " the Lord
protect him from a lawyer who had only one client,
and satisfy the execution. Month after month d
Mr. Constable Blood harass and annoy '^old Stokes
Avith fresh executions in this way, at the instance <
Col. Lawless.
Stokes had engaged Gen. William H. Ashley i
his agent to purchase lands for him, and in that ci
pacity Gen. Ashley had invested and laid out aboi
one hundred thousand dollars for Stokes. Thei
were, perhaps, as many as one or two hundred diffe
ent tracts of land in the Missouii military distii
alone. Of course, the lai'ge body of these lands wc
vacant, unimproved propeity, which produced i
revenue or income. '- Hard times '' came on ; lan(
and real estate became greatly depressed in valii
so that tlicv would not sell for one-fourth of wh
they had cost, — in fact, theiv were no jun^cbasei's, •
and Stokes had taxes to pay.
Stokes, it was said, had l)c»en engaged by Geor<
STOKES AND QUEEN CAROLINE. 137
IT- to hunt up and make and prociu^e evidence
against Queen Caroline, and had been paid liberally,
and in fact made rich, — receiving upwards of fifty
thousand pounds sterling for his unscrupulous con-
nection with that gi'eat scandalum magnatmn case.
The story, so far as he was concerned, is somewhat
involved in mystery. A secret commission had been
appointed by his majesty and his ministers, called
the Milan commissioners, a board of three persons, —
^ cliancery lawyer, a colonel in the army, and an ac-
tiv'e attorney, — to proceed to Italy, and in a clandes-
^^ and disreputable manner, by perjury or otherwise,
P^'ocure evidence against the queen.
*" George TV . had scarcely ascended the throne
^t^en i)erplexities, if of a less painful kind, of a more
'^ Massing one, arrested him. The Pi-incess Caro-
'^o, his consort, who had long resided in Italy,
^^Xiounced her determination of returning to Eng-
'^^Xd and claiming the appointments and rank of
4^x^en. Her life abroad had given rise to the
&^"<::>ssest imputations, and hei- presiding at the court
^^ England w^hile these imputations continued would
"^^Ve been intolerable. But the means ad()i)ted to
^ -^iite the offence argued a singular ignorance of
"^^Tiian nature. ' Hell has no furv like a woman
The "fury of a woman scorned" is as old as
138 WILLIAM STOKES.
human nature. Yet this violent woman had beeim
insulted by the conduct of every English functionary
abroad. She no sooner received the announcement
of the death of George HI., than, defying all re-
monstrance and spummg the tardy attempts of min-
istei's to conciliate her, she rushed hack to England.
i ' Lord Liverpool was utterly unequal to thfr
emergency. Always hitherto a feeble, unpm-posed,
and timid minister, he now put on a pi'eposterouft
courage, and defied the desperate woman. He might
better have taken a tiger by the throat. He had
even the folly to bring her to tiial. That he could
not have obtained a divorce by any law, himian or
divine, the reasons were obvious.
'' The low practices against the queen were abhor-
rent to the English mmd, and the evidence again^^
her was so repulsive that the crimes imputed to h^^
were forgotten in the ])ublic scorn of the accusers 5
and tliis, it was charged, was wherein Stokes hs*^
played his part. This feeling, however suppi'esse^
in the higher ranks, took open way with the multi-
tude ; and while ministei's were forced to steal down
to the House, or were \nsil)le only to receive al^
species of insults from the mob, the queen went dail^
to her trial in a popular triumph. Her levees a<
Brandenburg House, a small villa on the banks oi
the Thames, where she resided for the sesison?
TKirMPII OF (2^ ^>''N CAIIOI.INK. l:{i)
were still more triuiiiphant. Daily processions of
the people filled the road. The aitisans inarched
with the badges of their callings ; the brotherhoods
of trades, the Masons' lodges, the friendly societies,
all the nameletss incorporations which made their
charters without the aid of office and gave their
little senates laws, down to the fish- women, paid their
respects in full costume, and assured her majesty, in
many a high-flown piece of eloquence, of her ' living
iti the hearts of her faithful people.'
''All the trades wei'e zealous promoters of the
processions. The holiday, the summer drive, the
ir€88, the ' hour's importance to the poor man's
licjart,' were not to be forgotten among the accesso-
i^^s. But the true motive, paramount to all, was
honest English disdain at the mode in which the evi-
i^nee had been collected and the mixture of weak-
ness with which the prosecution was earned on.
Concession after concession was forced from minis-
ters. The title of queen was acknowledged, and
finally Lord Liveq^ool, beaten in the Lords, became
^^ object of outrageous detestation to the populace,
Emitted that he could proceed no fiu'ther, and
^thdrew the prosecution. The announcement was
^^Ught up by the multitude, and London was tilled
^th acclamations . ' '
It was reported that Stokes had made himself
140 WILLIAM STOKES.
odioiis and detestable by the part taken by him iM
this prosecution ; that he was forced to flee from hi^
native land. He brought with him more than twen-
ty-eight thousand pounds sterling to this town. Hie
wife found out his whereabouts from the Barings,
bankei's in London, informing her that his sterling
bills drawn on them were dated at St. Louis, AD^
souri. Paul, we are told, made Felix tremble upon
a more sacred and hallowed subject. In tliis trial iu
the British Parliament, George lY., with all his mia-
istei's, through the power of public opinion, w^asmadc
to fear and tremble : that monarch upon whose do-
minions was " eternal sunshine," and upon whose ex-
tended empires the ''sun nev^er sets ; " at that time
the very head of civilization of all earthly powers
of the habitable globe.
Here was a trial, not before an ordinary jury of
Bntish subjects, but before the lords of the realm in
the British Parliament ; before one of the most culti-
vated, intellectiuil, and dignified assemblies of the
age ; where thei'e were eloquence and learning,
ability and genius, mind, thought, and power, with
round-tin*ncd i)eri()ds, winning accents, and convinc-
ing arguments, that cbai'med and carried the under-
standing and enlisted the nobler and better feelings
of the heart ; compared with which the recent
lieecher trial, with the long, drawling, imimpas-
BROUGHAM ON QUEEN CHARLOTTE. 141
sioiied, prosy, Old Hundred, go-to-sleep efforts of
Mr. Evarts were but a farce and a burlesque, which
the multitude at its close applauded, not so much
as an approval of the doleful and uninteresting
harangue, as at the gi'eat relief and satisfaction all
felt that he was done.
The queen was defended by her attorney, Mr.
Brougham, and her solicitor-general, Mr. Dennian,
with whom were associated Mr. Justice Williams, >[r.
Sergeant Wilde, and Dr. Lushington. Brougham's
maimer of thought and i)ower of expi'essicm is so
coaeise, we are tempted to quote one single sentence
froin him. Of Queen Charlotte he says: ''Queen
t/'harlotte was a woman of the most exti'aordinary
^dc»rstanding, of exceedingly sordid propensities,
^f niannei-s and disposition that rendered her pecu-
li^rty unamiable, of a person so plain as at once to
^^^y all possible suspicion of infidelity, and to en-
hance the virtue by increasing the difficulty of her
"^^band's underrating constancy to her bed."
We turn once more to Mr. Stokes. His wife
^"tained her divorce and alimony. The woman
Stokes brought with him from England as his wife
^i^d; his sister, who had married Col. O'Fullon, and
^■^^ children bom of the mai^riage, died. Stokes was
left '' solitary and alone." He was harassed,. beset.
142 WILLIAM STOKES.
and worried by United States marshals, sheriffs, and
constables, in addition to being set upon by Col.
Luke Edward Lawless and his client, Marianne
Stokes. His property was sold by the officers of the
law, and sacrificed m many instances at less than
one-tenth of what he had paid for it. The flatterers
and sycophants who had lived in the simshine of his
smiles in the days of liis prosperity and wealth,
shunned and avoided him; nay, they denounced,
abused, and villified him, verifying, in this instance
at least, the lines of the poet : —
" And what is friendship but a name —
A charm that hills to sleep —
A sliade that follows wealth or fame,
But leaves the wretch to weep? "
Stokes, broken-hearted, discouraged, despondent,
depressed, and broken up, pined and died, far
from his native land, with no kind hand of affection
near to soothe his pain and rob his death-bed of half
its anguish. What mattered it to him now, that he
had shared the smiles and enjoyed the rich bounty of
one of the mightiest monarchs of the age, before
whose military power tlie great Napoleon had fallen?
He was called at last to share the common lot of
humanity, literally worried and harassed to death.
He was buried about one himdred yards from hi
THE GRAVE OF STOKES. 143
costly mansion, a little south of where Olive Street
now passes, on his own ground, encumbered though
it was with judgments and liens far beyond its value.
A little grove of timber, long since swept away,
came up to the enclosure in which his remains were
interred.
There Stokes slept the sleep of death, ' ' solitary
and alone ;" not like Sir John Moore, " alone in his
glory,'' with his '' martial cloak around him," but
like some imf ortunate " outcast," far from the scenes
of his nati\H[ty and childhood, over whose grave not
one single tear of sorrow had been dropped. The
noble and generous-hearted John O' Fallon never
deserted him, but stood by him to the last; was
appointed his executor, and administered upon the
remnant of his insolvent estate. In less than four
years from the time that Stokes came to St. Louis
with his twenty-eight thousand pounds sterling, —
worth then, with exchange, far more than one hun-
dred and fifty thousand dollars in gold, — his fortune
had been lost and squandered ; and all those who
^d come with him from England had previously
*^n carried down the cun^ent of time into the vortex
^^ oblivion.
-A.fter Stokes's death, O'Fallon, as executor,
^^'^ that valuable property to the Rev. Alexander
^^^llister, who sold to George Collier. These gen.
144 WILLIAM STOKES.
tlemen occupied the property and protected Stokes's
grave. George Collier sold and conveyed the prop-
erty to John F. Darby, who saw that the grave was
not disturbed. "In the twilight, in the evening, in
the black and dark night," many a time and oft have
I heard the whipi)oorwill sing his mournful song in
the little grove near Stokes's grave. It disturbed
him not; he slept that '•'sleep that knows no wak-
ing."
Time wore on ; the city kept growing and creep-
ing on to the west. The pine paling that enclosed
Stokes's grave rotted down, and the small gi'ass-
gi'own mound of earth ov^er his bones became lev-
elled with the face of the earth and disappeared
entirely; the cattle and horses grazed over the spot.
The two miles of timbei* between Stokes's house and
the city disappeared forever. All the valuable im-
provements made by Stokes — the costly mansion,
out-buildings, orchards, ornamental trees, shinibbery,
and walks — were swept away from the face of the
earth as completely as if they had never existed.
Streets had been laid out, and solid blocks, — some of
them costly marble buildings, — elegant private re4si-
dences, and magnificent church edifices, whose lofty,
towering spires pointing to the heavens can be seen
in the distance for miles around, now cover the land
once possessed, cultivated, and improved by Stokes.
DESECRATION OF HIS GRAVE. 145
A few years ago (April, 1875), a i)arty, in dig-
ging a cellar near Olive Street, dug into Stokes's
grave. The coffin, with all its contents, had long
since mingled with mother earth, save and except the
skull and the large thigh-bones. All these were dug
up, pitched into a cart and hauled away, and emj)tied
into a depression in filling up a street to the pi'oper
level, with as little ceremony as hauling away the
refuse of a stable. The cranium that had contained
the brain, and the tongue that had heli)ed to plan
the schemes and concocted the deep-laid plots against
Qugen Caroline ; the adviser and counsellor of
Lord Liveipool in that most extraordinary case ; that
man who had drawn such immense sums of money
from his Britannic majesty foi' his secret services in
that most scandalous case, — was doomed at last to
have his remains devoted to such base purposes as
this. Poor old Stokes had no stone slab over his
remains, with the maledictions thereon such as those
which are supposed to have been intended, and remain
in the slab over the great English bard, and which
we vary from the original thus : —
Good friend, for Jesus' sake for])ear
To dig the dust enclosed here ;
Blessed be the man who spares these stones.
And cursed be he who moves my bones.
10
146 WILLIAM STOKES.
This was the last of old Stokes, except two locust-
trees planted by him, standings in what is now La-
clede Avenue, which stood on the east and west sides
of the lai'ge gate leading up to his ancient and
costly mansion. " What shadows we are, and what
shadows we pursue/'
Col. John O' Fallon has been spoken of in con-
nection with this story. It should be stated that
Col. O'Fallon married a second time, his second
wife being Miss Caroline Sheets, daughter of the
Widow Sheets, who was a half-sister to Fi-ederick
Dent, Esq., now deceased, and who was father-in-
law of Gren. Grant, ex-president of the United
States. Tlie marriage took i)lace at the residence of
the Widow Sheets, west side of Third Street, a few
doors above Myrtle Street. Col. John 0*Fallon died
at an advanced age, about twelve yeare ago (1868),
after accumulating a veiy hu-ge foi'tune, estimated at
some eight millions of dollars, and leaving a most re-
spectable family of children. His amiable widow
still survives, and lives in a '' splendid retiracy,'' in a
manner becoming her great worth and exalted posi-
tion in society, and such as comj)ort8 with her retir-
ing, secluded, and domestic turn of mind.
We beg pardon for introducing on this occasion
an incident conne(*ted with OVFallon's second mar-
A CHARIVARL 147
riage, a8 somewhat illustrating the spint of the age
and times in St. Louis fifty years ago. The custom
had prevailed in St. Louis among the French in-
habitants, fi'om tinie immemorial, when a widower
or widow got mamed, to charivari them on the
night of the wedding. It was determined, therefore,
to charivari Col. O'Falion on the night of his second
%
marriage. For this purpose about a thousand or
twelve hundred of the ''boys-' collected together
and proceeded down the street, and stoi>ped in fi-ont
of the house where the wedding took place. They
had homs, trumpets, tin pans, tambourines, drums,
triangles, and every conceivable instrument that
could make a noise. They yelled, they screeched,
and shouted. They bleated like sheep ; they lowed
like cattle ; they crowed like chickens. They had a
sprinkling of the Rocky Mountain fur-ti*aders and
trapi>er8 with them, who occasionally seasoned the
entertainment with Indian yells and war-whoo])s.
They made such a hideous noise and confusion of
sounds that the guests in the house could hardly hear
themselves talk.
At last Judge Peck, of the United States Court
for the Missouri District, who had stood up with him
on that occasion, came out on the little platform in
front of the house, and called out in a loud voice,
148 WILLIAM STOKES.
*' Silence! Silence!" The noise ceased. Judge
Peck went on to say : ' ' I want to know who is the
commander of this very respectable company of gen-
tlemen?" Col. Charles Keemle stepped forward
and said he ''had the honor to command this veiy
respectable company of gentlemen." Such was the
honoi' and res[)ect paid to power, even to that of the
loafers and rabble, in which many men of respecta-
bility and standing had for the fun and frolic joined.
Judge Peck proceeded to say : '^ 1 am instructed by
Col. O'Fallon to say to this very respectable com-
pany of gentlemen, that he recognizes them all as
his friends, and that they ai'c authorized to go forth
and enjoy themselves, and make merry at his expense
at any place they choose.''
The crowd gave thive cheers for O'Fallon, and
went off doA\ni town, where they caroused, drank,
and frolicked all night ; and it was reported at one
time that they had ''cleaned out" two groceries or
drinking-houses, and for which it is said Col. O'Fal-
lon had to pay a thousand dollars the next day.
In closhig this sketch, we maybe pardoned for one
word more about Col. O'Fallon, a great and good
man, to whom St. Louis owes much. Upon him nat-
ure had been more lavish of her gifts than fortime,
although the latter had been most boimteous. He
OTALLON'S CHARACTEK. 149
possessed one of the most acute and vig-oi^ous under-
standings that any man was ever armed with. 1 1 is
quickness was not accompanied with the least temer-
ity ; on the contraiy, he was as sure as the slowest of
mankind. But his nobleness of heart was far above
all the qualities of his mind. It was said of AVash-
ington that he was " first in war, first in peace, and
first in the hearts of his countrvmen."' The same
may be said of O' Fallon in connection with the jj^ood
people of St. Louis. He was beyond all doubt the
most open-handed and liberal man the city of St.
Louis has ever produced ; the leader in every noble
undertaking, and the foremost and largest contributor
in everj^ i)ublic enteiprise. He sj)rang to every busi-
ness man's assistance without waiting to be called
upon. He has done more to assist tlie merchants
and business men of St. Louis than anv man who
ever lived in the town. These nol)le, generous, and
disinterested acts of his were thrice blessed. He,
w^hen any of his friends were appointed to pul)lic of-
fice or station requiring bonds to hv given, with secu-
rity in the sum of three, or fcmr, or five hundred
thousand dollars, did not wait to be asked, but
would go immediately and say, ''I come to go (m
your bond as security; let me sign it.'" This
he did with Mai'shall lirotherton, as treasurer of
150 WILLIAM STOKES.
St. Louis County, in the sum of half a million
dollars ; and also for Isaac H. Sturgeon, as sub-
treasurer of the United States at St. Louis. He
had begun life in humble circumstances, and had
faced without flinching the dark frowns of adver-
sity, and shared and enjoyed the bright smiles
of prosperity, without being depressed by the one
or elated by the other. He was the rich man's
friend, the poor man's benefactor, and the laboring
man's counsellor, adviser, and assistant. Such a man,
in any city or any community, is a blessmg. Simple
and unostentatious in his manners, he was always
approachable, affable, and pleasant io the humblest
citizen .
In speaking of the portraits of individuals to
ornament the new Merchants' Exchange, O'Fallon's
name has nevei' been mentioned, although he himself
was a merchant. He needs it not. The institutions
that he has so lil)erally assisted to build up in this
city will j)erpetuate his name and fame so long as the
Mississippi River laves these shores. The deep hold
which O'Fallcm had ui)on the heart's affections and
feelings of the peoi)le of tliis great city is evinced
bv the institutions named in honor of him. Their
colleges, their schools, their parks, their mills, their
brinveries, their distilleries, their streets, their tavenis,
DR. DAVID WALDO. 151
their railroad depots and stations, etc., etc., all bear
his name.
How often, when he was alive, have I mentally
quoted that line from Virgil, as applicable to him : —
" O, fortuiia senex!'*
He died beloved, honored, mounied, and re-
spected by all.
It is to be regretted that there has not been pub-
lished a sketch, at least, of his life, that it might be a
lesson of instruction and a noble example to every
school-boy in the land.
Dr. David Waldo was among the earliest settlers
in the State, as well as one of her most distinguished
and prominent men. His long and successful career
entitles him to a passing notice.
Dr. Waldo came to Missouri from Virginia, of
which he was a native, — I think, more than half a
century ago. For industry, perseverance, never-
tiring energy and hidomitable will, he had few if any
superiors. He was possessed of a dear head and
sound judgment, which enabled him to acquire a
very handsome fortune ; and he was esteemed and
looked upon by the comnumity in which he lived as
152 DR DAVID WALDO.
a man honest, honorable, and fair in all his dealings^
. and he commanded the respect and friendship of all
with whom he came in contact.
In the year 1826, David Waldo, when very
young, went to the pineries on the Gasconade Kiver,
and engaged in the cutting and hauHng of pine logs
with liis own hands, until he had accumulated enough
to form a re8pectal)le raft of j^ine boards. He con-
structed his raft of lumber, and went on board as
commander ; and having hired a few hands, floated
down the Gasconade, and into the dangerous and
dark rolling Missouri, and down that stream into
the Mississippi, and down that river to St. Louis.
He soon sold his lumbei', for five hundred dollare, to
Laveille & Morton, at that time extensive builders in
8t. Louis.
In the winter of 1826, with this five hundred dol-
lars. Dr. David Waldo, in company with his good
friend AVilliam (t. Owens, then clerk of the Circuit
Court of Franklin County (and who was murdered
forty-four years ago, near the town of Washington,
in Franklin County, ^Missouri), went to Lexington,
Kentucky, and attended a course of medical lectures
at the Transylvania Universitv, at the head of which
was tliat eminent and distinguished man. Dr. Ben-
jamin W. Dudley. lTi)on the completion of this
A H01J)ER OF MANY OFFICES. 153
course he returned to his home hi Gasconade County^
Missouri.
In the year 1827, the Hon. William C. Can\ of
St. Louis, was Circuit Court judge for five counties,
comprising Gasconade, Franklin, AVashington, Jef-
ferson, and St. Louis. At the June term of the
Circuit Court of Gasconade County, 1827, I first
attended coiul:, having just then been licensed to
practice law. Then and there, for the first time, I
saw and became acquauited with Dr. l)a\id Waldo.
He was clerk of the Circuit Court of Gasconade
County and ex^fficio recorder of deeds for the
county. He was also clerk of the County Court of
Gasconade County, justice of the peace, acting as
coroner and as deputy-sheriff, it is said, as well as
postmaster. He held a commission, also, as major in
the militia, and was a practising physician. The
duties of all these oflSces David Waldo attended to
personally, and discharged with signal and distin-
guished ability.
The comity of Gasconade at that time included
an immense territory, embracing thc^ later ccmnties
of Osage, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski, Wright, and
Texas ; and on that account it was called by many
of the inhabitants '' the State of Gasconade, —
David Waldo, governor." In speaking of the Doc-
154 DR. DAVID WALDO.
tor, even to his face, very few of them saluted him
as ''mister," ''doctor," or "major," — they all
called him "Dave."
At that time there were no public buildings in
the county, nor was there any town, although an
attempt had been made to lay off a town on a flat
piece of ground on the Gasconade River, which was
called Bartonville, in honor of the distinguished
senator, David Barton, then in Congress ; but a rise
in the river caused the whole surface of the proposed
town to be covered by water to the depth of about
ten feet, in consequence of which not a sti'eet was
opened nor a single habitation ever erected on the pro-
posed site. The court, consequently, was held at a
farm-house about half a mile east of the Gasconade
River. The house belonged to a man named Isaac
Perkins, who had a wife whom everybody called
"Aunt Beckie." She was a woman of immense
size, — not tall, but very fleshy, — and must have
weighed between four and five hundred pounds avoir-
dupois. The accommodations for the court and all
the attendants thereon consisted of one large hewed-
log house, with one room, a kit(*hen, and some log
stables ; so that all bad to eat and sleep in the same
room ; and after the table had been cleared, the judge
would take a seat on one side of the room in one of the
A MISSOURI COURT IN EARLY TIMES. 155
old-fashioned split-bottomed chairs, and hold court.
Here David Waldo made his home, being unmar-
ried, and kept the public records of the county,
and as a public functionary discharged the duties of
the numerous offices which he filled, with great
promptness and industiy.
'••Aunt Beckie," assisted by her negro wimian
and one or two women who came to assist her on
these trying occasions, prepared the meals, and at
night the whole floor was covered with bed-quilts and
coverlets, there being three standing ])cd8tea(l8 in the
back end of the room. Many of the grand jurors,
it is said, had to come a distance of one hundred and
fifty miles to attend court, — ^'from away upon
Piney," as it was called, — and even beyond that.
Some were compelled to seek lodgings around in the
neighborhood, whjle othei's, again, had to resort to
the stable-loft and barn for 8leeping-aj)artments.
**Aunt Beckie"' became noted and distinguished,
and as such is entitled to be recognized and spoken
of historically, ** Old Ike," her husband, was never
thought of or named. "'Aunt Beckie's" fame
spread far and wide. Iler place was known as
* 'Aunt Beckie's," and it swallowed up the name of the
county-seat. Mount Sterling, whi(*h was established
some years afterward, and wliich was hardly ever
156 DR DAVID WALDO.
mentioned and little known, **Aunt Beckie," from
her great size, was the soui'ce of great amusement
and humorous wit on all sides. The following dis-
tich will serve as a sample : —
*^If flesh be grass, as the good books say,
Then old Aunt Beckie 's a load of hay."
Little did I think then, when, in company with
Judge CaiT, for the fii'st time my eyes gazed upon the
bright, clear waters of the Gasconade "River, I should
live to see, twenty-eight years aftei-wards, «o many
distinguished men of the State instantly killed, as
here perished in the unfortunate " Gasconade dis-
aster."
Upon the banks of that same ^'lonely river, "*' far
from human habitations, in the wild woods, where
there were no houses into which, in that dread mo-
ment, the bodies of the wounded, the dying, and the
dead could be carried, and the last sad offices of kind-
ness performed for those who had so suddenly shai*ed
the fate of humanity, this great calamity and horrid
scene occurred . It was truly a mournful sight to see
the mangled and torn bodies of those so lately joy-
ous and full of life, brought out from the wi'ecks of
the shattered and shivered Pacific Railroad cars and
stretched ui)<)n the naked ground. The storm raged,
and the rain poured down in torrents upon the in-
THE GASCONADE DISASTER. 157
animate forms. The blast moaned among the
branches of the trees, stripped of all foliage, like
some spirit of the air, whilst the livid flashes of light-
ning did but add to the terror and consternation of
that shocking catastrophe, all grim with death, all
horrible in blood, — ''all of which I saw; part of
which I was,"
It is not my purpose to write a history of Dr.
Waldo, but merely to give a few reminiscences of an
old and life-long friend, and some incidents connected
with his earlier career and struggles in life. Dr.
Waldo was a self-taught man, and had made himself,
by close application and study, a fine English scholar.
And afterwards, when he went to Santa Fe as a
trader, he learned to speak and write the Spanish
language fluently and well. In fact, the doctor
throughout life seemed to have adopted and acted
upon the maxim of labor vincit omnia.
The inhabitants of Gasconade County, at the
time spoken of, wei-e nearly all frontier backwoods
people, many of them squatters, with the same
marked and noble characteiistics of generous hos-
pitality and obliging kindness that was always found
at the threshold of every log-cabin in frontier life.
They were immigrants mostly from Tennessee, Ken-
tucky, Virginia, and North Carolina ; dressed mostly
ir)8 DK. DAVJD WALDO.
in homespun made up in the family. Many of the:»i
had even brought their old spinning-wheels ar:i<]
cotton-cards with them from the States from whiol
they moved. But unfortunately many of these v^ere
unable to read and write, and greatly wanting in
education .
Many of the letters which came to the post-
office where Dr. Waldo was postmaster were family
letters, which the recipients frequently could not
read, and the doctor was compelled to read th^
letters to them; and not infrequently he would b^
called upon to write answers, all of which he would
do with his accustomed courtesy and kindness.
There are many incidents, anecdotes, and stories,
somewhat illustrating the times, manners, and habits
of these people of more than half a century ago,
which are well worth being repeated.
At the commencement of the Circuit Coiul in
Gasconade Comity, at the June term, 1827, there
were present William C. Carr, judge ; David Waldo,
clerk ; Robert P. Parris of St. Louis, and John F.
Darby of St. Louis, members of the bar. An indi-
vidual had been indicted for hog-stealing, and I had
been engaged to defend him. The jury were seated
on some benches in the room. The evidence was
clear against the defendant. The trial closed, and
NOVEL LEGAL PROCEEDINC^S. 159
the jury retired to the shade of a hickory tree hard
by to consult and make up their verdict. They
very soon came into court, having agreed on a
verdict, and were called by the shenff and counted
by Clerk Waldo, to whom the verdict was delivered,
and wliich found the defendant guilty.
The defendant, who was out on bail, jumped the
fence into a corn-field near the house, and attempted
to run away. About a hundred men started after
him yelling, and shouting ''Ketch him," ''Ketch
him.'' They caught him as he was about to leap the
fence on the opposite side, and brought him back,
when a motion for a new trial w^as made and over-
ruled, and then the judge sentenced the prisoner to
receive thirty-nine lashes on his bare back. As soon
as the sentence was pronounced, Clerk Waldo called
the sheriff to the book and administered an oath as
follows : '* You do solemnly swear that you will well
and truly execute the sentence of the court, and lay
on the lashes to the best of your ability, so help you
God."
The unfortunate culprit was taken out into the
yard, about twenty or • thirty feet from the door
where the court was held, his shirt was stripped off
so as to expose his bare back, and his pantaloons tied
very tight, with his susj)enders, above the hips. His
160 . DK. DAVID WALDO.
arms were made to hug around a hickory tree 4n the
yard, and his hands firmly tied fast. About two
hundred speetatoi-s gathered in a circle around the
paiiies, and the women all came out from the kitchen
to see the performance. The sheriff pulled off his
coat, rolled up his sleeves, and with all his might laid
on the lashes with a cowhide whip. The blood was
brought at almost every blow, and during the per-
formance several men counted aloud the number of
strokes. Tliis miseemly and barbarous performance
seemed to be greatly relished by many pereons in the
crowd, who, no doubt, considered this as one of the
proud tiiumphs of advanced civilization in the State
of Missouri.
There was another incident in the G-asconade
Circuit Court, when David Waldo was clerk, which
was this : A tall man came into court, somewhat
intoxicated. He looked around, and saw the judge
sitting at one side of the room, when he exclaimed
in a loud voice, and with a great oath, ^'What!
Do you call this a court? Where I came from, in
Kentucky, a court had some respectability about it."
Judge Carr, of course, had to maintain the dignity
of the court. He had the offender brought before
the court and fined two dollars, and sentenced to two
hours' imprisonment. The sheriff had no jail in
AN IMPB0VI8BD JAIL. 161
hich to confine the prisoner. He took Km out by
le side of the house, and found out in the yard an
Id empty crate, in which queensware had been
acked, and which a man who had kept a store there
>r awhile had hauled from St, Louis,
This old empty crate the sheriff took, and made
tie prisoner squat down. He turned the old crate
ver his head, and got some big, fat, heavy men to
it on it and keep it down ; and thus he kept his pris-
ner in jail for two hours, the by-standers standing
round, full of fun, and asking what kind of an
nimal it was, how much for the show, etc.
Judge Carr was a pleasant, gentlemanly man^
Iways neatly dressed, and conducted himself with
he utmost propriety, and certainly not in a manner
alculated to give offence to any. But he gave
ffence to certain parties, and particularly to an old
3II0W by the name of Honsinger, because the
adge, in accordance with the custom of the age, at
liat time wore ruffled shirts. The judge had given
lortal offence to old Honsinger also by deciding a
ve-doUar shot-gun case against him, and Hon-
Inger was determined to be revenged upon him.
>\d Honsinger would get a crowd around him, under
tree or out by the stable, where he would make
11
162 DR. DAVID WALDO.
rhymes and sing songs that he had made upon the
judge, amidst the greatest uproar, shouts, and bois-
terous laughter. He was the poet-laureate, at that
time, of Gasconade County.
Another noted character, who lived in Franklm
County, but always attended Gasconade County Cir-
cuit Court, was John Sullens. He could neither read
nor write, but was possessed of great native wit. He
made an affidavit for a continuance of a suit, which
Mr, Clerk Waldo could not readily find when the
papers were called for. At last Mr, Waldo said,
^' Here is the affidavit; " when '' old Jack,'' as he
was called, and who was loud-spoken and boisterous,
said quite loud, ''Davy, that ain't my affidavit."
Waldo said, ' ' How can you tell whether it is your
affidavit or not? You can neither read nor write."
''Yes," said "old Jack," "but I can always tell
my mark. I always make a straight up-and-down
mark, and then cross it at the top, in the middle, and
at the bottom, so I can tell my mark from other peo-
ple's marks. l!^^one of your fooling of me, Dave
Waldo; because I'm a Jackson man. I go the
whole hog for Jackson. I love Gren. Jackson,
bekdse as how he loves wimming and is chock-full
of fight."
lU'SSELL FAUNHA.M. K)^
Kussell Farnham was born in Massachusetts, lie
was an only son, and, when a young man, went out
to the Pacific Ocean in the expedition sent out by
John Jacob Astor to the mouth of the Columbia
Kyer. Mr. Astor sent out two expeditions, after the
return of Lewis and Clark from the Pacific coast, —
one by land, under the command of Wilson P. Hunt,
lip the Missouri River, and the other around Cape
Horn, in the ill-fated ship Tonquin, under the
command of Capt. Thorn. Russell Farnham went
with the party in the vessel, around Cape Horn.
Capt. Thorn lost his life and his vessel was de-
stroyed soon after his arrival on the Pacific coast,
as fully detailed by Washington Irving in his ^* As-
toria.^'
In this work of Washington Irving, Russell Farn-
ham is mentioned as having executed an Indian
in the camp of some of Astor' s trapping and
hunting parties, for stealing a silver cup belonging
to some of the party, by climbing up a sapling,
bending it 'Over, tying a lasso around the neck of
the savage and fastening it to the sapling, and let-
ting the sapling straighten up again. The hanging
of this Indian by the whites proved to be a most un-
fwhmate affair to the trappers afterwards.
Wilson P. Hunt, the chief in command of the
164 RUSSELL PARNHAM.
expedition, left Astoria and went up the coast.
During his absence Mr. McDougal, the second in
command, assumed authority and control of af-
fairs at Astoria, and actually sold out to Mr. Mc-
Tavish, of the British N^orth-West Company, who
had come to the fort, all the furs and peltries, worth
more than one hundred thousand dollars, for forty
thousand dollars. When Mr. Hunt returned to the
fort he was indignant at what had been done, as Mr.
McDougal had no authority whatever to sell the
property. It was too late, however, as the property
had all been delivered, and was then in possession of
the Iforth-West Company. In the meantime Capt.
Black had arrived with his war-vessels, and entering
the fort with his officers, " caused the British stand-
ard to be erected, broke a bottle of wine, and declared,
in a loud voice, that he took possession of the es-
tablishment and of the country in the name of his
Britannic Majesty, changing the name of Astoria to
that of Port George."
When Mr. Hunt returned, the drafts of the 5f orth-
West Company had not yet been obtained. '* With
some difficulty he succeeded in getting possession of
the papers. The bills or drafts were delivered with-
out hesitation." These were sterling bills on London
for about forty thousand dollars.
A REMARKABLS JOURNEY. 165
So soon as these bills had been obtained by Mr.
Hunt, he delivered them to "Russell Farnham, with di-
rections to proceed by way of St. Petersburg, in Rus-
sia, so that they might be collected for the benefit of
Mr. Astor. Accordingly, Mr. Faraham, with a small
stock of provisions in a pack on his back, started on
foot, and crossed the ice at Bheiing's Straits into
Kamtchatka, in the Russian dominions. From
thence he made his way, on foot, through that in-
hospitable country and severe climate, all the way up
to St. Petersburg. In this perilous journey he en-
dured incredible sufferings, from himger, exposure,
and want. From dire necessity, he was forced to cut
and eat the tops off his boots to sustain life. But
having been blest with a robust and powerful consti-
tution, which enabled him to meet and endure hard-
ships, and an indomitable will and determination,
whereby he was armed to overcome difficulties and
dangers, he performed a feat which, for personal
bravery, daring, and danger, has never been equalled
by any one man in ancient or modeni times. He did
that which Ledyard, the great American ti'aveller,
acting under the instructions of Thomas Jefferson,
had failed in twice, viz. : to come east from St. Peters-
burg to the American continent.
Russell Farnham, after reaching St. Petersburg,
166 RUSSELL FARNHAM.
made his way to Paris, and from thence to New York,
where he delivered the drafts so intrusted to his care,
to John Jacob Astor.
After his return to the United States, Famham
was employed by Mr. Astor in the fur trade up the
lakes. While in the piu'suit of this lucrative trade,
the war with Great Britain still continuing, he was
aiTcsted as a British spy and taken to Prairie du
Chien, on the Mississippi, and brought to St. Louis
as a prisoner, to be tried for his life. On arriving at
St. Louis he met with many friends, who were able to
prove his identity, and he was released.
Russell Famham, still a member of the American
Fur Company, of which John Jacob Astor, of New
York, was the mainspiing and support, took up his
residence in St. Louis in the year 1826. In St.
Louis he married Miss Susan Bosseron, daughter of
Charles Bosseron, one of the original French families
of the place, and one of great respectability, wealth,
and standing. Russell Famham died of cholera, in
St. Louis, on the twenty-third day of October, 1832,
surviving only two hours after having been attacked
with that then new and fatal disease. He left a
widow, and one child only, who lived but a few years
after the death of the husband and father, both
dying of consumption.
JAMES HAWKINS PBCK. 167
Kussell Famham was a man of ordinary size, well-
set, and of powerful frame. He was of a most
companionable, social, and agreeable disposition.
This sketch is made by one who had a personal
knowledge of the man, who was on terms of social
friendship and intimacy with him, and who had
learned his history from Wilson P, Hunt and others
who had been associated with him.
James Hawkins Peck was bom in the eastern
part of Tennessee, upon the confines of ^orth Caro-
lina. The story goes that he came of a very tall
family, some of his brothers being as high as six and
a half and seven feet in height, whilst James was
considered so small as to be called the ' ' runt ' ' of the
family; notwithstanding, when he was gi'own, he
was a fine-looking man of more than six feet in
height. And on this account it was that, when he
was a boy, his good, kind mother, seeing he was so
little, and smaller than the other boys, thought he
would not be able to make a living by working on a
farm, and determined to send him to school, give him
an education, and make a lawyer of him,
James H, Peck came to St, Louis and established
168 JAMES HAWKINS PECK-
himself as a lawyer in the year 1818, In the year
1819 Col, Richard M. Johnson and James Johnson
had a contract with the government of the United
States for transporting supplies up the Missouri
River to Council Bluffs. When they reached St.
Louis, William M. O'Hara, at that time at the head
of the Bank of St. Louis, instituted suit agamst the
Johnsons, upon some alleged indebtedness due to the
Bank of St. Louis, amounting to thiiiy or forty
thousand dollars. The claun grew out of some ti'ans-
actions with some '^ independent banks ' ' of Ken-
tucky, m which it was charged the Johnsons were
concerned. James H. Peck was retained by the
defendants as their counsel, all the other prominent
lawyers having been retained and employed by the
plaintiff.
The suit was continued till the next year (1820),
when the State Constitution was formed, when by
ordinance it was ti'ansferred from the Territorial to
the State coui'ts. But Missouri was not admitted
into the Union until after Mr. Clay's compromise
act and the ' ' solemn public act ' ' of the Legislature
had been passed, when President Monroe admitted
the State by proclamation.
Of course, there could be no Federal appointments
made in the State until she had been legally admitted
APPOINTED DISTRICT JUDGE. 169
into the Union. So soon as Missouri was admitted
as a member of the Federal Union, and a Distiiet
Comi: of the United States created by law for Mis-
souri, the counsel for the defendants in the suit so
pending against the Johnsons in the St. Louis Cir-
cuit Court took the proper steps for transferring
the suit from the State court to the United States
District Court for Missouri, on the ground that the
defendants, the Johnsons, were citizens of the State
of Kentucky.
The struggle for the Federal appointments com-
menced with the admission of Missouri. Amongst
the rest, James H. Peck made application for the
appointment of United States district judge for the
Missouri District. James H. Peck had a fast friend
in Col. Richard M. Johnson, then a member of
Congress from Kentucky. He w^s popular and
influential with the administration. He claimed the
gloiy of having killed Tecumseh, and could point
with pride to the bullet-holes in his red-breasted vest,
which he still wore, through which the leaden bullets
had passed into his body when in the defence of
his country. James H. Peck received the appoint-
ment. He was also supported for the position by
David Barton, then a senator in Congi'ess from Mis-
souri, in return for which Judge Peck appointed
170 JAMES HAWKINS PBCK.
Isaac Barton, the brother of David Barton, clerk of
United States District Court for the Missouri Dis-
trict.
After J Judge Peck was appointed United States
district judge, and the case of the Bank of St. Louis
against the Johnsons came up, in which he had been
counsel for the defendants, of course he could not
sit in the case or try the cause ; and on the applica-
tion of the defendants, who had emplayed other
counsel, the case was transferred to the United
States Circuit Court for the Kentucky District, at
Frankfort. In the meantime most of the parties
who had originally been engaged in prosecuting the
suit were broken up, and died insolvent, so that the
suit at Frankfort failed for want of prosecution.
Congi'ess passed an act, in 1824, giving the United
States District Court for the Missoiui District juris-
diction and aifthority to confirm the titles to the
French and Spanish grants in Missouri by a de-
cree of court. Judge Peck was a tall, fine-looking
man, over six feet in height. He was pompous in
his language, manner, and carriage. He had con-
ceived a notion that if he exposed his eyes to the
light he would become blind. Whenever, there-
fore, he was about to leave his room to come out
in the face of open day, he had a large white
HIS SINGl'LAK AITEAKANCK IN C'(UKT. ]7J
handkerchief bound around his eyes, so that he
could not see at all; then his servant would lead
him to his carriage, drive him to the court-room,
assist him out, lead him into the court-room, and
assist him up on to the bench, where he would take
his seat and hear and try causes, perfectly blind-
folded, — the clerk of the court and the lawyere
reading such papers and law-books as might be
needed in the case. It was a most singular and
9
striking case to see a judge on the bench, holding
court and dispensing justice, with a large white
handkerchief tied around his head.
The court was held in an old French house on
the south-west comer of Second and Walnut Streets,
and the room was densely packed with French and
Spanish land-claimants and their attorneys. Henjy
Dodge, afterwards United States senator from Wis-
consin, was United States marshal. As soon as
the marshal had in due form opened the court by
proclamation, Judge Peck, in a loud voice, said :
' ' If there is any gentleman in the court acquainted
with the mod/us operandi of making these grants of
lands by the French and Spanish authorities, the
court will be obliged to him to explain the matter.
It might be of service to the court in enabling it
to do justice to the claimants and to the govern-
172 JAMES HAWKINS PECK.
ment." Thereupon Judge John B. C. Lucas, who
had been a commissioner appointed by the govern-
ment to pass upon these French and Spanish claims,
and who had held the position of chief justice of
the Superior Com-t of the Territory of MLssouri,
rose to address the court. He spoke for some
time, in quite an animated tone and manner, in
response to the invitation from the bench; when
Luke E. Lawless, an Mshman and a member of
the bar, arose in the court and, interrupting Judge
Lucas, said: ''May it please the court, so far as
my clients are concerned, I most respectfully pro-
test against Judge Lucas saying anything on the
subject of these French and Spanish claims in this
court. Judge Lucas, if your Honor please, is not a
licensed attorney of this court."
Judge Lucas paused, and turned upon Lawless a
most scornful look of contempt, his eyes as big as
dollars. [Lawless had been the second of Col.
Benton when he killed Charles Lucas, son of Judge
Lucas, in the duel ; and Judge Lucas cherished a
deep-seated hatred for him.] Then, turning to the
comi: with a most graceful bow, he said : ' ' If the
court please, I am licensed. I am licensed by the
God of Heaven ; He has given me a head to judge
and determine, and a tongue to speak and explain.''
JUDGE LUCAS KEPLIK8 TO LAWLESS. 173
Judge Lucas went on to state that he had received a
finished education in the best schools in France,
where he was bom ; that he had studied the civil law
in the best institutions in that countiy ; that he had
come to this country, and had learned and made
himself familiar with the common law ; that he had
been made judge in the great State of Pennsylvania,
where he had administered that law, and that he had
been a member of Congi'ess from that State.
One reason, he said, why the gentleman did not
think him (Lucas) qualified to practice law was, per-
haps, the fact that when he (Lawless) applied for a
license to practice law here, it was his (Lucas's) duty,
as chief justice of the Superior Court of the Temtory,
with his two associate judges, to examine him, to see
whether or not he was qualified to practice law, and
that on that occasion, he well recollected, he thought
that he might be licensed, when his two associate
judges did not think him qualified; and as the
majority of the court were against him, it was at his
(Lucas's) request that the other judges yielded, and
agreed that he might be hcensed.
Again bowing to the court, Judge Lucas said :
' ' May it please the court, I did not come to this
country as a fugitive and an outcast from my native
land. I came as a scholar and a gentleman, upon
the invitation of Dr. Franklin."
174 JAMES HAWKINS PECK.
Lawless had fled from Ireland to keep from being
hanged, as having been connected with the Irish
rebellion in 1798.
It was in this same court that Judge Peck fined
and imprisoned Luke B. Lawless for contempt of
court, Lawless having reviewed and criticised an
opinion delivered by Judge Peck, in the newspapers ;
and for which Lawless had Judge Peck impeached,
and tried before the United States Senate. The
judge was acquitted, — mainly, it was said, through
the eloquence of William Wirt.
Judge Peck never was married. He was an
amiable man. He made love to a certain lady in St.
Louis, to whom another gentleman was also paying
attention, and meeting with his competitor in the
street, they had a fight about her. The lady married
Judge Peck's opponent. The story obtained that
when John Simonds, the United States deputy-
marshal, was taking Lawless to jail on the commit-
ment for contempt, and Lawless had heaped upon
Judge Peck all the anathemas and curses he could
think of, at last he said, ^'I wish the scoundrel
had married Mrs. ," as the severest curse he
could wish him, she was said to have led the man
she did many such an unhappy life.
WILUAM H. JONES. 175
In the year 1828 or 1829 there was a firm in St.
Louis composed of Alexander Scott and William K.
Kule. Old Alexander Scott subsequently followed
steamboating, and was one of the finest captains that
was ever on the river ; he afterwards failed in busi-
ness, and went to Pittsburg. He died some yeare
ago, and left a very handsome fortune. William K.
Kule died in St. Louis, I think, about the year 1876.
At that day there was no United States Bank here,
and it was very difficult, when the merchants wanted
to make remittances to Philadelphia or Xew York, to
get exchange. The only way to remit money was
to send bank-notes in packages, by mail or private
hands. Scott & Rule ordered a clerk of theirs to
send $4,000 in money to Philadelphia, and their clerk
bundled up the package of bank-notes and gave it to
a man named William H. Jones, a dry-goods mer-
chant doing business in St. Louis, to take to Phila^
delphia. Jones took the package and delivered it to
the parties to whom it was directed in Philadelphia,
and then went out and purchased, for his own account,
sixty thousand dollars' worth of goods to ship to his
store in St. Louis ; and after he had done that, the
report came out that the package, instead of con-
taining bank-notes, as was marked on it, was filled
with old newspapers. Jones was so horrified and
176 HAMILTON ROWAN GAMBLE.
mortified at it that he committed suicide, by shoot-
ing himself instantly, in the city of Philadelphia. He
had never taken the money, but his honor was too
keen and sensitive to endure even suspicion. John
O'Fallon administered on his estate. It was under-
stood, and generally beheved, that Scott & Rule's
clerk stole the money and filled the bundle with old
newspapers.
In the month of October, 1830, Hamiltoux Rowan
Gamble (at that time i)ro8ecutmg attorney in Judge
William C. CaiT's judicial district, of which Gascon-
ade County was a part), with myself as his com-
panion, started from St. Louis to attend Circuit
Court. The journey had to be made on horseback,
and generally took about three days. The second
day out we reached Union, the then and present
county-seat of Franklin County, about thi'ee o'clock
in the afternoon, where we took dinner. The old
road used to run in a north-westerly direction from
Union to Newport, the former and first county^eat
of Franklin County, and thence in a south-westerly
direction to the county-seat of Gasconade Coimty, at
Mount Sterling. A new road had at that time been
A NIGHT IN THE WOODS. 177
laid out, rather in a direct line, running from Union
to Mount Sterling, saving in the distance several
miles in cutting off the elbow made in the bend by-
way of Newport. This new road consisted merely
of blazes and notches on the trees, made with an
axe, to indicate the location of the road, the brush
and logs being thrown out of the proposed pass-way.
So there was no beaten track, as yet, made by travel
in the proposed highway ; the leaves from the trees
having just then fallen, covered the surface in like
manner as any other part of the woods.
After we had ridden about ten miles, we found
night closing around us fast ; and as we went down
into the bottom, in the thick timber on the river Boeuf ,
it became quite dark. As we ascended the hills on
the other side of the stream, we entered a glade or
bald knob where there was no timber, — a sort of small
prairie covered with grass, without any beaten track.
As we progressed, the timber became again quite
thick. We were about twenty-five miles east of our
place of destination, and there was no human habita-
tion near. Mr. Gamble asked what we should do.
I ventured to suggest that we could take the north
star as a guide, and my impression was that if we
could go north through the woods for about seven
miles, we would probably fall into the Newport
12
178 HAMILTON ROWAN GAMBLE.
road leading to Gasconade, and by that means we
^might find some house. Mr. Gamble approved of
the proposition, and desired me to lead the way.
We started in a direct line due north, as indicated by
the star, and went down one of the steepest hills pos-
sible for a horse to travel. When we reached the
bottom of the ravine, there was such a thick, matted
undergrowth that it was impossible for a man to
ride through it. The darkness was so dense down in
the bottom as to become almost visible, and the un-
dergrowth was a perfect tangle. Mr. Gamble got
unhorsed in his efforts to force the animal into the
brush, but he held on to the reins and retained pos-
session of the animal. Then my learned senior
counsellor remarked that we were ' ^ in a worse fix
than ever. We are down in the hollow, in the
thicket, without any means of getting away.'' The
Gasconade prosecuting attorney mounted his horse
again, and as we could 'not go forward, I volunteered
to pilot him back to the top of the ridge from whence
we had descended.
•
My worthy friend had not then joined the Presby-
terian Church, and denounced Gasconade Coimty,
with some pretty heavy oaths, as an ** outlandish,
miserable, backwoods place." When we reached
the top of the hill the star-light was brighter, but
KINDLING A FIRE FROM A FLINT. 179
not bright enough to travel by. Havmg ridden my
horse to a tree, I felt with my hands for the place
where the axeman had blazed the way through to
designate the road, and informed Mr. Gamble, ''We
are on the track again, for I feel the blaze on the
tree with my hand.'' ^^Well, now,'' said the coun-
sellor, '' we will stay here all night ; and if we only
had some fire it would be more comfortable." I
said to him, *'We will get some fire ; there are plenty
of flint rocks here on the ground under our feet, with
which we can strike fire." Having dismoimted and
taken off the saddles from the horses, the animals
were tied to some saplings. The leaves were dry,
and by feeling around on the ground we could pick
up flint rocks. Taking up the stirrup-iron of my
saddle, and striking it against a flint, I could make
the sparks of fire fly, but they would not catch in
the dry leaves.
Mr. Gamble had been over into Illinois, in the
American Bottom, a few days before, shooting ducks,
and by accident had a wad of tow in his vest
pocket. He placed this dry piece of tow on a flint
rock, as if it had been a piece of spunk, and using his
pocket-knife,, he struck fire. There being plenty of
dead wood and dry limbs of trees lying around, we
very soon had a comfortable fire ; and using our sad-
180 THOMAS HART BENTOK.
dies as pillows, we spent the night not uncomfort-
ably, and the next morning rode twenty-five miles to
the place of holding court, without finding a human
habitation until we came to the place of holding
court.
A brief notice of Thomas Hart Benton is proper.
We shall give some anecdotes and incidents illustrat-
ing some traits and characteristics of the man.
He came to St. Louis, from Tennessee, in the
year 1816. The next year (1817) he kiUed Charles
Lucas, on Bloody Island, in a duel. Benton went up
to vote at a general election ; Lucas challenged his
vote ; Benton denounced him on the spot as a scoim-
drel and a puppy. Lucas challenged him. They
went over to the island just at sunrise, and fought.
The ball from Benton's pistol cut one of the v-eins in
Lucas's neck, and he fell. The seconds reported
him unable to stand a second fire. Benton insisted
that they should meet again as soon as Lucas got
well. The bullet from Lucas's pistol merely grazed
Benton's leg. After three months' nursing and care,
Lucas got well. They again met at sunrise, on the
island, in mortal combat. They exchanged shots.
Benton shot Lucas in the left breast ; he fell, and
ms OPPOSITION TO RAILROADS. 181
expired in about twenty minutes. Before dying, he
called Benton to him, gave him his hand, and told
him he forgave him. Lucas never touched Benton
with his shot. Both pistols wei'e fired so simultane-
ously that the people on the shore, who heard the
report, thought there had been but one shot.
For an account of Benton's fight for the first
election to the United States Senate, the reader is
referred to page 31, where it is given in connection
with a sketch of David Barton.
Col. Benton, for more than ten years after the first
agitation on the subject of railroads in Missouri,
opposed them. As a member of the Legislature of
Missouri, in 1838-9, I introduced bills and repoi-ts
for the construction of railroads; they were voted
down by the Democratic party, of which Col. Benton
w^as the acknowledged head. In returning from
Washington City, in the year 1839, he landed at
Cape Girardeau, and made a most effective speech
against railroads. Amongst other things, he said:
" Ever since the day when Gen. Jackson vetoed the
Lexington and Maysville Road bill, internal improve-
ment by the general government was no longer to be
considered as among the teachings and doctrines of
the Democratic party. It is,'- said he, ''the old.
182 THOMAS HART BENffON.
antiquated, obsolete, and exploded doctrine of Henry
Clay's * American system.' Look at Illinois, where
Whig rule obtained for awhile, overwhelmed in debt,
unable to pay the interest on her bonds, sir. Look
at Missouri, a State free of debt, — a State governed
by the Democracy. Ah ! how I do like those Greek
words, demos hraiea^ — demos ^ the people ; kratea,
to govern.''
Ten years afterwards, when the people of St.
Louis called a convention, — in October, 1849, — to
take action toward projecting and building a railroad
from the Mississippi River to San Francisco, Col.
Benton attended and took part in the proceedings.
Delegates to the meeting had been invited from all
the States. Some days before the meeting of the
convention, I took the invitation to Col. Benton and
delivered it to him in person.
I found him at his residence, at Col. Brant's,
on Washington Avenue, where he always made his
home when he came to St. Louis, — Col. Brant
having married his niece. He received me most
cordially. I said to him: ^*Col. Benton, we expect
you to aid us in this matter. St. Louis, from her
central position, is entitled to have the road start
from here. We shall have opposition," said I,
**and much to contend with. Douglas is striving
his; OPINION OP DOUGLAS. 183
hard for the presidency, and he will try to have the
Pacific Bailroad start from Chicago instead of St.
Louis, mil through Iowa, and give us the ' go-by.'
And should Douglas succeed in his presidential
aspirations, it will give him additional power and
influence."
Col. Benton replied: '^I shall be there, sir; I
shall attend the convention, and advocate the build-
ing of the road from St. Louis to San Francisco.
Douglas never can be president, sir. ^o, sir;
Douglas never can be president, sir. His legs are
too short, sir. His coat, like a cow's tail, hangs too
near the ground, sir." Col. Benton did attend the
convention, and made a splendid speech, for which
he had a statue erected to him in Lafayette Park, in
St. Louis. The late Sidney Breese, formerly United
States senator from Illinois, just before his death,
used to say that when he was laboring in the Ameri-
can Senate to have a I'oad built by the government
from the Mississippi River to the Pacific, the most
determined and strongest opposition to the measure
came from Col. Benton, who now had a monumental
statue erected in his honor for advocating the meas-
ure at last.
We shall add some anecdotes illustrating the life
and character of the distinguished senator. In the
184 THOMAS HAKT BENTON.
year 1849 he went to Perryville, Periy County, Mis-
souri, to make a speech. The couil^house was
crowded. " Citizens,"' said he, " no man since the
days of Cicei'o has been abused as has been Benton.
What Cicero was to Catiline, the Roman conspira-
tor, Benton has been to John Caldwell Calhoun, the
South Carolina nullifier. Cicero fulminating his
philippics against Catiline in the Roman forum ; Ben-
ton denouncing John Caldwell Calhoun on the floor
of the American Senate. Cicero against- Catiline ;
Benton against Calhoun."
When he had finished his address, and came out
into the court-house yard, I went up to him and said,
" Colonel, I believe you have made an impression on
these people." ''Always the case," said he, " always
the case, sir. N^obody opposes Benton but a few
black-jack prairie lawyers ; fellows who aspire to the
ambition of cheating some honest farmer out of a
heifer in a suit before a justice of the peace, sir, —
these are the only opponents of Benton. Benton and
the people, Benton and Democracy, are one and the
same, sir; synonymous terms, sir, — synonymous
terms, sir.''
On another occasion he said, in a public speech
(it is proper to remark that in addressing assemblies
of the people he never used the words ' ' f ellow-citi-
A PARALLEL CASE. 185
zens," and hardly ever used the pei'sonal pronoun
*' I," but was accustomed to speak of himself in the
third person, as Benton) : " Citizens, I have been
dogged all over the State by such men as Claud
Jones and Jim Birch. . [Jones was State senator,
and Birch supreme judge of the State.] Pericles
was once so dogged. He called a servant, made
him light a lamp, and show the man who had dogged
him to his own gate the way home. But it could
not be expected of me, citizens, that I should ask
any servant of mine, either white or black, or any
free negro, to perform an office of such humiliating
degradation as gallant home such men as Claud Jones
and Jim Birch ; and that with a lamp, citizens, that
passers by might see what kind of company my ser-
vants kept."
Again : He made a speech at Boonville. " Citi-
zens," he said, " when I went to Fayette, in Howard
County, the other day, to address the people, Claib.,
Jackson, old Dr. Lowry, and the whole faction had
given out that I should not speak there. When the
time came to fulfil my appointment, I walked up
into the College Hall and commenced my address to
the large assembly of people collected to hear me ;
and I had not spoken ten minutes before Claib. Jack-
186 THOMAS HART BENTON.
son, old Dr. Lowry, and the whole faction marched
in, and took their seats as modestly as a parcel of
disreputable characters at a baptizing."
After he had been defeated for the Senate, he be-
came a candidate for Congress in the St. Louis dis-
trict, and was elected. Riding out into the countr}",
he came to where some railroad men were at work.
As Col. Benton came up to where the men were dig-
ging, he stopped his buggy, and said, '^ This is what
I call honest labor. This is what I call a man eam-
mg his living by the sweat of his brow. No cheat,
no trickery in this." The Irish all dropped their
picks and shovels, and gathered around him. '' My
friends," said he, ''have you a spring hard by?"
Yes, said his hearers, there is one close by. " Cold
water, cold water," said he, ''is the poor man's
beverage, the honest man's drink, the laboring man's
potation. Temperate all my life ; but then in these
piping-hot days in July it is necessary to use a little
caution, to guard against being sun-struck ; there-
fore I've brought a bottle of brandy along." The
bottle was produced, and the laborers partook of its
contents. One of them said, "And who will we be
after having the honor of drinking with?" " Col.
Benton. There is but one Col. Benton," was the
NO NEWS TO HIM, 187
reply. " Och, by the powers ! Jemmy, here's the mon
we've all bin wantmg to see, and, be jabers, here he
is now."
In canvassing the State, Col. Benton went to Co-
lumbia, and spoke there. The Hon. James S. Rol-
lins invited him to his house. The next morning
Mr. Rollins arose early, and got the newspaper giving
an aceoimt of Col. Benton's speech. He was so
much pleased with it that he thought it would be
gratifying to his distinguished guest to let him know
what had been said in the local paper about his ad-
dress. Mr. Rollins took the paper and went up-
stairs to Col. Benton's room. After rapping at the
door, and being invited in, Mr. Rollins in most ap-
propriate and courteous terms apologized to his guest,
who was still in bed, and explained to Col. Benton
the desire he had to show him the complimentary and
flattering account given of his speech. '^ Does it do
justice to Benton?" said the great man. '^ Yes,"
said Mr. Rollins, " I think it does you most full and
ample justice." '* I know all about it, sir; I wi'ote
it myself, sir."
Col. Benton had a high compliment paid to him
in the United States Senate by Mr. Webster, who
said on one occasion, that " whenever the senator
from Missouri had investigated any subject, and
188 SPENCER PETTIS.
made a report upon it, he did it with so much ability,
and such a deep research, that he (Mr. Webster) was
always edified, instructed, and improved by that sen-
ator's reports."
Col. Benton was a remarkable man. It is not
saying too much, perhaps, to say he was the most
striking figure, in personal appearance, that ever sat
in the United States Senate. His fine face and per-
sonal appearance, with his neat dress, drew upon
him the eyes of all strangers on entering the Senate
Chamber, and every one inquii'ed immediately who he
was.
Spencer Pettis was a young man from Culpepper
County, Virginia. He came to St. Louis about
182i, and established himself as a lawyer. At that
time the governor of the State had the appoii^tment,
by law, of a secretary of state and treasurer, and
all of the other executive officers of the State gov-
ernment. When Frederick Bates died, in the year
1825, there was a special election for the office of
governor (Fredenck Bates was the second governor
of the State, and died in less than a year after he
had l)een inaugurated), and the candidates to fill
the place were William C. Carr, Judge Da\dd Todd,
ANNOUNCING HIMSELF AS A CANDIDATE. 189
and John Miller. John Miller was elected, and
appointed Spencer Pettis secretary of state. The
State government had in the meantime been removed
fi-om St. Charles to Jefferson City ; the State House
had just been partially completed, and there was
barely room enough for the governor and the State
oflScers. Spencer Pettis, while he was secretary of
state, sent commissions to all justices of the peace
and County Court judges, and other State officers,
and he used to say at the end of every letter trans-
mitting these documents, '^Please say that I am a
candidate for Congress." He was the Democratic
candidate for Congi'ess against Edward Bates, who
had beaten John Scott in the year 1826, and at the
next election Pettis defeated Bates. That was in the
year 1828.
Maj . Thomas Biddle had mairied the daughter of
John MuUanphy, a very rich man residing in St.
Louis. Gen. Jackson, as president of the United
States, had made war upon the United States Bank
and ultimately broke it down, and prevented it from
being re-chartered. Spencer Pettis, in 1830, became
a candidate for re-election to Congress, being a
Jackson man, of course. Maj. Biddle, although a
paymaster in the United States army, had a great
fondness for politics, and wanted to be elected United
190 SPENCER PETTIS.
States senator. Possessed of ample wealth, he
wanted to gi^atify his ambition by figuring on the
floor of Congress. But his friends all told him that
as long as he was an officer in the United States
army, holding a commission as paymaster, he could
not enter the political arena with any prospects of
success. Biddle, however, began to write various
articles abusing Spencer Pettis, ridiculing his claims
as a candidate for Congress, and speaking contempt-
uously of him. I recollect, in one of his articles he
stigmatized him as a dish of skimmed milk. Pettis
replied with a good deal of spirit to Biddle' s articles,
and Biddle, one evening, only a few days before the
election, came down to the City Hotel, where Pettis
stayed, and lay in wait for him. Pettis, however, had
gone to the lower end of the town electioneering, in
company with a man named James Neil. Maj. Bid-
dle waited aroimd the hotel for some time, but finally
went away without seeing him. The next morning
Biddle started down town to market ; he had his negro
man with him. It was very early in the morning, and
when he came to the City Hotel, which was then
and is now located on Yme and Third Streets, the
hotel was just being opened, and the servants were
beginning to clean up the rooms. When Biddle
came up, he asked one of the servants to go up and
AN EXCITING FRACAS. 191
tell Mr. Pettis that there was a gentleman down-
stairs who wanted to see him. The servant went up,
and when he came back, said to Maj. Biddle that Mr.
Pettis told him to go away, that he didn't want to
be disturbed. Mr. Pettis, it appeared, had been up
very late the night previous, and when he went to
bed the mosquitoes annoyed him excessively, as he
had no bar, and in order to get clear of the mosqiii-
toes he had gone out into the hall, where there was a
draught. Maj. Biddle, as soon as the sei'vant came
back with the message that Mr. Pettis would not be
disturbed, asked the servant to show him to Pettis's
room. The servant started for the room, and Maj.
Biddle followed. In going upstairs they f oimd Pettis
lying in the hall, and Biddle at once drew a cowhide,
and, without any explanation, commenced cowhiduig
him. There was at once a tremendous uproar and
great disturbance all over the house, and cries of
murder, shrieking and screaming of women through-
out the hotel. At last Pettis succeeded in getting a
sword-cane, and began to lunge and stab at Biddle,
when the latter retreated and made his way out into
the street. In the morning some parties went up
before Peter Ferguson, a justice of the peace, and
made affidavit, and had Maj. Biddle arrested for
assault with intent to kill. Mr. Pettis was present
192 SPENCER PETTIS.
and testified. I was also present as a spectator, and
as a personal friend of Maj. Biddle. Justice Fergu-
son bound Maj. Biddle over to keep the peace, and
to appear before the Circuit Court and answer to an
indictment, if one should be found ; and Mr. Mullan-
phy, his father-in-law, went on his bail-bond. A
few days after, the election came off, and Mr. Pettis
was re-elected to Congress triumphantly. Maj.
Biddle went up to Prairie du Chien to pay off the
United States troops, and while he was gone Spencer
Pettis went down to Ste. Genevieve to consult with
Dr. Lewis F. Lynn, a political friend, and at that
time a very prominent man in the State. When he
came back he went to see Martin Thomas, an old
United States officer and formerly captain in the
United States army. Capt. Thomas was a Whig in
politics, and Mr. Pettis was a Jackson man. Capt.
Thomas took him in charge, for the purpose of
instructing him and training him how to shoot accu-
rately. At that time there was a gi'ove of bushes
and trees where Broadway now is, in the vicinity of
what is known as the ''Rocky Branch" Creek.
When Maj. Biddle came back from Prairie du Chien,
Capt. Thomas carried to Maj. Biddle a challenge
from Spencer Pettis. Maj. Biddle sent word by a
servant to Thomas that it would receive his atten-
PRELIMINARIES OF THE "CODE." 193
tion. Maj. Biddle then went to Maj. Ben. O'Fallon,
a brother of John O' Fallon, and who had been an
oflGlcer m the United States army, as one well
acquainted with the duelling code, to be his second.
Ben. O'Fallon, as Maj. Biddle's second, took the
answer to Capt. Thomas, as the second of Spencer
Pettis. As Biddle was the challenged party, it was
said in his behalf, or rather it was alleged and
set up as a claim in his behalf, that as he was
near-sighted, and could not see far, the distance
must be reduced to, and not exceed, five feet. Mr.
Pettis, as the challenging party, agreed to the dis-
tance of five feet. This was in the month of Au-
gust, 1831, and for several days previous to the
duel both parties were engaged in practising with
their weapons. The expected event was open and
notorious, and talked of about town with as little
reserve, and with as much openness, as would have
been an approaching Fourth of July celebration.
On the day appointed for the meeting, Maj . Biddle
and his party — his second, Ben. O'Fallon, and
Dr. Hardage Lane, his surgeon — went across from
the main shore at the upper end of St. Louis to
Bloody Island, in the Mississippi River. Spencer
Pettis and his party followed soon afterwards, start-
ing from a point about three squares below where
13
194 SPENCER PETTIS.
the other party had crossed. The whole town was
assembled to see them depart. There were several
thousand people on the levee, at the windows, and
on the tops of the houses facing the river. Old
Mr. MuUanphy, the father-in-law of Maj. Biddle,
sat on his old roan mare in the midst of the great
crowd on the levee. At last there was a report of
a pistol-shot, — both pistols fired so simultaneously
that it seemed as if there was but one shot. Di-
rectly afterwards a servant was seen to run out of
the bushes to the bank of the river, jump into a
skiff, and start to cross the river. As the skiff
neared the shore near Washington Avenue, a thou-
sand voices cried out, ^^What is the result?" and
the party in the skiff shouted, * ' Both mortally
wounded ; I am coming back to get bedding and
blankets." The bedding and blankets were obtained
and earned across to the island, with more skiffs
and men to assist. Maj. Biddle and his friends
were brought back, a crowd of about three thou-
sand people following him to his house.
Immediately afterwards Spencer Pettis was
brought over, and taken to a house on Main Street,
one square north of Washington Avenue, that then
belonged to Maj. Brant. Col. Benton, with others,
met Pettis at the landing, and fanned him. Dr.
THE SCENE AT THE DUEL. 195
Hardage Lane told me that before the duel came
off he saw that Maj. Biddle was greatly distressed,
despondent, and depressed. A little sapling, cut
half-way thi'ough a foot from the ground, had been
bent over to make a sort of rustic seat ; and he said
that Maj. Biddle seemed in such great anguish and
distress that he was urged to take a seat there for a
short time. Capt. Thomas also told me that Ben.
O'Fallon said to him, pulling out his pistol and cock-
ing it, '' If Mr. Pettis moves his arm, or attempts to
fire before the word is given, I will shoot you down.''
''Agreed," said Capt. Thomas ; " but if Maj. Biddle
attempts to move hijs arm, or makes the least motion
to fire before the word is given, I will shoot you
down." The pistols were then loaded and put into
the hands of the principals, who were stationed at
the ^ distance of only five feet apart. The seconds
then stood at right angles between the principals.
The seconds then cocked theh* pistols, keeping their
eyes on each other and on their principals. They had
thrown up for positions, and Pettis had won the choice.
Everything being ready, the pistols having been
loaded, cocked, and primed, and put into the hands
of the principals, the words were pronounced accord-
ing to the rule of duelling, ''Are you ready? " Both
parties answered, "We are." The seconds then
196 SPENCER PETTIS.
counted one — two — three. When the word was
given, both the principals fired with outstretched
arms; the pistols were twelve or fifteen inches in
length, and they lapped and struck against each
other as they were discharged. There was scarcely a
chance for either to escape instant death. They both
fired so nearly simultaneously that the people on
shore heard only one report, and both men fell at the
same time. Dr. Lane told me he immediately ran
and lifted up Maj. Biddle, and seated him on the
little sapling. The major said, ^^I feel very much
hurt. Dr. Lane." Dr. Lane unbuttoned his clothes
and examined his person, and found that his vital
organs had been injm'ed. He immediately sent across
to the city and ordered more skiffs, with blankets
and mattresses, to convey the wounded and dying
man to his home. Mr. Pettis was also brought back
to the house previously mentioned, where he died the
next day. Maj. Biddle lingered two days longer,
when he died. Before he died, he inquired how
Pettis was, and was told he was dead.
Judge James H. Peck, of the United States
court, did all that he could do to prevent the duel.
He was under great obligations to Mr. Pettis. When
Col. Lawless sent in his petition to the United States
House of Representatives to have Judge Peck im-
DEATH OF PETTIS. 197
peached for high crimes and misdemeanors, Mr. Pettis
was the representative in Congress from Missouri,
and opposed any articles of impeachment being pre-
sented. When Mr. Pettis was brought back from the
duelling-groimd, Judge Peck was among the first to
meet him and offer him sympathy in his dying agonies.
Pettis said to him, ^'Did I vindicate my honor?"
*' Yes," said the judge, *' Mr. Pettis, you have vindi-
cated your honor like a man, a man of bravery, sir ;
you have fought as bravely as ever a man fought in the
world in defence of his honor. Now," said he, " as
you have fought like a man, die like a man." Very
soon after that Mr. Pettis died. Col. Benton was here
at the time. He ran over from his house, which was
on Washington Avenue, one square north of the City
Hotel, where Pettis was cowhided, and was there on
the morning shortly after it occmred. Col. Benton
gave a most graphic and stirring account of the duel.
It was copied into all the newspapers of the United
States, and the duel itself was characterized as one
of the most desperate encounters that had ever oc-
curred in the country. Mr. Pettis died August 26,
1831, aged twenty-nine years. The whole town
turned out and marched on foot to the funeral, which
took place on Simday, August 27, 1831, from the
upper end of Main Street, where Green Street now
198 JOSEPH SMITH.
interaects it, down to Rutger's Garden, where a ceme-
terj'^ had been opened, and where Pettis was buried ;
and where afterwards some man from Nashville, Ten-
nessee, brought a monument to erect to his memory.
The Democratic party not being willing to pay for
it, it was afterwards sold for debt. Mr. Pettis never
had a monument erected to his memory, unless we
so regard the fact that the State of Missouri named
a county after him. Maj. Biddle was buried in the
old Catholic cemetery, on Franklin Avenue, near
where the St. Charles Road turned off to the right.
Before Mrs. Biddle died, she directed by will that a
monument should be erected to herself and her hus-
band, right back of St. Anne's Asylum ; and when
Mr. Lynch, the undertaker, was sent for to remove
the bodies of Mrs. Biddle and Maj. Thomas Biddle
to the new tomb in Calvary Cemetery,* he told me that
he found the bullet that had killed Maj. Biddle among
his bones. He took this bullet and gave it to Maj.
Thomas B. Hudson, who had married a niece of
Maj. Biddle.
After the Mormon war in Missouri, in the year
1838, the good people of the State of Illinois invited
the Mormons over into their State. And among
THE MORMONS DRIVEN FROM NAUVOO. 199
other arguments used on that occasion, they said
to these people of the new religion, "Come over
into the State of Illinois; come over into a free
State. Here you can practice your religion to the
fullest extent. Missouri is a slave State, and the
slave-holders in that State will not permit you to
enjoy your religion."
The Mormons were pleased at these flattering
invitations, and moved over in a body, settling at
Nauvoo, where they built the " Temple." But they
were not permitted very long to enjoy their promised
freedom and toleration in religion by the good people
of the great Pi'airie State. The inhabitants made
war upon them, and treated them woi-se than the evil
ones of old are said to have done, who merely
^ ' stoned the prophets ; ' ' they not only imprisoned
Joe Smith, "the prophet of the Lord," but shot
and killed him while a prisoner. The Mormons
were finally driven out of the State of Illinois by
the inhabitants located in their immediate vicinity,
and removed to Utah, where they seem to have
prospered greatly.
While the Mormons lived at Xauvoo, Lilbum
W. Boggs, who had been governor of Missouri at
the time war had been made upon that people in
Missouri, was living as a private citizen in Jackson
200 JOSEPH SMITH.
County, Missouri, where he was shot by some un-
known person. The ex-governor, though severely
wounded, was not killed; after his recovery he
removed to California, where he died some years ago.
When Gov. Boggs was shot, his neighbors
and friends, and the community in general, became
indignant at the outrage. As to its perpetrator
there was no positive evidence, and there seemed to
be a mystery about the nefarious affair. The public
mind became greatly excited, and Joe Smith was
pitched upon by conjecture and general suspicion as
having been the perpetrator of the criminal deed.
In consequence, Joe Smith was indicted by the grand
jury for an attempt to assassinate the ex-governor.
The papers were made out in proper form, and a
requisition made according to law by the governor
of the State of Missouri upon the governor of the
State of Illmois, and a messenger was sent to bring
Smith back to Missouri. The executive of Illinois
caused the ' ' prophet of the Lord " to be arrested
and delivered over, by due legal process, to the
messenger from Missouri.
Immediately upon being arrested, the man of
sacred calling employed a lawyer, who sued out a
writ of habeas corpus from the United States Dis-
trict Court of the State of Illinois, Judge IN'athaniel
A WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS. 201
Pope presiding, the writ being returnable at Spring-
field, the seat of government for the State of Illinois.
The news of the arrest and of the suing out of the
writ of habeas corpus appeared in all the newspapers
published in that part of the State, and the day
fixed for the hearing, on the return-day of the writ
specifically stated.
The United States court met at the day and time
fixed. The United States marshal had the pris-
oner in custody, with the return to the writ, setting
forth the cause of his capture and detention. The
weather was warm, and the court-room was crowded ;
the larger part of the audience being ladies, who
were elegantly dressed, most of them using fans.
As soon as the judge took his seat upon the
bench, and the court was formally opened by the
United States marshal. Judge Pope said, ^^Gentle-
men, are you ready to go on with this habeas corpus
case?" Thereupon Judge Butterfield, coimsel for
the prisoner, a man of prominence, who was after-
wards commissioner of the general land-oflSce at
Washington, rose and addressed the court, and said :
' ' May it please the court, I am comisel for the pi'is-
oner ; and I appear upon the present occasion imder
some embarrassment. I am now called upon," said
he, ''to defend the 'prophet of the Lord,' before
202 JOHN F. DARBY.
the Pope, in the presence of angels;'' wavmg his
hand to the beautiful and well-dressed ladies in the
court-room.
After this eloquent and polished address to the
court, and after the court had heard argument at
great length on the case, Judge Pope delivered the
opinion of the court, discharging the prisoner.
As soon as Smith had been discharged by the
court, the ladies in the court-room all keeping their
eyes upon him with the deepest interest, the man of
distinction and notoriety, who had founded a great
religious dynasty, arose in the coiul-room, made a
most graceful bow to the assembled multitude, and
gracefully withdrew. He was afterwards murdered,
while a piisoner in the jail at Carthage, Hancock
County, Illinois, under the protection of the law. So
passed away from earth the great founder of the
Mormon religion, Joe Smith, the prophet, who was
the author of the Book of Mormon, on which the
Monnon religion is based.
In the year 1835, John F. Darby was first elected
mayor of St. Louis. The Eastern mails were con-
veyed in the old slow mail-coaches from Louisville,
A PUBLIC MEETING CALLED. 203
Kentucky, to St. Louis, through the States of Indi-
ana and Illinois, where at times the roads were almost
impajssable. Mayor Darby issued a proclamation
calling a meeting of the citizens of St. Louis at the
Town Hall, for the purpose of memorializing Con-
gresQ to direct the great national road then being
built, to cross the Mississippi Kiver at St. Louis, in
its continuation to Jefferson City. Mr. Darby was
made president of the meeting, and George K. Mc-
Gunnagle acted as secretary. The meeting was
animated and enthusiastic. An able and interesting
memorial, which had been prepared by the Hon.
David Barton, ex-United Stajtes senator, was adopted
by the meeting, and, being signed by the president
and secretary, was. forwarded to our delegation in
Congress. The next move was to take action towards
building railroads.
On the twenty-fifth day of February, 1836, the
mayor, John F. Darby, made an official communica-
tion to the Board of Aldermen, m-ging in the strongest
terms that immediate steps be taken toward building a
railroad. On that communication the following pro-
ceedings were had : —
In thb Board of Aldermex op the City of >
St. Louis, February 25, 1836. )
On motion of Mr. Grimsley, it was —
Reaolvedy That the mayor's communication of this day on the
subject of a county meeting be referred to a select committee,
1
J
204 JOHN F. DAKBY.
with instructions to draft an address to the people of St. Louis
County, setting forth the great advantages which must inevitably
flow to our city, county, and State from a speedy survey and loca-
tion of the proposed railroad from this city to Fayette, in How-
ard County ; and inviting the citizens to attend a meeting, to be
held in the court-house, on Thursday, the 3d of March, to ap-
point delegates to a convention to be held by delegates from all
the counties through which said road may pass from this city
to the city of Fayette aforesaid.
On motion of Mr. O'Neil, it was —
Resolved, That in the event of the convention for taking into
consideration the propriety of making an application to the next
Greneral Assembly of Missouri for a charter for a railroad from
St. Louis to Fayette, meeting in St. Louis, the mayor is author-
ized respectfully to in\ate the members of said convention to take
lodgings at such house or houses as they may think proper, at the
cost of the city, and to furnish the City Hall for the use of the
convention.
An address was made to the people of St. Louis
County, requesting them to attend a meeting called
at the coui*t-house, in the city of St. Louis, on the
thu-d day of March, 1836, for the purpose of taking
steps toward the building of railroads. Dr. Samuel
Merry, a prominent citizen, was appointed chairman
of the meeting, and Charles Keemle secretary. The
chairman explained the objects of the meeting, and
then appointed a committee, consisting of John F.
Darby, Dr. William Carr Lane, Thornton Grimsley,
and Archibald Gamble, to make a report and draft
an address to the people of the State on the subject
of railroads, and then adjourned to the fifth day of
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. 205
March. When the meeting reassembled, John F.
Darby, chahman of the committee, made the follow-
ing report : —
When we look abroad, we see the people of every State in the
Union, both in their individual and corporate capacities, actively
engaged in facilitating the social and commercial intercourse
between the distant parts of their respective States, by means of
railroads and canals ; whilst here at home we see nothing done
upon these all-important objects, and little essayed until very
lately.
In fact, we are forced to admit the unwelcome truth, that on
this matter we are behind the spirit of the age. Our neighbor,
Illinois, has gallantly taken the lead of us, and set us an example
more worthy of imitation than of jealousy. She is pursuing the
interest of her own people according to her best judgment, by in-
tersecting the State in many directions by channels of communi-
cation. Let us take admonition from her course, and commence
action upon the same policy for the benefit of every part of our
own State. Fortunately, the citizens of our own State are
awakening to a just sense of their actual position and true inter-
ests ; and we, a portion of the people of the city and county of St.
Louis, most cheerfully meet our brethren from every part of the
world, and pledge ourselves to aid, to the utmost extent of our
power, every object of internal improvement which is intended for
the common benefit of the whole State.
In sketching the outline of any great scheme of internal improve-
ment, the integrity of the interest of the whole State should be
kept constantly in view; and those lines of intercommunication
which would most effectually connect the distant parts of the
State, and harmonize their interests, should in our opinion receive
most favor from an enlightened public.
This assembly disclaims any near-sighted view of State policy
which would assume that one section of the State could be bene-
fited without benefiting the whole State, or that one section
206 JOHN F. DARBY.
could be injured without injury to the whole. And in presenting
any great scheme of improvement, it is obviously proper to proceed
upon principles of unquestioned soundness and of universal
application, namely, that the good of the greatest number of peo-
ple and the geatest mass of interest should be first consulted, in
accordance with the application of this principle.
We consider the project for a railroad from the western to the
eastern part of the State, which is proposed to be made, as that
object to take precedence of all others, and as being altogether
worthy of the best exertions to insure success.
When we contemplate the completion of this grand project, with
all its beneficial consequences in a social, agricultural, manufac-
turing, and commercial point of view, — a project which will approxi-
mate the east, west, and middle counties ; which will break down
sectional animosities, having their origin and nature in mutual
ignorance ; which will increase the value of agricultural products,
encourage manufactures, extend commerce, and aid in the
development of unexplored resources, — we repeat that the con-
templation of this project necessarily associates other similar
enterprises as necessary to the main design, and enlists for all
such undertakings, in advance, our best wishes. But as this
meeting is assembled for the sole i)urpose of cooperating with
others in making the road from Fayette to this place, to that
object alone its action should be confined ; projects for the exten-
sion of the road to the western boundary of the State, and the
necessary' lateral branches to be left to the consideration of the
delegates from the several counties, or to future time and enter-
prise.
Upon this occasion, many reasons present themselves to us
which will no doubt influence the cooperation of individuals and
corporations in this magnificent work. Patriotic considerations
will influence some iudi\iduals, and pecuniaiy interest will govern
others.
The counties through wliich the road will pass, possibly may
follow the example of Howard County, and give some aid ; the
State itself, in providing for the general welfare, may reasonably be
THE REPORT ADOPTED. 207
expected to put its shoulder to the wheel ; and the government of
the United States, without doubt, will assist in a work which will
so greatly enhance the value of the public lands, and at the same
time facilitate the defence of the frontier. But as this is not,
perhaps, the most suitable occasion which may offer for a detail
of the reasons upon which these calculations are based, we forbear
to enlarge upon the subject. Be it therefore
Resolved^ That a committee of delegates, consisting of sixteen
persons, be appointed by this meeting, in behalf of the county of
St. Louis, whose duty it shall be to meet the delegates from other
counties, appointed upon the basis of representation, at such
place as may be most agreeable to our western brethren, upon
the 20th of April next, or upon any oth6r day which they may
name ; and it shall be the duty of our delegates to aid in the adop-
tion of such measures as may serve most effectuaUy to insure the
making of a railroad from this city to Fayette, in Howard County.
Resolved, That the different counties throughout the State be
invited to hold county meetings and send such delegates to the
proposed convention.
John F. Darby,
Chairynan.
The report of the committee havmg been read,
Hamilton Kowan Gamble addressed the meeting in a
speech of great force and powder, advocating the
adoption of the report ; and the question being put,
the report was adopted unanimously. Great enthu-
siasm prevailed.
Mr. Gamble then presented to the meeting the
names of the following gentlemen as delegates to
the proposed convention, who were unanimously
elected as such, viz. : Edward Tracy, Joshua B.
208 JOHN F. DARBY.
Brant, John O'Fallon, Samuel Merry, Archibald
Gamble, Gren. William Clark, Joseph C. LaveiUe,
Thornton Grimsley, Daniel D. Page, Henry Walton,
Lewellen Brown, Henry Von Phul, Adam L. Mils,
Pierre Chouteau, Jr., and John Kerr.
Dr. William Carr Lane submitted the following
resolution, which was unanimously adopted : —
Resolved^ That the thanks of this meeting are due to the mayor
and aldermen of St. Louis for the tender of the hospitalities of the
city to the delegates from the several counties to the proposed meet'
ing, and that a committee of seven persons be appointed by the
chairman, in behalf of this meeting, to aid the committee of the
municipal authorities in providing for the accommodation and
comfort of the delegates during their sojourn in this city.
In pursuance of these proceedings a convention
was held in the city of St. Louis on the twentieth
day of April, 1836, composed of delegates from
eleven of the most populous and wealthy counties in
the State, and gentlemen of the greatest influence
and highest chai'acter. So soon as the convention
was fully organized, they were welcomed by the city
authorities as follows : —
:.}
Mayor's Office,
St. Louis, April 20, 1836,
Mr. President and Oentlemen of the Convention :
The municipal authorities of the city of St. Louis have the
honor to tender to you the hospitalities of the city, and upon the
mayor has devolved the pleasing duty of announcing to you
that they have been no less honored than gratified that their
GREAT PUBLIC DINNER 209
fellow-citizens in the various counties whicli you represent in this
convention should have selected tliis city as the place of your
deliberations upon a subject of such vital imjK)rtance to the inter-
ests and i)ro8perity of the State. A committee has been appointed
on the part of the Board of Aldermen, to make i)ro vision for the
comfort and convenience of the delegates to this convention, and
to provide such other accommodations as may facilitate the objects
for which j'ou have <'onvened. Be pleased, gentlemen, to ac(rept
the l)est wishes of the mayor, aldermen, and citizens of the city of
St. Louis for the successful completion of the improvements you
have assembled to consult about, and the fullest assurance of
8upi>ort, so far as the corporate authorities of this city can aid in
the furtherance of an enterprise alike so desirable to the people of
the country and the inhabitants of this city.
I have the honor to be, with great respect,
John F. Dauby,
Mayor of St, Louis,
Two railroads were ])rojected by this conven-
tion, — one to the Iron Mountain, and the other west-
ward, north of the Missouri River; after which they
celebrated the undertaking by a gi'eat dmnei' given
at the Xational Hotel, on the corner of Third and
Market Streets, at which the mayor, Mr. Darby,
presided. It was a most festive and joyous occasion.
As this was the beginning and first movement
toward building up raili'oads in Missomi, we have in
v.
a measure ^ven the proceedings in full. This was
the origin and commencement of our I'ailroad sytem
in Missouri, and as such deserves to be preserved in
permanent book-form ; although published hereto-
u
210 KING OTHO OF GR££C£.
fore ill newspapers and pamphlets, from which Mr.
L. U. Reavis has taken extracts, and from informa-
tion fmiiished him by Mr. Darby, has given some
notice in his ^'Centennial edition" of the '* Future
Great City of the World/'
In the year 1835-6, King Otho of Greece came
to St. Louis. He came, consigned as it were from
Mr. John Jacol) Astor, of New York, to Mr. Pierre
Chouteau, Mr. Astor' s partner in the fur trade, ancL
at that time the head of the American Fur Company.
His royal highness travelled in a private way, without
any ostentatious display, or any of the trappings of
royalty. He was a man of large size, over six feet
high, of light complexion, and wore a heavy mus-
tache. I dined with him at Mr. Chouteau's, and
met him thei'e at parties on several occasions. He
could not speak English, and used the French lan-
guage in conversation. He did not seem to be very
refined, and from the manner in which he loaded his
big mustache with his soup, and soiled his napkin
at table, he was not calculated to impress very fa-
vorably an American, unaccustomed and unused to
royalty.
VISITS STE. GENEVIEVE. 211
The king spent some time here, without any-
seeming object. There was a want of intellectual
enjoyment in his pursuits, and he appeared to spend
life in the pursuit of pleasure and personal amuse-
ments. He passed nearly all the time, while in St.
Louis, in Mr. Chouteau's counting-room, where he
went daily, and whei'e Mr. Chouteau, from his great
politeness, was compelled to entei-tain him in con-
versation.
The king afterwards went from St. Louis to
Ste. Genevieve, where, as it w^as not a busy town,
he found men of more leisure : and as thev were
men of wealth, and all spoke French, they were
more congenial to him. Among the gentlemen then
in Ste. Grenevieve were the Valles, Gen. Bosier,
John Kibeau, and many othei*s ; all gentlemen of
the 'first respectability, fine education, and of the
most polished and finished manners. Here the king
seemed to enjoy life, and whiled away his existence
among these accomplished gentlemen for several
months, drinking wine, playing cards, shooting,
riding, etc. The generous hospitality which sur-
rounded him on all sides, as it were, charmed and
captivated his royal highness.
The man of royal distinction was exc^essively
212 KING OTHO OF GREECE.
fond of shooting, and nearly every day he was ban-
teiing Gen. Bosier to shoot with him at pigeons on
the wing, at five dollars a shot. Being a king, it
was beneath the dignity of his eminent position to
shoot for any less snm. Gen. Bosier, besides being
a man of most (tommanding and elegant pei-sonal
appearance, was withal one of the best shots of his
time. He could handle a gmi with the greatest ef-
fect and precision, and brought down his bird at
every shot. Gen. Bosier, seeing that his opponent
was a poor shot, declined in most courteous terms to
shoot any more. But his i*oyal liighness insisted upon
continuing the sport, and the man of unerring cer-
tainty with the gun was compelled to continue the
shooting rather than give offenee to his majesty.
So nuich for Greece, — on the banks of the Missis-
sippi, —
** Yet bleeding Greece no more."
The king of Greece, after lingering long on the
west bank of the great river of the American conti-
nent, took leave of his hospitable entertainers, the
French inhabitants, and went to T^Tew York. Mr.
Pierre Chouteau, Jr., informed me that his good friend
John Jacob Astor had lost about twelve or fifteen
thousand dollars by this distinguished specimen of
CAPT. ISAIAH SELLERS. 213
royalty from the classic land of Greece, in fumish-
ing" him spending-money to travel on in a majiner
becoming the dignity of a sovereign and a king.
As a steamboat captain and pilot on the Western
rivers and waters, particularly on the Mississippi, Capt.
Isaiah Sellers never had his equal, and certainly he
never had his superior, in this particular vocation.
Capt. Sellere, from his great success in the calling
and business which he had engaged in and followed
from boyhood to advanced age, and in justice to his
his good name and fine character, would seem to be
entitled to a more honorable notice than the seeming
burlesque and ridicule with which he is spoken of by
^'Mark Twain."
It is not our purpose to write a full biography of
him, but to give some few incidents and anecdotes
concerning him, illustrating somewhat the life and
character of the man.
Capt. Sellers was bom in Iredell County, N^orth
Carolina, and came West to St. Louis in the year
1825, when he was quite a young man. His educa-
tion was limited, and he devoted himself to learning
the business of a pilot, and of acquiring a knowledge
214 CAPT. ISAIAH SELLERS.
of the Mississippi River between St. Louis and New | i 3
Orleans.
Capt. Sellers learned the river thoroughly . Dur- i^-
ing the time that he was thus captain, in coming to
a dangerous place in the channel, he would go up to ""^
the wheel-house, relieve the pilot, take hold of the
wheel himself, and put the boat through into safe
and secui'e waters. After acting for many years a^
commander of vessels, he chose to confine himself
to the business of pilot.
During tlie nearly forty years that Capt. Seller^'
was engaged in navigathig the Western rivere, h^
never sank a boat, never wrecked a vessel, and never —
ran his boat into and sunk another steamboat. It^
used to be said by steamboatmen, that '' he had th^?
channel of the Mississippi Kiver by heart." '*Iii^
the twilight, in the black and dark night," awaken^
Capt. Sellers up out of a sound sleep, at any poinfc^^
on the river between St. Louis and Xew Orleans, -•
and let him take a glance at the shore, and he eoul<
instantly tell where he w^as. He knew of every ol
struction in the river for the whole twelve hundred
miles b€»tween these two cities, whether from wrecks
of steamboats, rocks, stumps, logs, or other eaiise,
and knew how^ to avoid them. There was not a farm-
house, stable, bani, wood-shed, warehouse, or wood-
HIS RIVER RECORD. 215
yai-d on either shore that he was not familiar with,
and used them as landmarks in guiding his vessel.
Xay, there was hardly a sycamore ti*ee, a large Cot-
tonwood, or old dead tree on the east or west bank
that he did not avail himself of to steer by. He
knew perfectly well the dividing lines between the
States bordering on the river, — between Tennessee
and Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee, Missis-
sippi and Louisiana, Louisiana and Arkansas, and
Arkansas and Missouri, — and could point out the
exact spot on the bank from the deck of the steam-
boat.
Capt. Sellei's made one hundred and nine round
trips, continuously, as i)ilot on the steamboat Aleck
Scott, never meeting with the slightest accident, —
not even the breaking of a bucket in the wheel-house.
He was the. principal pilot on the steamer James M.
White when Capt. Swon made the run from Xew
Orleans to St. Louis, against the mighty current of
the Mississippi River, in four days, — a trip which, in
time, has never been equalled.
Capt. Sellers was possessed of a powerful intel-
lect, and if he had been educated, and turned his at-
tention to scientific or professional pui'suits instead
of steamboating, he would have left a name among
the men and times in which he lived.
216 CAPT. ISAIAH SELLERS.
As somewhat ilhisti'ating Capt. Sellers's char-
acter, we beg leave to relate the following' anecdote :
In the months of February and March, in the year
1841, a good many ladies and gentlemen among the
wealthiest citizens of St. Louis went on a trip of
pleasure to New Orleans. After spending some
weeks in that gay, and at that time most ex-
travagant city, the party determined to return home.
Capt. Swon had just come to Xew Orleans on his
first trip with liis splendid new steamboat St.
Louis. She was the most costly and elegant
steamer then on the Mississippi. As a matter of
course, all of the gay party availed themselves of the
occasion to come home on the "floating palace.''
The boat w^as pretty well filled with passengei'S.
The same round of pleasure, the sumptuous table,
the fine music, and the dance every night on the boat,
showed that all these devotees of pleasure were bent
on the pursuit of happiness.
In ascending the river one night, the heavens be-
came overcast, and black with a coming storm. The
music ceased and the dance stopped. The wind
blew from the west with such tenific fury as sensi-
blv to careen the vessel. All had heard of storms,
tornadoes, and hurricanes on the Lower Mississippi.
The loud groans of the high-pressure engines, which
"SELLERS IS AT THE WHEEL." 217
short time before had been heard to echo from the
pposite shore, became drowned and hushed by the
i^ng of the storm, and the vivid flashes of light-
ins: wore a more dreadful hue than that of total
arkness. Husbands gathered near their wives and
aughters, against the time when the anticipated aw-
il crash should come. There was no conversation.
II that dread moment, anxiety and distress were de-
icted on every countenance. Two gentlemen at last
•-ent out on the east side of the boat (the wind blow-
\g so strong from the west that the doors could not
e opened in that direction) to ask the captain if it
rould not be better to try and land the boat, amidst
uch threatened disaster and destruction. They
Dund the captain, and made known their request.
^he captain was cool and collected, and said,
•There's no danger, there's no danger; Sellers is
t the wheel."
Here was one man holding in his hands the lives
f more than two hundred souls, upon the broad ex-
anse of the gi'eat river, with the confidence of the
aptain thut they were safe and secure. Amidst that
itch darkness and the howling of the winds, Capt.
lellei*s literally guided the boat through the terrific
nd rapid flashes of lightning. The messengers to
he captain went back mto the cabin, and quieted the
pprehensions of all.
218 (>EN. ROBERT E, LEE.
Capt. Sellere kept his room at the St. Charles
Hotel in Xew Orleans and at Baniuni's Hotel in
St. Louis. As soon as he landed his boat, he would
go to his room, dress himself, and stay at the hotel
till the boat was ready to leave, when he would go on
board and take his place at the wheel. He dressed
well, and associated with gentlemen. He was a fine-
looking man, modest and unobtrusive, and possessed
none of those bombastic characteristics with wliich
his character is attempted to be clothed by the author
of the " Gilded Age." Capt. Sellers' s character and
reputation were such, that all the Mississippi pilots
l3oasted of liim, and were as proud of him as the
printers were of Dr. Franklin.
Capt. Sellers died in Memphis, of small-pox, in
February, 1863. His remains were brought to St.
Louis and hiterred in Bellefontaine Cemetery. A
monument is erected over his remains, representing
him in pilot dress, standing at the wheel, steering
a steamlDoat on the Mississippi River, with a map of
the river, in part, cut in the marble at his feet.
As early as the year 1818, a sand-bar had been
formed hi tlie Mississippi River in the bend at the
lower end of the town of St. Louis. In process oF
THE CITY THREATENED BY SAND-BARS. 219
time another sand-bar was formed in the liver at the
upper end of the city, north of Bloody Island. These
two sand-bars seemed to be growing and extending, as
if to meet in front of the city. Every year the current
appeared to be cutting its way more and more into the
American Bottom, on the eastern side of Bloody
Island, and the apprehension became general that
unless something was done to remedy the threatened
calamity, the city would be left with nothing but a
sand-bar in front of it. Many predictions and
prophecies were made that the town would disappear,
and some persons even refused to make investments
in real estate through apprehension of such an event.
As early as 1833, the city authonties, becoming
justly alarmed, took steps for the removal of the
sand-bars. They engaged Mr. Jolm Goodfellow, a
worthy citizen, to go to the sand-bar at the upper
end of the city, with ox-teams, and plow up the sand,
upon the theory that w^hen the water rose; in the
river the loose sand would be washed aw^ay. This
idea had been suggested by, and originated with Col.
Thomas F. Riddick. Gen. Bernard Pratte and one
or two other wealthy citizens advanced the money to
cany out the w^ork. Still the calamity seemed no
less threatening. Steamboats could not come to the
landing as high up as Olive Street, and every day
220 GEN. ROBERT E. LEE.
there were clearer indications that the river would
ultimately sweep cleai* around on the east side of
Bloody Island. Such was the state of affairs in the
spring of 1835, when I had the honor of being firet
elected mayor of St. Louis. I had been a member of
the Board of Aldermen the year before. The first
duty devolving upon the city government was to pi-e-
serve and protect the harbor. Every member of the
Board of Aldermen had his plan, and many promi-
nent citizens volunteered their suggestions. I vent-
ured to recommend to the Board that the general gov-
ernment should be called upon to do the work, as St.
Louis was a ])ort of entry ; to which they assented.
Accordingly, memorials to Congress were prepared
and sent to our senators and representatives in
Washington ; which duty devolved upon me, as the
head of the city. These memorials were pi'esented,
and refeiTed to the ]>i'oper committee. Nothing was
done, however, in favor of our application, through-
out the years 1835 and 1836.
At that time (xen. Wm. H. Ashley was the repi-e-
sentative in Congress from this distinct. He was warm-
ly attached to the people of the city of St. Louis, where
he had lived so long and had so many devoted friends.
This circumstance gave us great encouragement and
hope. His daring adventures, perils, and enterprises
URGING HARBOR IMPROVEMENT. 221
1 the Rocky Mountxiins, wherel)y he had accuniulated
reat wealth ; the elegance of his eiitertaininents at
V^ashmgtou, and his gentlemanly bearing, all had
iven him a position of commanding influence, and
lade him one of the most popular men in the House
f Representatives ; and although he was no speaker,
dozen membei's, of eloquence and abiUty on the
oor, were always ready to spring to their feet and
dvocate his measures. That same power of capti-
atuig had enabled him to have passed the various
c^ts wherel^y the land-titles in this State were con-
rmed to the people of Missouri ; and his memory
eserves from the inhabitants, whom he so faithfully.
:?rved, some mark of monumental honor and acknowl-
dgment. During two years I WTote to eveiy mem-
er in both houses with whom I was acquainted,
rging and appealing to them to favor our petition
nd give us the aid prayed for, — particularly to Mr.
Jlav and Mr. Crittenden, with both of whom I was
ersonally acquainted, and who had known me from
ly boyhood. We finally got a report recommending
le improvement of the harbor. Col. Benton was
len in the Senate, but he was attached to and con-
ect^d with the Democratic party, which, from the
me that Gen. Jackson had vetoed the Lexington
nd Maysville Road bill, had denounced internal im-
222 GEN. ROBERT E. LEE.
provements by the Federal government, and there-
fore, on the score of consistency and party doctrine,
he could not support our application very zealously,
although I believe he did not oppose it.
The committee in the House of Representatives
to whom our papers were referred, and of which
Patrick Henry Pope, the member from the Louisville
district, Kentucky, was chairman, made a favorable
report, accompanied by copies of a bill which he sent
me. In pursuance of this, an appropriation of one
himdred and fifty thousand dollars was made for the
improvement and protection of the harbor of St.
Louis. Gen. Ashley also wrote and informed me of
the fact. That was a happy day for St. Louis ; and
in lookhigback, I recur with pleasure to the occasion,
and remember with what pride and satisfaction —
even before writing my official communication to the
Board on the subject — T ran around to see and con-
gratulate many gentlemen who had this measure so
much at heart, and who had labored so faithfully to
have it accomplished. Amongst these I might name
Col. James C Laveille, Col. Thornton Grimsley,
George Morton, Daniel D. Page, and Adam S.
Mills.
General Gratiot was a descendant of one of those
*' Huguenot families who, banished from France by
THE TRANSFER OF UPPER LOUISIANA. 223
the revocation of the edict of Xantes, carried their vir-
tues and their love of freedom to happier climes, and
became the progenitors of so many illustrious men."
He was bom here, and was connected, by the ties of
consanguinity and marriage, with the most respectable,
wealthy, and influential families of the city. He had
been present, as a boy, when the change of govern-
ment took place, and looked down on the whole
population of the town, then and there assembled to
witness the ceremony of hauling down the French
flag and running up the stars and stripes ; when and
whei-e his father, Charles Gratiot, who was one of
the very few persons who could speak and underetand
the English language, interpreted the speech made
in English by Maj. Stoddard, the commissioner on
the part of the United States, to Don Carlos Dehault
Delassus, the lieutenant-governor of Upper Louis-
iana. He also interi>reted the address to the French
people then present. It was Charles Gratiot who
requested the mhabitants, in their native tongue, when
the ceremony took place, to cheer the American flag,
when it was for the first time run up and floated to
the breeze on the western bank of the Mississippi.
The cheers of the crowd were faint and few, as many,
very many of the people shed bitter tears of regret
at being transferred, without previous knowledge.
224 GEN. ROBERT E. LEE.
from the sovereignty of a government and language
to which they had been accustomed and fondly
attached, and under which they had been bred, to
that of a strange government, with whose manners,
habits, language, and laws they were not familiar.
There existed, moreover, in the minds of many of
the French inhabitants a deep-rooted pi-ejudice
against the Americans, notwithstanding the en-
couraging and conciliating speech made by their
countryman and friend, Charles Gratiot, who was
favorable to, and sustained and approved the transfer
of the country.
Mr. Jefferson, from his long residence in Pans,
understood the French character well, was much at-
tached to the French people, and was aware that the
inhabitants of Louisiana disliked and were greatly
opposed to the American government. When Gen.
George Rogers Clark conquered Illinois, a goodly
number of the inhabitants refused to remain under
the American government, and removed from Kas-
kaskia. Fort Chartres, Prairie du Roche, and other
villages in Illinois ; while some of them came west
of the Mississippi, and settled in Ste. Genevieve,
New Bourbon, St. Michael's, and other towns. This
feeling of aversion then to the iVmerican govern-
ment may perhaps date back from the time of the
CONCILIATING THE INHABITANTS. 225
^' \dctory on the Plains of Abraham, 8o dearly pnr-
ohased by the blood of the galhint Wolfe/' when
Quebec, Montreal, and all C.'anada eapitulated to the
Enfflish. The French dominion had ceased to exist
east of the Mississippi, and now, under a new form
of government, the French power on the Amencan
continent was to cea^e forever. It was a sad reflt»c-
tion to the inhabitants. Mr. Jefferson, with a full
conviction of the truth of the maxim which he had
laid dowTi, that governments were instituted among
men, '' deriving their just powers from the consent
of the governed," uistructed Gen. Wilkinson, when
sent here to take charge of the country, to win over,
conciliate, and attach the inhabitants to the govern-
ment of the United States. Actuig upon this piin-
ciple, with that chara(*teristic judgment which marked
his career as a statesman, he sent appointments to the
sons of four of the most prominent families of
Louisiana as cadets to West Point, viz., Charles Gra-
tiot, Jr., son of Charles Gratiot ; Auguste P. (Iiou-
teau, son of Pieri'e Chouteau ; the son of a man
named Lorimier,- of St. Charles, and the son of a
gentleman from Xew Madrid.
Charles Gratiot, the cadet, graduated with dis-
tinction at West Point, served with honor and credit
in the war of 1812, and, for gallant and distinguished
15
226 GEN. ROBERT E. LEE.
acts and services in the field, was honored with an
unanimous vote of thanks by the Congress of the
United States ; he was pi'onioted from time to time,
and placed at the head of the engineer department
of the government. He was an honor to the nation ;
and I have heard him pronounced by competent en-
gineers, who knew him well, a man of the first pro-
fessional attainments, — a rich reward to the govern-
ment that had edncated hhn. His mannei"s were as
child-like, simple, and nnpretendmg as his talents
were brilliant and cultiv^ated.
As soon as the appropriation had been made by
Congress for the imi)rovement of the harbor, as the
head and representative of the city I opened a cor-
respondence with Gen. Cxratiot, and urged him to
come to St. Louis and examine the harbor, and see
for himself th(» work required to be done. This he
did. He staved in St. Louis about two weeks, dur-
ing which time I was with him almost every day;
going up and down the river on both sides, talking
with ))ilots and steamboatmen, and getting from
them their knowledge and experiencie about the cur-
rents and workings of the river; examming the
maps, plats, and survt^ys in the city engineer's office,
and i)rocuiing all the information that was possible
on th'» subject. 1 went with and introduced him to
LIEUT. LEE SENT TO ST. LOUIS. 227
the Board of Alderinon, while in session, and to the
members thereof indi\idually ; on which occasion the
Hon. Wilson Pi'iinni, then president of the Board,
with his usual ability, made a handsome address, al-
hiding in happy terms to his associations and connec-
tions with the city and its inhabitants. In accord-
ance with the customary usage of the times, our
distinguished visitor was given an entertainment at
my residence, which was honored by the pi'esence of
tw^enty of our most prominent and influential citizens,
w^ho were desirous of paying a proper tribute of i*e-
spect, and of encoiu-aging the work in which all were
so deeply interested. Xot one of the gentlemen
who honored the occasion as guests now sui'vives.
In parting with Gen. Gratiot, on his return to Wash-
ington, I begged him to send us a competent man to
do the work. This he assured me should be done.
Directly on liis return to Washington he sent out
Lieut. Robert E. Lee, with a lettei* to me. All had
to be done, however, undei* the direct sancti(m and
approval of Gen. Gratiot, the head of the bureau at
Washington ; the surveys, plans, estimates, and
drawings for the work behig first submitted to and
approved by the chief, at the head of the public ser-
vice.
Lieut. Robert E. Lee applied himself mostdevot-
228 GEN. ROBERT E. LEE.
edly to tlie work of improving the harbor for about
two veal's, comineneing in 1837. His time was oc-
cupied in the making of surveys, preparing drawings,
and planning the manner of doing the work ; the pur-
chase of machinery ; the prosecution of the work in the
driving of piles and filling in with brush and stone,
and in making rivetments. I saw him almost daily :
he worked most indefatigably, in that quiet, unobtni-
sive manner and with the modesty characteristic of
the man. He went in person with the hands every
morning about sunrise, and worked day by day in the
hot, broiling sun, — the heat being greatly increased
by the reflection from the river. He shared the hard
task and connnon fare and rations furnished to the
connnon laborers, — eating at the same table, in tlie
cabin of the steamboat used in the prosecution
of the w^ork, but never on anv occasion becoming:
too familiar with the men. He maintained and pre-
served under all circumstances his dignity and gen-
tlemanly bearing, winning and commanding the es-
teem, regard, and i*es})cct of every one under him.
He also slept in the cabhi of the steamboat, moored
to the bank near their works. In the same i)lace
Lieut. Lee, with his assistant, Henry Kayser, Esq.,
woi'ked at his drawings, plans, and estimates every
ni«:ht till eleven o'clock, Manv times there was a
THE WORK DISCONTINUED. 229
difference of opmion between Lieut. Lee and Gen.
Cxratiot as to the best manner of [)roseeuting certain
parts of the work, and in every instance Lieut. Lee
yielded, as a inatter of course, to the judgment of
his superior at Washington. The work done by
Lieut. Lee was on the Illinois shore, at the upper
and lower end of Bloody Island.
Eiy his rich gift of genius and scientific knowl-
edge, Lieut. Lee brought the Father of Watei-s un-
der control. The sand-bars and obstructions were
washed away, and a deep and secure harbor made
for the good people of this city. The api)ropria-
tions by Congress for the work were exhausted,
and Lieut. Lee ceased further operations on the
improvement in the spring of 1839. Our able
and reliable friend (xen. Ashley was no Icmger in
Congress, having declined to run again, — he had
been defeated as the Whig candidate for governor
of Missouri by Lilbuni W. Boggs, the Democratic
candidate. Our other good friend, (Tcn. Cxratiot,
and the main support in the prosecution of this enter-
prise, had resigned the office of chief engineer of
the government in 1838. His successor, (Tcn. Tot-
ten, was a man of abilitv, but he had not the same
local ties and associations as his predecessor.
It was with the deepest feeling of regret that
230 GEN. ROBERT E. LEE.
Lieut. Lee expressed to me his chagrin and morti-
fieation at being compelled to discontinue the work.
It seemed as if it were a great personal misfortune
to stop, when the work was about half finished.
It is true, the current of the Mississippi had been
given the proper direction, and the sand-bars
washed away and removed by the abrasions of the
stream ; but there was need of dikes and other
works, to secure and protect what had been accom-
plished.
Dr. WilHam Carr Lane succeeded to the mayor-
alty of St. Louis in 1839. The city authorities,
without assistance or aid from any quarter, con-
tinued the work of improving the harbor, under the
direction of the able assistant of Lieut. Lee, Henry
Kayser, Esq. But they were harassed and annoyed
through injunctions by certain parties in Illinois;
the mayor and some of his subordinates were even
indicted by some of the public functionaries of
that State.
In 1840 I w^as again elected mayor. The work
on the harbor was continued by the city government.
Application to Congi-ess was renewed for aid in be-
half of the city, but without success. The polit-
ical power of the government w^as then east of the
mountains, and appropriations for the West could
THE WORK CONTINUED AND COMPLETED. 231
not be obtained. Hs'ow, however, the '' sceptre hath
departed from Judea,'" and the destiny of this great
nation is forever permanently established in the Mis-
sissippi Valley. As the head and representative of
the city, and in behalf of the good people thereof, I
made known to Robert E. Lee, in approi)riate terms,
the great obligations the authorities and citizens gen-
erallv were under to him, for his skill and labor in
preserving the harbor. The work of imi)i*ovement
by the city was continued, without assistance from any
quarter, under that efficient and able engineer, Henry
Kayser, who was engaged for about fifteen years at
the work, in the buildhig of dikes, protecting the
work formerly erected, and finishing all the business
connected therewith, till all was made permanently
seQure and safe. (^en. S. B. Curtis, toward the com-
pletion of the work, as city engineer, had charge of
the improvement.
So much for the connection of Robert E. Lee
with the improvements of the harbor of St. Louis.
He visited my house, drank of my cup, and partook
of my humble and unpretending hosi)itality. Evei'
afterwards, when I visited Washington, he promj)tly
called upon me to renew oui* acrpiaintance. One of
the most gifted and cultivated minds I had ever met
with, he was as scrupulously conscientious and faithful
232 QEN. ROBERT E. LEE.
ill the discharge of his duties as he was modest and
iiu]>retendhig. He had none of that coddling, and
petty, puerile planning and scheming which men of
little minds and small intellectual calibre use to make
and take care of their fame. The labors of Robert
E. Lee can speak for themselves.
On the fourth of July, 1870, when, amidst the
firing of cannon and the shouts and cheei's of tens
of tliousands of people who lined the shores of the
river, the steamboat which bore his name, in the great
race fi'om Xew Orleans, came booming up, as I
gazed on the enthusiastic scene, and looked at the
woi'ks accomplished by the great engineer, my mind
reverted to the fact that but for him there would have
been no deep water in the place where she ran, and
in which she 8>\''ept past the city with so much grace
and elegance, amidst the general enthusiasm of that
vast multitude.
(Jlaiuiing no credit whatever for myself, or my
humble efforts to preserve and secui*e the harbor of
St. Louis, save that I tri(»d faithfully to discharge
my duty in the position in which I had so repeatedly
been i>lace<i by my fellow-citizeils, 1 feel that the peo-
j)le of this great city are under obligations and owe
a del)t of gratitude to the men who, in their day and
time, preserved the harbor. Amongst these I might
MADAME BONNEVILLE. 233
name Dr. William Cair Lane, Daniel D. Page,
Thornton Grimsley, George Morton, Joseph C La-
veille, AVllson Primm, and Henry Kayser. Without
the efforts of those gentlemen there would have been
no town to build a bridge to ; no deep river and har-
bor for the steamboats to float in and cany on eoni-
meree ; no large import duties of millions of dollars
collected annually at this [>oint for the national tre»as-
uiy ; no flcmrishing city, teeming with the busy hum
of business, manufactories, and all the appliances of
cultivation and refinement, bespeaking the proud
triumj)hs of civilization and inviting the permanent
location of the national capital.
In this communicaticm 1 have run into many inci-
dents and historical events and surroundings connected
with the subject; but I have deemed it not altogether
out of place to present the i>icture to the public with
all the lights and shades by which the outlines could
be fully traced and the background distinctly delin-
eated, that it might be seen in all its bearings.
Madame Bonneville, the mother of Gen. Benjamin
E. Bonneville, late of the United States armv, and who
died about three years ago (1877), at Fort Smith, was
284 MADAME BONNEVILLE.
a French lady by birth. Her husband was a gentle-
man of great respectability, and a member of the
Assembly in Paris at the time of the French Revolu-
tion, where he lost his life dmingthat reign of terror.
Some accounts say he was beheaded. He was the in-
timate fiiend and companion of Thomas Paine, the
infidel wiiter, who was a member of the same As-
sembly. The story goes that, after the death of her
husband, Madame Bonneville came to the United
States with Thomas Paine, bringing her only child,
Benjamin. This boy was educated at West Point,
having obtained his position in that institution in
consideration of the sympathy extended to him by
the functionaries at the head of the government of
the United States, on account of the manner of hi^
father's death. Gen. Bonneville was a man of
science, and I'ose to distinction in his profession.
Madame Bonneville, after coming to the United
States, was said to be housekeeper for Thomas Paine,
in whose family she is reported to have lived for a
number of vears.
About fifty years ago Madame Bonneville came to
St. Louis, in company with her son, then Capt. Bon-
neville, who at that time was making arrangements
for carrying out his expedition on the plains west of
Missouri, a full account of wliich was written out
HKi: liKSlI)KN<*K AT 'I'lIK CIKM TKAr MANSION. ^.S.")
and i)iil)lisluMl in the year l<Si2 l)y W ashinoton Ir-
Madame Bonneville eame to St. Louis about the
J^c^ar 1830-31, -and took up her residence with
^^adame Auguste Chouteau, widow of Col. Auguste
C^liouteau, who had with Laclede founded this city,
^^adame Chouteau had a splendid mansion, and a
l^^rge number of servants (slaves), all of whom spoke
^^rench. Here Madame Bonneville was at home ;
^^'V^th French manners, French life, French cookery
^xid habita, she seemed to enjoy life. I have dined
^vith this distinguished lady frequently in that hospi-
table mansion, as I was a friend of Henry Chouteau,
then clerk of the court, and a visitor of his at the
domicile of his mother.
Madame Bonneville was then an old woman, and
Conversed entirely in the French language. She was
a woman of common size, features rather sharp, and
g"ave no indications, from her then personal appear-
^xice, of ever having been possessed of much beauty.
^till the connection of her husband and her family
^'"^^th the scenes of blood in the French capital, where
^Vie herself was a party, hei' subsequent flight to
t^Viis country, and her association with Thomas Paine,
^^"ould seem to indicate that she had passed through
^^^me most eventful and stirring scenes.
After Madame Chouteau's death, Madame Bonne-
236
MADAME BONNEVILLE.
ville lived and kept house for some yeai'S in the
neighborhood of Eiglith and Wahint Streete, being
supported by hei' sou, Gen. Bonneville.
Gen. Bonneville buried his niothei' in Mount Re-
pose, Bellefontaiue Cemetery. Over the spot he
erected a monument, with the following inscrip-
tion : —
To my brother,
Mak<;aret B.,
relict of
NiCHOIJS De lioNNKVILLE,
depute (le 17H9,
France.
She departed tliis life
Oct. 30, 1840,
AgoA 79 years.
In the same burial spot, l)e8ide the remains of his
mother. Gen. Bonneville has been buried. Over his
grave also a monument has been erected, on which
the following inscription has been made : —
In Memory of
(Je\. B. L. E. Bonneville,
U. S. A.
Born April U, 179(),
died
June 12, 1878,
At Fort Smith, Ark.
Here lies one whose noble deeds
Have not escaped the page of fame;
The jjenerations vet unhorn
Shall know the record of his honor' d name.
MAY HE KEST IN PEACE.
FRANCIS L. McINTOSH. 237
I had known Gen. Bonne\nlle intimately for
jarly fifty years, and had drawn for him his articles of
)partnei'ship when he went forth in his fur-trading
cpedition. lie was a man of the noblest impulses.
In the month of March, 1836, a small steamboat
ailed the Flora, H. I^. Davis commander, came
•oni Pittsburg to St. Louis. While the boat lay at
le wharf, one of the hands had been arrested by
onstable William Mull for fighting. Mcintosh, a
ight mulatto man of great strength, who was second
m
^ward on the boat, forcibly took the prisoner from
» constable. George Hammond, the dei)uty-sheriff
St. Louis County, who happened to be passing at
time, volunteered to assist the constable, and
v arrested Mcintosh for rescuing the prisoner
1 the constable, took him before a justice of the
e, and had him legally cimmiitted to answer to
•
harge. The constable and sheriff started with
to jail, which was about four squares from the
e's office. Mcintosh walked along with them,
n each side of him, apparently willingly. He
n a sort of loose coat, and as they went along
his hands into his coat pockets and took out
238 FKANCIS L. McINTOSH.
handfuls of peanuts, which he ate on the way. As
the party reached the north-east corner of the court-
house, square, at the corner of Chestnut and Fourth
Streets, only two squares from the jail, he asked them
what would be done with him for the offence with
which he was charged. Hammond said, jestingly,
pei'haps they might hang him. Mull and Hammond
were small men, under the middle size, whilst Mcin-
tosh was tall, athletic, and powerful. The prisoner
had been waiting, no doubt, for a good place to
assault the officers ; and the open space aromid the
court-house, then not much built up, seemed, per-
haps, to present the most favorable opportunity.
As soon as they struck the pavement on the west
side of Fourth Sti-eet, Mcintosh ran his hand into his
coat pocket, pulled out a long butcher-knife, seized
hold of Constable Mull, made two desperate lunges
with the death-dealing instrument into his body, and
the constable fell to the pavement. At the same
instant that Mcintosh was dealing the deadly blows
upon Mull, Shei'iff Ilannnond seized him by the
collar to pull him away and save the life of his
brother officer. As he did so. Mull fell, and thcr-
murderous desperado plunged his sharp butchei' —
knife into Hammond's throat, jerked away from him^
and ran south toward Market Street. Thougli^
A BLOODY SCENE. 239
■
the blood gushed out of Hainmoud's throat in a large
stream, he attempted to pui'sue the fleeing cut-
throat, and ran about fifty feet, when he fell on the
pavement directly in front of the court-house. The
stream of blood flowing from his throat, as lai'ge as a
man's thumb, ran across the brick pavement east-
wardly into the guttei-, making a mark some three
inches broad and twelve or foui-teen feet in length.
Hammond died where he fell, in less than five min-
iites. Some persons ran around to Ilanuncmd's house,
which w^as only three luuidred feet distant, on Wal-
nut Street, to notify them of the dreadful calamity.
His wife and several of his children (*ame running to
the aw^ul scene of death, and when they reached the
spot they threw themselves upon the dead body with
such shrieks of agonizing grief and distress as
touched the feelings of all the i)er8ons present,
where about a hundred peoj)le had collected, so that
every one in the crowed seemed moved to tears.
In the meantime Mcintosh, the murderei-, w^as
piu'sued by persons in the street, to the number of
about fifty people. He ran around on to Walnut
Street from Market Street, jumped over the fence
into a private lot and took refuge in a backhouse,
fastened and baired the door, still holding the death-
240 FRANCIS L. Mcintosh.
dealing knife in his hand, and when his pureuers
demanded his surrender, he threatened to kill the
first man who laid hands upon him. In the crowd
was a strong and brave Irishman, who picked up
a piece of timber and smashed the door in, and
instantly knocked the negro down and took his
knife away from him. His captors then hurried him
off to jail, and delivered him over to James Broth-
erton, sheriff of St. Louis County, and ex-offido
jailer, who locked the prisoner up in a cell.
The news spread like wildfire through town that
the negro had killed both the sheriff and constable,
and persons came rmining to the jail from different
parts of the town, greatly excited. In a very short
time a crowd of between five hundred and a thousand
persons collected at the jail, determined to hang the
negro then and there. They demanded of James
Brotherton, the sheriff, the prisoner. He said no,
that the man was his prisoner, and he intended to
protect him, and keep him to be dealt with according
to law. Instantly two or three stout men seize ^
Brotherton and held his hands behind him, whil^
anothei' ran his hand into liis pocket, took out tl^^
key of the cell in which the prisoner w^as confinec^
immediately oj)ened the (*ell, brought out the negi^
BURNING THE MURDERER. 241
murderer, and started with him westward out Chest-
mit Sti'eet. The excitement was great, and men
From all points came running to join the crowd.
At last, as they were proceeding up Chestnut
>itreet, an individual from the land of steady habits,
and the good old State of Connecticut, who was
intensely excited, shouted out, -'Let's burn him/'
The word took with the multitude, and the cry
went up, " Burn him, burn him." They took him to
two honey-locust ti-ees, about where the Polytechnic
building is now situated, got some trace-chains, and
bound his body to one of the locust trees. There
«\'as a cai-penter's shop close by, full of shavings and
ivy pine boards ; they ran into the shop, collected
:hese shavings and boards, and piled them around
he unfortimate culprit, and set the same on fire.
The negro was instantly enveloped in a brisk blaze,
vhich ran up far above his head into the tops of the
rees. The negro was bunied to death in an incredi-
dy short time, when his executioners dispersed,
eaving some of the bones of his body unconsumed
>y the fire, which were afterwards buried by the
5oroner. From Hammond's death to the capture
ind burning of the negro was not more than one
lour's time. In fact, three-fourths of the citizens
IG
242 LAFAYETTE PARK.
did not know anything about it till the tragic affair
was over.
For two or three years afterwards, strangers and
visitors from the East — particularly from Pitts-
burg — would go to that locust tree, cut off pieces
of it, and take them away; so that the tree was
greatly cut to pieces, and large portions of it carried
away.
The '^ St Louis common " was a large body of
land, containing several thousand arpents, granted
by the former civil authorities of Louisiana, before
the transfer to the government of the United States,
to the inhabitants of the original town of St. Louis,
and confirmed to said inhabitants by the act of
Congress of the 13th of June, 1812. For about
sixty years and more, from the very foundation of
the town of Laclede, these lands had been used by
the early inhabitants for pastures, and as the timber
grew, for cutting fire-wood. Till the beginning of
the year 183(3 this large body of land was wa^te,
covei-ed with undergi'owth. In the summer-time it
offered shelter for desperate, lawless vagabonds, and
many murders were committed at various pointa on
A MEMORIAL TO THE LEGISLATURE. 243
the road between the city of St, Loiiis and Caron-
delet. Thomas M. Dougherty, a judge of the St.
Louis County Court, was murdered in broad day-
light, while pausing for a moment under the shade of
a tree.
The city authorities, in the year 1835, determined
to make this valuable domain available. In the year
1834 I first went into the city government as an
official, and I was at the head of the city munici-
pal corporation in 1835, when the city functionaries
took action in the matter, and when the proper
memorial was drawn up, and all the papers in due
form made out and sent to the Legislature, praying
for an act of the General Assembly of the State
of Missouri authorizing the city government of St.
Louis to survey, subdivide, and sell the St. Louis
common.
At that time party politics ran high. The Leg-
islature and executive branches of the State govern-
ment were in the hands of the Jackson, or Demo-
cratic party; the Legislature being composed of
about two-thirds Democrats and one-third Whigs.
Hugh O'Neil, Esq., was at that time a member of
the Legislature from St. Louis County, and was at-
tached to the dominant political party ; and as coming
from the great city of the State, and of the West,
244 LAFAYETTE PARK.
he had great weight and influence with his party in
the General Assembly.
The memorial on the subject of the St. Louis
common from the city government of St. Louis was,
as a local matter, referred to the delegation from
St. Louis CJounty, and fell into the hands of Hugh
O'lS^eil, who introduced a bill to authorize the citvof
St. Louis to subdivide and sell the common, the pro-
ceeds of the sale, when made, to be paid into the
city treasury, and expended and applied aftei'wards
in the gr^iding and paving of streets.
To this proposed plan of Hugh O'Neil of dis-
posing of the proceeds arising from the sale of the
connnon I was bitterly opposed. I took the grounds
that the common belonged to all the '^ white inhabi-
tants '' of the city of St. Louis, and that the proceeds
of the side arising therefrom should be divided, half
and half, between the city of St. Louis in its cori)0-
rate capacity and the St. Louis public schools ; that
this would be the most equitable and beneficial dis-
position of the propei-ty ; that to waste and squander
the fund fi-om that valuable property in grading and
paving streets would, in a measure, be throwing it
away ; whereas, to have the one entire half of the
moneys arising from the sale of the property given
absolutely to the public schools, and for the trustees
OPPOSITION TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 245
to lend out the money and receive the annual income
arising therefrom, would be a blessing to the then ex-
isting generation, and also to their children and their
children's children. Mr. O'Xeil was a Catholic in
religion, and was therefore opposed to the giving of
any of the proceeds to the public schools ; and said,
among other things, that the Catholics would not
send their children to schools of this character, and
of course they would not derive any benefit from
these institutions of learning.
In the act of the General Assembly authorizing
the sale of this great domain I desired to have it
specified that one entire half of the proceeds of the
sale should be given to the Board of Trustees, and
by them invested as a permanent fund for the use of
the schools, in order that these fountains of knowl-
edge should be established in every ward of the city,
where the children of all classes and of everv de-
nomhiation should be permitted to drink, to satisfy
their thirst for learning, and acquire know^ledge with-
out charge and without price.
Finding by information and letters from Jefferson
City that Mr. O'Xeil was violently opi)osed to the
plan, I went immediately to Jefferson City. In the
view which I had taken on this subject I was sup-
ported by my good friends Edward Bates, Dr. Wil-
246 LAFAYETTE PARK.
liarii Carr Lane, and Judge Marie Philip Leduc.
The members of the Legislature generally, I found
when I arrived there, were not inclined to take
much part in what they considered a merely local
matter. After spending about two weeks at the seat
of government, in explaining, entreating, and lU'ging
upon the members the views and objects sought to be
accomplished, the act authorizing the sale of the
common was ultimately passed, with the following
among other pro\dsions : —
An act to authorize the sale of the St. Louis common.
Be it enactPAl by the General Aasemhly of tUe State of Missouriy
as follows : —
Section 1. At the next general election for the mayor and
aldermen of the city of St. Louis, * * ♦ each voter shall
state which of the following modes of dis])osing of tlie proceeds
of the said common he prefers : —
First, That the one-tenth shall go to the Board of the Presi-
dent and Directors of the St. Louis Public Schools, to be applietl
by them for the support of pul»lic schools in said city, etc.
Second, That the one-fourth shall go to the Board of Presi-
dent and Directors of the St. Louis Public Schools, to be applied
by them to the support of public schools in said city, etc.
Third. That one-half to go to the Board of President and
Directors of the St. Louis Public Schools, to be applied by them
to the support of i)ublie schools in said city, the balance to l>e
paid into the city treasury, to be applied to city purposes ; and
the majority of votes given for either of the said modes shall de-
cide ; and the i)r()ceeds thereof shall be applied accordingly, and
in no other manner.
I have cpioted so much of the act only as was
ONE-TENTH OF THE PROCEEDS VOTED. 247
necessary for this article. Under this law the elec-
tion was held, and the people voted one-tenth of the
proceeds of the sale from the common to the public
schools, instead of one-half. Still, I was content
and gratified, as the schools were benefited to the
extent of more than one hundred thousand dollars ;
and at the polls I urged upon the voters to vote one-
tenth, one-fourth, or one-half, as they seemed in-
clined, so as to have the schools benefited as much'
as possible.
Under this act of the Legislature the city authori-
ties had the commons surveyed and subdivided by
Charles De Ward, a most accomplished siu'veyor and
civil engineer, who died many years ago.
On the seventh day of March, 183(5, and after
the subdivision of the common had been made and
marked off, I sent a messenger for Col. Thornton
Grimsley, who had been appointed chairman of the
Committee on Commons in the Board of Aldermen.
He promptly came to my oflice. I explained to him
that I desired him to go out with me to the common,
and select a piece of land to be reserved as a park,
or public ground. He joined with me in the measiu'e
most heaitily, and we went down to John Cal veil's
livery-stable, then situated on the south side of
Market Street, between Sec'ond and Third v^'treets.
248 LAFAYETTE PARK.
got horses, and rode out to and selected the ground
on which Lafayette Park is now situated. We rode
all over the land, which was covered with underbrush
of young hickory and oak bushes, and in some places
with patches of hazel and sumac bushes. The view
of the city, in the distance, from these beautiful
grounds was at that time charming mdeed.
Col. Gnmsley was a military man, and had
organized a horse-troop, of which he was commander ;
and he remarked that the land we had selected as
a pubUc ground would serve as a fine place to ma-
noeuvre his cavalry, and he proposed to call it the
''Public Parade Ground,'' by which name it went
for many years. I told him, at the time, I did not
care what he called it, but that it should be kept as
a park and pul)lic groiuid for all the people of the
city of St. Louis forever.
In pursuance of the selection of the ground so
made, the following ordinance was introduced and
passed : —
An ordinance concerning the common. ,
Be it ordahied by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of tlie City
of St. Louis ^ an follows : —
*•*♦*••••♦♦
Sect. 2. The two avennes east and west of the park, extend-
ing from Park to Lafayette Avenne, shall be one hundred and
twenty feet wide, and shall be called and known: tlie eastern
THE ORIGIN OF LAFAYETTE PARK. 249
one by the name of Mississippi, the western one by the name of
Missouri Avenue.
The square formed and bounded by Lafayette, Park, Missouri,
and Mississippi Avenues shall be reserved as a public square,
subject to such rules and regulations as the mayor and Board of
Aldermen may from time to time make in relation thereto.
Passed by the Board of Aldermen, March 21, 1836.
James P. Spencer, President.
Approved: March 25, 1836.
John F. Darbt, Mayor.
This was the origin of Lafayette Park. We met
with great opposition to the measure in getting the
ordinance passed by the Board of Aldermen, because
many members had set their heai-ts upon buying
these lands at the public sale, using as one argu-
ment that the city government was authorized only
to sell the land, and had no authority whatever to
dedicate it as a park; to which I replied, that we
would take the responsibility of appropriating and
using the land as a park, whether or not we had
authority for it, and then, by determined action, we
beat down all opposition and consummated the
project.
It had been a favorite measure with me to have
public parks set apart for the use of the city. I had
accordingly bargained for and bought, in the first
year of my mayoralty, subject to the ratification of
the Board of Aldermen, the square of ground, then
250 LAFAYETTE PARK.
vacant and unimproved, bounded east by Fourth
Street, west by Fifth Street, north by St. Charles
Street, and south by Locust Street, for the sum
of fifteen thousand dollans, which piece of ^ound
is worth to-day a million and a half of dollars,
independent of all improvements. I also bought
the slip of ground, then vacant and unimproved,
between Fourth and Fifth Streets, extending to
Chouteau Avenue from Cerre Street, for the sum
of two thousand dollars. The Board of Aldermen
promptly rejected both propositions to purchase ; the
fii'st, for the reason assigned, that the land was too
fai' up toNvn. They took this action notwithstanding
the fact that we had at the time a hundred thousand
dollars cash in the city treasury. In behalf of the
city I had, as mayor, just previously negotiated
with Samuel Wiggins a loan of one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars, at six per cent par. a^o loan
has ever been made by the city of St. Louis on as
favorable terms.
There are some incidents connected with my tinp
to Jefferson City at the time referred to, illustra-
tive of backwoods living, and of the habits and man-
ners of frontier life forty or fifty years ago.
It took me thi-ee days to make the tiip from
St. Louis to Jefferson City on horseback, crossing
ICE-BOUND ON THE OSAGK. 251
the Gasconade River at what was then called the
town of Mount Sterlmg, the former and first coun-
ty-seat of Gasconade County. At that time there
was no ferry, and I was compelled to ford the
river, which I did by holding on to the pommel of
my saddle and holding my legs up out of the water,
which came half-way up the saddle-skirts.
While at the seat of government, snow fell, on
the 8th of January, to the depth of fifteen or
eighteen inches, after which the weather turned in-
tensely cold; so that when I reached the Osage
Kiver on my return trip, the river was full of float-
ing ice, making it hazardous to attempt to cross in
a flat-boat, and the men of the feiry utterly refused
to undeitake the trip. After waiting several houns,
without any prospect of crossing, I rode thi'ough
the woods, where there had been no road opened,
and toiled through the deep snow several miles up
the bottom lands on the marghi of the Osage River,
and stayed all night with another ferryman, named
Shibley. Early the next morning, with the assist-
ance of some men, he ferried me across that beautiful
river.
In travelling through Gasconade County, I came
to a small clearing in the woods, and a human
habitation occupied by a man by the name of Skaggs.
252 LAFAYETTE PARK.
The house was built of logs, cut from the timber
on the ground, and was about sixteen or eighteen
feet square. The hero of the backwoods castle,
before building his house, had cut down a large
white-oak tree about two feet and a half in diam-
eter, leaving the stump about two feet high. Around
this white-oak stump the man of the woods had
built his house. About this stump were placed
some puncheons, as a floor ; and on the inside of the
chimney and jambs of the fire-place were venison
hams, and some carcasses of deer. The man himself
was clothed in buckskin breeches and hunting-shirt,
with a coon-skin cap on as a head-dressing. This
knight of the frontier castle was at dinner, using the
stump as his table. With the most generous hospi-
tality he addressed me, and said, ^^ Stranger, won't
you set up and skin a tater? '" I joined him at the
" table." He was a squatter sovereign, in the true
sense of that term. I complimented hun on the
pretty piece of land which he had ; to which he re-
plied, " Yes, it did very well." " But," he added,
after a pause, " I'm gettmg scrouged out ; the neigh-
bors ai*e getting too thick about me; 1^11 have to
move." He seemed sad for a moment, and then con-
tined : ''I did very well as long as 1 had nobody
within fifteen or twenty miles of me ; but that drot-
IN THE SOLITUDES. 253
ted fellow, Jones, moved in last summer and settled
cm the creek about seven miles above me, and he's
beginning to ' skeer ' the deer away."
The tree from which this stump had been cut, one
would judge from its size to have been at least three
hundred yeare old. And there are few travellei*s, I
venture to say, that can boast of having eaten from
a table that had been '" set," as this one had been,
8ay three hundred years.
It was the charm of the deep, still forest that
made Boone enjoy more pleasure in the woods alone
than when surrounded by civilized society. I had
seen the same effect produced even upon men of ciil-
ture and of education, such as Fontenelle, Pilcher,
Dripps, and other mountaineei*s and trappers that I
have known.
Having made a hard day's ride, extending through
•"•Galloway's Prairie," and down through '^Jake's
Prairie," in Gasconade County, in the severe cold,
and when I began to have some apprehensions about
finding a human habitation in which to seek shelter
for the night, my heart was gladdened at seeing far
ahead in the distance a column of smoke rising above
the horizon. And —
" I knew by the smoke that so gracefully curl'd
Above the tree-tops, that a cabin was near ;
I said, if there's peace to be found in this world,
The soul that is humble might seek for it here."
254 LAFAYETTE PARK.
I arrived about nightfall at the house of Mr.
E , upon the head-waters of the Red Oak fork of
the Bourbeuse River, still on the confines of Grascon-
ade County ; the big log-fire of the habitation being
most acceptable. It was a log house with only one
room, about sixteen feet square, raised upon blocks of
wood at the four comers, some three feet from the
ground, and with no underpinning under the builduig.
The man of the house was a widower, with four
small children on his hands, the youngest about two
years old and the oldest about eight or ten years. In
addition to these there were four stout men, neighbors
or acquaintances, — making in all ten human beings to
sleep in that one room, in which was but the one small
bed. The weather being intensely cold, the hogs
had piled up in a bed imder the floor, to get what
little heat they could from the base of the hearth
and the large log-fire al)ove in the fire-place. These
hogs kept up their squealing and gnmting all night
long. I had tiied to make myself agreeable in con-
versation while sitting around the huge log-fire, be-
fore going to bed, by talking to the gentlemen in the
room. After supper, and when the time came for
retiring, the landlord said to me, " Stranger, you'll
sleep with me in the bed with the children." Having
drawn off my boots, and divested myself of my coat
and vest, I crawled into the bed and rolled up next
NUMEROUS BEDFELLOWS. 255
the wall, with all my other apparel on. The gentle-
man of the house then packed the two larger chil-
dren in the bed, with their heads to the foot and their
feet extending upward toward the head of the bed.
He next took the front of the bed, and piled in the
two smaller children between himself and myself, —
making in all six different specimens of humanity in
the one bed. The four stout men then lay down on
the floor, on some bed-clothing spread out there, —
their clothes, excepting their shoes, all on, — with
their feet to the big log-fire. In the night the two-
year-old child began to kick and squall. The father
attempted to pacify him by saying, " Hush, Tommy,
hush ; the man '11 ketch you." Which made the little
fellow more- uproarious and noisy than ever. He
kicked and floundered violently, the old man bawling
out all the while, ''Ketch him, man! Ketch him,
man ! " I bore these outrageous flings, if not of for-
tune, of the little fellow's heels, with the becoming
humility of a primitive Christian. Once or twice dur-
ing that cold, dark night, the sleepers on the floor,
tired of lying on one side, would cry out, ''AH turn,"
and shift positions. In this short sketch I have en-
deavored to paint the picture from nature alone, and
give the coloring from the lights and shades of real
life. I was relieved when daylight appeared.
256 LAFAYETTE PARK.
One great characteristic of these backwoods fron-
tier people was the universal kindness and hospitality
with which the traveller was always received. The
horse I rode was a fine, spirited animal, and dashed
on regardless of fatigue, as if he fully appreciated
the severity of the weather, — his mouth and nostrils
being white with frost from his breatlihig the keen,
sharp air.
Many a weary mile, *' solitary and alone,"' over
the hard, frozen, crusted snow, through such trials,
suffering, and exposin-e as here described, it was
that I went, because I had undertaken the self-im-
posed task of trying to serve the St. Louis public
schools. I was in a measure buoyed up wdth the
enthusiasm and pride which I felt in believing that
but for my exertions the public schools would not
have derived any benefit whatever from the *'St.
Louis common.- ' And of all the institutions that St.
Louis can justly boast, the proudest monument of
her greatness and glory is that of her public schools, at
w^hich fifty thousand children and mon* receive daily in-
stiiiction, without money and >vithout price, — wliich,
like the great luminary of heaven, '' shines equally
upon all." It has been printed and said that the
first school-houses erected by the St. Louis Board of
Public Schools were from funds derived from the
THE ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY. 257
sale of the " St. Louis common/' and I am proud
that it was through my exeitions that these wei-e
obtained.
The St. Louis University, as an institution of
learning, deserves notice. As early as the 10th of
March, 1820, the two squares of ground on which
the university is situated were donated for a college
by Jeremiah Conner to Bishop Du Bourg, the then
Catholic bishop of St. Louis. The gnmnds were at
that time unenclosed, and there was an open space
extendmg from about w^here the southern line of
Green Street now is, to the south boundary line of
Maj. Christy's meadow fence and the south line of
St. Charles Street, where Judge Lucas's enclosure
then stood. The land was a rich, black soil, flat,
and with hardly any drainage ; and from this cause
thei"e were many places in which teams not in-
frequently mired down. It was the principal high-
way west, leading from the city of St. Louis. At
that time Market Street did not extend further west
than Eighth Street. Chouteau's Mill-pond extended
across where Market Street now iiins, and, in a meas-
ure, even up to Chestnut Street. Beyond Chouteau's
Pond there was no road opened until about the year
17
258 THE ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY.
1829, all west of the pond up to that period being
covered with a growth of black-jacks, hickory, hazel
brush, and sumac bushes. About where Mr. Peper's
tobacco and cotton warehouse now is, and extending-
to near about where Thirteenth Street is at present,
was located a quarter race-track, where the early
French settlei's used to riui their Canadian ponies.
Xothing was done toward erecting the buildings
of the university till the year 1828, when Father Van
Quickenboiinie, a Jesuit pnest, took the matter in
hand, and commenced soliciting funds. He was zeal-
ous and indefatigable in the work he had luidertaken.
It may Jiot be out of place to mention an incident con-
nected with the I'cverend father's effoits. A dinner-
party was given by Maj. Thomas Biddle, at which I
had the hoJior of being a guest. The dinner was over,
and the company were sitting at the table in pleasant
conversation, when a servant announced to Maj. Bid-
die that a gentleman in the parlor desired to see him.
The major desired the company to keep their seats,
and excused himself for a moment, and soon re-
turned to the tiible, bnnging with him Father Tan
Quickenbourne, who was introduced to the company
and took his seat at thc^ table. The reverend father
soon made knowai his business, which was that of
asking subscriptions to build the ^' college,^' as it
RAPIDITY OF ITS COMPLKTION. 259
was first called. He promised that any gentleman
who subscribed should not be called upon for the
amount of his subscription till the proposed edifice
should have reached the second story. Some gen-
tleman good-humoredly remarked, ''On these terms
we can all subscril)e, for I think it doubtful whether
the proposed structure will ever reach that height.''
The gentlemen all laughed, the reverend solicitor of
funds joining in, and presently said that he would
very readily take the subscriptions on those condi-
tions. The work was proceeded with, and prose-
cuted most vigorously by the reverend fathers, and
the building was finished and occupied in the year
1829. Since then the whole block of ground has
been built over with most costly and stately edifices,
including the elegant St. Xavier's Church, attached
to the university. The small seven-by-nine-inch
panes of glass in the first buildings, and the large,
splendid, fine plate-glass in the recent buildings be-
speak the different eras in which the structures were
reared. In this institution of learning, still in a
flourishing condition, many young men in this city,
as well as others from foreign countries, have been
educated. Some have won their way \o positions of
honor and distinction in the halls of Congress, in leg-
islative assemblies, and in judicial stations. It was
26() THE ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY.
among the earliest, and deserves now to be ranked
as among the first establishments for educational
purposes in the valley of the Mississippi. It is fur-
nished with a very large and extensive library.
The St. Louis University is a Catholic institution,
and has consequently always been under the dirt»c-
tion and control of the holy fathers. It was the
good fortune of the writer to have known many of
the learned and reverend men associated with this
classic establishment, favorably, intimately, and weU ;
particularly the good Father De Smet, and Fathers
Verhagen, EUet, Carroll, and Vandervelde. Many
a time and oft has he been hcmored with invitations,
and has dined at this institution of learning with
these cultivated men, together with Bishop Kosatti,
(yol. Benton, the Belgian minister to X\\6 United
States, and other distinguished guests, w^here the
most generous hospitality was dispensed, and rich,
intellectual, and highly refined conversation was in-
dulged in. There are, however, one or two incidents
connected with the grounds on which the university
is located, and of the institution itself, that possess
a sufliicient historical, interest to be recited.
AVTien Gen. Ashley started on his Yellowstone
expedition to the Rocky Mountains, in March, 1823,
from some cause the powder could not be got ready
FATAL RECKLESSNESS. 261
to be put on board the boat. The boat, with all the
men on board, left here on the twelfth day of March,
1823. After the boat had left, three Frenchmen were
engaged to take the powder in a cart to St. Charles,
where thev were to meet the l)oat the next day.
The powder, amounting to alxmt five hundred
pounds, was put up in large kegs, or half-barrels,
and, without being covered with canvas, was loaded
into a cart, and the Frenchmen staiixMl. Tlu^v left
St. Louis early in the morning, stopping at the
tavern-house of Mr. Joseph Labarge, a Frcn(»hman,
on the west side of Third Street between Market
and Walnut Streets, to take their morning dram ;
after which they lighted their pipes, Frenchman-
like, took their seats on the half-barrels of powder,
and started. When they had reached the i)()int
where the southern gate ()i)ening into the present
college grounds, <m AVashington Avenue, now is, a
tremendous explosion occurnnl, and the three unfor-
tunate men were thrown two or thi*(»e hundi'cd ft»et
into the air, like so many slcy^-rockets.
Col.Bentcm's mouth-piece and organ at the time,
the St. Louis Enqtiirer^ which was the only news-
paper that gave any account of the disaster, said the
explosion was tremendous, and produ(*ed a concus-
sion similar to that of a slight earthquake. One of
262 THE ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY.
the men, it was said, breathed after his body de-
scended to the ground. The men were all burnt
black, their bodies mutilated, their clothes torn from
their persons. It is supposed that the motion of the
cart shook some grains of powder out of the barrels,
to which fire was commimicated from the pipes of
the unfortunate smokers ; for none were left to tell
the tale, and the careless men who lost their lives
never knew what hurt them. At* the time the
calamity occurred, an Irishman named Daniel Mur-
phy was about a hundred yards behind the cart,
and was hallooing and beckoning to the men in the
cart to stop and let him get in and ride. The explo-
sion so shocked and stunned this poor fellow that
he seemed to be stupefied, for when he was asked by
persons running to the scene of the disaster, he
could give no rational account of the calamity.
Everything pertaining to the cart was shattered into
atoms. The iron tire which lay on the ground was
the only part of the cart left whole. At that time
Mr. Sullivan Blood lived on the east side of Fourth
Street, where the Everett House now stands. He
had then been but recently appointed by William
Carr Lane, mayor of St. Louis, to the much-sought-
for and desirable position of high constable of the
city. He was an aspiring young man, just fresh
MK. BLOOD WITNESSES THE DISASTER. 263
from the Green Mountains of Vennont, and anxious
to show his efficiency as a public oflBeer. He was
accustomed to early rising, and was out on the door-
steps before sun-up, — wishing thus to impress upon
the public mind his early and correct ti'aining, as a
worthy representative from the ' ' land of steady
habits." His house shook as with an earthquake,
and in the distance he saw the bodies of the three
unfortunate men flying through the air. The long
distance from Fourth Street, where Mr. Blood stood,
to where the explosion took place was one entire
ft.
open plain or space, with Judge Lucas's meadow
extending on the one side as far as Seventh and St.
Charles Streets, and Maj. Christy's fence on the
other. Mr. Blood, with his accustomed promptness,
hastened to the spot where the disaster occurred. It
was some time before he could learn the real cause
of the mishap ; subsequently he held an inquest
over the dead bodies, and had them buried. One
remarkable circumstance connected with the occur-
rence was, that neither of the horses attached to the
vehicle was killed, although it was said the hair on
both the animals was nearly all burnt off.
Sullivan Blood, the worthy gentleman named
above, died in N^ovember, 1875, in the city where
he had lived so long, and where he had filled so
264 DANIEL WEBSTER.
many positions of honor and responsibility. He
had reached the advanced age of more than four
score veal's.
There is an event connected with the St. Louis
University which is worth being mentioned histori-
cally. It was the visit and reception of Daniel
Webster at that seat of learning in the ye^r 1837.
The distinguished statesman came to St. Louis in
the sunnner of that year, on what was considered a
political tour. The Whig pai-ty, to which he bt*-
longed, made j)i*()per ai'rangements to entertain the
gentleman in a manner worthy of his high character
and the emhient position which he held in the public
eye. It was my foitune to be at the head of the
city government, and I was also attached to the same
political party, and knew personally and well the
great orator, having formed his accjuaintance at
Washington some years before. 1 had corresponded
with him as a political friend. The committee of
arrangements seemed to throw upon the mayor, from
his position, the duty of showing the distinguished
guest attentions. It was w^ith great pride and
pleasure* that I devoted nuu'h time to Mr. Webster;
wt»nt with him (»verv where, and did all that could be
HIS ARRIVAL IN ST. LOUIS. 265
clone to make his visit pleasant and agreeable. He
was accompanied in his \'isit hei-e by his wife and
daughter.
Mr. Webster arrived here on a steamboat from
Louisville, Kentucrky. It was, of course, before
the days of telegraplis, and correspcmdence was
carried on by the old, slow, stage-coach conveyances.
The Democratic newspaper, the Argus, made merry
at the expense of the IVIiigs, about the movements
and amval of Mr. Webster, and gave out, amongst
other things, that the Whig committee had had a
man employed to go every day upon the steeple of
the Cathedral church building, and there keep a sharp
lookout for the steamboat on which Mr. Webster
was expected. The steamboat, with the statesman
on board, arrived about three or four o'clock in the
afternoon. The committee of reception soon ran
<lown to the wharf, and cheered, shouted, threw up
their hats, fired off cannon, and made other demon-
strations of joy. A large ci'owd soon collected.
Two large six-poundei* brass cannon were being
fired off, across the Mississippi River, as rapidly as
possible, and the discharge of the great guns were
echoed back from the Illinois shore ; and the whole
multitude was moved to the highest state of excite-
ment.
264 DANIEL WEBSTER.
many positions of honor and responsibility. He
had reached the advanced age of more than fonr
scoiv years.
There is an event connected with the St. Louis
University which is worth being mentioned histori-
cally. It was the visit and reception of Daniel
AVebster at that seat of learning in the year 1837.
The distinguished statesman came to St. Louis in
the sununer of that year, on what was considered a
political tour. The Whig pai'ty, to which he be-
longed, nuide j)r()per ari*angements to entertain the
gentleman in a manner worthy of his high character
and the eminent position which he held in the i)ublic
eye. It was my fortune to be at the head of the
city <»:overnment, and I was also attached to the same
political party, and knew personally and well the
great orator, having fomned his acquaintance at
Washington some years befoi*e. 1 had corresponded
with him as a political friend. The committee of
arrangements seemed to throw upon the mayor, from
his i)()siti()n, the duty of showing the distinguished
guest attentions. It was with great pride and
pleasure that I devoted nuich time to Mr. Webster ;
W(»nt with him everywhere, aud did all that could be
HIS ARRIVAL IN ST. LOUIS. 265
done to make his visit pleasant and agreeable. He
was accompanied in his visit hei*e by his wife and
daughter.
Mr. Webster arrived here on a steamboat from
Louisville, Kentucky. It was, of course, before
the days of telegraphs, and correspondence was
carried on by the old, slow, stage-coach conveyances.
The Democratic newspaper, the Arxfus^ made merry
at the expense of the AVhigs, about the movements
and amval of Mr. Webster, and gave out, amongst
other things, that the Whig committee had had a
man employed to go eveiy day upon the steei)le of
the Cathedral church building, and there keep a shaip
lookout for the steamboat on which Mi\ Webster
was expected. The steamboat, with the statesman
on board, arrived about three or four o'clock in the
afternoon. The committee of ivception soon i*an
down to the wharf, and cheered, shouted, threw up
their hats, fired off cannon, and made other demon-
strations of joy. A large ci-owd soon collected.
Two large six-pounder brass cannon wei'e being
fired off, across the Mississii)pi River, as rapidly as
possible, and the discharge of the great guns were
echoed back from the Illinois shore : and the whole
multitude was moved to tlie highest state of excite-
ment.
268 DANIEL VVKB^^TEK
remembrances, when he himself was strug-gKiio^ for
intellectual culture and improvement." Then turn-
ing to the reverend fathers, he said, ** The sculptor
and the painter w^orked upon marble and upon can-
vas, materials that were perishable, but to them wa*i
given the high privilege of working upon that wiiich
was immortal." The address was short, but was
most happy and felicitous, and such in manner and
language as could have been delivered only by Daniel
Webster.
The making of that speech to Mr. Webster by
Ml*. Collet, on the occasion referred to, will be looked
l)ack to bv his cliildi'en's children, in after times, no
doubt, as one of the pi-oudest events of his life, and
with th(» same heartfelt, gratulating satisfaction that
the great-great-grandchildren and descendants of the
last one of the little girls who strewed flow^ers before
Washington when crossing tlie l)ridge at Trenton,
are accustomed now to boast of their maternal an-
cestor's association with that most thrilHng and soul-
stirring welcome to the father of his country.
The next day Mr. Webster was to deliver his
great ])()litical speech to the main body of the i)eo-
ple, — the only set S])eech which the man of w^orld-
wide fame and renown ever delivered west of the Mis-
sissip])i Kiver. The place selected for the occasion
A NOTABLE GATHERING. 269
was about a square west of the present Polytechnic
building, in a black-jack grove, in a slight depression
of the ground, which made a sort of drain or ra\'ine
toward Chouteau's Pond, as it then existed. An
immense long table was spread in the grove, with all
manner of good things of this world, eatable and
drinkable. About two o'clock p. m., the committee
of aiTangements sent a splendid carnage, which had
been prepared to ta^ke the great orator out to the
grounds, and I was sent for at my office to go to the
hotel and accompany the gi'cat man.
Col. Charles Keemle had been appointed and was
acting as gi'and marshal of the day. A great crowd
of people had assembled and filled up the streets all
along Market, Second, and Third Streets, and amidst
the strains of fine martial music and the firing of can-
non, the intellectual and gifted man of the age was
escorted to the place of entertainment by about fifteen
thousand people, who filled up the streets, in solid
phalanx, from curb-stone to curb-stone.
As the company sat down to the table, five or six
gentlemen in black gowns, from the St. Louis Univer-
sity, appeared on the ground. As presiding head of
the banquet, I ordered places prepared for the venerable
fathers at the table, and they were accordingly seated
at the festive board. Xo one who witnessed it can
270 DANIEL WEBSTER
ever forget with what deep and rivetted attention
these reverend and learned men liste^ned to every word
that was uttered by the captivating and powerful
speaker. This was the only occasion on which I ever
saw any of the reverend gentlemen attend a political
meeting ; they came to hear the speech of the gi-eat
Mr. Webster. Xearly all of St. Louis's wealthy
citizens vied with each other to see who could do Mr.
Webster the most honor. These generous marks of
hospitality manifested toward the noble statesman
were exceedingly gratifying to his feelings. He
afterwards spoke to me of the great pleasure his visit
to St. Louis had given him, and with what fond re-
collections he rememl)ered the generous hospitality of
her warm-hearted citizens.
Ha\ang introduced the great orator into this
sketch, it is but right he should make a proper exit.
A committee of citizens from Alton, Illinois, of
which the Hon. John Marshall Krum was then
mayor, came down to St. Louis to take the distin-
guished traveller to that growing place of business.
As the steamboat on which he left for Alton
pushed out from the whai*f into the swift current of
the Mississippi River, " a large number of true and
faithful Whigs," who had accompanied him on board
and taken leave of him, came off the boat and stood
HIS RECEPTION AT ALTON. 271
on the bank till the boat had started up the river.
When the departing visitor made his appearance on
the guards of the steamer, and made his last bow,
the whole multitude on shore gave him three hearty
cheers.
The mayor of Alton was a Democrat in politics,
and therefore could not he expected to further Mr.
Webster's political aspirations. Such, however, was
his high admiration for the splendid abilities, and the
glory and renown he had added to his country, that
he determined Alton should give the illustrious
statesman a worthy reception.
Alton, at that time, had no cannon to fire off in
honor of the important event. The mayor of Alton,
to meet the emergency, had previously, with much
prudent care and forethought, had a large hole
drilled into the cliff of rocks on the bank of the
Mississippi River, into which he had caused two or
three kegs of powder to be poured and well tamped ;
and when the steamboat with the great orator and
statesman on board reached the wharf of that city, a
person who had been stationed on the cliff for the
purpose set fire to the fuse and touched off the
match. It caused a tremendous explosion. This
was the heaviest and biggest gmi fired off in honor
of Daniel Webster on his whole Western tour.
When the great man landed at Alton, his Honor
272 BISHOP Du BOURG.
the mayor of Alton, be it said, -r— the Hon. Johii
Marshall Krum, with that same *'one constable of
Alton " '' who had run up the hill and run away with
the. mayor of Alton, when Lovejoy was killed,'" —
stood by him on this interesting occasion, and assisted
him to do the honors of the town.
A large concourse of people had assembled to
welcome the eminent man. The town was small,
and the mayor, most graciously and with a generous
hospitality, surrendered his own spacious rooms and
apartments in the hotel, to Mr. Webster and his
family. The remark that the '' mayor and one
constable had run up the hill and run away"' (a
quotation from the newspapers of the times), when
Lovejoy was mm*dered by the mob, is not made dis-
paragingly or offensively toward the worthy ''bur-
gomaster'' of that honorable corporation at the time,
but because the city government had not then the
means of funiishing a sufficient police force to
prevent the notous and lawless acts committed by the
mob on that occasion.
As Bishop Du Bourg has been named, it may not
be out of place to say one word more concerning
that venerable prelate. He was the first Catholic
AN INTERESTING CEREMONY. 273
bishop that ever resided in St. Louis. Under his
direction the first cathedral in this city, on the
comer of Second and Market Streets, was built.
On Palm Sunday, in the year 1823, he performed
the ceremony of blessing the St. Louis Guards,
a volunteer miUtary company then just raised and or-
ganized in the city of St. Louis, and under the
command of Capt. George IL Kennerly. The
church was brilliantly illuminated with candles, the
bright glare of the lights on the bright, glistening
armor of the military, and nodding plumes ; the
military step and fine martial music of the company,
as they marched up the middle aisle in front of the
altar of the crowded church, — had a gi'and and most
imposing and brilliant effect.
In the year 1826, the venerable Bishop Louis
Du Bourg was promoted to the see of Montauban, in
France, by his Hcrliness the pope, w^here he died some
years aftei'wards. He was succeeded in the bishopric
of St. Louis by Bishop Rosatti, who continued
bishop till the time of his death, although his death
took place in the West Indies nbout the year 1842 or
1843. He was a most amiable and good man, loved,
honored, and respected by every one that knew him.
He was succeeded in the bishopric of St. Louis by
the present leanied and finished scholar, Peter Rich-
274 FATHER Dk SMKT.
ard Kenrick, archiepiscopal see of St. Louis, about
the year of Bishop Rosatti's death. A man of great
erudition, pious, modest, and unobtrusive, meek and
unostentatious in his manner, he seems to have de-
voted himself to his sacred and holy calling- with a
singleness and steadiness of purpose that few men
have ever equalled and none have suipassed. I have
known him most intimately, and have had many busi-
ness transactions with both of these distinguished
and venerable prelates.
When the venerable and distinguished ai-chbishop
returned from a visit to Europe, some years ago, he
received (unsought for) from the good people of the
city of St. Louis a spontaneous and welcome recep-
tion, such as had never been awarded to any private
individual in an unofficial governmental position in
this country.
Of the good Father De Smet, with whom I was
acquainted, I may say, on terms of personal relations
and friendship for nearly half a century, and who
now sleeps that sleep '^ which knows no waking/'
in the beautiful valley of the Florissant, — that
'' Valley of Flowers," — I could say many things of
interest, which I have learned from his own lips, —
THE FATHERS OP THE UNIVERSITY. 275
his perils, adventures, and hardships in the Rocky
Mountains, and his travels by sea and land ; his pil-
grimage of hundreds of thousands of miles, endur-
ing cold, hunger, exposure, and fatigue ; living and
sleeping in the open air, without the habitation of
man, or tents to shelter him ; spending whole winters
in Indian lodges with the savages, and subsisting on
dried buffalo-meat, and fish, and dog-meat, without
bread or salt, — but it would take up too much space
in this present essay.
Of these reverend fathers, about whom I have
spoken as having been connected with the St. Louis
University, one observation concerning them is
worthy of remark. They all came of good families,
were well bred and well educated, many of them
having been born to wealth and affluence ; and yet,
with all these advantages, when they were young
men, just entering upon the career of life, they re-
nounced the ease and comfort with which they were
blessed, and took upon themselves the ^' vow of
chastity J paverty^ and ohedienve^'''^ and went foi-th to
do "ihe will of Him'- who sent them. And the
whole journey of human life seems to have been
devoted to the manner of life and calling they had
taken upon themselves, with a steadiness and deci-
sion of purj^ose very rarely surpassed by men of
any vocation.
276 WASHINGTON SQU^K*:.
This much may be said historically of these men
of learning, without any rogai'd or reference to creeds,
dogmas, or tenets, which have no connection what-
ever with the subject of these brief historical inci-
dents.
Washington Square is a part of the CJhouteau
"•'Mill Tract/' under the original grant made to
Laclede, and contiiins about six acres of gi-ound,
bought by the cit}'^ of St. Louis from Th(mias F.
Smith, by deed bearing date the 1st of December,
1840.
Maj. Thomas F. Smith was an officer of the
Ignited States army at that time. He was a native
of Georgia, and had received his military education
undei' the government, and had, 1 believe, graduatiMl
at West Point. While in the service, as a captain, he
bad been stationed at Prairie du Chien, Kock Island,
and other military j)osts in the Xorth-West. He
had married Miss Emilie (^houteau, the youngest
daughter of iUA. Auguste Chouteau, the friend and
companion of Laclede, and one who had assisted
Laclede in the laying out and founding the town of
St. Louis. Miss Chouteau was a lady of much
beauty and of many accomi)lishments.
When the Chouteau Mill Tract was subdividiHl
UNDER THE NEW CITY CHAHTKK. 277
and partitioned off among the heirs of that very
large and extensive estate, in the year 1832, Maj.
Thomas F. Smith was absent in the service of his
country, in the Blaekhawk war, and eonld not
attend the subdivision of the real estate then made,
a part of which was allotted to the various heirs,
and a portion was sold at public sale. Gabriel S.
Chouteau on that occasion ivpresented and attended
to the mterest of his brother-in-law, Maj. Smith,
and bought this squai'e of ground in his own name,
afterwards making a deed of conveyance in due
form of law to Maj. Thomas F. Smith.
At the April election in the year 1840, I was
honored by being elected, for the fourth term, mayor
of the city of St. Louis, under the new city charter,
then for the fii'st time brought into operation. The
City (ilouncil consisted of two boards, one called the
Board of Aldermen and the other the Board of
Delegates, the legislative power of the city govern-
ment before that time having been vested in one
board alone, called the Board of Aldermen. So
soon as I was inaugurated as mayor, I, in an official
commimication to the Council, again urged upon that
body the propriety and absolute necessity of pur-
chasing public parks arid squares while land was yet
low and could be obtained. This had always been
278 WASHINGTON SQUARE.
a favorite project with me. Five years before, as
already mentioned, I had failed of success in my
efforts, although I succeeded in having Lafayette
Square established. TIte communication from the
mayor was referred by the Board of Delegates to a
select committee, of which George K. Budd, Esq.,
then a delegate, was chairman.
From April till fall, Mr. Budd tried to purchase
a piece of ground for a public square. He com-
plained that people asked too much for their ground,
and made a report, saying he was unable to purchase
any ])iece of land suitable for the purposes intended.
After this report had been made, I saw Maj. Smith
and bargained for the land now known as ^'^ Wash-
ington Square." The price was twenty-five thousand
dollars, to be paid in twenty-five city bonds of one
thousand dollars each, payable in fifty years, and
bearing five per cent interest, payable semi-annually,
for which coupons were to be attached. The con-
tract was reduced to writing.
I had, foi-tunately, the most intimate relations
of personal friendship with Maj'. Smith. I was his
lawyer, and was on friendly terms with Col. Chou-
teau's family, — a visitor at the house as well as at
the houses of their relations. Maj. Smith assigned,
amongst other reasons, as a cause for selling the
I'KKLIMINAIUKS OF TlIK PriKMIASK. 279
ground, that his wife's heahli was l)ad, and he
wanted to send her to Cuba for the winter, a trip
which would be attended with considerable expense,
as she would have to take with her a number of
servants, such as she had always been accustomed to,
from her wealth and distinguished position in society.
Besides, he would need some money, he said, to
furnish liis costly and elegant residence, then in
course of constioiction on Seventh Street. But for
these reasons, he assured me he would not sell the
lot at all. However, the terms were fixed and the
absolute sale agreed to, and the contract for the same
signed in writing. I went immediately to see some
of the members of the Council, and informed them
of the purchase ; and meeting with Mr. Budd, in-
formed him that I had made the purchase, and
requested him to introduce an ordhiance to authorize
the issuing of the bonds, as he was chairman of the
select committee. I was going down Main Street to
the City Hall, then located over the old market-
house on Front Street, where the stores known as the
*•' City Buildings" now are, when I met Mr. Budd
coming up Main Street, on the west side, between
Chestnut and Pine Streets, directly hi front of where
Judge Marie P. Ledu(* then had his office. I re-
turned with Mr. Budd to my office, and made
280 WASHINGTON SQUAKE.
suggestions with regard to the ordinance provisions,
so as to conform to the contract and the terms of
sale. Mr. Budd was greatly pleased that the pur-
chase had been made ; and I admonished him that the
matter would have to be managed cautiously and
prudently, otherwise the City Council might, perhaps,
refuse to pass the ordinance to authorize the issuing
of the bonds, and the purchase might possibly fall
through, in like manner as when I had made the pur-
chase of the two pieces of ground before. I gave
Mr. Budd a letter of introduction to Maj. Smith,
and requested that he should go around and see him
personally. The next day Maj. Smith came to my
office, and said to me, with some excitement,
^^ Darby, I won't sell thiit lot at all.'' ''Why,"
said I, ''Major, what's the matter?" Said he,
' ' You have sent an Abolitionist to me to see about
carrying out the trade we'd agreed upon, — a fellow
who wants to put a negro on an equality with a
white man." The major's manner and language
were quite excited, and he denounced Abolitionism
and Abolitionists in the most violent language and
in the bitterest and most unmeasured terms. I tried
to pacify him ; but still he was violent, and his lan-
guage vehement and decided, — asserting th<at no
man of honor and of self-respect would or could
COL. GRIMSLEY AS MEDIATOR. 281
have any business transactions with such fellows, or
anything to do with such scoundrels, etc. The
major, having been bom and bred in Georgia, had
inherited, imbibed, and cherished for all Abolitionists
the most venomous and detestable hatred. Finally,
after one of his paroxysms of rage and denunciation
had passed off, I proposed to Maj. Smith that we
should go down and see Col. Thornton Grimsley,
whom I knew to be a warm personal friend of his,
and whose saddle-shop and manufacturing establish-
ment was in the next block below, on the same
side of the street. To this he readily assented.
Col. Grimsley was not in the City Council at that
time. At the time when we called. Col. Grimsley
was engaged with the men in his establishment. I
spoke to him privately, and told him that Maj. Smith
and myself had come to see him particularly on a
little matter; and as Col. Grimsley had no private
room convenient, he suggested that we should step
into '^ Billy Williams's" saloon, a very genteel,
fashionable, and elegant establishment of the kind,
two or three doors below, where we could go into a
back room and talk the matter over. We went there
immediately, as the readiest and nearest place where
we could discuss the subject-mattei- of our visit.
282 WASHINGTON SQUARE.
After we had closed the door, so as not to be m-
truded upon, and had taken our seats, I explained the
whole matter to Col. Grinisley, and made known
Maj. Smith's objections, which he also enlarged
upon more fully and emphatically. To my great
satisfaction, Col. Grimsley told Maj. Smith that what
he had urged was no good ground for breaking off
the trade. I had told the major that I would be the
person he would have to deal with ; that I would
deliver him the bonds ; that myself and the city
register, Joseph A. Wherry, would be the parties he
would have to deal with, so that he would have little
or nothing to do personally with the committee.
" Why," said Col. Grimsley, stroking his hand over
his big, black whiskers, as liis manner was, "'why,
major, we'll wipe these Abolition scoundrels out so
dean, in less than ten vears, that there won't be a
grease-spot left of them. You need not break off
the trade on such an account." These suggestions
seemed to satisfy Maj . Smith ; and on my assurance
that I would deliver the bonds to him myself, the
uiajor agreed to waive all further objections.
I made it my business to go around and see the
membei's of the Council, and to talk to them in-
<lividually about the j^urchase, and was gratified to
ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE. 283
ind that there would be little opposition to the meas-
ire. The ordinance was enacted uito a law, as fol-
ows, viz. : —
Ui ordinance authorizing the mayor to purchase of Thomas F.
Smith, Esq., a certain lot of ground, to be held by the city
as a public square forever.
3€ it ordained by the City Council of the City of St. Louisy 08 fol-
lows : —
Section 1. That the mayor be, and he is hereby authorized and
equ(?8ted to purchase, on the terms and conditions hereinafter desig-
nated, on behalf of tlie cit}' of St. Louis, from Thomas F. Smith,
Csq.. a certain lot or piece of ground situate on Market Street (so
•ailed), near the corporate limits of St. Louis, the said lot being
)ounded on the north by Market Street aforesaid, south by Clark
>treet, east by Twelfth Street, and west by Fouileenth Street :
^rovided^ in the opinion of the mayor and city attorney, the title
o the said lot is indefejisible.
Sect. 2. On the title being vested in the city to the lot afore-
mid, the mayor is hereby authorized and requested to issue the
)onds of the city of St. Louis to Thomas F. Smith, Esq., for the
mm of twenty-five thousand dollars, in sums of one thousand
lollars each, bearing interest at the rate of ^\i} \\qy cent \\^r an-
num, payable half-yearly.
Sect. 3. The said bonds shall be made payable at the city of
St. Louis, fift}' years from the date of the deed of purchase, and
<hall contain a provision tliat they may be redeemed or paid by the
:\ty at any time after twenty y«fti*« from tlie date aforesaid. The
t)onds to be countersigned by the (•omi)troller in tlie usual fonn.
Sect. 4. On the title of tlie said lot being vested in the city, it
diall be, and the said lot or |)iece of ground is hereby declared to be,
forever a public square, for the use of the citizens of St. Lmiis^
ind on no'pleaorjyrelexttnhatsoerershallit be diverted from the
purposes for ivhich it is intended ; and to make this declaration ir-
revocable, the deed of purchase shall guarantee to the seller, his
284 WASHINGTON SQUARE.
heirs and assigns, as well as to the citizens of St. Lonis, that it
shall be a public square for the use of the citizens of St. Liouis
forecer.
Sect. 5. The said public square, when it shall become the proj)-
erty of the city, shall be kept under such regulations as from time
to time the City Council may deem proper. Said square shall be
called " Washington Square."
Sect. 6. This ordinance to go into effect and be in force from
and after its passage.
Edw. Bk(x>ks,
Chairman Board of Delegates,
A. L. Miu^,
President Board of Aldermen,
Approved, November 28, 1840.
The provision inserted in the ordinance, expressly
proliibiting the lot of ground from ever being used or
appropriated to another purpose than that of a
''public square," was inserted in the original con-
tract, so entered into between myself and Maj.
Thomas F. Smith, by my request and by my express
direction ; for I dictated the language when the
written contract was entered into, which caused the
same prohibition to be inserted in the ordinance
authorizing the purchase and also in the deed of
conveyance made to the city. For I assured Maj.
Thomas F. Smith, at the time, that unless this prohi-
bition was inserted in the ordinance and deed, the
city authoi'ities would attempt to sell or dispose of
the pi'operty, or appropriate it to some other purpose,
TERMS OF THE DEED. 285
as they have several times attempted to do notwith-
standing the prohibition.
In pui'suanee of the contract for the purchase,
the foregoing ordinance was passed, and accordingly
the deed of conveyance made to the city, in the fol-
lowing terms and language : —
This deed, made this first day of I)ecemlH»r, in the year of our
Lord one thousand eiglit hundred and forty, by and between
Thomas F. Smith, and EmiHe his wife, of tiie county of St. Louis,
parties of the first part, and tiie dtj' of St. Louis, party of the
second i)art : Witnesseth, That tlie said parties of the first part,
for and in consideration of the sum of twenty-five thousand dol-
lars, U) them in hand paid by the party of the second part, the re-
ceipt of which is hereby acknowledged, do hereby grant, bargain,
and sell to the (dty of St. Louis, the party of the second part, in
fee-simple, the following described lot, or piece of ground, to wit :
A certain lot or piece of ground situate on Market Street (so
called), near the corporate limits of St. Louis, the said lot being
l)6unded on the north by Market Street aforesaid, south by Clark
Street, east by Twelftli Street, and west by Thirteenth Street ;
being lot number three, containing six acres, in the first series,
and one of the lots assigned to Gabriel S. Chouteau, one of the
heirs of Auguste Chouteau, deceased, by the commissioners ai>-
pointed by the Circuit Court of said county to divide the ^' mill
tract" of the estate of said deceased, which said lot of ground
said CTabriel S. Chouteau conveyed to Thomas F. Smith, by
deed dated the thirteenth day of December, in the year
eighteen hundred and thirty-three, and recorded in the record-
er's office of said county, in book S, page 394 and following;
to have and to hold said lot of ground, together with the priv-
ileges and advantages to the same in anywise belonging, unto
the city of St. Louis in fee-simple. And in pursuance of the
requisitions of an ordinance of the city of St. Louis, entitled
286 WASHINGTON SQUARE.
"An ordinance authorizing the mayor to purchase of Thomas F.
Smith a certain lot of ground, to be held by the city as a public
square forever," approved November 28, 1840, the said city of
St. Louis do hereby' guarantee to the said Thomas F. Smith, his
heirs and assigns, as well as to the citizens of said city of St.
Louis, that the lot of ground above described shall be a public
square for the use of tiie citizens of St. Louis forever. In testi-
mony whereof, the said Thomas F. Smith, and the said Emilie
Smith, by her attorneys in fact, Gabriel S. Chouteau and Joseph C.
Barlow, have hereunto set their hands and seals, on the day and
year in this behalf first above written ; and the city of St. Louis
have also executed this deed, on the same day and year, by caus-
ing the same to be signed by the mayor of said city, and causing
the corporate seal of said city to be affixed, with the attestation of
the register of said city.
T. F. Smith. [Seal.]
Emilik Smith, [Seal.]
By her attorneys in fad.
JosKPH C. Barlow, [Seal.]
Gabkikl S. CnorTKAr. [Seal.]
Attested by J. A. Wherry,
Register City of St, Louis.
John F. Darby,
Mayor of the City of St. Lotiis.
} ss.
is. J
StATK of MlSvSOURI,
County of St. Louis
Be it remembered, that on this third day of December, in thi*
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty, Ix^foro
me, H. Chouteau, cleric of the County Court within and for the
county aforesaid, personally appeared Thomas F. Smith, who is
personally known to me to be the person wliose name is subscribe<l
to tlie foregoing instrument of writing lus a |)arty thereto, and ac-
knowledged the same to be his act and deed for the purposes
therein mentioned ; and also appeared Joseph C. Harlow and Ga-
THE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 287
briel S. Chouteau, who are also |)er8onally known to me to be the
persons whose names are subscribed to the foregoing instrument
of writing as parties thereto, and acknowledged the same to be
their act, and as attorneys in fact of Emilie, the wife of the said
Thomas F. Smith, for the purposes therein mentioned, and for her
and in her name relinquished her dower in the said land and tene-
ments therein mentioned.
In testimony, I have hereto set my hand and affixed the seal of
said county, at office in the city of St. Louis, in the county and
State aforesaid, the day and year l>efore mentioned.
[l. s.] Henry Chouteau, Clerk,
. [as.
IS. ;
State of Missouri,
County of St. Louis
Be it remembered, that on this third day of December, in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty, before
me, Henry Chouteau, clerk of the County Court within and for
the county aforesaid, personally appeared John F. Darby, who is
personally known to me to be the person whose name is subscribed
to the foregoing instrument of writing as a party thereto, and ac-
knowledged the same to be his act and deed, as mayor of the city
of St. Louis, for the purix>ses therein mentioned.
In testimony whereof, I hereto set my hand and affix the seal
of said court, at office, in the city of St. Louis, in the county and
State aforesaid, the day and year alwve written.
[l. 8.] Henry Chouteau, Clerk,
Filed for record, April 13, 1841, and recorded April 26, 184L
John Ruland, Recorder,
Book R, No. 2, pages 121 and 122.
This was the true history of the origin and of
the purchase of Washington Square.
Afterwards, Mr. Budd was a candidate for i-e-
election, when all manner of abuse was heaped upon
288 WASHINGTON SQUARE.
him on aeeouiit of the city havmg- purchased this
square. This was most unjust and undeserved, for
he had no more to do with it than any otiier member
of the Council, except that he was chairman of the
select committee on ^* public parks,'' to whom had
been referred the mayor's communication. Yet,
after he had made a report, six months subsequent to
his appointment on such committee, that he was un-
able to purchase a piece of ground for a public square
or park, it was most unjustly called in the Democratic
newspai)er — for there was but one, the Argus —
the ''big gully," ^^Budd's folly," etc. This was
mostly done by John M. Wimer, Robert N. Moore,
and other North - Ward politicians, who wanted to de-
feat Budd in his election. They were aided by Abel
Kathbone C'orbin, then editor of the Democratic
newspaper in St. Louis, — the same individual who
has become ex-President Grant's brother-in-law, hav-
ing married his sister in the " White House,"' while
Grant was president. There was no ''big gully''
on the land ; at the south-western conier, near Clark
Avenue, was a little drain. It had always been a
level piece of ground, by nature ; and along the north-
ern portion of the land, where Market Street now is,
the primitive French had their quarter race-track.
I also came in for a full share of abuse from the
DEFEAT OF MK BUDD. 289
same ward-politicians for having purchased Washing-
ton Square. I assumed the whole responsibility, in
public speeches, harangues, and discussions in public
meetings ; I relieved Mr. Budd from any blame
whatever. I said that I alone had made the pur-
chase, and that he was no more liable to censure
than was any other member of the Council who had
voted for the ordinance. I boldly asserted that I
had made the purchase, and was ready to vindicate
the act at all times, and to take the whole blame,
if any there should be.
Mr. Budd was defeated in his re-election ; not be-
cause of the pm'chase of Washington Square, but
because the mad-dog hue-and-cry had been raised
against him, charging him with being an Aboli-
tionist. At that time, no man in this then commu-
nity of slave-holders who was suspected of being an
Abolitionist could possibly be elected by the popular
vote.
Mr. Budd was a Wliig in politics, and I did all
that I could to elect him. In public meetings I
had heard him deny frequently that he was an Aboli-
tionist, with as much positiveness as Peter had de-
nied his Lord, although he did not curse and swear
as Peter did, but conducted himself with the dignity
and gravity of the true Presbyterian that he was.
10
290 WASHINGTON SQUARE.
Maj. Thomas F. Smith was a gentleman of re-
finement and education, — warm-hearted, generous,
and impulsive, — a devoted personal friend of mine.
One or two anecdotes which are here inserted will
somewhat illustrate his peculiarities. I met him on
the street on one occasion with a fine, new pistol,
which he had got old Creamer, the gunsmith, to
make for him. " I have just had that pistol made,''
said he, ** by old Creamer, to shoot old Lawless with."
I replied, '' Major, I hope you won't shoot old Law-
less.'' "'Why," said he, ''I have had the pistol
made for that purpose, and I dislike to lose the
use of it."
On another occasion, he was in command of a
company of United States soldiers of one hundred
men, coming down the Mississippi River from Rock
Island on a keel-boat, rowed by the soldiei"s them-
selves. Capt. Bennett Riley — aftei-wards Gen.
Riley, who fought with so much bravery all
through the Mexican war, and who was one of the
first military governors of California — was also in
command of a like number of men on another keel-
boat. The two captains, for the sake of company,
sat together on the deck of one of the boatjs, and as
the boat came down the stream they saw a dead trc*e,
Avith the roots embedded in the bottom of the river.
Capt. Smith said to C!apt. Riley, '"There's a
ST. LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 291
sawyer." To which Capt. Riley I'eplied, '^ I say
it's a snag.'' Capt. Smith immediately rejomed, ** I
say it's a sawyer; do you mean to dispute my
i^ord?" Riley answered, ''And I say it's a snag;
do you mean to dispute my word? " Smith called
out to the non-commissioned officer in command of
the vessel, ''Round the boat to, sergeant, — round
her to ; we'll soon settle this matter, ^o man shall
dispute my word." The two boats were landed a^d
the two captains went ashore, and in the presence of
the two hundred soldiers under their command, took
a shot at each other with pistols, to settle the question
whether the log seen in the river was a snag or a
sawyer. Fortunately, the captains had been imbib-
ing a little, and neither of the gentlemen was hit by
the exchange of shots.
The within communication has Iwen read to us by John F.
Darby, and, to the best of our knowledge, we deem the same cor-
rect.
Edw. Brooks,
Thomas H. W^est,
Samuel Gaty,
Members of the City Council for the year 1840.
Article III. of the treaty of cession of Louisiana
reads as follows : —
The inhabitants of the ceded territory shall be incorporated in
the Union of the United States, and admitted as soon as possible^
292 ST. LOUIS PUBHC SCHOOLS.
aeeordinj^ to the i)riiicii)les of the Federal Constitution, to the
enjoyment of all the rights, advantages, and immunities of citizens
of the United States ; and in the meantime the}' siiall be main-
tained and protected in the free enjoyment of tlieir liberty, pro^v
erty, and the religion which they profess.
In piirHuance of this article, Congress passed the
following acts for ascertaining and adjudicating
titles and claims to land in Louisiana, viz. : Act of
26th March, 18t4; Act of 2d March, 1805; Act of
26th February, 1806 ; Act of 2l8t April, 1806 ; Act
of 3d March, 1807.
Notwithstanding these various acts of Congress,
up to the year 1811 there were not three perfect
titles to land in the whole territory of Upper Louisi-
ana. In the yeai- 1811, Edward Hempstead was
elected to (Congress as a delegate from the Missouri
Territory.
In the report of the Board of Directors of the
St. Ijouis Public Schools for the year 1876, it is
stilted that the whole amount of revenue of tlio
schools at that time was $789,114.99; that the
property owned by the board consisted of large
landed proi)erty donated by the general govei'nment,
then estimated at the value of $1,252,895.79, yield-
ing that year an income of $52,855.75 ; and when
the fii'st fifty-year leases shall have run out, the prop-
ertv will no doubt be doubled in value.
It is proposed now to give the origin of this rich
THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE GRANT. 293
grant of land to the public schools. It did not
originate in Congress, but emanated from and was
started by Col. Thomas F. Riddick, of St. Louis.
He was the man who first conceived the idea of hav-
ing this valuable property made over, by grant, to the
public schools, and took steps to have it done. He
it was who planned, labored for, and earned out the
scheme and project of having these valuable lands
donated to the public schools. This is the true
histoiy of the grant.
Mr. Hempstead appealed to Congress to have
these people of Upper Louisiana confiraied in their
titles to their lands, and urged, amongst other
grounds, the fact that they had been incorporated
into the Union and made citizens of the United States
without their knowledge, authority, or consent ; that
by the Spanish law and royal order, the intendant-
general at Xew Orleans was alone vested with
authority to make grants of land in Louisiana in
the name of the sovereign, his Catholic majesty, the
King of Spain, which grants having not been per-
fected before the transfer of the coinitry to the
United States, all their titles were, as a matter of
course, inchoate and necessarily imperfect. He
thei'cfore urged upon and pleaded with Congress to
pass the act of the 13th of June, 1812, wliich he had
294 ST. LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
prepared as a matter of right and justice, and for
which the honor and faith of the nation were bound
and solemnly pledged. Being a delegate merely, he
could not vote, but could only advocate his bill,
which was voted upon and passed finally by the full
members of Congress. A portion of the act of
Congress is as follows : —
Be it enactedy etc.
Section 1. The rights, titles, and crlaims to town or A'illage lots,
out-lots, common-field lot«, and commons in, adjoining, and lie-
longing to the several towns or villages of Portage des Sioux, St.
Charles, St. Louis, St. Ferdinand, Village a Robert, Little Prauie,
and Arkansas, in the Territory of Missouri, which lot« have l>eeu
inhabited, cultivated, or ])ossessed prior to the twentieth day of
De(;ember, 1808, shall be, and the same are hereby, confirmed to
the inhabitants of the respective towns or villages aforesaid, ac-
cording to their several rights in common thereto. [The ])ro>iso
to this section is omitted, as not being necessary to this pubUcation.
Acts of Twelfth Congress, Chap. XCIX.]
Sect. 2. All town or village lots, out lots, or common-field lots,
included in such surve3's, which are not rightfully owned or
claimed by any i)rivate individuals, or held as commons belong-
ing to such towns or villages, or that the president of the United
States may not think ])roi)er to reseiTC for military puriK)ses,
shall be, and the same are hereby resen'ed for the snp^wrt of
schools in the respective towns or villages aforesaid. [The pro-
viso to this section is also omitted, as not being necessary to this
article. Id., sect. 2.]
This is tlie origin of this rich gift to the St.
Louis Public Schools. The value of these lands now
owned by the schools, in round numbers, may be
THE CREDIT DUE TO COL. RmDICK. 295
stated to be worth to-day a million and a half of
dollars. The second section of this law, giving
these lands to the public schools, was inserted in the
act by Mr. Hempstead, at the special and earnest
request of Thomas F. Riddick (Col. Riddick had
lived here in St. Louis before that), who knew all
about the town, and knew that there were certain
lots of ground in the town for which no. rightful
owners or claimants could be found. With him
originated the idea of giving these lots, not rightfully
claimed, to the public schools ; and for this purpose
Col. Riddick started on horseback, and rode all the
way to Washington City, at his own individual ex-
pense, to have this desirable object consummated and
carried out, which was done. Of these things I have
heard from Col. Riddick himself, and from Archi-
bald Gamble, Esq., so long an efficient and active
agent of the public schools in looking after their
interest in these lands, and he informed me that to
Col. Riddick was due the credit of having this rich
grant of lands made, and which Mr. Hempstead
earned through Congress.
For this great and valuable inheritance now en-
joyed by the public schools. Col. Riddick deserves to
have a monument erected to his memory. It was my
good fortune to know Col. Riddick most intimately
296 ST. LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
and well. I have visited his house and shared the
generous hospitality of his domicile, and have
received the warm, friendly greetings of his friend-
ship and that of his whole family. Col. Riddick was
among the veiy first trustees of the public schools.
He was a member of the convention that formed the
first Constitution of the State of Missouri, being
elected on the same ticket, from the county of St.
Louis, with such men as Edwai'd Bates, Gov. Mc-
!N'air, Gen. Bernard Pratte, and Pierre Chouteau, Jr.
When he embarked in any enterjDiise, he was one of
the most enthusiastic men that ever lived in St.
Louis. He died at the Sulphur Springs, in Jefferson
County, Missouri, about the year 1830 or 1831, be-
loved, honored, and respected by all who knew him.
It is with the most becoming deference and respect
toward the members of the Board of the St. Louis
Public Schools, and certainly in no spirit of offensive
obtrusiveness, that I may be permitted to express the
hope that the very intelligent and worthy gentlemen
who (*ompo8e the board will, before long, take some
suitable action to erect a proper monument to the
memory of one who has conferred upon them the
means of doing so much good, and from which those
under their charge have been blessed with and have
derived such lastin^f benefits. Tn fact, so far as the St.
EDWARD HEMPSTEAD. 297
Liouis public schools are concerned, Col. Thomas F.
Kiddick was the creator and originator of that noble
system of instruction which now obtains in St. Louis.
Of Edward Hempstead, the delegate in Congress
who introduced and had passed this act, a word should
be said. I did not know him personally, but I knew
his father, Stephen Hempstead, who rode in the car-
riage with Lafayette, when he visited St. Louis ; and
I knew all his brothers, William, Lewis, and Charles ;
in fact, I knew the whole family, who were amongst
the most respectable early American settlers in St.
Louis. Charles S. Hempstead died about the year
1875, at the advanced age of more than eighty
years. For more than forty years he had been a
practising lawyer at Galena, in Illinois, where he
died. He was for many years the law-partner, at
Galena, of Mr. Washbume, the late minister of the
United States in Paris.
The late Edward Bates is authority for the state-
ment that when Edward Hempstead came to St.
Louis, he came all the way from Vincennes, Indi-
ana, on foot, with a little bimdle on his back. He
was bom in ?i^ew London, Connecticut, June 3,
1780; received a classical education from private
tutors, and, having studied law, was admitted to the
bar in 1801. Aftei* spending three years in Rhode
Island, practising his profession, he removed in 1804
298 WILLIAM CHRISTY.
to Louisiana, travelling on horseback, and tarrying
for a time at Vincennes, Indiana Territory. He first
settled in St. Charles, on the Missouii River, in 1805 ;
he then removed to St. Louis, where he resided the
balance of his life. In 1806 he was appointed deputy
attorney-general for the district of St. Louis and St.
Charles ; and in 1809, attorney-general for the terri-
tory of Upper Louisiana, which office he held until
1811. He was the first delegate in Congress from
the western side of the Mississippi River, represent-
ing Missouii Ten'itory from 1811 to 1814. After hifi
service in Congress, he went upon several expeditious
against the Indians ; was elected to the Territorial
Assembly, and chosen speaker. He was a man of
ability, pure and without reproach, and his loss was
deeply lamented by all who knew him. He died in
St. Louis on the 10th of August, 1817, a little under
thirty-seven years of age.
Tliis short notice is due to one who did so much
for his country and especially who had I'endered such
lasting and valuable services to the city of St. Louis.
William Christy, Jr., of St., Charles, was clerk
of the Circuit Court, and ex^officio recorder of St.
Charles County, and also of the County Court of
AN OFFICIAL OF THE OLDEN TIME. 299
;. Charles County, about fifty years ago. He ^ was
very polite, gentlemanly man in his mannei*s.
Hhen the terms of the court would begin, the
►untry people and farmers would come to court, as
itnesses, parties, jurore, etc. Many of these parties
id charge of estates, — as administrators, execu-
rs, guardians, and curators, — almost all of whom
ved fees to the clerk, which he would tiy to collect
n-ing their attendance on the court. He was a
»nerable-looking man, and wore a long queue down
8 back, which was neatly dressed, and tied with a
ack ribbon. He was recorder of deeds also, and
irties would send in their deeds to be recorded,
ithout sending the money to pay the fees ; so that
ere was a considerable amount due to him from
n-sons scattered all over the county. They used to
y of this ancient official, that whenever he got a
lance to speak to these different parties he always
minded them that there were some fees due to him.
Hien, for example, a witness would come to be
rorn in a case on tnal in the Circuit Court, he
ways used the Bible to administer the oath, and
ould say, when the witness was callpd, ''Come
the book.'" And then he would say, " Put your
md on the book,'' and would swear the witness
"ter this manner : ' ' You do solemnly swear that the
300 NATHANIEL BEVEKLY TUCKER.
evidence yon are about to give in the ease now pend-
ing before the court, wherein Peter Simple is plaintiff
and John Jones is defendant, shall be the tnith, the
whole ti'uth, and nothing but the truth, [then low-
enng his voice, and speaking as if in parenthesis, he
would say, ^' You owe me a dollar"] so help you
God." He was a man of great respectability, and
univei'sally beloved. He died in St. Charles more
than forty years ago.
Judge Tucker was judge of the St. Louis Circuit
Court. He was a man of eccentric character, and
was a half-l)rother of John Randolph, the great
orator of Roanoke, Virginia. They had the same
mother, but different fathers, and he had many of
the eccentricities of John Randolph. When he came
to Missouri, he w^ent near Florissant, in St. Louis
County, and bought a farm; and on the planta-
tion wavS a big, lioUow sycamore tree, eight or ten
feet in diameter. This he cut off eight or ten feet
above the ground, cleaned it out, cut a door m it,
and made a law-office of it, putting his books around
the inside, and lived there as a practising attorney.
He had a great aversion to Yankees ; he used to call
HIS AVEIiSroN TO YANKEES. 301
them the ^'Universal Yankee Nation ; " and when the
people were formuig^ a State Constitution for the first
time, under the direction of Barton and others, he used
to say he wanted it to be engrafted in the Constitution
that no Yankee should ever cross the Mi8sissii)pi River,
and he wanted a clause inserted in the Constitution that
no Y^ankee should ever settle in the State of Missouri.
AVhen he was asked by Mr. Bates and othei's liow
he could prevent the Yankees from crossing the
Mississippi River, Mr. Tucker said he would have
every ferryman stationed on either side of the river
iiistnicted, when a passenger came up and wanted to
cross, to ask the applicant for ferriage to pronounce
the word '*cow,'' and if he said ''keow'' he would
not be permitted to let him pass. Judge Tucker was
judge of the Circuit Court hei-e for a number of
yeai-s, and then went ovei* into St. C^harles C/Ounty,
and was judge of the Xorthern Circuit in the State
of Missouri. He lived cm a farm, .and would get on
one of his fine hoi*ses and gallop off twenty or thirty
miles to hold coiu't. The country, generally, was
thinly settled, and thei'e was but little business to be
done. He would swear in the grand jury, and if they
came in and re})orted no l>usines8, after dinner he
w^ould turn around, adjourn the coui*t, and go home,
and there would be nothing more done at that tenn.
302 NATHANIEL BEVERLY TUCKER.
He afterwards went back to Yir^iia, and became
professor of law in the old institution of William
and Mary. He lived there for a number of years.
On one occasion Judge Tucker was tiying a suit in
the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, and old Dr.
Simpson was examined as a witness by Col. Lawless.
Late in the evening the court was about to adjourn,
when somebody came down town and told Dr. Simp
son that Col. Lawless was animadverting very se-
verely upon his testimony. Old Dr. Simpson ran up,
in very bad humor, and met Col. Lawless coming
with an armful of books out of the coui-t-house.
The comt was then held in a little frame building
belonghig to Parson Geddings, of the fii-st Presby-
terian church that was ever built here. Simpson
addressed Lawless, and said, ''Col. Lawless, I un-
derstand, sir, you have been animadvei'ting on my
testimony very severely." "' What then? '- said old
Col. Lawless. "Why," said Simpson, "then you
told a d — d lie, you old scoundrel."' And with that,
old Lawless, who was a boxer, struck at Dr. Sim[>-
son, who, however, was active, and dodged the blow.
Just then Judge Tucker, coming out of the court-
room, saw the fight, and commanded the peace.
Dr. Simpson, who was running around and getting
out of the way of Col. Lawless, said to Judgi*
BRYAN MULLANPHY. 30S
Tucker, *' If your Honor please, I have whipped the
man enough, — I won't whip him any more ; '' which
greatly annoyed Col. Lawless, who was trying to
get a chance at Dr. Simpson .
Bryan MuUanphy was the son of John MuUan-
phy, a man of immense fortune, who lived in St.
Louis, and who died in the year 1833, leaving an es-
tate estimated, at the time of his death, at five or six
millions of dollars.
Bryan Mullanphy was an only son, but he had
six sisters, one of whom was married to Charles
Chambers ; another, to Richard Graham ; another
was married to Maj. Thomas Biddle, who was killed
in a duel by Spencer Pettis, member of Congress from
Missouri, in the year 1831 ; another married Gen*
William S. Harney, of the United States army ; an-
other one of his sisters married James Clemens, Jr. ;
and the other married, first, Dr. Dennis Delaney,
and after his death. Judge Boyce, of Louisiana.
Bryan Mullanphy, after going to school for some
years in St. Louis, was sent by his father to France,
and educated in a monastery ; consequently, when he
came out of that institution of learning, he knew
304 BRYAN MULLANPHY.
little of the outside world, or of men. His father
used to boast, before he came home, that he intended
to give him a fortune, with an income equal to the
salary of the president of the United States, which,
fifty years ago, was counted a very considerable suro.
Bryan Mullanphy was a man of fine mind, but
he had some eccentncities, that seemed in a measure
to destroy his usefulness. Possessed of a very large
estate by inheritance from his father, he studied law,
and entered into politics, taking the Democratic
side. He used to go around the country making
speeches, and his eccentricities and peculiarities were
such as always to attract attention. He was at one
time an alderman of the city of St. Louis, subse-
quently mayoi* of the city, and was finally appointed
by the governor of the State, judge of the St. Louis
Circuit Court. He discharged the duties of those
offices respectal)ly ; l:)ut his many peculiarities were
the subject of remark, and provoked the mirth of
almost everybody who was acquainted with him.
While he was judge of the St. Louis Circuit
Court, he had a difficulty in court with a lawyer
named Ferdinand W. Kisque, who had come from
Virginia. The judge ordered Risque to take his
seat, whidi he refused to do, and told the court
he would rather stand. Whereupon the court im-
ENGAGES IN A PASSAGE AT ARMS. 305
posed a fine upon him ; and Risque still refusing to
take his seat, when ordered to do so by the court,
another fine was imposed. At last Risque went
outside the court-room, and looking back at the
judge, shook his fist and made faces at him. There-
upon Judge Mullanphy ordered the shenff to go
and close the door, so as not to ' ' have the light
of his countenance shme upon Risque." Risque was
very violent against the judge, and afterwards way-
laid him on Chestnut Street, opposite the southern
entrance to the Planters' House, and made an as-
sault upon him with a stick. He knocked off the
judge's hat and spectacles. Risque was in company
with George H. Kennerly, at that time marshal of
the county of St. Louis. When struck by Risque,
Judge Mullanphy drew his sword, and made an ef-
fort to thrust it through his assailant, when Marshal
Kennerly stepped between them and commanded the
peace. Mullanphy turned to Marshal Kennerly,
and asked him if he did that in his official capacity.
Kennerly replied, that he did. Thereupon the judge,
saying, ^^I always obey the officers of the law,
sir," put up his sword in his cane and walked off.
The judge did not touch his assailant, although
the contrary has been erroneously stated.
I went to Florissant in the year 1838, having been
20
306 BRYAN MULLANPHY.
t
designated as one of the speakers on the Whig side ;
and Judge Mullanphy , on the Democratic side, was to
reply to me. The judge and Hugh O'Xeil, Demo-
cratic candidates for the Legislature, rode out in a
buggy together, and in crossing a creek, the wheels
ran upon the side of the bank and threw out the oc-
cupants of the buggy. Mr. O'JiTeil at once picked
himself up, and, running out upon the bank, pulled
out a bottle and l)egan to drink ; when the judge cried
out, " Hold, hold, O'Neil ! Don't drink it all, for I
have got an interest hi the bottle.''
On another occasion, when he was mayor, he told
Mr. Kayser, who was then city engineer, that Chou-
teau's Pond was a nuisance, and that he wanted the
engineer to go out to the pond with him, examine it,
and take steps to abate it. It was a very warm day,
and as they went by a drug-store, on the comer of
Fourth and Market Streets, they stopped to get a glass
of soda-water. While drinking, another gentleman
came in, and asked for a glass of blue-lick water;
which, as is well known, smells very strongly of sul-
phur. While the gentleman was drinking his blue-
lick, Judge Mullanphy began to snuff his nose, and
said to Mr. Kayser, '' I smell that now." The pond
was half a mile away.
When Bryan Mullan|)hy was judge of the St.
INDICTED FOR OPPRESSION IN OFFICE. 307
Louis Circuit Court, some lawyer made a point bef oi-e
him, that he was not competent to try a cause in
which the Bank of the State of Missouri was a party,
because he was a stockholder in the bank. To which
the judge rephed, that the ^^ court was not a stock-
holder in the bank ; but that the court's mother was
a stockholder, and therefore he would not try the
case."
Mr. Risque went before the grand jury and had
Judge MuUanphy indicted for oppression in office as
judge. A statute was then in force which provided
that where any officer should be guilty of oppression
in office, he should be indictable and triable before a
jury in the Criminal Court. Judge Mullanphy hav-
ing thus been indicted by the grand jury, upon the
representations made by Mi'. Risque, a capias for his
aiTest was issued out of the Criminal Court. When
the mai-shal, with the writ, went in to see him, he
was on the bench holding court and presiding as
circuit judge. A lawyer was making a speech to the
jury ; and as the judge, seemingly, was not engaged,
the marshal wxnt up to his side and said to him, in a
low tone, that he had a capia.s for him from the
Criminal Court, and that, as soon as the court ad-
journed, he would thank him to come into the office
and enter into a recognizance foi* his appearance
308 BRYAN MULLANPHY.
before that eoiirt, — l)iit to suit his own eonvenienee,
and take his own time. As soon as the mai'slial said
that to him, he called <mt to the lawj-er that was
making his speech to the jury, and said to him,
^' Stop, stop ; I can't go any further now, — the court
is indicted. Mr. Sheriff, discharge the jury and ad-
journ the court; the court is indicted. The court
will not continue in session one minute after l)ein«:
indicted."
Judge Mullanphy stood his trial before the Crim-
inal Court on the indictment for oppression. I
acted as counsel for him, and he was triumphantly
acquitted.
On another occasion, Mr. Thomas Skinker, a
very ivspectable member of the bar, leaning back in
his seat, ci^ossed his legs up over the corner of his
desk, in the like maimer as Counsellor Leslie had
done in the same court the day before, and for
which he had been reprimanded by the court. I
was making a speech to the jury at the time. Tin*
judge called to me, " Stop, stop," said he. *•' Take
youi' seat, Mr. Darby.'' I sat down. He then
addressed Mr. Skinker, and said, " Mr. Skinker, you
livv sitting in a veiy disrespectful })osture befoiv the
court, with your posteriors turned up to the coiu't.
Take down vour leo-s." Mr. Skinker strai<rht-
HIS ECCENTRICITIES. 309
ened himself y grew red in the face, and took down
his legs. The judge then said to me, "' Mr. Darby^
proceed with your argument.''
As the judge grew older, he seemed to become
somewhat erratic in mind. One gloomy day, late in
the evening, a woman was sitting at the old market,
holding a fine-looking cow by a rope attached to the
horns of the animal. The woman had come from a
farm in Illinois, and had brought the cow to sell.
She had sat there at the market for hours, patiently.
In passing, Judge Mullanphy saw her, and asked
what she wanted to do with the cow. She replied
that she wanted to sell her. The judge inquired the
price. The woman told him. ''Is she a good
cow?" he inquired. " She is,'' replied the woman,
"' and a fine one for milk." He then asked her w^hat
made her want to sell the animal, if it was so good.
The woman said she " had so many children to sup-
port, that she was compelled to bring the cow here
and sell her, to raise some money." The judge
then said if his " stable was finished, so that he could
have a place to keep the animal, he would buy her,"
but that his ''stable was not finished." Here the
judge performed a sort of theatneal part, running
across Market Street to the north side. The poor
woman thought that she had lost the chance of sell-
310 BRYAN MULLANPHY.
ing to the gentleman. It was verging on towards
night, and was cold and chilly. After crossing the
street, Judge Mnllanphy stopped, paused, and pon-
dered for a minute ; when he went backto where the
woman was, and said to her, ''I will give you the
money for the cow now, — here it is ; '' handing her
the money. ''You take the cow back to yoiu-
place in Illinois, and keep her for me ; and here is
so much more money to pay you for keeping the
cow for me." Mullanphy never sought for woman
or cow afterwards.
When Bryan Mullanphy came home from Europe,
in the yeai' 1827, he was noted and observed and
his acquaintance eagerly sought after by everybody,
because of liis prospective great wealth by inherit-
ance. Another story was told of Mr. Mullanphy.
He was asked how he liked St. Louis as compared
with Paris, — how this country compared with France ;
to which he replied, that he '' thought the Mississippi
was a great river for a new country."
Gen. Atkinson, of the United States army, was
the officer in command at Jefferson Barracks. Stand-
ing in the parade-ground were some large white-oak
trees, natives of the pi-imitive forest, two and three*
feet in diameter, and perhai)S several hundred yeai^s
old. When the barracks were established, these an-
HE PALLS IN LOVE. 311
cient oaks had been left, for shade and ornament.
Mr. Mullanphy having been invited, with a distin-
guished party of gentlemen, to dine with Gen. Atkin-
son, very gravely inquired, at table, if Gen. Atkinson
had planted those trees.
On several occasions, he used to get a banjo, and
go up and down Third Street, in the neighborhood of
Washington Avenue, playing on that rude musical in-
strument, attracting the attention of the passers-by
with his grotesque appearance. One day, when he was
thus enjoying himself, a laboring German came along,
with what is called a saw-buck and wood-saw on his
shouldei's. Judge Mullanphy ran up behhid the
workingman and gave him a most tremendous kick.
The man turned around, evidently much excited with
anger, and with the seeming intention of making
fight, for the assault and indignity offered to him ;
whereupon the gentleman with the musical instru-
ment ran ahead of the offended wood-sawyer, and
turning his back to him, said, " Now, here : you kick
me."
At one time he was touched with the tender passion,
and made love most ardently to a German lady ; but
she, like a sensible woman, would not many him, not-
withstanding his great wealth ; and consequently he
never mamed. He was a man of medium size;
father heavy set, not very large, but robust.
312 SARGENT. S. PRENTISS.
Mr. Mullanphy was noted for his charities, and,
like his father, eontnbuted largely to charitable ob-
jects and institutions. He made a donation, establish-
ing the Mullanphy Home, for the aid of emigrants,
giving one-third of his large esta;te to the city for
that purpose. He died in St. Louis in the year 1851.
In the yeai* 1840, this great orator and statesman
passed through St. Louis on his way north, by way
of Chicago. He had come up the Mississippi on a
steamboat, intending to make no stay in St. Louis.
It was in the month of Jmie, when the Harrison and
Tyler campaign — '^Tippecanoe and Tyler too" —
was under headway, in which memorable political
struggle the Wliig party had worked itself up to the
highest pitch of enthusiasm.
So soon as it was known that Mr. Prentiss was in
the city, some of the leading and prominent Wliig^
determined to avail themselves of Iiis presence here,
and, if possible, try and get the eloquent and dis-
tinguished orator to make a speech in behalf of
the Whig cause. Accordingly, Col. Adam B.
Chambers, Xathaniel Paschall, George K. McGun-
najjflc. Col. Thornton (xrimsk^y, and myself, nu't
together at the lifpuhlican newspaper office, and
ANNOUNCED TO ADDRESS THE PEOPLE. 313
called upon the distinguished Mississippian. The
impromptu, self-constituted committee did me the
honor of considering me its chairman. We waited
upon the great man, at what w^as then called the
National Hotel, and made known to him the object
of our visit. Mr. Prentiss returned thanks to us for
the distinguished honor done him, but said that he
had engaged and paid his passage on a steaml)()at
which was to leave for the Illinois River that day at two
o'clock. He agreed, however, with the committee,
that if they could prevail upon the captain of the
boat to lay over for one day, he would make a
speech for us that night.
These same gentlemen went immediately to see
the captain of the boat, to get him to stay twenty-
four houi-s. This he consented to do, if we w^ould
pay him one hundred dollars for the delay ; to which
all most readily assented, ^fr. Prentiss was imme-
diately notified of the arrangement. Thereupon
large, flaming handl)ills were struck off and posted
all over town, announcing that Sargent S. Prentiss,
of Mississippi, would address the people, on Fourth
Street, that evening, at eight o'clock. A stand had
been prepared at the edge of the cui-b-stone in front
of the court-house. When the hour arrived, an
immense crowd had gathered, filling up tlie whole
314 SARGENT S. PRENTISS.
of Fourth Street to the eastern side of the street, and
all the space west of the street clear up to the court-
house. From the south side of Market Street to the
north side of Chestnut Street there was one solid
mass of human behigs. Whigs and Democrats,
ladies and gentlemen, old and young, all wanted to
hear the eminent orator.
The conmiittee had done me the most dis-
tinguished honor of attending to the prominent
atranger during his stay, of showing him the proper
courtesies and civilities, and of introducing him to
the vast asseml^lage of people. Soon after we had
appeared upon the stand, he took a seat and paused
for a few moments, as if to recover from the fatigue
of walking, — a fatigue caused by his being very lame.
When he arose, and I had introduced him, he was
received by the people with great applause, and for
three hours held that immense crowd spellbound.
The stand being at the curb-stone, the speaker was
placed near the centre of the great assemblage. The
evening was calm, and the clear, loud-ringing tones
of his voice could be distinctly heard to the very out-
skirts of the meeting. Many persons who had often
heard Prentiss, selected this speech as the most pow-
erful and happy effort they had ever heard from
him. He i-etained the attention of his audience from
THE EFFECT OF HIS GREAT SPEECH. 315
the beginning to the end ; not a person moved dur-
ing the whole time the soul-stiiring and eloquent
harangue was bemg delivered. He was interrupted
occasionally by great bursts of laughter and tre-
mendous shouts of applause from his auditors. Per-
haps it is not too much to say, that the great powere
of mind and thought, and the great force of lan-
guage and eloquence with which he chaimed and
captivated his hearers have never been equalled by any
man who ever spoke in front of that court-house. A
man of the intelligence of Gov. Hamilton Rowan
Gamble said, directly after the speech was made,
that he stood in his tracks for thi'ce hours, and lis-
tened to the great orator without moving, and could
have stood and listened to him for three hours longer,
had he continued to speak in the same strain.
His well-turned penods, modulated cadence, winning
accents, and happy elocution, seemed to fall like
music upon the ear, and to please and charm every
one within his hearing.
The writer of this sketch afterwards became well
acquainted with Mr. Pi*entiss. Having met him
in ]!few Orleans, and travelled with him on steam-
boats, I learned from him many interesting incidents
of his life in Mississippi. One of his anecdotes is
particularly interesting.
316 SARGENT S. PRENTISS.
Prentiss had contested the seat of Gholson in the
House of Representatives of the United States, but
lost it by the casting vote of the speaker of the
House, James K. Polk, — the House deciding that
neither party was entitled to the seat. Under the
circumstances, the whole State of Mississippi was m
a blaze of excitement.
Prentiss started upon his second political cam-
paign, and had liis handbills sent all over the district,
nammg the times and places at which he would
address the people in the different counties. At the
same time a travelling circus was following the elo-
quent politician around to his different appointments.
It annoyed the candidate for Congress greatly. lie
said that just about the time he was getting into the
pith and marrow of his discourse, the circus wagons
would be seen approaching ovei* the hills. The
audience would begin to turn their heads over their
shoulders, and shouting, "'The circus! the circus!"
would break awav.
Prentiss sought out the circus man and renioii-
sti'ated against this interference with his gatherings.
''Why," said the circus man, "Mr. Prentiss, I
always get the biggest crowds at your meetings/'
Prentiss came to an understanding with the circii!*
people, that they slioiikl not open the show for exhi-
JONAS MOORE. 317
bition until after he (Prentiss) had spoken ; and by
way of showing his good feeling, the proprietor of
the circus told Prentiss that he would give him the ^
lion's cage, or wagon, to speak fi'om. After that the
circus wagons would draw up in a circle, and Pren-
tiss, in haranguing the multitude, would mount the
lion's cage as a stand. He said whenever it became
necessary to give his opponents the blood and thunder
of his discourse, he would stick his cane down
through air-holes in the lion's cage. This would
cause the lion to roar, and the people would shout
and cheer ; and the device helped him greatly in the
canvass.
Jonas Moore came to St. Louis from the State
of New Hampshire, about the year 1826. He fol-
lowed the business of butchering ; kept a stall in the
market, prospered, and accumulated considerable
property. In the year 1849, after the discovery of
gold in California, Jonas Moore was seized with the
common excitement, and started for the land of
riches and great fortunes, with the great multitude
who went overland to the Pacific that year. After
months of hardship, toil, exposure, and peril, he
arrived in the gold-mining country, and commenced
digging for the precious treasure.
318 JONAS MOORE.
In about six months he had spent all his money ;
and from hard work, fatigue, and exposure he lost his
health, and for a time was expected to die. By the
kindness of some friends he was nursed, and assisted
to San Francisco.
Among others who went to California, in 1849,
from St. Louis, was an old ftdend of mine, a lawyer,
by the name of Pardon Dexter Tiffany, who spent
some time in San Francisco, and who, from his long
residence in St. Louis, knew Jonas Mooi-e w^ell.
My old friend, Tiffany, gave me this story of Mi-.
Moore. He said he looked feeble, emaciated, and
wretched ; he was ragged and dirty ; he could barely
totter along on a pine stick ; he had lost his voice,
and could only speak in a whisper; and he had
no money. So soon as he reached San Francisco
he sought out Tiffany, as an old fellow-townsman,
to make known to him his distressed situation, and
to ask assistancfc from him.
Tiffany furnished him money to relieve his wants,
and bought a ticket for his transportation home, by
way of Panama. Wlien the steamship started on
her trip down the coast from San Francisco, among
other passengei's she had about one hilndred broken-
down miners, Jonas Moore, who seemed at death's
door, being one of them. A more forlorn and mis-
erable set of human beings lind, perhaps, never been
RETURNING CALIFORNIANS. 319
collected in the cabin of any steamboat before. The
poor fellows had all lost their health from hardship,
and seemed to have barely saved money enough to
pay their passage home. Some had chills and fever ;
some were disabled and crippled, many bent up with
rheumatism ; some had hacking coughs ; and their
clothes were threadbare. More disheartened, dejected,
despondent, discouraged specimens of humanity than
were represented by these unfortimate *' returned
Calif ornians " it is hardly possible to cx^nceive.
There was a medical-room in the cabin, with an
opening like the dcKvery aperture at a post-office.
Some poor fellow would come hobbling up, and say,
''Doctor, I have a friend who is veiy sick, and I
want to get some medicine for him.'' ''Can't
attend to him," would be the reply of the medical
man within. Short, prompt, and decisive. Two or
three othei-s would in like manner, in quick succes-
sion, meet with the same response.
The steward of the ship went to the captain
and said, "Captain, that man in Xo. 30 is dead."
" Dead !" repeats the captain. " Get a sack, put in
a bushel of coal, and bring him into the cabin, that
we may read the service over him, and bury him."
All this is said in a short, quick, abrupt tone of voice,
such as these peremptoiy officials are accustomed to
320 JONAS MOORE.
exercise. '^Riiig the bell for the passengers to
attend the funeral service." The beautiful funeral
service of the Episcopal Church is read over the dead
man by the captain ; which being done, the dead
body is put upon a plank, and pushed off into the
sea.
The steward of the vessel again approaches the
#
captain and says, '* Captain, that man in No. 45
is dead." '*' Dead ! " repeats the commander. '^ Let
me see him." This is Jonas Moore's room. The
steward opens the door, and the captain looks
in upon the dead man. The body lies still, and
the face is all covered with a grizzly, long beard,
the eyes sunk in his head. The captain says,
^' Wh}', it's too d — d bad to bury a man in this con-
dition, — it's outrageously savage and barl)arous;
call the barber, and have the man shaved. I won't
read the service over such a savage-looking object
as that;" interpolating his remarks with oaths.
^'D — d if I don't give the fellow a decent Chris-
tian l)urial, at least."
The l^arber was brought, and commenced to
shave the supposed dead man. After the barber had
commenced, he foiuid that the man had life in him, —
that he was not dead, — and so reported to the com-
mander. He finished the shaving, and charged him
.JOHN REYNOLDS. 321
five dollars for tlic operation. Jonan Moore told
Tiffany, in a whisper, for he was too weak to talk
aloud. Said he, ''What do you think? they charged
me five dollars for shaving me." ''Yes,'' said
Tiffany, '* and that saved your life.. If you had not
heen shaved, you would have been put into a sack
with a bushel of coal, and thrown overboard.''
Jonas Mooi^e returned home, partially ri»covered
his health, and lived many years afterwards iii St.
Louis, where he died.
John Reynolds was one of the early settlers of
Illinois. He was born in Tennessee, emigrated to
the West at an early day, and settled first at Ca-
hokia, when Illinois was yet a Territory. Having
been engaged in the Indian fights and warfare with
the pioneers of the country, he had assumed the
name of the "Old Kanger,'' a title of which he
was extremely fond.
He filled many positions of distinction and honor
in Illinois. He was judge, member of the Legis-
lature, member of Congi-ess, governor, etc. He
was a man of most generous impulses, fine natural
21
322 JOHN REYNOLDS.
abilities, but of limited education, — a Western coun-
tryman. Honest and upright in all his dealings, he
was governed by the most noble impulses that con-
trol and direct the actions of men. He was uni-
versally honored, beloved, and respected by all who
knew him.
Gov. John Reynolds was a man of many pecu-
liarities, as a few anecdotes of his character will
fully show. He was fond of illustrating the charac-
teristics of frontier life, and the mannerisms, so to
speak, of backwoodsism. He wrote and published a
biographical sketch of himself, — a veiy entertaining
and interesting book.
The following stories used to be told of the
governor: When he was Circuit Court judge in
the great Prairie State, he used to say to the law-
yers who practised before him, **I wish you to get
up your chicken-fixins ; " meaning that they should
finish their pleadings in court. On another occa-
sion, when a criminal had been tried before him
and convicted of murder, as soon as the verdict of
guilty was given. Judge Reynolds is reported to have
said, '*Mr. Jones, the jury have found you guilty
of murder. Will yon be kind enough to say to the
court when it would suit your convenience to be
ANECDOTES OF THE "OLD RANGER." 323
hanged? The court," he continued, '' wishes to con-
sult your wishes on that pohit."
When he was a member of Congress, I met him
in Washington, and said to him, ''Gov. Reynolds,
how do you like Uf e m Washington City as compared
with Belleville? '' ''Well," said he, " Mr. Darby, it
don't suit me as well, sitting around here on these
fine silk-cushioned chairs ; I don't feel at home as I
do at Belleville, sitting around on the logs and fence-
rails with the boys, and whittling sticks." He always
called his associates " boys," even if they were sev-
enty-five or eighty years of age. He was proud of
the name "Old Ranger," which had been given to
him in early times in Illinois, as an old Indian-fighter.
The following story we give as mei'ely hearsay :
He was sent by the State of Illinois to Euro])e as
one of the commissioners to sell bonds, to raise funds
for buildmg the railroads in that State. Before leav-
ing on his mission, he procured lettei's of introduction
to some of the most distinguished gentlemen in Eng-
land and France. ' Among others, he had letters
from the British minister to some of the nobility in
London. Wlien Gov. Reynolds reached the great
city, he called on a nobleman, who happened to be
absent at the time, and left his lettei-s of inti'oduction
324 .JOHN REYNOLDS.
and his card. When his lordship retnrned, and found
the letters and the card, he sent a note to his Excel-
lency, expressing his regret at having been absent
when he was called upon, and invited the governor
to dine with him the next dav at four o'clock ; statino:
also, that he would send his carriage at the hour
named. At the appointed time, a splendid equipage,
with outi'iders and drivei* dressed in livery, called for
the distinguished stranger. When he came down to
the carriage, he said, '*How are you, gentlemen?
how are youV Which of you's the duke?- ' This sal-
utation ratluM* sui-prised the specimens of humanity
in waiting: but they replied, ''His lordship is at
home; we are his servants." "Well,'' said the
ex-functionary of Illinois, "'get in, get into the
carriage.'" They replied, '^T^o, the carriage is for
you; we ride outside.'' "'What!'' said the ex-
governor, '"only one man riding inside, and the
others outside in the rain."* What further astonished
the new-comer to the society of the English aristocracy
was, to find his lordship plainly dressed in a neat suit
of black cloth, while the servants of his household
were all dressed in gewgaws and fantastic trimmings.
Gov. Reynolds was a man of great native shrewd-
ness and observation, but he had lived so long a
THE LAW LIBRARY. 325
frontier life that he was not pivpared for the man-
ners and customs of aristocratic life which obtamed
in British society.
The communications which appear below, the
latter of which contains some interesting reminis-
cences of the early days of the St. Louis bar, suffi-
ciently explain themselves : —
St. Louis, December 11, 1878.^
Hon, John F, Darbt/^ St. Lout's^ Mo,
Dear Sir : I have, the honor, as secretary of the Law Library
Association of St. Louis, to inform '[you that at our last annual
meeting, held on the 2(1 instant, a resolution was unanimously
adopted of which the following is a copy : —
Resolved^ That John F. Darby, Alexander Hamilton, Warwick
Tunstall, Logan Hunton, and Montgomery Blair be allowed to
enjoy, for the remainder of their lives, all the privileges of the
library of this association without the payment of further dues.
Permit me also to express, on 1)ehalf of our association, the
hope that you may long live to enjoy the benefits of our librar}' ;
and believe me, dear sir, to l)e, with much esteem.
Yours, very respectfully,
John W. Drydkx, Secretary^ etc,
St. Loris, Mo., Deccml)er 14, 1878.
John W. Dry den ^ Esq., Secretary of the Late Library Association
of St. Louis., Mo.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your
communication of the 11th instant, informing me that, l)y the
unanimous vote of tlie members of the association, I had con-
326 THE LAW LIBRARY,
f erred upon lue, for the remainder of my life, ^' all the privileges
of the Library Association without the payment of further dues."
For this distinguished act of kindness on the part of the
association, I be^ leave, in the most courteous terms, to make
known to the members of the Law Library, through 3'ou, my
sincere thanks and acknowledgments.
I wa« one of the original members of the St. Louis bar, who organ-
ized and created the St. Louis Law Library Association. I am, per-
haps, the only surviving originator of this institution who lives here,
and have contributed towards the building up of this great resen'oir
of learning for a longer time than any other living man. More than
forty years ago I became connected with the establishment. As
a member of the Missouri Legislature, I introduced and had
passed the existing act of incorporation, witli the present pro-
visions of xisufractu privileges for all the members of the St.
Louis bar, in opposition to its being made a stock company.
Duriuij the periods that Flenrv S. (Jever, Trusten Polk, aM<l
James B. Bowlin were members of C'onj^ress, tliev, as members of
the Law Library, were excused from paying any dues to the
association, because they were absent in the public service. While
I was a member of Congress I was not excused, and paid all dues
without abatement.
John F. Darbv. Alexander Hamilton, Warwick Tunstnll. Losran
Hunton, Montgomery Blair, and Charles D. Drake are the only
six survivors who originally contributed to the building up of the
library. For many years Alexander Hamilton was judge of the
St. Louis Circuit (-ourt, and by the rules of tlie corporation was
exonerated from paying any dues. Warwick Tunstall left the city
for about twenty years, and settled in San Antonio, Texas; so that
he did not contribute anything to the library during that i)eriod.
Logan Hunton removed from this city and took up his resi<ience in
New Orleans, where he resided for many years, and ceased to pay
any dues to the association. Montgomery Blair went to Wjishing-
ton City, where he has lived for many years, and for that period of
time has paid no money to the library. Charles I). Drake, the other
survivor, about the vear 1S4(» or 1847, abandoned the eitv for
HENRY CLAY. 327
many years, taking up his residence first in CinciBnali and then
in New York City ; from whence he returned to St. Louis, where he
stayed for a few years, and then finally left to make his i>erma-
Dent aboiie in Washington City, where he fills an honorable posi-
tion.
So it will be seen that all the other original founders of this
institntion of learning have passed off the stage of action or re-
moved away, whilst I am almost the last one of the original founders
(this is said not boastingly, but historically) who has continued to
contribute to it« support. With many thanks to you, personally,
for the kind expressions and good feeling manifested in your letter.
I am, sir, with the greatest respect, your old friend,
John F. Darby.
The visit of Henry Clay to St. Louis was in March,
1847. It was generally understood, and so announced
in the newspapers, that he hitended to make a visit to
St. Louis; and the prominent Whigs of the town,
who had been his political advocates and supporters
all through life, determined to make some demonstra-
tion in honor of the great man, so long the distin-
guished leader of the party. Accordingly, the most
active and prominent members of that ancient and
respectable party determined to give a public re-
ception to the worthy and distinguished statesman,
and WTote to Mr. Clay to ascertain his views upon
the subject. He wi'ote in reply, declining any public
328
HENRY CLAY.
demonstration, or any manifestations of respec^t on
the part of his friends, most positively and abso-
lutely. He said he was coming, solely upon private
business, to sell some lands that he owned out here.
These lands were all very valuable. He owned the
tract on which the Calvary Cemetery is now located,
and he also owned what used to be called the ^^ Old
Orchard,'' or Watkins Tract, — an immense estate.
The newspapers, for many days before his an-ival,
were full of notices of Henry Clay and his expected
visit. Early in the morning, about eight o'clock,
and while at breakfast, we heard the firing of cannon.
Spi'iiiging from the t^ible, I said to the company,
''There is Henry (^lay." We ran into the street
and stai'ted for the river. We could see the crowd
increasing fi'om all points as we went. We came to
the rivci' at the? foot of Plum Street. On reaching
the Ic^vee, we saw two large steamboats, lashed or tied
together, come up the river with colors flying and
canncm tiring.
As so<m as the two steamers reached the upper end
of ('ahokia Bend, the splendid vessels turned nearly
dirc^ctlv across the river and made for the Missouri
shoiHs almost as low down as Chouteau Avenue. The
boats slackened their speed and ran very slowly,
whiMi about a hundred yards from the shore, up to the
LANDS AT ST. LOUIS. 329
foot of Washington Avenne, where they landed. The
cannon had ceased firing. The people had filled up
Front Street for about two blocks, and must have
numbered three or four thousand. Mr. Clay was on
deck, surrounded by a goodly number of gentlemen,
his tall figure towering above his comrades, and being
most conspicuous.
As they landed, the great crowd of several thcm-
sand people began to rush with eagerness to get on
the boat next the shore, imtil the captain became
alarmed at the careenhig of the vessel, and ordered the
men, with handspikes and capstan-bars, to drive the
people back. In this emei'gency , Mr. Clay called out
to the captain of the boat and told him to let him go
ashore, and relieve his vessel of this ill-timed influx
of human beings; to which he (the captam) most
willingly assented. Mr. Clay succeeded in reaching
the plank which had been run ashore, and came off
the first man. From the boat clear back to the w^are-
houses on Front Street there was one solid juass of
human beings. I pushed and pressed my way through
this cojnpact body of humanity, and ivached Mr.
Cla}^ just as he stepped off the plank onto the wharf.
I knew him j)ersonally, and fortunately he recognized
me. 1 had eaten at his table, had seen him manv a
time in Kentucky and in Washington, and had cor-
330 HENRY CLAY.
responded with him. As soon as he got off the stage-
plank I gave him my arm, and shouted out ui a loud
voice, as of one who had authority, '*Make room^
make room thei'e ; open the way for the statesman of
the age." The way opened, and Mr. Clay still hold-
ing on to my arm, I led him through the open space,
walled on each side by a solid body of humanity, and
rushed him into J. & E. Walsh's store-house, situated
on the comei" of Washington Avenue and Front
Street, and up-stairs into their counting-room.
In the meantime the people kept shoutmg, yelling,
and calling for Mr. Clay. At last some half a dozen
men came to the counting-room door and beckoned
me out, and requested me to ask Mr. Clay if he
would be kind enough to come forward and address
a few words ; that they merely wanted to hear him
speak a few sentences, — to hear his voice and see
him. I went to the counting-room and said to him,
" Mr. Clay, the crowd out here are shouting and hur-
rahing, and request you to come out and spe^ik tx> them,
if it is only a few words.'' " Well,'' said he, "'Mr.
Darby, I believe you will have to excuse me ; I would
rathei- not say anything. There is no occasion for my
making any remarks this morning." I then went
fonvai'd and infoi'uicd the crowd that Mr. C'lay de-
clined to address them.
HIS RECEPTION AT THE PLANTERS* HOUSE, 331
We had in the meantime sent a messenger down
to get a carriage to take him to the Planters- House.
Robert McO'Blenis and B. W. Alexander, stable-
keepei's, had elegant equipages ; both belonged to
the great Whig party, and, anxious to do honor to
the gi'eat head of that renowned political organiza-
tion, both went to work to see which could get the
carriage up first. Mr. Alexander succeeded, and
sent a splendid carriage, with four fine l)ay horses ;
the costly equipage having the top thrown back, so
that everybody could see the great man. He was
driven down through (commercial to Vine Street,
up to Main Street, down Main to (Miestnut Street,
and then up Chestnut Street to the Plantei-s'
House.
When he reached the hotel he was welccnned and
cheered by about two thousand people who had
congregated thei'c. As I reached the sidewalk in
front of the hotel, I shouted in a loud and distinct
voice, '* Three cheers for the statesman of the age."
The cheers were given with great vim. There were
old men in that meeting of citizens who had voted
for him from the time they were of age, who had
never seen him bc'fore, and whose eves beamed with
emotions of joy and gladness.
Mr. Clay stayed in St. Louis several weeks.
332 HENRY CLAY.
During that time he was engaged in trying to sell
his lands. He went into the court-room of the St.
Louis Circuit Court almost every day, to listen to
the proceedings. There was a case of very consid-
erable importance which came up while Mr. Clay
was attending court, in w^hich the distinguished
Hamilton Rowan Gamble and myself were engaged
as opposing coimsel. Mr. Clay did us the great
honor to sit and listcm to the argument of the counsel
on both sides.
When the public sale of his lands came off, a
great body of people had assembled, and were in at-
tendance at the front door of the court-house. But
the prices that the land brought did not suit him, and
he was greatly disappointed and discouraged at the
sums bid ; so nuich so, that he stopped the sale. He
remarked to the crowd that he suspected they had
all come to see him instead of to buy his land.
During Mi*. C/lay's stxiy of four or five weeks,
the leading Whigs and prominent men of the party
determined to get uj) a soiree and dance at the
Planters' House.
It was intended to be gotten up without formality
or cei'emony. Kathei' earlv in the eveniniif Mr. Clav
and my<?elf wcMit up into the ball-room, where the
music was playing, and where but few persons had
HIS DISAPPOINTMENT AT THE BALL. 333
then assembled. We walked ai'ound the room, talk-
ing, when I thought he seemed a little mortified at
seeing so small an attendance in the room, especially
as the party was understood to be in honor of him.
While I was engaged in talking to some ladies, Mr.
Clav walked out with some gentleman and went
down to the parloi- of the hotel.
The good ladies of St. Louis were so extremely
fashionable that it was cpiite a late hoiu' befoi-e they
came to the ball. But after nine o'clock thev came
in immense numb(»rs ; so nmch so, that there was a
perfect jam. The assemblage was great, but Mr.
Clav was not theiv. After consultation with some
of the most prominent membei's of that elegant and
fashional)le assembly, it was agreed that Mr. Henry
S. Geyer and myself should be requested to go
down to the [)ai'lor, as a special delegation, and i>re-
vail upon Mr. Clay to come up and honor the
compajiy with his presence. We went down accord-
ingly, and Mr. Geyer being the older man, I proposed
that he should do the tiilking ; but he seemed to hang
back, and apparently w^anted to push me forward, and
said to me, '' You know him better than I do, and I
wish you to go ahead and be spokesman."' When
we came into the parlor, Mr. Clay was engaged in
conversation with some persons in the room. We
334 HENRY CLAY.
went up to the great statesumn, when I said, '^ Mr.
Clay, there are a great number of ladies and gentle-
men up stairs who would be very much gratified if
you would be kind enough to honor the company
with your presence. Mr. Geyer and myself have
been appointed a committee to request your attend-
ance.-' '' Well,'- said he, " I don't care very much
about it." I then said to him, "Mr. Clay, I have
suffered all manner of abuse for your name's sake
in this countiy, and we do hope you will be kind
enough to gratify our people, and come." *' Well,"
said he, ''I will go with you." And thereupon he
walked up stairs to the ball-room with Mr. Greyer
and myself, and was introduced to many of the
elegantly dressed ladies, who were so full of vivacity
and life that the great statesman seemed delighted,
and enjoyed himself greatly. He was full of life
and fun ; so that wherever he moved he always had
a crowd of ladies around, and he entertained them
all, having somethuig pleasant and agreeable to say
to each one of them. There was a magnetism in
his personal presence, so that whenever he spoke,
or walked up and down the room, there was a charm
that captivated and led everybody within the in-
fluence of his bewitching smile.
Mr. Clay was greatly delighted with his visit here ;
DR WILLIilM CAHR LANK. 335
and he expressed to me afterwards, at Washingfton,
the great pleasure that his visit had given him, — :
where he had been received with so much good feel-
ing, and entertained in a generous, unostentatious
way, and with the kindest hospitality and the noblest
expressions and manifestations of warm-heartedness.
Dr. William CaiT Lane, son of Presley Carr
Lane and Sarah Stephenson, was born in Fayette
County, Pennsylvania, on the first day of December,
1789. His father was an independent farmer, and a
man of standing and influence, and served the State
in various official positions of honor and trust for
twenty out of \he thirty years of which he was a
worthy citizen of that great State.
William Carr was the thij'd son of a family of
eleven children, eight sons and three daughters, of
whom only one child of the family is now living,
namely, Mrs. Anne Adams, of Shelbyville, Ken-
tucky, who has reached the advanced age of eighty-
six years.
He received the rudiments of education at a coun-
try school in the neighborhood where he was bom, and
at the age of thirteen was sent to Jefferson College,
336 DR. WILLIAM CARR LANE.
Chambei-sburg, Pennsylvania, where he remained two
years, and then entered the office of his eldest brother,
who was then pi-othonotary of Fayette County.
Here he remained one year, and acquired some
knowledge of and acquaintance with the forms of
law, and the mode and manner of conducting judi-
cial proceedings.
On coming of age he entered Dickenson College,
and took a two-years' course, and in the fall of the
yeai' 1811 commenced his medical studies under Dr.
Collins, of Louisville, Kentucky ; his father ha\^Ing
died and his mother's family I'cmoved to Shell)yville,
»' •
Kentucky, in the s})ring of that year.
He continued here in the prosecution of his medical
education until the summer of the year 1813, when
Dr. Collins, on account of ill-health, removed to New
Orleans, andAVilliam Carr Lane was left without any
settled })lan for life. At that time a call was made
upon Kentucky for recruits to fight the Indians in
the North- West Territory, then under the command
and leadership of Tecumseh and the Prophet. The
Indians were committing great depredations upon the
white settlements along the head-watere of the Wa-
bash, and from whom and their allies, the British,
oui* frontier troops had suffered severely in many en-
counters of the previous year.
MAKCHES AGAINST THE INDIANS. 337
Kentucky, which never failed to respond to the
call of her country, was alive with military ardor,
and William Carr Lane, naturally enthusiastic, par-
took of the spirit of militaiy excitement ; and, long-
ing for active life, he joined a brigade in an expedition
under Col. Runnel, of the United States infantry.
The destination of these troops was Fort Hamson,
on the Wabash, about sixty miles north of Vin-
cennes, in the vicinity of which the Indians were
most troublesome. From this point expeditions were
made in various directions, to intercept and punish
the savages ; but as the latter had timely notice, they
abandoned their villages upon the Mississinoway and
retired toward the Mississippi.
The brigade meeting with no success, returned
to Fort Harrison, then under the command of Maj.
Zachary Taylor, aftei-wards president of the United
States, but only to meet with a more formidable ene-
my in the bilious fever that prevailed so extensively
along the whole couree of the Wabash River.
Many of the troops fell sick and were disabled
for service, and all the available medical skill was
called into requisition ; and among the rest, though
very unwillingly, our student reciniit, who by his care
and attention secured the good-will of the officers,
22
338 DR. WILLIAM CARR LANE.
and was invited to join the mess, and very soon after
that was appointed surgeon's mate at Fort Hamson.
He continued on duty until he also was stricken
down with the fever and incapacitated for duty, when
he obtained a furlough ; and profiting by the time,
went to Lexington, Kentucky, where he procured a
lot of medical books, and, after a visit to his mother's
family at Shelby vi lie and his friends at Vincennes,
he made his way on horseback, his saddle-bags full of
books, through what was still a hostile countiy, to
Foil Hai'i-ison. He continued in service here and at
Fort Knox (Vinceiuies) until in the fall of the year
1813, when he was again prostrated and disabled by
sickness ; and behig somewhat tired of an inactive
army life in garrison (the war being virtually ended
by the defeat of the British under Proctor and the
Indians under Tecumseh at the battle of the Thames),
Dr. Willi.nn Carr Lane resigned his position in the
army, i-eturned to Vincennes, took up his residence
there, and continued the prosecution of his medical
studies. While hei'e, he was offered a profitable and
desirable partnership by an able and well-established
resident physician ; but feeling the necessity of a
greater and m()re])erfect knowledge in his profession,
he went back to Pennsylvania, and attended acoiii'se
APPOINTED SURGEON IN THE ARMY.
:J39
of lectiii'cs in the University of Pennsylvania in the
winter of the years 1815-1(3. While pui"suing his
stiuiies here, he reeeived from President Madison,
without solicitation and at the instance of luiknown
friends, the appointment of surji^eon's mate in the
i-egular army of the United States, and on the twen-
ty-fourth day of Ai>ril, 181G, that of post-surgeon,
which he held as long as he continued in the army,
or until liis resignation, on the thirtieth day of April,
1819.
After finishing his studies at the university, he
returned to Yuicennes, and joinhig Morgan's rifle
regiment, left for St. Louis ; and on arriving in the
town, the tenth day of May, 1816, proceeded to the
cantonment at Bellefontaine, on the Missoiu'i Kiver^
about two miles above the mouth of that stream, which
was then the established hcadcpiaiters for military
operations west of the Mississippi Kiver.
During the next eighteen months Dr. AVilliam
Carr Lane was on duty at the various military posts
on the Upper Mississippi : Fort Crawford (Prairie du
Chien), Fort Ai'instrong (Hock Island), Foi't Ed-
wards (Des Moines), and Fort Clark (Peoria), lie
visited all these from tinu»totime, using eithei* canoes
or horses. As the country was wild and uninhabited,
he was compelled to camp out more than half the
340 DR. WILLIAM CARR LANE.
time, and forced to meet hardships, exposure, and
privations of no ordinary character.
Again Dr. Lane became somewhat tired of array
life on a peace establishment, and tendered his resig-
nation, with a view of retiring from the service and
engaging in more active business. His resignation
was not accepted, but a furlough was granted, when
he again returned to the ancient and time-honored
town of Vincennes, where he had many warm
friends. Instead of joining the army of Bolivar,
the dictator, of South America, as he had con-
templated, he gave up the perils and adventures
of foi'eign lands and entered into the bonds of
matrimony, marrying Mary Ewing, of Vincennes,
daughter of Nathaniel Ewing, of that town, on the
twenty-sixth day of February, 1818.
l^r. Lane, after his marriage, was on duty in the
military service of his country at Fort Hamson, but
intended to settle down to the regular practice of
his profession in Vincennes, as his wife was averee
to army life, and urged his withdrawal from the ser-
vice. Dr. Lane had passed a most creditable ex-
amination before the Medical Board of the State of
Indiana, and on the eleventh day of May, 1818, re-
ceived a diploma for the ])ractice of medicine and
surgery. Subsequent reflection caused him to change
TAKES UP HIS RESIDENCE IN ST. LOUIS. 341
his mind in regard to the anny, influenced as he
was by the early associations and wanii attachments
of the gallant officers and polished gentlemen with
whom he had been so long and so pleasantly asso-
ciated, and he again accepted service as a surgeon
in the United States army, at Bellefontaine, on the
Missouri River, hi July, where he continued on duty
until the third day of May, 1819, when he formally
resigned and finally withdrew from the military ser-
vice, and took up his permanent residence in the
city of St. Louis, where he commenced the practice
of medicine, and where he continued to reside until
his death, in the year 1863.
His resignation, however, was accepted by the
government only upon condition that he should con-
tinue to do service at the military post for six months
longer, which he did. Dr. Lane's long residence at
Bellefontaine, and his intimate business and social
relations with the most eminent and prominent
citizens of St. Louis, gave him a footing among the
generous and warm-hearted people of the city that
at once insured him a successful and lucrative prac-
tice in his profession. He soon formed a partner-
ship with Dr. Samuel Merry, a most eminent physician
and distinguished i)ractitioner, with whom he contin-
ued business relations for about five years.
342
DR. WILLIAM CARH LANE.
In the year 1821, Dr. Lane was appointed aid-(le-
earnp to Gov. Alexandei- Me^air, with the rank of
colonel ; a position which he held until February 1,
1822, when he wan made quarterniaster-g-eneral of
the State of Missouri. This office he held imtil the
fifth day of Ai)ril, 1823, when he was elected by the
citizens of St. Louis as the first mayor. The salar)^
was small, and the duties most laborious.
In assuming the position conferred upon him, he
issued a most able and remarkable message to the
Board of Aldermen upon the various subjects claim-
ing the attention of the municipal government. The
establishment of a Board of Health, the proper sur-
vevs and desi<2:nation of the sti'eets and «fradin«: of
the same, and in fact the whole scope of duties
confided to the city government, were embraced in
this message. On the subject of schools he used
this hmguage : ''I will hazard the broad assertion
that a free school is more needed here than in anv
town of th(» same magnitude in the Union.'"
And again, wlien speaking of the necessity of
the impi'ovements to l)e made in the city, he used this
})r<)phetic language, which has been verified by time:
''The fortunes of the inhabitants of this citv niav
fluctuate, von and I may sink into oblivion and our
families l>ccome extinct, but the progress of our city
fflS POPULARITY. 343
18 morally certain ; the causes of ite prosperity are
insenbed upon the very face of the earth, and are as
permanent as the foundations of the soil and the
sources of the Mississippi. These mattei's are not
brought to your recollection for the mere puq^ose of
eulogy^ but that a suitable system of improvements
may always be kept m view, that the rising of the
mfant city may correspond with the expectations of
such a mighty futurity. '^'^
The city government was fully organized l)y the
election of Arcliibald Gamble, president of the Board
of Aldermen ; Mackay Wheny, register ; and Sulli-
van Blood, constable. So that the infant city of St.
Louis, on the fourteenth day of April, 1823, when
the municipal government ha^ been fully organized,
started upon the career of greatness which had then
been predicted for her by those who laid the founda-
tion for her wealth, fame, and prosperity.
Dr. Lane was elected nuie times mayor of the city
of St. Louis : eight regular terms, and once to fill
a vacancy for a few months, when John F. Darby
had resigned the office.
In the year 182G, Dr. Lane was elected and served
as a member of the House of Representatives of
this State. He was elected as a Jackson man and a
Democrat, and such was his popularity with tlie dom-
344 DR. WILLIAM CARR LANK.
inant party that he was offered, and could at that
time have been elected to the United States Senate
over Col. Thomas H. Benton, who was at that ses-
sion re-elected for the second time. But Dr. Lane
positively declined the distinguished position. In
the winter of the year 1827-8 he announced himself
as the Democratic candidate for Congress (the
whole State being entitled to but one member) , in
opposition to Edward Bates, the then Whig member
from Missouri. Spencer Pettis, who was afferwards
killed in a duel with Maj. Thomas Biddle, had also
announced himself as a Democratic candidate. The
candidacy of two Democrats not being desirable,
as sure to elect the Whig candidate, it was determined
to refer the matter to Thomas H. Benton, as the
political fncnd of Dr. William Can* Lane, and John
M. Bass, the political friend of Spencer Pettis. The
referees met, and decided in favor of Spencer Pettis
as the candidate, and he was elected against Edward
Bates. Aftenvards, William Carr Lane became dis-
pleased with Gen. Jackson's political course, and
attached hhnself to the Whig party, with which
party he continued to act for the balance of his life,
and by which party he was elected to positions of
honor and distinction whenever he sought political
position or office.
APPOINTED GOVERNOR OP NEW MEXICO. 345
We have not space in this short sketch to go into
the details of Dr. Lane's many private enterprises,
and his successful engagements and connection with
some of the most skilful and eminent medical men
of the State.
In the year 1832, when the Blackhawk war came
on, he was appointed by Gen. Atkinson surgeon for
the troops imder his command, and served as such
throughout the campaign.
In the year 1852, through the assistance of John
F. Darby, then the Whig representative in Congress
from the St. Louis district ; of Edward Bates, and
of some other warm friends in St. Louis, Dr. William
Carr Lane was appointed govenior of Xew Mexico
by President Fillmore. His appointment was made
without opposition from any quarter.
As Gov. Calhoun, his immediate predecessor, had
but recently died, Gov. William Carr Lane was re-
quired to proceed immediately to his post of duty in
Santa Fe. The Territorial goveniment was in the
hands of the military power, and almost in a state of
anarchy. Gov. Lane started from Washington,
whither he had gone, and arrived in St. Louis on the
twenty-fourth day of July, 1852, to find, as he said,
his best friends as well as his family dissatisfied with
346 DR. WILLIAM OARR LANK.
his appointment, mainly on account of his ag-e and
the prospective diflSculties of the task which he liad
taken upon himself. But, with his accustomed deci-
sion of character, he had put his hand to the plough
and did not intend to look back, confident in his
administrative ability and self-reliance to accomplish
what was before him.
Gov. Lane left St. Louis on the 31st of Julv,
1852, and, after some short detention by sickness at
Fort Union, he arrived in Santa Fe on the 9th of
September following, and was inaugurated on the
13th of the same month.
He had no sooner taken the executive office than
he began to realize the difficulties of his position,
lie had naturally expected aid and support from the
military authorities ; but Col. Sumner, in command
of the military forces, retired to Albuquerque, talk-
ing with him all the troops with the exception of a
small guard, two days before the governor's inaugu-
ration. Col. Sumner took occasion also to reprove
and reprimand Col. Brooks for firing a salute in the
])laza when the ceivmony of installing the governor
was performed, saying that he (Col. Sumner)
''wished it to hv distinctly understood that the cinl
govei'nment in New Mexico was not to depend in
DIFFICULTIES OF HIS NEW POSITION. 347
any way upon the military authonty/' and that he
*' wished Col. Brooks to consider liis forces only as
a ji^uard for the United States military stores."
As the' civil government was iii a measure with-
out military force to sustain its power, without
money, and almost in a state of anSrchy ; and as he
(Col. Sumner) liad declared to the department at
Washington that no civil government could he
maintained in Xew Mexico, this present action and
conduct of his seemed to be taken to verify his
jwevious it*port, and might be considered almost
insulting to the governor.
He (Sumner) also ordered the flag, the only
eml)lem of the government there, and which had
floated in the plaza, to be removed; and when Gov.
Lane courteously applied to Sumner for the flag, the
latter replied that he '"was not authorized by the
government to furnish him with government stores.''
This led to a spicy correspondence between the par-
ties, which came verv near resultinof in a duel. Durhifi:
the military occui)ation, theiv were a hirge number
of prisoners fed from the government supplies, and
when these 8uppli(»s were withdrawn, by order of
Col. Sumner, the jn'isoners would liave been left to
starve had not the governor advanced the money out
of his pocket.
348 DR, WILLIAM CARR LANE.
The wretched condition of things in New Mexico-
at that day is somewhat illustrated by an extract
from a letter wntten by Gov. Lane to Col. Sumner
at the time, and which reads as follows: ^'N^ever
was an executive oflScer in a more pitiable plight than
I was at this time*. I was an utter stranger to my^
official duties, without having any competent adviser,
and with scarcely an official document on file to
direct or assist my official actions ; the secretary of
the Territory was likewise lacking in experience of
civil affairs ; two of the Territorial judges and the
attorney absent in the States, and one Indian agent
and one acting agent only in the Territory ; not a
cent of money on hand, or known to be subject ta
the draft of the governor, superintendent of Indian
affairs, or the secretary of the Territory, — not a
cent in the city, county, or Territorial treasuries, and
no credit foi' the country. There were no policemen
and no constabulary force for either city or county,
and even no police regulations for either the one or
the other. The prefect of the county was in trouble,,
and not upon duty, and there was neither alcalde nor
aguard in the city or its neighborhood ; nor was^there
a single company of militia organized in the whole
Teri'itory, nor a single musket witliin the reach of a
volunteei-, should there be an offer of semce by any
HE TRIUMPHS OVER ALL OBSTACLES. 349
one; and you [Col. Sumner] must have been, from
^our oflSeial position, duly informed of these things."
Yet, with his characteristic energy and admin-
istrative ability, Gov. Lane confronted all these
difficulties and soon reduced things to order. He
identified himself with the people, and gave them
courage and confidence, and by his conduct drew to
his support the most influential citizens. Even Col.
Sumner became his friend and supporter, and re-
stored the flag to its place in the plaza. In fact he
became the most influential and popular governor'
that New Mexico, up to that time, ever had — univer-
sally honored, beloved, and respected.
But we are not writing a full biography of Dr.
William Carr Lane: onlv a brief sketch of his
eventful career. Many events and items of interest,
therefore, in his private life and official public history
must, for want of space, be omitted.
It is not, however, too much to say that to Dr.
Lane more than to any other individual is due the
credit of planning and laying out the foundations of
this great and prosperous city. His foresight, his
comprehensive mind and correct judgment, did so
far direct the groundwork of this splendid metropolis
that its superstructure followed with as much cer-
tainty as does the elegant edifice rise upon the
350
EDWARD D. BAKER.
foundation laid by the scientific architect; and the
people of this grand city owe to his memory some
monument for his distinguished and invaUiable ser-
vices in their behalf.
Dr. William Carr Lane was not only a man of
cultivated intellect, but he was also a man of the
warmest heart, and governed by the most noble,
laudable, and generous impulses that influence and
govern the actions of true men ; hence, everybody
who was honored with his acquaintance and friend-
• ship became warmly attached to him. He wa«, in
truth and in fact, not only one of the great men of
the city of St. Louis, but also of the State of
Missouri.
In the fall of the year 182(5, a man by the name
of liaker came to St. Louis from England, which
was his native laud. He professed to be a Lancns-
terian school-master, and had quite a large family.
He was the fathei* of Edward D. Baker. .Vs the
family wer(» poss(»ssed of little means, very poor, the
old gentleman bought a horse and cart and put his
son Kdward, then a bov about thirteen or fourteen
vears of a<^i\ to haulin<>- dii't and doinii* other small
jobs about town, foi* the sui)port of the family.
HE CHOOSES HIS PROFESSION. 351
While engaged in this business, young Baker
haj)pened to stop his hoi-se by the sidewalk on
Market Street, near Third, where the St. Louis Cu*-
cuit Court was then being held, in an old Baptist
chureli. The St. Clair Hotel now (1880) occupies
the site.
He had never before been where a coinl: was in
session. He stepped inside the door just at the time
when Edward Bates, then the most distinguished
speaker at the St. Louis bar, or perhaps in the State
of Missouri, was {iddressing a jury. Young Baker,
the cart-driver, unlettered, uncultivated, and unedu-
cated, had never heard anything like it before.
Bat(*s's persuasive eloquence seemed to win upon
young Baker, and his whole soul was wound up to
the highest pitch of admii-ation and delight. He
listened to Bates's speech thi-oughout, and it fixed his
character for life.
As soon as Bates had finished his argument,
young Baker went out of the room, got into his cart,
and driving home, told his father that he did not
intend to drive a cart anymore. '"What are y<m
going to do?'' asked his father, in a somewhat
excited maimer. '- Tm going to be a lawyer," said
young Baker. '-Lawyer!" repeated the old gen-
tleman, with somewhat of astonishment. '' Yes,"
said vountr Baker, '* I am <r<>in<r to be a lawver.
* 9
352 EDWARD D. BAKER.
Edward D. Baker went over to the State of Illi-
nois, where he engaged in school-teaching, was for a
time a Baptist pi'eacher, and afterwards '' Thomp-
sonian Doctor;" finally he read lo-w, and became a
practitioner in that State. He was elected a member
of Congress; and also served as a colonel in the
Mexican war, where he commanded a regiment from
the State of Illinois, and acquitted himself roost hon-
orably.
Col. Baker afterwards removed to the State of
California, and settled in San Francisco, where he
lived for some time. He afterwards removed to
Oregon, and was elected a senator from that State
in March, 1861. He raised a regiment of volunteers
in the State of Pennsylvania, soon after the outbreak
of the rebellion in 1861, called the " California regi-
ment," and was killed in battle at Ball's Bluff, Octo-
ber 21, 1861.
Col. Edward D. Baker had become one of the
best stump-speakers in the whole Western country.
His voice was good, his delivery was fluent, and his
elocution was pleasant and agreeable. He originally
belonged to the Whig party, and was esteemed by
them as one of their most eloquent and powerful
stump-speakers .
In the Harrison campaign of 1840, when party
spirit ran high. Col. Baker took a most active part
MADAliE PELAGIE BERTHOLD. 353
in the political canvass. A story about Col. Edward
D. Baker was told, as illustrating the political ambi-
tion of the young man. In the month of July of
that year, Col. Baker was returning, on horeeback,
from Springfield, Illinois, to Jacksonville, in that
State. The road, after leaving the prairie, passed
through a point of timber. The weather was op-
pressively hot, and Col. Baker dismounted and took
a seat on a log to rest and enjoy the cool shade.
While thus seated, a gentleman, in passing, found
Baker crying. Being acquainted with him, he
stopped and inquired the cause of his grief. The
colonel answered, ''I have just been thinking over
the matter, and find that I can never be elected presi-
dent of the United States, because I am not a
native-born citizen. It is a great calamity and mis-
fortune to me."
Madame Pelagic Berthold died at her residence
in this city on the morning of the 24th of May,
1875, m the eighty-fifth year of her age. Thus
has departed another one of the ancient inhabitants,
so long honored, respected, and beloved by eveiy
one who knew her. Madame Berthold has seen
28
354 MADAME PELAGIE BEBTHOLD.
this city rise and grow from a mere trading-post
to its present proportions.
Madame Berthold was the only daughter of Maj.
Pien*e Chouteau, deceased ; and because she was an
only daughter, the Indians called her "La Femuie
Tout Seule," or ''The Lone Woman.'' She was
born in St. Louis, the seventh day of October, 1790.
Her mother, whose maiden name was Kerceneau,
died when she was a child. Maj. Chouteau, had
been the Indian agent under the French and Spanish
governments at St. Louis, and m that capacity exer-
cised more authority over the numerous Indian tribes
then west of the Mississippi Kivei* than any man
in the whole valle\^ Maj. Chouteau had, besides this
only daughter, throe sons, viz., Auguste P. Chouteau,
Pierre Chouteau, Jr., and Liguest Chouteau, all of
whom died many years ago. He married a second
time, and had by the second marriage five sons, of
whom only throe are living.
Pelagic Chouteau was married to Bartholomew
Berthold, in St. Louis, on the 12th of January,
1811. Mr. Berthold was a Tyrolese bj^ birth, had
come to the United States in 1798, was natural-
ized in Philadelphia in the same year, and after-
wards lived in Baltimore. After living a short time
in Ste. Genevieve, in 1809 he came to St. Louis.
HER ACCOMPLISHED HUSBAND. 355
Mr. Berthold came to the United States as secretary
to Gen. Willot, who had fled from France in con-
sequence of his opposition to Napoleon, and who
returned to that country after the fall of that great
man. When Xapoleon invaded Italy, young Berth-
old became a soldier, and joined those who opposed
him. He was in the battle of Marengo, where he
received a cut from a sabre across the forehead,
an honorable and visible scar which he carried to his
grave.
He was, moreover, a fine scholar, and spoke the
French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Latin lan-
guages with ease and fluency. When Gen. Lafayette
visited the city, he was the only gentleman at the
dinner-table who could speak with ease and elegance
the languages suited to the diffei'ent members of
Gen. Lafayette's suite.
Mr. Berthold, it was said, was the most finished
and accomplished merchant of his day in the city
of St. Louis. He had formed a copartnership m
the fur business with his brother-in-law, Pieire Chou-
teau, Jr., which was a most successful and money-
making concern.
Afterwards, Bartholomew Berthold, Pierre Chou-
teau, Jr., John Pierre Cabanne, and Bernard Pratte
became connected with John Jacob Astor as part-
356 MADAME P£LAGI£ BKRTHOLD.
ners in trade, under the name of the '^American
Fur Company," and made an immense sum of
money.
The immense wealth of Mr. Astor, who furnished
the larger part of the capital, gave double assurance
to the undertaking and enterprise. It was after-
wards said that it was under the efficient and suc-
cessful training of Bartholomew Berthold that
Pierre Chouteau, Jr., and John B. Sai-py became
the great, successful, prosperous, and prominent
business-men that they were. Bartholomew Berthold,
after a life of active business pui*suits, died here in
the year 1831, leaving his widow. Pelagic Berthold,
who survived till the 24th of May, 1875.
Madame Berthold, in her youth, was a belle of
no ordinary charms. She was the contemporary,
associate, fnend, and companion of the Misses Gra-
tiot, the Misses Labadie, the Misses Cerre, the Misses
Valle — all ladies of beauty, all of the first families,
all accustomed to the elegancies and conveniencies
of wealth, cultivation, and refinement. Her father's
house, and afterwards her husband's and her own,
were the scene of unbounded hospitality and welcome
to every stranger.
We have ncvci' seen the man yet, come from what
part of the world he may, who knew St. Louis fifty
A HEAVY DEFALCATION. 357
or sixty years ago, and was welcomed and received
by these kind-hearted, generous, and noble people, —
honest, upright, and unsuspecting as they were, —
but was touched by these friendly greetings of
cordial welcome. Talk to one of the visitons who
knew St. Louis in those primitive days of purity and
happiness, before the almighty dollar had crossed the
Mississippi River, and his heart swells and his eyes
fill with emotion at the recollection of the generous
kindness and unselfish hospitality these people ex-
tended to him.
Madame Berthold, ever since the death of her
husband, has lived in the midst of her family,
surrounded by affectionate and loving children.
Madame Berthold had the following children : Pieire
A. Berthold, Augustus Berthold, Tulia Berthold,
Amedee Berthold, Clara (now widow of William L.
Ewing, deceased), Frederick Berthold, and Emilie,
the wife of Maj. George G. Waggeman, late of the
United States army. Augustus and Frederick are
dead ; all the rest ai'e living.
In the year 1858, William Kisley was elected
treasurer of the county of St. Louis. He was an
old citizen, a man of great respectability of chaarc-
358 A HEAVY DEFALCATION.
ter and standing, and of unquestioned integrity and
honesty. He gave bond in the sum of $300,000,
and entered upon the discharge of the duties of his
office accordingly.
At that time the banking-house of John J.
Anderson & Co. was in existence, and doing quite
an extensive business. This banking-house made
propositions to WilUani Kisley, then treasurer, offer-
ing to allow him interest (as high as ten per cent per
annum, it was said) on such portion of the public
funds as he might feel disposed to deposit with said
banking-house. The inducements wei'e so great that
the county ti-easurer was overpersuaded, upon the
repeated and solemn assurances given, that in any
event he should be protected. Thereupon he opened
an account with that banking-house, and deposited
theivin, from time to time, a very considerable sum
of the public money.
The County ('ourt had in the meantime become
so odious and obnoxious that an act of the Legisla-
ture was passed abolishing it, and a new tribunal
was created by law for St. Louis County, called
the County Connnissioners' Court, for the transaction
of the county business. The County Commissioners
met for the first time, August 15, 1859, and con-
sisted of John H. Lightner, B. Farrar, Peregrine
Tippett, Alton R.. Easton, and William Taussig.
THE TREASURER'S ACTION DISAPPROVED. 359
After twenty-one ballotings, John H. Lightner was
elected president of the Board. Mr. Lightner made
it a rule to settle with the county treasurer himself,
as president of the Board. He scrutinized every
item and voucher presented, and after the account
was examined and the balance struck, he had the
treasurer show him, from his books, where the money
was deposited.
By this means the treasurer showed that he had
about one hundred thousand dollars on deposit and se-
curities with the banking-house of John J. Andereon
& Co. On this showing, Mr. Lightner refused to ap-
prove of and sanction the settlement presented by the
county treasurer. Some of the judges of the St. Louis
County Commissioners' Court, when they became
aware of this fact, became dissatisfied with the action
of the treasurer in so depositing a portion of the
public money. Two or three of the judges deemed
it their duty to see and talk with Mr. Risley, the
treasurer, privately, and to remonstrate against his
action in keeping any of the public money in this
banking-house. And they urged upon him, m i^e-
spectful but decided terms, that he should keep all
the public funds which came into his hands as treas-
urer of the county, in the Bank of the State of
Missouri; assuring him that the County Commis-
360 A HKAVY DEFALCATION.
sioners, who were well disposed towards him, felt
uneasy in regard to his depositing any portion of the
public money in the banking-house in question.
Mr. Risley, honest, confiding, and unsuspicious,
did not feel pleased that any one of the judges of
the County Commissionei's' Court should attempt to
direct or advise him in this matter, and became a little
indignant. He said, in reply to the parties and oflS-
cials who thus ventured to talk with him on the
subject, *'What business is that o' your'n? I'll
carry the money in my hat if I see proper. I
give security for the safe-keeping of the money as
treasurer." Illustrating, by his answera, the deep
and abidhig confidence he had in the parties with
whom he had made the deposits, and which, m the
honesty of his heart, he consid(^red perfectly safe.
Aftei' awhile a rumor, which at first was uttered
in whisjJers, became general town-talk, that the
banking-house in question was in failing circum-
stances, and that the concern had one hundred thou-
sand dollars on deposit belonging to the treasurer
of the county, which he was unable to get from the
bank, and which he would in all probability have to
lose.
The judges of the County Commissioners' Court
met to consider the matter and take counsel in rela-
ORDER INCREASING THE TREASURER'S BOND. 361
tion to their treasurer. They advised with their
attorney as to what to do. The county attorney ad-
vised the judges that they could not remove the county
treasurer ; that he had been elected by the people,
and held an elective office. But, under the direction
and advice of their attorney, the Board made the fol-
lowing order : —
Friday, Noveml)er 2, 1860.
The Board met pursuant to adjournment. Treasurer's bond.
Mr. Lightner submitted the following for the consideration of the
Board : —
WJiereas^ The revenues of this county are annually increasing,
and it appearing to the Board, after having examined into the
sufficiency of the official bond of William Risley, treasurer of the
county of St. Louis, that said bond is insufficient in amount to se-
cure the moneys of St. Louis County which are now in and liable
to come into the hands of said treasurer, therefore, it is —
Ordered^ That said William Risley, treasurer of St. Louis
County, be and is hereby required, on or before the nineteenth
day of November, 1860, to give a new official bond to said county
in the sum of $500,000, with such securities (resident landholders
of the county) as shall be approved by the Board; and that the
secretary of this Board cause a certified copy of this order to be
delivered to the said treasurer without delay.
Whereupon Mr. Tippett moved to postpone any action on the
same until Monday next ; which motion was lost. And thereupon
the proposal of Mr. Lightner, as herein above recorded, was de-
clared to be the order of this Board, by the following vote : —
Ayes — Messrs. Fisse, Farrar, Holmes, Taussig, and Lightner.
Mr. Tippett declined to vote.
Mr. Risley was immediately served with a copy
of the order. All the collectors and officers who
362 A HEAVY DEFALCATION.
were in the habit of paying money into the county
treasury were notified not to pay any more money
into the hands of William Risley, as treasui-er of the
county of St. Louis, until the fiui;her order of the
court. It was a most difficult position in which to be
placed : to require a man reported as a defaulter in
such a heavy amount, although he had not used or
spent the money himself, to give an additional heavy
bond.
In the meantime there was much talk about the
defalcation. My life-long friend Marehall Brother-
ton came to me in great distress. He told me that
he was ruined forever; that William Risley, as
treasurer of the county of St. Louis, was reported
a defaulter to the extent of one hundred thousand
dollars ; that he (Marshall Brotherton) was on his
bond as one of his responsible and principal securi-
ties, and that some of the co-securities on the bond
would not be able to make good their pro raia
amount.
I had been the friend of Mr. Marahall Brotherton
from his very boyhood. , I had assisted to make him,
and his brother also, sheriff of the coimty — twice
each. I had taken an active part in his election,
and had assisted to make him judge of the County
Court; and I had in like manner also contributed
MR. DARBY UNDERTAKES TO SETTLE IT. 363
to make him treasurer of the county, and had gone
on his hond as security for a heavy amount of money.
In fact, I had assisted and aided him always when
he needed a friend. In the hour of tribulation and
trouble, and in the deep anguish and distress of mind
in which he then was, he came to me as his ever-reli-
able friend, counsellor, and adviser.
When he asked me what he should do, I told
him not to be alarmed ; that all he had to do was to
pay up the defalcation of one hundred thousand
dollars. '' My goodness,'' said he, " I cannot raise
a hiuidred thousand dollars; that's impossible." I
said to him, '^Mr. Brotherton, I'll get you out of
this scrape." ^'HowV" said he. I replied, '^By
paying up the one hundred thousand dollai's. I can
raise the one hundred thousand dollars," said I, ''and
will do it." I told Mr. Mai-shall Brotherton to let
me manage the affair, and that I would relieve him
from the difficulty.
I went immediately to see some of the judges of
the County Commissioners' Court, to inquire into
the affair. Those with whom I convei^sed informed
me that the defalcation was reckoned at about one
hundred thousand dollars, and that unless Mr. Risley
gave the additional bond required, he would have to
be removed and his securities held responsible for
364 A HEAVY DEFALCATION.
the amount. I then said to each of the judges that
I spoke to — talking to them privately and separately,
off the bench — that if the securities paid up the
amount of the defalcation promptly, and without
legal steps being taken against them, there would be
no cause for bringing suit on the bond of the treas-
urer. To which they replied, certainly not. There-
upon I told the judges, particularly Holmes and
Tippett, with whom I mostly talked, that in the event
of Mr. Risley being removed, the County Commis-
sioners' Court, as I understood it, had the power to
appoint a treasurer in his stead. They said such was
their understanding of the law. I then told and
proposed to these gentlemen of the County Commis-
sioners' Court, as I talked to them separately, that
in case Mr. Risley was removed, and they would ap-
point Marshall Brotherton treasurer of the county
of St. Louis in his stead, I would agree to pay up the
whole amount of the hundred thousand dollars defal-
cation immediately, without suit, and free of all cost
and expense to the city.
To aid me in carrying this measure, I got my
good friend Col. O'Fallon to see Judge Lightner
and other members of the Count v Commissioners'
Court, which he did. I also stated to these gentle-
men and urged upon them that Marshall Brotherton
A FAIR PROPOSITION. 365
Mras well known, having been treasurer of the county
before, as well as sheriff and judge of the County
Court, and the county would not lose a cent. The
gentlemen to whom I spoke said the proposition
seemed fair, honorable, and reasonable, and certainly
for the best interest of the county, and they assured
me they would agree to it.
I went immediately then to see my old friend Sul-
livan Blood, at that time president of the Boatmen's
Savings Institution, — the same institution of which
I was one of the founders, and for whose success I
had labored with Mr. Blood and others, and in which
I was at that time the heaviest stockholder. I told
Mr. Blood that I wanted the institution to discount
Marshall Brotherton's note, at sixty days, with my
indorsement, for fifty thousand dollars; explaining
to him for what purpose I wanted the money and the
uses to which it was to be applied ; and at the same
time explaining and telling Mr. Blood that the rev-
enue was just being collected and paid into the
county treasury, and that as soon as Marshall Broth-
erton was appointed treasurer, under the arrangement
I had made and proposed, it would not be very long
before, as treasurer of the county, he would have a
million or a million and a half of dollars of the public
366 A HEAVY DEFALCATION.
moneys in his hands^ and perhaps more, a large poi^
tion of which he (Mr, Brotherton) would deposit in
the Boatmen's Savings Institution; and that the
institution could very well afford to lend fifty thou-
sand dollars, when thei-e was a prospect of thereby
gaining a million or more dollai*8 on deposit, and an
average deposit probably never less than one or two
hundred thousand dollars ; that even in the event of
Mr. Marshall Brotherton' s death, I considered I was
good foi' the amount. Mr. Blood consulted with
some members of the Board, and the fifty-thousand-
dollar note was promptly discounted.
I then went to the State Savings Association, at
the head of which, at that time, was Isaac .Rosenfeldt
as cashier, and got that association to discount Mar-
shall Brotherton 's note for forty thousand dollars,
drawn in my favor and by me indorsed, j)ayable in
sixty days, upon the like representations as made to
the Boatmen's Savings Institution, and upon a prom-
ise of a deposit of a pail: of the public moneys. With
the proceeds of these two notes, amounting to ninety
thousand dollars, and some cash which Mr. Brother-
ton and myself had on hand, we made up the sum of
one hundred thousand dollars.
The County Commissioners' Court met Novem^
MARSHALL BROTHERTON APPOINTED TREASURER. 367
ber 20, 1860, when the followmg proceedings were
had: —
In the matter of the treasurer's bond : William Risley removed
from office, and Marshall Brotherton appointed county treas-
urer.
On this day personally appeared William Risley, county .
treasurer; and being demanded to produce and file a new bond
in the sum of $500,000, in compliance with the order of the Board
of the 2d instant, and said Risley failing to file said bond, and
making default therein, the Board unanimously order that said
William Risley be removed from the office of county treas-
drer ; and he is hereby directed to prepare his accounts, without
delay, for settlement.
And thereupon Mr. Holmes moves the Board to appoint
Marshall Brotherton to fill the vacancy in the treasurership of
St. Louis County, which motion is sustained by the following
vote : Ayes — Messrs. Easton, Fisse, Holmes, Tippett, and Light-
ner. Nays — Messrs. Farrar and Taussig. And the said Broth-
erton being appi>inted to the office of comity treasurer, he is
hereby directed to present to this Board, without delay, a good
and sufficient bond, in the sum of $500,000, for tlie consideration
of this Board.
November 20, 1860.
Treasurer's bond approved.
Marshall Brotherton, county treasurer, files his official bond,
in the penal sum of $500,000, with himself as principal, and
John F. Darby, James H. Lucas, Charles K. Dickson, Gerard B.
Allen, John How, Erastus Wells, Isaac H. Sturgeon, William
M. McPherson, and Felix Coste as securities, and conditioned
according to law, which bond this Board approve.
At that time (November 23, 1860) William
Risley was indebted to the county in the sum of
f 247,653.96. The following is the entry of record :
368 A HEAVY DEFALCATION.
William Risley, late county treasurer, this day files the receipt
of Marshall Brotherton, treasurer, for the sum of (247,653.96,
the said amount being the balance found to be in the hands of
said Risley, upon settlement had with this Board on yesterday,
which said sum is now approved by the Board.
This included the one hundred thousand dollars
uncollectable m the bank of John J. Anderson & Co.
Immediately Judge Lightner demanded a settlement
with the new treasurer, Marshall Brotherton, which
was had ; and when the balance was struck, and the
judge asked where was the money, the treasurer pro-
duced his bank-books, showing that the cash was all
on hand in the Bank of the State of Missouri, the
Boatmen's Savings Institution, and the State Sa\dng8
Association, which we had provided by procuring the
discounts mentioned.
At that time I could have raised the one hundred
thousand dollars on my own resources, had it become
absohitely necessary, to save my friend, and would
have done so independently of the two institutions
named. Lucas and other men of property went on
the official bond of Marshall Brotherton, as treasurer,
for five himdred thousand dollars ; but none of them
would indorse his note for ninety thousand dollars,
payable in sixty days, nor run the hazard of having
to pay that amomit of money in so short a time,
although they were, many of them, most able to
do this.
THE NOTES FINALLY PAID OFF. 369
The undei'standing and agreement with the two
banks at the time was, that when the notes so dis-
counted should become due, at the end of sixty days,
the same should be renewed ui)on a certain amount
of principal being paid. .Vnd so at each renewal
the notes were reduced and i)aid off by degrees, till
fully discharged. In the meantime Mr. lirotherton,
as treasurer, had deposited in both these banking
institutions a large amount of ])ublic money, cm
which he w^as allowed l)v these moneyed coucerns
interest at the rate of four per cent i)er annum.
And as the auiounts on deposit were lai'ge, the inter-
est amounted to a considerable sum at the renewal of
each note; and with the income of the treasurer's
salary, and some small amounts collected from one
or tw7) of his co-securities, the notes so discounted
were finally fully j)aid off and satisfied, and my
friend was sayed from l)eing broken up. My good
friend Marshall Bi'otherton always recognized these
acts of personal friendship, and often expressed his
sincere obligations and acknowledgments to me for
my great friendship and kindness.
Time rolled on. Goy. McClurg, goyernor of the
State of Missouri, with whom I was on most agreeable
terms of personal friendship, and who was a nt^phew
of Marshall Brotherton, had in the kindness of his
24
370 A HEAVY DEFALCATION.
heart, and on the score of ancient pei^sonal relations,
sent me a commission as notary public. Mr. Broth-
erton called at my office to see me, one day, when I
mentioned to him that Gov. McClurg had sent me
a commission as notary public, when he said very
promptly, " I will not go on your bond as notary ; '■
which official bond was then five hundred dollars
only. To which I most readily replied, '" You had
better wait till I ask you." The records of the St.
Louis County Court and the County Commissioners'
Court, and of the banking institutions referred to,
contain the evidence of this histoiical statement, as
well as some living witnesses who have knowledge
and cognizance of all the facts.
Ctospel of St. Matthew.
(Chap, xviil.y heginnimj at the 23d verse,)
23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain
king, which would take account of his servants.
24. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto
him, wliich owed him ten thousand talents.
25. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commandi^i
him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and
payment to be made.
20. The servant therefore fell down, and wor3hipj)ed him,
saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion,
and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his
fellow-servants, which owed him a hundred pence: and he laid
• HENRY 8. GEYER. 371
hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying. Pay roe that
thou owest.
29. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought
him, saying, Havej)atience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison,
till he should pay the debt.
31. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were
very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32. Then hisjord, after that he had called him, said unto him,
O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou
desiredst me :
33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fel-
low-servant, even as I had pity on thee?
34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the torment-
ors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35. So^likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if
ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their tres-
passes.
Henry S. Geyer was a man of very distinguished
ability, and an able lawyer. It was he who made
the great argument before the Supreme Court of
the United States in the Dred Scott case, which
took such a political turn, and which caused AVil-
liam H. Seward and other Abolitionists to denounce
Chief Justice Taney so severely. All the arguments
and the principal authorities and points presented
in that case were made by Mr. Geyer. As a lawyer,
Mr. G^yer was by common consent considered the
head of the bar in Missouri. On one occasion a
372 HENRY S. GEYER.
Buit was brought in the St. Louis Circuit Court
against a mechanic, for the unskilful and unwork-
manlike manner in which, as was charged, the de-
fendant had built w^hat was then called an ox-mill,—
a mill that was constructed with a wheel on an in-
clined plane, upon which the weight of the oxen
produced the power, the oxen walking on the wheel
that ran under them. The plaintiff had a man by
the name of David B. Hill, a carpenter and builder,
and a mechanic of great respectability, to examine
the work and make a statement of the defects in
its construction, as a basis upon which to estimate
his damages. When the suit came to trial, Mr.
Geyer was employed as counsel for the defendant.
As soon as Mr. Hill had l)een examined as a w^itness
for the ])laintiff, and given his testimony at great
l(»ngth and in detail, as directed by the plaintiffs
counsel, the witness was turned over to Mr. Gever
to cross-examine. The first question Mr. (Tcyer
asked him was, ''Mr. Hill, you have discovered
perpetual motion, haven't youV ■' '' Yes, sir,"" said
Mr. Hill, ''I have.'' Mr. Geyer then said, '^ Stand
aside, sir."' Mr. Geyer then went to the jury upon
the evidence of Mr. Hill, saying that he was in
many respects a good man, and generallj'^ meant
well, but that he was insane on the subject of
PERPETUAL MOTION. 373
mechanics, as they saw when he gave his testimony.
It was a notorious fact that Hill had for about
twenty years been at work to discover peii)etual
motion, which all the jury well knew. Mr. Geyer,
with great force and power, amplified, enlarged upon,
and ridiculed the idea of Mr. IlilPs swearing to
such an absurdity, until he got the court and jury,
as well as everybody in the coiut-room, to laughing ;
and finally obtained a verdict for his client, simply
on the answer of the witness that he had found out
perpetual motion.
DaWd B. Hill was a noted character in St.
Louis. He died in St. Louis about the year 1875,
more than eighty-three years of age, working up
to the day of his death at his hobby.
Mr. Hill wore purple spectacles, with side as
well as front glasses. He was exceedingly fond of
taking snuff, and talked through his nose. On
one occasion he was sure he had discovered per-
petual motion, and invited a good many lawyers to
come down and see the model of the machine.
When the gentlemen had airived and were examin-
ing the piece of mechanism, Mr. Hill, taking out
his snuff-box, said, ''Xow, gentlemen, [snuffing]
it only wants a little more power on this side of the
wheel, [snuffing] and it will then run to all eternity."
374 HENUY 8. OEYER.
[Taking more snuff.] Among the gentlemen who
went to examine the machine was Joshua Baiton,
who was afterwards killed in a duel by Rector.
Mr. Barton, after looking for awhile at the in-
vention, said, "Mr. Hill, 1 will tell you how to
find out perpetual motion, and how it is to be de-
monstrated. Mr*. Hill, just take hold of the seat
of your breeches with your hands and lift yourself
off the ground, and then, when you shall have done
that, you will have found out the secret of peipetual
motion."' This remai'k from Joshua Barton caused
Mr. Hill to cea»e any further explanation of his
invention.
Henry S. Geyer was born in Frederick County,
Marvhiiui, in 1798, and came to St. Louis in 1815,
having ad()|)ted the profession of the law. He pub-
lished (xciver's Di«:est of the Territorial Laws of
Missoui'i. He had seen service in the war of 1812.
He took an active pai't in j^olitics in Missouri, was
several times elected to the Legislature, and was
twice made s])eakei' of the House of Representatives.
In the year 1851 he was elected by the Legislature
of Missouri to tlu» United States Senate, as suc-
cessor to Thomas IL Benton. He died in St. Louis,
March 5, 1859.
In the great land-case of Strother against Lucas,
HIS GREAT LEARNING AND ABILITY. 375
tried in the Supreme Court of the United States, Mr.
Greyer was associated with William Wirt as counsel
for the defence. Chief Justice Mai*shall presiding.
The great learning and ability shown by Mr. Geyer
m the argument of that cause somewhat surprised
the court; so much so that the learned chief justice
expressed his astonishment, in a private conversation
off the bench, at finding so much learning come from
west of the Mi88i8sipi)i River. He appeared to much
better advantage before the court than did Mr. Wirt,
because he better understood, perhaps, the subject
of the origin of the French and Spanish titles and
grants.
Mr. Geyer gained his cases by the force and power
of his reasoning, lie used no copiousness of lan-
guage or polished sentences ; on thc^ c^ontrary, he had
rather a limited command of language and expression.
Where most men failed in the argument of a difficnilt
point, Gej'^er always succeeded.
The gi*eat and distinguished ability with which
Mr. Geyer conducted the defence in the Darnes trial
for murder, in the St. Louis Criminal Court, caused
that trial to be republished in book form in Boston.
Mr. P. Dexter Tiffany, a lawyer then living in St.
Louis, informed the writer of this sketch that he
376 GEORGE K. McGUNNAGLE.
went to Boston directly after the Darner trial had
been republished in that city, and while thei-e met
with Rufus Choate. That eminent criminal lawyer,
hearing that Mr. Tiffany, from St. Louis, was in the
city, and that he knew Henry S. Geyer personally,
called to state that he was struck and charmed with
the great ability and talent displayed by Mr. Geyer,
and expressed himself in the most enthusiastic terms
as to the manner in which Mr. 'Geyer, as the senior
and leading counsel, had conducted the defence. He
asked Mr. Tiffany many questions about Mr. Geyer, —
al)out Mr. Geyer' s size, about his physique, about
his voice, al)i)ut thii color of his hair and eves, and
whether he used gestures in speaking.
The death of George K. McGunnagle revives
some recollections of the past. More than half a
century ago I attended his wedding, in this city, when
he married Elizabeth Starr, tlie sister of Henry S.
Geyer' s first wife ; and of all the persons who were
present on that interesting and joyous occasion, I
was the only sui'vivor left to attend his funeral.
The death of Mr. McGunnagle brought to my
A (FATHERING OF OLD CITIZENS.
377
mind another fact. On the first day of June, 1858,
I determmed to give a dinner and entertainment to
all the old men, citizens of St. Louis, who were
engaged in business here when I was admitted to
the bar, on the fourteenth day of May, 1827. The
entertainment was giV^en at my dwelling, then situ-
ated on the south-west corner of Fifth and Olive
Streets. The following gentlemen were invited, to-
wit: —
1. Col. John O'Fallon,
2. Dr. William Carr Lane,
3. Dr. Robert Simpson,
4. Jnclge Peter Ferguson,
5. Joseph Charless,
6. Archibald (Tamble,
7. Thornton Grimsley,
S. Henrv Shaw,
9. John Finney,
10. William Finney,
11. Charles Keemle,
12. John H. Gay,
13. John Simon* Is,
14. Samuel Willi,
15. Louis A. Labeaume,
31. N
1(). P^dward Bates,
17. Sullivan Blood,
IH. Pierre Chouteau, Jr.,
19. Robert Canii)bell,
20.' Edward Walsh,
21. George K. MeCxunnagle,
22. Henrv Von Phul,
23. Louis A. Benoist,
24. Daniel 1). Piige,
25. Bernard Pratte,
2(). Hamilton H. Gamble,
27. Asa Wilgus,
28. Augustus Kerr,
2\K Thomas Andrews,
30. Augustus II. Evans,
athaniel Paschall.
In all, thirty-one persons. It will be seen that dar-
ing the last twenty years they have all died ex-
cept two, namely, Bernard Pratte and Henry Shaw,
who are the only siirv^iving guests present on that
378 GEOROE K. McGUNNAOLE.
festive occasion. And of these distinguished indi-
viduals, all lived to a good old age, and all except
two died a natural death, — Joseph Charless and John
Simonds, Jr., — Charless being murdered by J. W.
Thornton, on Market Street, St. Louis, between
Third and Fourth Streets (a crime for which Thorn-
ton was tried, convicted, and hanged), and John
Simonds, Jr., was accidentally killed on the Iron
Mountain Railroad.
These were the men that had united and ccmtrib-
uted to lay the foundations, and contributed to build
up this proud and prosperous city. Take them all
in all, a nobler set of men never existed. In mind,
in ability, in energy and capacity, and all the
attributes which constitute human excellence and
greatness, they will favorably compare with the like
number of men in any part of the whole civilized
world. Xo wonder, therefore, that this gi-eat city
should grow, and go on to greatness, glory, and
grandeur, under their auspices.
It was my pride and privilege to have known all
these men most intimately from my very boyhood.
They were my friends, with whose confidence and re-
gard I was honored, and with whom I had had many
transactions in business, involving large amounts.
With the usual allowance for the frailties of human
JOHN McKNIOHT. 379
lature in different individuals, they were all men of
^arm hearts, and governed by the most noble im-
>ul6es and manly instincts of our nature.
John McKnight, who died on his farm, a few
miles west of the city of St. Louis, in the year 1875,
»vas one of the first American settlers that came to
St. Louis, having arrived here in the year 1815. He
was born in Augusta County, Virginia, and came to
St. Louis when he was a mere boy, with his uncle,
John McKnight, after whom he was named. He
lived in St. Louis, clerking for various parties, and
seeking employment as best he could. In the year
1822, when the Legislature sat at St. Charles, John
McKnight went up there, at the instance of one of
the representatives of St. Louis County, a man of
influence and position, under the promise that this
man of distinction and power would exert himself
and get young McKnight employment as a clerk in
i^ome capacity connected with the Legislature. Mr.
McKnight went to St. Charles, and the friend who
had invited him to come there, and had voluntarily
tendered his official aid and support, in the language
>f McKnight himself, '^ went hatk upon ^im."
380 JOHN Mcknight.
Young McKnight was without money, and fell
deeply the great disappomtment and bad faith which
he- had experienced in his laudable efforts to get
into honorable employment. lie told the story of
the bad treatment he had received to that whole-
souled backwoodsman, the '* King-tailed Panter"
(Pai'mer), who was then a senator, and who gen-
erously busied himself immediately in behalf of
John McKnight, and got for him one of the most
lucrative clerkships in the gift of the Legislature.
Afterwards Mr. McKnight read law in this city
with the lion. Henry S. Geyer, but he never at-
tempted to i)ractice his profession ; and subsequently,
when Mr. Geyer was appointed by the I^egislatuiv to
superintend the i)rinting, examining the proof-sheets,
and publication of the first Revised Statutes of Mis-
souri, John McKnight assisted him, and transcribed
for the printers, from the official rolls, nearly every
one of the statutes. In the winter of the year 1826,
John McKnight left St. Louis for Santa Fe, Xew
Mexico, and went thence to Chihuahua : first going
to his uncle, Robert McKnight, then in the mines of
Mexico. After that he established himself, in the
year 1827, in business as a merchant in Chihuahua.
He lived there some twelve or thirteen years, whei'e
he had accumulated a very handsome fortune, — ^in-
LIVES IN RETIREMENT. 381
mng the confidence, esteem, and respect of every-
body with whom he came in contact. AVhen about
leaving for home. Gov. Armijo handed to Mr. Mc-
Knight some ten thousand dollars in money, to biing
to this country and place to his credit in Xew York ;
and when Mr. McKnight offered to give a receipt for
it, the governor refused to accept it, saying, ''All
that I want is your word ; for, by taking a receipt, it
would seem to imply that I doubted your honesty.''
Mr. McKnight retunied to St. Louis from Chihua-
hua, married a Miss McCAitchen, and lived in retire-
ment on his farm, about ten miles west of the city,
up to the time of his death. He had quite a large
amount of capital loaned out on real c^state in the
city of St. Louis, and left an t^stiite estimated to
be worth about three hundred thousand dollars.
During the latter ]>art of his life he seemed to take
greiit pleasure in coming into the city to see and
talk over with old friends early events in St.
Louis. He was a man of fine mind, and had read
manldnd in all the lights and shades of human
nature. Quiet ^nd unobtrusive in his manner, he
was yet withal a man of the warmest heart and most
generous impulses.
They were men of great energy and enterprise.
There were four brothei-s — John, Thomas, James,
382 JOHN Mcknight.
and Robert — and two brothers-in-law, Mr. Mc-
Cutehen and Mr. Jameson, who had married their
sisters, and who lived on farms in the county of St,
Louis. The Rev. Mr. Flint, more than forty-five
years ago, in his '" Ten Years in the Valley of the
Mississippi,'' paid a touching tribute to this family.
John McKnight, an uncle of the present subject,
was never man'ied. He and Thomas Brady composed
the firm of McKnight & Brady, and Thomas Mc-
knight and Joriah Brady composed the firm of Brady
& McKnight. The early records of deeds still show
the inmiense amount of real estate owned by these
firms hi St. Louis city and coiuity, and other coun-
ties of the Stute. In their day and time they did the
largest mercantile business in the city of St. Louis.
In the year 1817, Julius De Mun and Auguste P.
Chouteau, from St. Louis, started upon a trading
expedition with goods to Santa Fe and Chihuahua,
and Robert McKnight went with them in the expedi-
tion, trading on his own account.
Mexico was at that time hi a state of revolution.
When De Mun, Chouteau, and MclK^night reached
Chihuahua they were seized and thrown into prison,
and robbed of their goods and property. It was a
long time before they were heard from. News came
at last that they were all in prison at Chihuahua.
CHIHUAHUA CAPTURED BY GEN. DONIPHAN. 383
When this intelligence reached St. Louis, Maj. Pierre
Chouteau threatened, and actually took some steps,
to raise an army of a few thousand Osage and other
Indians, with whom he had power and influence.
But he was informed by Col. Benton and other
friends that the government of the United States
alone had the right to make war, and to avenge
insults and wrongs done to her citizens ; which caused
Mr. Chouteau to abandon the undertaking.
The gentlemen named were detained in prison for
nearly two years. In less than thirty yeare after-
wards. Gen. Doniphan, with his one thousand brave
Missourians, who had marched further than Xeno-
phon had done with his ten thousand Greeks, entered
and captured the town of Chihuahua and the sur-
rounding country, with all its hihabitants. The
stars and stripes, proud emblem of the country's
greatness and glbry, waved over the captured town,
and for the time being gave laws and protection to
all who came under the dominion of the victorious
conquerors. Even the old men of Chihuahua could
not but notice and admire the magnanimous and
kind treatment they received at the hands of the
brave Gen. Doniphan and his noble army of ofiicers
and men, in contrast with the dastardly conduct of
i;he former functionaries of the ancient town.
3&1 AUNT JANE CHOUTKAC.
For the wrongs and injuries done to De Mini,
Chouteau, and MeKnight, the United States, after
the war was closed, made the Mexican government
pay nearly one hundred thousand doilai-s.
In the year 1849, the cholera prevailed with
unpai-allelled severity, and more than five thousand
people of the doomed city were swept off in about
a month's time.
When the epidemic was at its height, a poor
woman, who had walked about ten miles, from
8omewhei-e in the neighborhood of Jefferson Bar-
racks, with her child, a little girl five years old,
came to the city. It was about the 1st of July,
1849, and the weather was intenselv hot.
The woman and child had walked the whole dis-
tance in the broiling sun, and when they reached a
place on Sixth, between Poplar and Spruce Streets,
the unfortunate mother, being exhausted and over-
come with the heat, fell upon the sidewalk. There
were few houses around, and the weeds, grass,
and wild camomile flowers grew on the vacant lots
up to the very sidewalk. To the west of Sixth
Sti-eet thei'e was quite a depressi<m, or hollow, caused
A GOOD SAMARITAN. i\So
by the raising of Sixth and Seventh Streets, with a
few scattering houses, which at the time, in the news-
papers and poUce reports, went by the name of ''Hap-
py Hollow." Living in a small house, at the time,
in that neighborhood was a most respectable coloi^ed
woman by the name of Jane Chouteau, a washer-
woman. She had been a slave in the fa mil v of CV)1.
Auguste Chouteau, the founder of the town, :ind was
the daughter of '' old Aunt Catreen,-' an old French
negress belonging to Col. Chouteau, who was
known to all the old inhabitants, and died a few y(»ars
ago at the advanced age of more than one hundred
years.
When the unfortunate woman fell upon the side-
walk, and the scorching rays of the sun wei*c beating
down upon her, she called for help ; but her groans
brought no one to hei- relief. Like the man that
fell among thieves in going from Jericho, first one
and then another passed by, regardless of her aj)-
peals for assistance, the helpless child alone stand-
ing by, unable to assist tht* agonized and suffering
mother.
After a great many persons had passed by the
suffering woman, and heeded not her anguish, Aunt
Jane from her humble habita,tion heard the cries, and
went to her relief. She raised up the sick woman
25
386 AUNT JANK CHOUTEAU.
and carried her into her house, prepared a bed for
her and ministered to her wants, and did all that
she could, by nursing and kind attention, to soothe
her pain and relieve her deep suffering. The child
was duly provided for. It was evident that the poor
woman had been seized with the cholera, and could
not live. She was —
In that dread moment when the frantic soul
Raves round the wall of its clay tenement, —
Runs to each avenue and shrieks for help,
But shrieks in vain. How wistfully she
Looks on all she's leaving, now no longer hers.
A little longer, yet a little longer. O I might
She stay to wash away her crimes, and fit her
For her passage. Mournful sight. Her very eyes
Weep blood, and every groan she heaves
Is big with horror ; but death, the foe,
Like a stanch murderer, steady to his purpose
Still presses on, nor misses once the track.
Till forced at last to the tremendous verge.
At once she sinks to everlasting ruin.
So the woman died. When the hour of dissolu-
tion came, and she found she was passing from time
to eteniity, she called Aunt Jane to her and told
her she was dying, and that she committed her child
to her keeping. She implored Aunt Jane to take
care of her child : to protect and raise it ; and she
made the promise.
When the woman was dead. Aunt Jane had her
AN ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING. 387
decently buried, and had the child neatly dressed.
The child was most beautiful. No one could pass it
in the street without being struck and charmed with
it. When Aunt Jane used to go out to deliver the
clothes she had washed, she would take the little
girl with her. The child was always neatly dressed.
Aunt Jane had been baptized and bred in the Roman
Catholic religion, and she took her little charge with
her to the Catholic Church, and taught her to say
her prayers according to the religious teachings in
which she herself was brought up.
Time rolled on, and the child had been several
years with the protector in whose hands she had
been placed by the dying mother, and had grown
considerably, becoming more lovely and charming,
when an Abolition lady in the neighborhood tried
to take the child away from Aunt Jane; and an
attempt was made, it was said, to kidnap the child.
Aunt Jane, whom I had known from boyhood, came
to ask me what she should do. I told her if any-
body undertook to take the child away from her, or
to steal it, to let me know, and I would see her
righted and protected.
A few days after that, some trifling character
who had been employed by the Abolition woman
388 AUNT JANE CHOUTEAU.
to get the cliild, undertook to play the role of an
officei-, went to Aunt Jane's house, and showing a
paper, pretended to be a eonstable. He said he
had come to take the child away from her in \irtue
of a writ. Aunt Jane replied, '' I will not let you
have the child unless Mr. Darby says so. I will
go with you to Mr. Darby's office, and if he says
I shall give you the child, I will do so.'' Accord-
ingly the old lady put on her bonnet and started
with the pretended constable and the child to Mr.
Darby's office, then on Pine Street, near Third.
When in the nei«:hborhood of the court-house, vtn
late in the evening, the assumed officer w^anted to go
in an other direction than the one to Mr. Darby's of-
fice. Aunt Jane told hi in, "' Xo : 1 know the w^av to
Mr. Dai'by's office; this is the way." The comittT-
feit officer then seized the child and attempted to take
it away by force from the old lady.- Aunt Jane was
a large, stout woman, of great strength. She also
seized the (ihild, w\\o was screaming and struggliug
desperately, and tore the child away from the grasp
of the vagabond official and hurled the scoundrel
some ten feet away. After which adventure she
brought the child to my office.
The next day, the Abolition woman who was so
A VISIT FROM JUSTICE HEQUEMBOUKG. 389
>ent on getting possession of the child went to Mr.
lequembourg, at that time a justice of the peace, to
joiisult and devise plans about getting possession of
he little girl, and denounced me in most violent and
)itter terms. ^'Yes,"' said she, *' there's Darby,
iiember of Congi'ess as he is ; he is a pretty fellow,
jountenancing the keeping of this white child with
liggers ; when I could take the child and make it
vait on me, and it would be among white folks."
5he entreated Mr. Justice Hequemboiu'g to go to my
)ffice, and see and thi-eaten me.
Mr. Justice Hequembourg came, and was under
loine excitement. He spoke to me and said, looking
it me straight in the c»ye, "' Mr. Darby, I understand
rou are countenancing the keeping of a white child
n the possession of a negro woman, down on Sixth
Street, and I have come to inquire about it." 1 told
Mr. Hequembourg the whole story of the child's be-
ng in Ainit Jane's possession, the good i)art she had
icted toward it, and the dishonorable and disreputable
ittempts that had been made to kidnap the child.
Mr. Hequembourg' s whole manner and counte-
nance changed as soon as he heard the true story. He
confessed that he had come to see me at the insfamce
of the woman who wanted to get the child. He begged
390 AUNT JANK CHOUTEAU.
pardon, and said that if he had known the trae
story he would not have been concerned in any such
business. Mr. Hequembourg, for years after, when-
ever we met, used to laugh and talk over the incidents
of this visit made to me.
I told Aunt Jane that these Abolitionists were de-
termined she should not keep the child, and that she
should go and see Archbishop Keniick, the head of
the Catholic Church, and tell him the story; that
the good archbishop would take steps for placing the
little girl in cliarge of the Sisters of Charity, who
had care of the female orphan asylum. Aunt Jane
did so, and the venerable and eminent prelate gave
her a paper, which she took to the good Sisters of
Charity, and delivered to them the beautiful child
which had been given to her by the dying mother, —
that child upon whom she had bestowed so much
attention and kindness. She parted from it with
deep feeling, for she had become greatly attached to
the young orphan.
This case verified the fact that the Abolitionists,
■
although the pretended friends of the colored people
were always more unkind, unrelenting, unfeeling^
hard, and cruel towards these people, and less oblig-
ing and kindly disposed towards them, than were the
THE SOUTHERN HOTEL. 391
outhem and Western country white people, with
horn the colored race had been raised as slaves,
id from whom they always received more sympathy
nd favors.
The papers of the day give the modern history
F the ill-fated Southern Hotel building, but there
pe reminiscences connected with the spot on which
was erected, and the ancient surroundings, that
ught to be rescued from oblivion.
In the early days of St. Louis, the intersection
f Walnut and Fourth Streets, then known as the
Rue des Granges," was a very elevated part of the
)wn, commanding a view of almost every house and
>t below, there being no piivate dwellings to the
^est.
In 1780, on the 17th of April, during the admin-
tration of Fernando de Leyba, then Spanish lieu-
mant-govenior, Father Bernardo de Limpach, the
riest of the post of St. Louis, parish of Paincourt,
lessed the first stone of the fort on the hill back of
le church, and it was named ^'Fort St. Charles,''
I honor of Charles III., king of Spain.
This fort was commenced only a month prior to
be attack on St. Louis by the Canadians and Indians,
392 THK SOUTHERN HOTEL.
in May, 1780, and which is historically kliown ae the
'"^ annee da grand coup^''' and could not, of course,
have been utilized as a means of defence.
Tt was a " luartello'' fort, circular in form, and
about twenty-five or thirty feet in height, and perhaps
twenty fe(»t in diameter.
Opposite to this foit, on the north side of the
present Wahuit Street, were located the barracks for
the Spanish soldiers. These barracks consisted of a
row of stone rooms one-story high, running along
the street from the (*orner of Fourth, or '^Rue des
Gran<2:es,'' westwardlv.
When not on daty, the Spanish soldiers cultivated
gardens for their own use about their barracks, and
were always very kind toward the inhabitants, giving
them material aid in the si)ring and summer garden-
mgs.
The old settlers always speak of these soldiers as
being gentlemen and (christians in the full sense of
those terms.
The government-house, the official residence of
the lieuti»nant-govei*nor, was at the south-east comer
of what is now Walnut and Main Streets, and the
prison in which weir incarcerated the very few evil-
doers of those da^ys was on the east of the govern-
ment-house.
rill* I'ccords coiitniii iiitci'c^liiiL:- details conccni-
iiiii- this jail and tlu* cost of con^.triictiii^" it.
Aftei* the chang'e of g-ovcrniuent from Spain to
the United States, the old niartello fort wan for a
long time used as a eouiity jail, and James Sullivan
was the jailer.
Sullivan was a very large man, weighing, to say
the least, three hun<lred and fifty pounds, hut spry
and active on his feet, and having a stentorian voice,
wiiich from the hill-top could he heard all over the
town .
Sullivan was a hog-fancier, and had a great many
hogs, young and old. Early in the morning they
were liherated from their pens and permitted to roam
at large through the town, breaking downi gates and
fences, and uprooting garden plantings and sow-
ings. At sunset Sullivan would stand on the brow
of the hill, and with stentorian voice call out, " Soo I
soo! " and his favorite porcines would come running
up to him from all quarters to get their evening
allowance of corn.
Poor old Sullivan ! he died from the effect of a
slide on Walnut Street, in the winter. It happened
thus: The street, from Fourth to Third, w^as then
very steep and rough, fuiTowed with gullies and
adorned with ridges. There was then no grading.
394 THE SOUTHERN HOTEL.
paving, nor guttering, but a road in puris naturaU-
baa; covered, however, with a coating of io^ and
sleet. One of his large, fat hogs had become dis-
abled in attempting to climb the slippery hill, and
Sullivan, large-heai-ted and sympathetic, resolved to
assist the poor animal to its usual place of nightly
repose. Without a moment's reflection, without ice-
spurs on his shoes, he at once started down the
perilous descent ; but in so doing he lost his footing
And slid down, rolled and tumbled over the ice, sleet,
and frozen ground, until he was found helpless and
senseless at the foot of the hill, on Third Street, and
cared for by Francois Guinelle and Jean Beaufils,
who then lived at that locality.
Sullivan never recovered from this shock. At
his death, Beriah Cleland, " the Bard of the West,"
of revered memory, stole and published the lines
from Byron which were afterwards applied to Lewis
H. Dixon, M. C, the fat man from Alabama: —
''Tis Grease, but living Grease no more."
For a long time after the change of government,
the St. Charles fort, the government-house, and the
barracks, before mentioned, existed as monuments of
former days, but were finally swept away by the
-energy of the Anglo-Saxon immigration and the
demands of industry and commerce.
EDWARD BAT£8. 395
For a long time a portion of those barracks was
occupied as a law-oflSce by Matthias McGirk, late
chief justice of our Supreme Court, and by the late
Thompson Douglass as paymaster of the United
States army. Isaac McGirk had his law-office on
the west side of Fourth, about midway between
Walnut and Market, and in that office he died.
North of his office, on the same side of the street, was
a Protestant burying-ground, from which, in late
excavations for building purposes, skeletons were ex-
humed, and erroneously supposed to be the remains
of murdered persons.
Edward Bates, who died in March, 1869, was
one of the most distinguished men with which the
State of Missouri has ever been honored. He was
perhaps more universally beloved than any man that
ever lived in the State. His gentle manners and
pleasing address, and happy, friendly greeting, made
him a favorite with everybody ; and no man that ever
lived in the State had a more unbounded and wide-
spread personal popularity.
He was born at Belmont, Goochland County,
Virginia, on the fourth day of September, 1793.
396 EDWARD BATES.
He lost his father when he was very young. He
was educated at home, save for a short time, when
he attended Charlotte Hall Academy, and after-
wards his education was finished by an accomplished
private teacher.
His family were Quakers ; but his father, fore-
going so much of the teachings of that society,
detei'mined to fight for his country, and joined with
the Americans in the war of the Revolution.
Mr. Bates, when young, was offered a midshipman-
ship in the navy of the United States, which he de-
clined. And afterwards, in the year 1813, he enlisted
as a common soldier and went forth in defence of
his eountiy, and for nearly a year was stationed >vith
the troops at Norfolk, in Virginia. Directly after
he had been honorably discharged, he came to St.
Louis, whither his brother, Frederick Bates, at that
time United States recorder of land-titles for Upper
Louisiana, had come some years before him. He
reached this city in the early part of 1814, without a
profession and with but small means. He studied law
down On Third Street, near Myrtle, in the office of
Col. Rufus Easton, one of the most accomplished and
finished lawyers and finest scholars in the Western
country. Mi\ Bates was admitted to the bar in
1816, and very sooii rose to public distinction. In
ELECTED TO CONGRESS. 397
the year 1818 he was appointed district attorney of
the Temtory, being commissioned by William Clark
(of Lewis and Clark's expedition), then governor of
the TeiTitory of Missouri. In the year 1820 he
was elected, from the county of St. Louis, a dele-
gate to the convention called for the formation of
the State Constitution for Missouri.
When the State government was organized under
the new Constitution, Mr. Bates was appointed attor-
ney-general of the State, the duties of which office
he discharged with his usual distinguished ability for
about two or three years, when he resigned the posi-
tion and was elected a member of the Legislature of
Missouri, the seat of government being then located
at St. Charles. In the year 1824, Mr. Bates was
appointed and commissioned by President Monroe,
United States district attorney for the District of
Missouri, which office he filled to the great satisfac-
tion of the government until the year 1826, when he
became a candidate for Congress, and was elected
over his distinguished and popular opponent, John
Scott, of Ste. Genevieve, who had been a represent-
ative in Congress from Missouri, under Territorial
and State governments, for a period of twelve years.
Mr. Bates served one term in Congress, and was
a candidate for re-election, but was defeated by the
398 EDWARD BATS8.
Hon. Spencer Pettis by an overwhelming majority,
such was the power of party influence in Jackson's
time. After coming back from Congress, he spent
a few years in the practice of the law m St. Louis,
and then removed to the county of St. Charles, and
located on a farm in the Dardenne Prairie. He still
continued the practice of the law in five or six coun-
ties lying between the Missouri and Mississippi
Rivers. Being one of the best lawyers in the State,
he soon had a most extensive and profitable practice
in that part of the country ; but he used to say to me
that it took all the money that lawyer Bates could
make to support farmer Bates. He was elected to
the State Senate from the county of St. Charles.
He returned to the city of St. Louis and resumed the
practice of the law in 1842, in which he was engaged
till the year 1853, when he was elected judge of the
St. Louis Land Court by the popular vote of the
people, the duties of which he discharged with great
ability and to the entire satisfaction of the whole
community. He was appointed secretary of war by
President Fillmore, and his nomination was unani-
mously confirmed by the Senate ; but he declined the
honorable and distinguished position, to the utter
astonishment of Eastern and Western politicians.
Mr. Bates won great distinction by presiding at a
HIS REMARKABLE ELOQUENCK 399
meeting held at Chicago in behalf of commercial
and internal improvement. The speech that he
made on that occasion gave him more fame and
greater distinction than he had ever gained before^
Men of genius, of distinction, and cultivated talents
were there, and they were astonished to hear a man
of such splendid eloquence and elegant elocution
and force of delivery among Western delegates. He
moved the crowd as if with electricity ; and, it is said,
so thrilling was his address and so powerful was the in-
tellectual charm that the reporters themselves, paus-
ing for a moment to get the rim of his address, were
so captivated that they forgot to take down his words,
and the speech that added so much to his fame and
glory throughout the country was never reported.
In the year 1856 he went to the convention held
in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the presi-
dency in opposition to e^mes Buchanan, who had
been nominated and was the candidate of the Demo-
cratic party that year. From that time Mr. Bates
followed his professional pursuits, and in a measure
retired from politics ; but he never was so far with-
drawn as to cease to write occasional essays and
make occasional speeches on public affairs, and let
the weight of his good name be found and felt on
the side of good government.
400 EDWARD BATES.
I have often stood by Mr. Bates and seen him
harangue and control the multitude, and wm the
applause and plaudits of the crowd even when the
majoiity were against him. In all his relations m
life, by his genial disposition, by his winnhig ac-
cents, by his great kindness of heart and captivat-
ing gentleness of manner, did he so wm and turn
all hearts as to carry his measures. Although al-
ways in a popular minority during the days of the
unbounded enthusiasm of Jacksonism, he did more to
shape and control public affairs than any other man
in Missouri, being the acknowledged head and leader
of the Whig party in the State.
In the year 1819 I saw Mr. Bates for the first
time, when he was on a visit to his brother Fred-
erick, afterwards governor of Missouri. Frederick
lived in Bonhomme Township, St. Louis County,
and had my father for a neighbor. I was a boy,
playing marbles in the road as Mr. Bates rode by.
Time can never erase from my memory the deep
and lasting impression he made upon me. His
pei'son was small ; he was dressed in the habiliments
characteristic of the legal profession of that day,—
ruffles, blue broadcloth coat and gilt buttons,—
some lingering marks of the vestments of Revolution-
ary times. And then, when I came mto his presence
HIS COOLNESS AND COURAGK. 401
at the house, his suavity of manner and smooth,
boyish face (as it was then) and linght black eyes
made a telling impression on my fancy. From the
time that I came to the bai\ in the year 1827, it
was my good fortune to be on most intimate terms
with Mr. Bates, personally, politically, and socially.
He had honored me with his confidence and friendship,
and I had rejoiced with him hi his tnumphs and pros-
perity, and had sympathized with him in his disaj)-
pointments and defeats. My sympathy he always
acknowledged, for he knew how deeply and devotedly
I w^as attached to him. I was well acquainted with,
and knew from my boyhood, his mother, his brother,
and sister.
Mr. Bates was a modest and unpretending man ;
but on one occasion his personal popularity was so
great that it provoked the bitterest animosities among
his political enemies and ()])ponents, and he was
threatened with personal violence in a political can-
*
vass at Florissant. But he had f nends with him. Col.
Thornton Grimsley, Archibald McDonald, and others
stood by him, and pledged their lives to protect him.
In that threatening , and exciting hour Mr. Bates
never faltered or quailed in the least, but with a cool
and determined courage he turned with a smile, when
half a dozen pistols were behig drawn and cocked,
2G
402 EDWARD BATES.
and said to Archibald McDonald, his old friend,
"Arch, there are so many fellows here I shall have
to fight some of them by proxy." To which Mc-
Donald replied, ** Just say the word, Mr. Bates, and
I will thrash 'em like a dog.''
The offensive party, seeing Mr. Bates's firm and
determined manner, and that he was surrounded by
friends, slunk out of sight. According to the age
■
and spirit of the times in which Mr. Bates lived, it
was difficult for any man to live in St. Louis and
maintain his standing without acknowledging and
often practically illustrating the code of honor ; but
Mr. Bates never fought a duel. Only once did he
partake of the prevailing spirit so far as to take a
step towards engaging in mortal combat. When he
was in Congress, Mr. McDuffie, of South Carolina,
then a prominent and distinguished member of the
House of Representatives, did something which Mr.
Bates construed into an insult, and he promptly took
the preliminary and usual coui^se to call Mr. McDufiie
to account, by sending him a note and demanding
an explanation. Mr. Pleasants, of Yirghiia, acting
as the friend of Mr. Bates, was the bearer ,of the
warlike communication. Mr. McDuffie then backed
down completely. A full account of this transaction
was published in Niles^s Register at the time.
AS A CABINET MINISTER 403
Edward Bates was no ordinary man. It was my
good fortune to have been associated with him fre-
quently in heavy lawsuits, and many a time it was
my pride and heartfelt satisfaction to rely on Mr.
Bates's telling power and irresistible influence before
a jury ; and he hardly ever failed to come off triumph-
ant. And in life and death cases, where the better
feelings of humanity are called into play, I have seen
Mr. Bates most irresistible in acquitting when almost
in the very jaws of death.
Edward Bates was a member of the cabinet of
Abraham Lincoln, acting as attoniey-general during
the first four years of his administration, after which
he resigned liis position and returned to private life,
poorer than when he entered the public service as a
cabinet minister ; whilst nearly all the rest who at
that time entered the public service fattened at the
public crib, and when they withdrew from the gov-
ernmental employment, were rich.
Mr. Bates was confined to his room by ill health
nearly all the time after his return from Washington
to Missouri, a period of several years.
Although prostrated by disease, his mind was as
clear and his intellect as bright as ever. His recol-
lection was vivid and sprightly ; and during that long
404 KDWARD BATES.
period he was nursed with the most devoted and
affectionate care by his amiable wife.
Edward Bates now '^ sleeps that sleep that knows
no waking," in the beautiful, rich Florissant Valley—
that fine valley of flowers, as its name imports, so
sweet, so fragrant, and so becoming the excellence
and purity of his character — beside his mother and
liis sister. It has been said, '' The evil that men do
lives after them ; the good is often interred with their
bones." We can reverse the saying, so far as Mr.
Bates is concerned. The evil, if any, which he may
have committed will be interred with his bones, and
the good will live after him forever. His good
name — that bright, unspottdd example of a well-
spent, noble, and upright life — will be preserved
alike to consecrate his memory and to stimulate
othei's to worthy deeds. When the sorrowing
widow leads her son to the tomb of Edward Bates,
and tells him of the greatness and goodjiess of him
who sleeps below, and informs her son that his father,
too, was the son of a widow ; and relates the story of
his life, the positions he filled, the distinction he had
won, the eminent stations he had occupied, — this
loving liiother will seek to impress the noble teach-
ings and example of Edward Bates, who had acquired
honor, greatness, glory, and distinction from and
I8ABELLE De MUN. 405
with the approbation of the people, and discharged
the duties incumbent upon him to the entire satisfac-^
tion of his countrymen. In a hundred years or so,
when this great city expands, and the human habita-
tions of living men shall gather around the grave
where his remains are deposited, there will still be
found students and admirers of talent and genius to
visit his tombj for his memory and character will
be held in veneration for centuries to come.
Mrs. Isabelle Dc Mun died in St. Louis on the
13th of July, 1878, at the residence of her son-in-law,
Charles Bland Smith, aged eighty-one years eight
months and twenty-eight days, having been l)orn in
St. Louis on the fifteenth day of October, 1796, at
the old Gratiot mansion, then situated on the north-
west corner of Chestnut and Main Streets. Mrs. De
Mun was a descendant of one of the most ancient and
distinguished families among the early settlei-s of St.
Louis.
Mrs. De Mun's father was Charles Gratiot, one
of the most intelligent, eminent, and distinguished
citizens of St. Louis. He was born, as stated in his
marriage contract, of record in St. Lcmis, in Lau-
sanne, in the Canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. His
406 I8ABELLB Db MUN.
family were French Huguenots^ and sought refuge
in Switzerland, perhaps from religious persecution
in their native land. After the revocation of the
Edict of Nantes he came to America, first to Charles-
ton, South Carolina, about the commencement of the
Revolutionary war. He came to St. Louis about the
beginning of the year 1777, and commenced business
as a merchant. On the 25th of June, 1781, Charles
Gratiot married Victoire Chouteau, sister of Col.
Auguste Chouteau.
Of this marriage nine children were bom : four
sons, viz., Charles, Henry, John B., and Paul M.
Gratiot; and five daughters, to wit, Julie, who
married John P. Cabanne ; Victoire, who married
Sylvester ljal)adie ; Isabelle, who married Jules de
Mun ; Eniilie, who married Pierre Chouteau, Jr.,
and a daughter who married a Mr. Maclot.
Paul M. Gratiot filled the position of judge of
the St. Louis County Court for many years, with
great credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction
of the public. John B. Gratiot died a few years
ago, while he was a member of the Legislature of
Missouri from Washington County. Of Charles
and Henry an account has ah'cady been given.
They were all gentlemen of great respectability,
character, and standing.
Miss Isabelle Gratiot, the subject of this notice,
HER FAMILY. 407
was married to Jules De Mun, in St. Louis, in the
year 1811, in the fifteenth year of her age. She was
considered, in her day and time, as the most beautiful
woman in St. Louis. Charles Gratiot had educated
his daughters well, and no lady born and educated
within the precincts of court circles was ever more
blessed with the rich gifts of pleasing manners and
colloquial conversational powers than was Mns. De
Mun.
Of this marriage with Mr. De Mun, six children
were bom, to wit, Isabelle, who married Edward
"Walsh, in St. Louis, both of whom are now dead ;
Julie, who married Antoine Leon Chenie, and who
survives her husband ; Louisa, wife of Robert A.
Barnes ; Emilie, wife of Charles Bland Smith, and
two other children who died when they were infants.
Isabelle De Mun, just deceased, then a little over
seven years of age, was the last living mortal who
had witnessed the scene of the first planting of the
American flag, an account of which has already been
given.
The town of St. Louis was incorporated in the
year 1807, when a Board of Trustees was first ap-
pointed, of which Col. Auguste Chouteau was the
first president, for the year 1810 ; after which Charles
Oratiot was president for the years 1811, 1812, and
408 rSABELLE 1)K MUN.
1813, as the leading spint and head man of the town.
When Thomas H. Benton first came to St. Louis, in
the vear 1815, he was welcomed to the town and
received by Charles Gratiot as a gue^t in his house.
Chai'les Gratiot, the father of Mi's. De Mun, died
in St. Louis in the year 1817, possessed of great
wealth, honored, beloved, and respected by all who
knew him.
Julius De Mun, the husband of Isabelle De Mun,
had a life filled with extraordinary incidents. He
belonged to a family of nobles in France. The French
troubles coining on, when the nobility were in great
danger, his fathei- t(^ok his family to San Domingo,
where Julius De Mun was born. Later, his father
wxMit back to Paris to educate his children. Shortly
afterwards the father was compelled to flee to Eng-
land to save his head from the guillotine, leaving his
two children, Auguste De Mun and Julius De Mun, in
care of a faithful old servant, who concealed them in
a cellai*. This faithful servant took the two children
and dressed them in miserable habiliments, as if they
were the children of very poor people, and started
with them to the coast of France, to take them to
their father in England.
As they were passing the scene of blood and death
near the guillotine, where heads were being cut off,
HONORED BY THE KING OF FRANCE. 409
Robespierre was being executed. The little boy
Julius l)egan to ery, when his oldest brother began to
shake him and tell him to be quiet, so as not ta
attract attention.
Upon the restoration of the Bourbon family,
royal letters were forwarded by Louis XVIII. to
Julius De Mun, through the French ambassador, in-
viting the return of himself and family to his native
land ; and accompanying these letters was the deco-
ration of the order of the Fleur de Lis of France,
the highest honor in the gift of the nation.
The present distinguished orator, the Count De
Mun, now prominent in the Corps Legislatif of Paris,
is the nephew of the late Julius De Mun.
The two brothers, Auguste and Jules, came to
this country at an early day. Auguste settled in Ste.
Genevieve, where he was killed in a duel about the
year 1811, by MacArthur, a brother-in-law of Dr..
Lewis F. Linn, so long a senator in Congress from
« ■■»
the State of Missouri.
In the year 1818, as already described, Auguste
P. Chouteau, Julius De Mun, and Pierre Chouteau,
Jr., formed a partnership to trade with Santa Fe and
Chihuahua ; and Auguste P. Chouteau and Jules De
Mun went out in company with John McKnight,
410 ISABELLE Dk MUN.
of the old firm of McKnight & Brady, and a man
by the name of Beard. When the party arrived
at Chihuahua, the Mexicans had revolted against
Spain and the country was in a state of revolution.
Chouteau and De Mun and the whole party were
robbed of their goods rfnd thrown into prison ; and
afterwards, it was said, they were put into the silver-
mines to work as slaves, where they were detained
for nearly two years.
Julius De Mun and his associates were released
after nearly two years' imprisonment, through the in-
terference of Henry Clay and other prominent gen-
tlemen, under Monroe's administration, with the aid
and assistance of the French minister then resident
at Washington.
After the return of Julius De Mun to St. Louis,
he was for a short time in business with John Mul-
lanphy, Esq. ; after which he took his family and
embarked for the island of Cuba, where he estab-
lished a sugar and coffee plantation, and where he
continued to reside till about the year 1829 or 1830,
when he returned to St. Louis. Here he continued
to reside till the time of his death, which occurred
on the fifteenth day of August, 1843.
Directly after the return of Julius De Mun from
A NOBLE WIFK 411
Cuba, he was appointed secretary and translator tq
the board of commissioners for adjusting the titles
to the French and Spanish grants to land lying in
Missouri, under the act of Congress of 1832 or
1833, the duties of which position he discharged with
most distinguished and marked ability. Mr. De Mun
was afterwards appointed United States register of
the land-office at St. Louis ; and at the time of his
death held the office of clerk of the recorder of deeds
for St. Louis County, a position to which he had
been elected by the popular vote. Mr. De Mun was
a most accomplished scholar, of fine mannere, and
a finished gentleman in eveiy sense of the word —
alike by nature, habit, and education.
Mrs. De Mun was a noble woman, worthy of her
distinguished husband. It was in the sad, gloomy
hours of adverse fortune in Cuba, when the dark
frowns of adversity fell upon her husband, that she
so encouragingly sustained him by her affection and
sympathy.
'' To raise the virtues, animate the bliss,
And sweeten all the t<)ils of human life :
This, this be female dignity and ])raise.'*
And to this extent the subject of this memoir was
entitled in an uncommon degree by her beauty of
412 JAMES G. SOULARD.
person, her mental graces, her accomplished manners,
and all those refined and refining virtues characteristic
of the true Christian lady.
James G. Soulard, the subject of this sketch,
was born in St. Louis, July 15, 1798, and was conse-
quently a little upwards of eighty years of age at
the time of his death, which occurred at the family
residence, in Galena, Illinois, September 17, 1878.
His father was a native of France, and settled at St.
Louis in 1793, and was for many years surveyor-
genei'al of the province of Upper Louisiana, — first
undei* the Spanish government and aftei-wards under
the Amencan government. In 1820 the son mamed
Miss Eliza Hunt (who now survives him), of Boston,
daughtei- of Col. Thomas Hunt, who achieved dis-
tinction in the Revolutionaiy war.
Mr. Soulard resided in the city of St. Louis until
he was twenty-three years of age, when, possessing
that intrepidity of character which was requisite for
so perilous an undertaking, he made his way to Fort
Snelling, at that time almost without the pale of
Western civilization, and was engaged as a sutler
during the years 1821 and 1822, having been ap-
SETTLES IN GALENA. 413
pointed to that position by his brother-in-law, Col.
Snelling, after whom Fort Snelling was named. His
trip to the fort was full of adventure, incidents of
which are hei*e related. He started out with his family
for his new field of labor on October 21, 1821, with a
fleet of keel-boats, and succeeded in reaching his
destination about the 20th of February, after under-
going many fatigues and great suffering, besides
being constantly in danger of being murdered by the
Indians, who at that time swarmed thi'oughout the
country. In the summer of 1822, Mr. Soulard
resigned his position and returned with his family to
St. Louis, where they remained the five succeeding
years.
On his way to Fort Snelling, Mr. Soulard stopped
at Galena, at that time a trading-post for the mining
region, and revisited the place again in 1822 and in
1823. Regarding it as a good point for a yoiuig
man to start out in life, he gave up his occupation
as surveyor under Rene Paul (a hero of Trafalgar),
and removed thither, arriving in Galena in 1827.
The pioneer settlement of the I^orth-West had at
that time considerably enlarged its boundaries, and
Mr. Soulard immediately embarked in the smelting,
mercantile, and commission business, which he con-
tinued for some years, when he withdrew from the
414 JAMBS G. SOULARD.
active pursuits of commercial life and engaged in
farming and raising of fruits, an occupation much
more congenial to his tastes. In 1832 he was ap-
pointed surveyor and postmaster, which positions he
held until his resignation, on account of ill-health,
after which he turned his attention to agricultm^ and
real-estate speculations. In 1860 he became engaged
in the cultivation of the grape, and started a few
years ago the well-known Soulard vineyard, in West
Galena, which, under his administration, was the most
prolific and the finest of any in that section. In 1870
he gave up business altogether, and lived in retire-
ment, enjoying, with his noble helpmeet, the fruits
of a well-spent life.
He possessed many noble traits of character,
which distinguished him in a marked degree from
the generality of people. He was a most polished
gentleman, courteous in the extreme to all classes
and all ages, entii*ely free from dissimulation, and at
all times scrupulously honest and upright in his
dealings with his fellow-men. In disposition he was
as kind and gentle as a sweet-tempered child, yet he
could resent an insult or defend his rights with a
dignity and courage characteristic of the nation
from which he descended. His intellect was of the
brightest order, and his language that of a polished
ROBERT A. BARNES. 415
student of literature and rhetoric. As a writer he
possessed marked ability, and many of the best
articles on pomology, published in the leading agri-
cultm'al papers of the United States, were from his
pen. Several years ago he was commissioned by
Congress to prepare a treatise on grape culture in
this country, which was afterwards incorporated in
the government reports. He was one of the best
entomologists in the State, and his opinions were
frequently referred to and gi^eatly valued by writers
on that subject. He had an extraordinaiy memory,
which only failed him slightly as his infirmities
increased, and would relate, with remarkable accuracy
as to dates and other facts, incidents connected with
the history of the I^orth-West. He was perfectly at
home on all scientific subjects, having been a close
student of philosophy all his life.
Mr. Soulard was the brother of Messrs. Henry
G. Soulard and Benjamin Soulard, of St. Louis.
Robert A. Barnes is one of the oldest as well as
one of the most successful merchants and business
men that has ever resided in the city. For about
fifty years he has stood in the front rank in the
416 ROBERT A. BARNES.
laying of the foundations and the building up of our
commerce. Within that time he has seen the citv in-
•crease from a few thousand inhabitants to nearly half
a million of souls.
He was born in the city of Washington, Xovem-
her 29, 1808. He is of English origin. The fii-st
of his paternal ancestors, who emigrated from the
coimty of JS'orfolk, England, came to the colony of
Maiyland in the year 1662, and settled hi Charles
County in that time-honored and ancient colony.
His father was Ijorn in Charles County, Maryland,
and mariied Maiy ?]v"an8, who was boni in Prince
George County, Maryland. After being sent to school,
Robert went at the early a«:e of thirteen to his imcle,
Richard Barnes, in Louisville, Kentucky, to learn the
dry-goods bushiess. Here he continued to reside till
the year 1830, when he came to St. Louis, and en-
gaged as a clerk with Messrs. Spi'oule & Buchanan,
at that time merchants in St. Louis, on the seventeenth
day of May, 1830, and has continued to reside here
ever since.
As a clerk he was most efficient and reliable, win-
ning from his employers the most unbounded confi-
dence and respect, — a confidence that never was
abiised, and which i-esulted in a life-long attachment
on both sides.
RETIRES FROM BUSINESS. 417
Afterwards Mr. Barnes became a clerk for the
house of Varian & Reel, and lived with them till the
Slst of December, 1836, when the firm was dissolved,
Mr. Varian going to Xew Orleans. Subsequently,
Mr. Barnes was taken into partnership by John W.
Reel, in January, 1837, under the firm-name of Reel,
Barnes & Co. The house was prosperous, and they
did an extensive business. The firm was dissolved
by the death of John AV. Reel, w-hich occuri-ed on the
6th of January, 1838.
Mr. Barnes settled up the affairs of the concern
and quit business as a wholesale dealer in groceries,
and retired luitil the Ist of January, 1839, when he
formed another partnership with Capt. John C. Swcm,
the poi)ular and well-known steamboat commander
on the Mississippi River, and commenced the same
branch of business, imder the name of Barnes &
Swon. This firm continued in business imtil the 7th
of August, 1841, when it was dissolved amicably and
by mutual consent; Capt. John C Swon selHng
out his interest to Robert A. Barnes, who conthiued
the business alone until January, 1861, when he
ceased to do business as a merchant.
As early as the yeai- 1840, Mr. Barnes was elected
a director in the Bank of the State of Missouri, the
only bank then hi the city of St. Louis. He contin-
27
418 ROBERT A. BARNES.
ued a director in this institution continuously from
that time until the spring of the year 1859, when he
was made president, and as such conducted its affaire
with most distinguished and signal ability as long as
it continued in existence. On the first day of No-
vember, 1866, it ceased to exist as a State bank, and
became a national bank, under the general banking-
law of the United States. Since that time Mr.
Barnes has been engaged in no business, save that of
attending to his private affairs and to the large estate
acquired by honest industry and generous enterprise.
Rol)ert A. Barnes was married on the twenty-
eighth day of January, 1845, to Miss Louisa De Mun,
in St. Louis. His wife still lives, but none of his chil-
dren now survive.
Mr. Barnes has never sought or held office, except
as director in moneyed corporations and institutions
in which^e was interested.
Mr. Barnes is a man of mild and unobtinisive
manners, never seeking or desiring notoriety, but
quietly pursuing the even tenor of his course through
life. Few men in the city of St. Louis have fought
the battle of life with more noble bearing, more hon-
orable generosity, and more manly impulses, than has
Robert A. Barnes.
Such is the man of whom we write ; such is the
SAMUEL GATY. 419
man whose proud history we record as a worthy-
representative of the city of St. Louis, and whose
career is an example worthy of imitation.
Perhaps, among others, the great causes of Mr.
Barnes's success in life were his sound judgment,
his decision of character, and his finnness of purpose.
As a merchant, he is one to whom the city of St.
Louis can point with pride.
Samuel Gaty was bom in Jefferson County,
Kentucky, on the tenth day of August, 1811. His
ancestors were of German orig^, and settled at an
early day of the country's history in Pennsylvania,
and were the founders of the town of Gettysburg.
His grandfather married into the Markel family,
and John Getty, the father of the subject of the
present sketch, married Eva Henderliter, and com-
menced life in the then young State of Kentucky.
The mother of Samuel Gaty died when he was three
years old, and five years after, his father died,
leaving him alone in the world to be cared for by
strangers.
The family name was " Getty." So his father
spelled it; but when Samuel, an orphan of tender
420 SAMUEL GATY.
years, was sent to school, his teacher wi'ote it ^^Gaty/'
flo called the young boy, and so made him wiite it,
as his proper name. lS[or was he made acquauited
with this fact imtil after he had grown to manhood,
and had been engaged in business for some years,
and permanently established in St. Louis in exten-
sive operations. This six months' education fi'om
the not very learned teacher who changed the name
of the boy, was all the schooling he ever received.
Before his father's death, he was apprenticed to
a man who seemed to have cared but little foi* his
future welfare, and to have afforded his apprentice
boy no means of instruction or improvement. In
that early day there were no public schools in Ken-
tucky, and unless parents and guardians sent their
children to the costly and well-^)aid private schools,
they were obliged to go without education.
Jfow and then Samuel, being of an active mind,
would pick up bits of information from his compan-
ions on Saturdays ; and whenever he had the privilege
of attending service on the Sabbath, he remembei-ed
some things in the lessons of instiiiction thus taught;
but his boyhood was at this time unhappy and discon-
tented. AYith no fond hand of affection to dii'eet
his steps and guide him in the connect path of life;
without one single, solitary friend to ad\ise and
BECOMES AN APPRENTICE. 421
consult witli, lie determined to i*un away from a
place where he had no sympathy, kindness, or affec-
tion shown him.
So, one day our young and parentless hoy, when
all the white memhers of the family had gone on a
visit, determined to start forth in the world upcm his
own I'esources, solitaiy and alone. He travelled a
few" miles to a neighhor's house and got a small
shot-gun which his father had left him, his only
legacy; then, taking another road, he went forth.
" The world was all before him where to choose his
place of rest, and Providence his guide.'" His steps
were directed towards Louisville. It was a bold
undertaking for a lad under eleven years of age ;
but he had a stout heart and healthy body to sustain
him, and his courage never failed him.
When our lad arrived at Louisville, he volun-
tarily apprenticed himself to Me5ssrs. Prentice &
Beckw^ell, who carried on the machinery and foundry
business. Three yeai's later Mr. Prentice died, and
was succeeded in business by Mr. William Keffer, to
whom young Gaty apprenticed himself for an addi-
tional term of two years. The amount stipulated to
be paid to him was three dollars and a half pei' week
and one hundred and fifty dollars at the end of his
apprenticeship. During the term of two years he
422 SAMUEL GATY.
was enabled to earn one hundred dollars additional,
by making and doing special kinds of work after
the regular day's work was over. With the savings
thus earned he started for Ifew Albany, Indiana,
where he worked a few months for John Morton.
In the month of October, 1828, some young men
in the foundry were talking with each other about
the various plans for the future, when the town of
St. Louis was mentioned as a good place for busi-
ness. Samuel Gaty, John Morton, Jr., and a young
man named Kichards concluded to go to St. Louis
and see what sort of a place it was, and reached
their place of destination about the last of the month
of October, where the three young adventui'ers
started a shop, near the south-east corner of Second
and Cherry Streets. At the end of three months
they sold out their establishment to Martin Thomas.
Shortly after this a Mr. Peter McQueen, from Xew
Yoi'k, leased the establishment. Young Gaty and
Morton were out of employment, and were anxious
to get work with McQueen. Mr. Xewell, a friend
of the two young men, called upon McQueen and
told him that these two young men, very excellent
mechanics, wanted to get employment with him. To
which Mr. McQueen replied that he did not think he
could employ them, as he wanted to bring all his
SUCCEEDS IN A DIFFICULT UNDERTAKING. 423
men, who were skilled laborers, from the East. This
was quite a blow to the young men's prospects, but
they resolved to wait the turn of events.
In the meantime the steamboat Jubilee had broken
a shaft, and the captain went to McQueen's fomidry
to get a new one cast. The proprietor said he could
make the patterns and mould one, but his men could
not melt the iron in an air-furnace, having been ac-
customed to the cupola. Mr. Gaty's friend, Mr.
Newell, overheard the conversation, and told Mc-
Queen that Samuel Gaty could melt the iron for
him. McQueen then went to Gaty, and asked him
if he could melt the iron, and he replied that he
could. " What will you charge? " asked the former.
*' One-half the whole price,'' said Gaty. McQueen
said that was too much. '"All right,'- said Gaty;
*' get your skilled workmen from the East to do it."
McQueen finally concluded to pay the price asked
by Gaty ; and he melted the iron in a few hoin*s,
and turned out a very fine casting. But after it had
been cast, there was not a geared lathe or automaton
in the city to finish it. While McQueen and the
captain of the Jubilee were discussing the question
whether or not thev should send the shaft to Louis-
ville to have it turned, Mr. Newell told them that
424 SAMUEL GATY.
Gaty could do that job also. Again McQueen came
to Gatv, and asked if he could do the work. He
said that he could. "'But how?" said McQueen.
" That is ray business," said Gaty, *^but I can do
it." lie was employed to do the work, and did it
prouiptly and well, at a liberal price.
After this exhibition of his skill and successful
practical utility and efficiency, McQueen was quite
anxious to employ the young mechanic ; but he
refused. He worked for Mr. IS^ewell, however, for
a short time in his blacksmith shop, at moderate
wages, till the latter part of the year 1829, when
he returned to Louisville. Such were the struggles
of poverty and genius in the early efforts in fight-
ing the battles of life ; self-reliance, indomitable
will, and perseverance always insuring success.
After working as a journeyman in Louisville for
awhile, Xewell wrote to him to come to St. Louis
again, as McQueen had been unsuccessful m busi-
ness, and that there was a fine opening for a foundiy;
and Mr. (xaty retnrned. In the spring he made
the fire-brick for the furnace, and made the fii-st
heat bv the 4th of Julv, 1831.
The castings were foi- Capt. John C Swon, of
the steamer Carrollton, and were of an excellent
HE PURCHASES THE ENTIRE ESTABLISHMENT. 425
quality. The furnace worked well, and was used
afterwards for more than twenty years. It may not
be out of place to state that Sanuit^ Gaty, upon
his first \d8it here, made the first castings that were
ever made in St. Louis, and Imilt the first engine
that ever had been constructed west of the Missis-
sippi River.
In this Irrief sketch we cannot go into details.
Suffice it to say that Samuel (Taty was astonished
to find that the foundry in which he had been work-
ing had been transfen'ed by N^ewell to Scott & Rule,
a mercantile firm, which failed about that time ; and
they in tuni had transferred the establishment to
James Woods, of Pittsburg. Mr. Gaty bought the
foundry, machine-shop, and the whole establishment
on credit, and went to work with an energy and
industry worthy of all commendation.
Mr. Daniel D. Page and Mr. George K. McGun-
nagle, seeing that he was doing a fine and prosperous
business, came to his aid and gave him valuable
financial assistance. Mr. Gaty, even to this day,
mentions with the deepest gratitude these good friends
of his early years ; and to his honor be it said, he has
never been known to forget a friend.
In the coiu'se of time Mr. Felix Coonce became
426 SAMUEL GATY.
a partner, the fii*iiiHaame being Gaty & Coonce.
Subsequently the name of the firm was changed,
and various other partners admitted. But, as we are
dealing with Mr. Gaty alone, it is deemed unneces-
sary to speak further of these various changes.
As early as the year 1840 the business assumed
large proportions, and became most lucrative and
profitable. The foundry was in fact one of the most
•extensive establishments of the kind in the whole
valley of the Mississippi. It was bounded by Main
and Second Streets on the east and west, and on
the north and south by Cherry and Morgan Streets,
and built up solid with large stone-front buildings.
Mr. Gaty retired from the manufacturing busmess
some eighteen or twenty years ago, with a large
and ample fortune.
Mr. Gaty was frequently a member of the Board
of Aldermen and of the City Council of the city of
St. Louis, always active and efficient in directing the
affairs of the city government. He was married in
the year 1843, to Eliza J. Burbridge, and has eight
children living born of the marriage, five others
having died.
The story of Mr. Gaty's life is worth being told,
as a successful career and a worthy incentive to
MBS. ISABELLA WALSH. 427
young men struggling with indigence and poverty,
and as an example of how honesty, honor, and in-
dustry will triumphantly and proudly win the battle
of life.
The death of Mrs. Isabella Walsh, which oc-
curred on Friday, May 25, 1877, at her house on
Pine street, has spread gloom and sorrow over a
very wide circle of St. Louis society. She died
from the effects of paralysis, in her sixty-fifth year.
Mrs. Walsh was a native of this city, lived the most
of her life here, was sprung from some of (mr oldest
families, and was beloved as well as esteemed by all
who knew her.
Mrs. Walsh was the daughter of Julius De Mun
and Isabella Gratiot. En passant^ we will say that
no class of immigrants to these shores have been
more distinguished for adventure, courage, and en-
terprise than the original French settlers of the
Louisiana temtory. Long before the Anglo-Saxon
penetrated the Western wilderness, the Frenchman
explored the whole vast region lying between the
lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, and between the
Ohio and Mississippi on the one hand and the
Rocky Momitains on the other. He not only ex-
428 MRS. ISABELLA WALSH.
plored it, but set his mark on it. He selected the
names of his favorite saints, and these names were
not written in water. Religion was often the impel-
ling motive which sent him into lonely lands and
savage wilds ; and things done in obedience to
religious promptings long endure.
Mrs. Walsh was born on the 25th of December,
1812, in the old Gratiot mansion, on Main street.
When she was quite a little^ girl, in 1820, the family
went to Cuba, to a place called Matanzas, where
her father owned large plantations, and where she
acquired the Spanish language, which she continued
to speak with ease and elegance. In 1831 they
returned to St. Louis. On the 24th of January,
1840, Miss Isabella was married to Edward Walsh,
whose name and fame as a merchant and citizen
need no trumpeting in St. Louis, and of which we
will only say that they constitute the most precious
heritage of his children. Mr. Walsh was a widower
when he married the subject of our notice, and had
one child, who is now Mrs. John Humphreys, of
^ew York. Mr. Walsh, who died in March, 1866,
had seven children by his second wife, five of whom
are now living, namely, Julius S. Walsh, Mrs. Marie
C. Chambers, John A., Edward, and Daniel E.
Walsh. Mrs. Walsh was a lady of fine presence
O. D. FILLEY. 429
and fine manners, as were indeed most of the women
of her race. The old French school of manners
was the best the world has ever seen, and its tradi-
tions were cherished all the more, perhaps, in this
country because the branch was forever severed from
the parent stem. She gave herself entirely to her
family. So devoted was she in this respect that she
was virtually a recluse, so far as general society was
concerned. She was assiduous in performing works
of charity, and gave with a liberal hand, — a hand
commensurate with her abundant means. Though
really timid as well as retiring, she possessed decision
and firmness of character in no ordinary degree. In
closing this brief notice, we venture to assert that
we give very inadequate exi)re88ion to the sentiments
of love and admiration entei'tained towards her by
all who knew^ her intimatelv.
O. D. Filley was one of the first to establish a
tm-shop and engage in the foundry business and the
manufacture of stoves in the city of St. Louis.
One great cause of the rise, progress, and growth
of the city of St. Louis may be said to be the charac-
ter of the men who were (*.ombined together in the
430 O. D. FILLET.
building up of this proud and prosperous metropolis.
Take the men in all branches of business, — the mei^
chants, the mechanics, the steamboatmen, the law-
yers, the doctors, and in fact men in every pursuit of
life, — and we must admit that there never was brought
together such a rare and rich combination of talent,
genius, and industry as were united in the city of
St. Louis some forty or fifty years ago.
These men all seemed to be governed by the
noblest impulses of our nature, and directed by the
strictest principles of honor, honesty, uprightness,
and integrity that can control and influence the con-
duct and actions of men. In fact, every man's
word was his bond, and could be implicitly relied
upon. The prominent men, who gave, as it were,
tone, direction, and management to affairs, were, so
to speak, tlie choice and picked men from almost
every other State in the Union ; for they had not
only come from almost every other State, but in
many instances from almost every county in every
other State. Such were the men in whose hands
were placed the destinies, fortunes, and future gran-
deur of our noble city.
In the mechanical class O. D. Filley was promi-
nent. He labored long and faithfully, and contrib-
uted largely to his portion of the undertaking. And
THOMAS TASKER GANTT. 431
after acquiring, with honest industry and generous
enterprise, a large and ample fortune, he has retired
from active business, to enjoy with his own family,
in repose and leisure, the pleasures and blessings
so becoming his declining years. He is respected
by his fellow-citizens, honored and beloved by his
neighbors, and should be held up to the rising
generation as an example in life worthy of imita-
tion.
Mr. Filley, in his long career in St. Louis, has
been honored with public position, place, and station,
having been more than once elected mayor of the
city of St. Louis, the duties of which office he dis-
charged with great satisfaction to the community.
He was never an office-seeker, and only accepted
place and station when it was imposed upon him by
his party and friends.
Thomas Tasker Gantt may be reckoned in the
front rank, among the most eminent and distin-
guished lawyers who have been connected with the
legal profession in the valley of the Mississippi for
the last thirty years. His long residence in the great
city of St. Louis, where he had to contend with men
432 THOMAS TASKER GANTT.
of ability, of learning, and of genius at the bar,
entitles him to this distinction, — a bar, during the
time of Mr. Gantt's professional career, that was
not uiferior to any other bar in the nation.
Thomas Tasker Gantt was born in Georgetown,
District of Columbia, the twenty-second day of July,
1814:. His family were Marylanders. His father
was a native of Prince George County, and his
mother was a daughter of Maj. Benjamin Stoddart,
of the Maryland line during the Revolutionary war,
and secretary of the navy under the administration
of John Adams. As Marylanders, the family par-
took of the ancient and polished manners, the
generous hospitality, the ideas of life, the social
and refined intercourse which distinguished the in-
habitants of that old and accomplished colony.
^[r. Gantt, when only four years old, lost his?
father by death ; and his mother, being left a wddow,
removed in 1818 to a farm, piu'chased by her hus-
band bcfoi'c his death, in Prince George County.
Maryland. Mr. Gantt was subsequently sent to
Georgetown College. In the year 1831, while still
a student there, he received an appointment as a
cadet to West Point, and repah'ed to the United
States ^lilitary Academy in the month of June of
that year. He there prosecuted his studies with dili-
REMOVES TO ST. LOUIS. 433
gence for the course of two yeans, when, having
finished his mathematical coui'se, he was given a
furlough. While at the academy he had severely
sprained his right ankle, and was suffering from the
accident when the examination of 1833 was closed.
The injury proved to be very serious and rendered
him lame for several yeai^s, and compelled him reluc-
tantly to resign his i)osition at West Point and give
up his militiuy a8|)irations.
Mr. Gantt, having now arrived at manhood, began
to think for himself. Since his cherished hopes of
military life had been cut off, l)y reason of the
accident which caused his lameness, he chose the
profession of the law, to which he devoted himself
with the most assiduous attention. He studied law
in Prince George County, Maryland, under that
accomplished scholar and finished lawyer, Thomas
G. Pratt, governor of Maryland, and was admitted
to practice in Maryland in the year 1837.
In the month of May, 1839, Mr. Gantt removed
to Missouri, and took up his residence in St. Louis,
where he established himself as a practising lawyer,
and where he has resided ever since, realizing a
large and remunerative compensation from his prac-
tice. In the year 1845, President Polk a})pointed
him United States distric^t attorney for the District
28
I
434 THOMAS TASKER GANTT.
of MiBsouri, and he field that position for the period
of four years. The duties of this office he dis-
charged with gi'eat industry and with the most signal
and distinguished ability. As an evidence of this, it
may be stated that when his commission expired, in
the year 1849, only two cases remained on the docket
to which the United States was a party, one of
which was an indictment found some few years
before, and on which the defendant had never been
arrested ; the other, an action commenced about a
fortnight before Mr. Gantt was relieved by the ap-
pointment of his successor.
In the year 1849 the cholera raged in St. Louis
with terrible fury. The functionaries of the city
government and municipal authorities, except Mayor
Barry, mostly absented themselves from the city, and
left the desolating hand of pestilence to sweep over
the devoted city. In the hour of anguish and deso-
lation, when death was claiming its victims every
day by tlie hundred, noble, generous-hearted pri-
vate citizens of the great city met in i)ublic meeting
and strongly censured the neglect thus shown by the
city government. In that meeting of the citizens,
a committee of two from each of the then six
wards of the city was appointed to present to the
City Council the resolutions of censure adopted by
BOARD OF HEALTH ORGANIZED. 435
the meeting of private citizens. The nienibers of
the City Council were all within a short distiuice of
the city, and having been apprised from publications
in the newspapers of what was done in the meeting
of the citizens, these fugitives very soon came sneak-
ing in, and privately, hurriedly, and hastily met and
passed, in advance, an ordinance to transfer to the
members of the committee of citizens all the power
of the Council respecting the health of the city, and
made an appropriation of ten thousand dollai*8 to
carry out the objects contemplated by said ordinance.
And then the members of the City Council immedi-
ately adjourned and dispei*sed, without giving the
committee appointed by the meeting an interview, or
an opportunity to present the resolutions of censure
adopted by the public meeting of citizens.
After this, the committee met and entered upon the
discharge of the duties which had devolved upon
them, and which they voluntarily assumed. Mr.
Gantt, from his activity and the deep interest he
had manifested in getting up the organization, was
unanimously elected president of the committee,
which was called the Board of Public Health, and
the Hon. Samuel Treat, present United States dis-
trict judge for the Eastern District of Missouri,
secretary. For more than thirty-six days this com-
436 THOMAS TASKER GANTT.
mittee was most laboriously engaged, without
compensation, in performing the duties in behalf
of suffering humanity which the city functionaries
composing the City Council had neglected. Mayor
James G. Barry, however, is to be excepted, as he
remained at his post and co-operated with the com-
mittee. After the cholera had passed away, sweep-
ing off more than six thousand of the most valuable
citizens, the committee made a full statement of the
amount of money expended by them, and resigned
the trust reposed in their hands.
The next public service of Thomas T. Gantt was
rendered in the year 1853, when he was appointed
by Mayor How city counsellor of the city of St.
Louis, a position which he held for two years.
When he left the office, only one case to which
the city of St. Louis was a party remained undis-
posed of, and that had been continued throughout his
term of office on the affidavit of the defendant and
at his costs, the city being always ready for trial.
In August, 1854, a serious riot occurre<l in St.
Louis. It was supi)ressed by the volunteer citizens
as patrol of the city, after two days of disorder
and confusion. The patrol was under the general
orders of Capt. X. J. Eaton, assisted by many
captains of volunteer (companies, of whom Mr.
AN INDIGNATION MEETING. 437
Oantt was one. At that time the police of the
city of St. Louis was very poorly organized, and
there was no act on the statute-book properly guard-
ing the community against suc;h outrages upon civil
order and good government. Such an act was pre-
pared and drafted by Mr. Gantt, and on being sent
to the General Assembly, was enacted into a law.
It was first made applicable to the city of St. Louis
alone, but in the year 18G«5 the chief features of
this necc»s8ary law were incorporated into and made
a part of the general statutes of the State.
• Again : in the year 1858 the County Court of St.
Louis County was guilty of a great wrong, in impos-
ing ah exorbitant tax on the people of St. Louis
County, and of an enormous, unjustifiable, and
scandalous waste of public money. The unwar-
ranted abuse of that tribunal was so flagrant as to
excite general indignation. To such a pitch was the
mind of the public aroused tbat a public meeting
was called and held by the citizc^ns, at which resolu-
tions were passed, and a committee was a])pointed to
visit Jefferson City in the year 1859, and to take such
legislative action as to relieve the citizens from their
grievances. Mr. Gantt was the leading spirit and
the head and front of this committee ; he had made
the report upon which the committee acted. The
438 THOMAS TASKER GANTT.
rt'sult was tliat, in pursuance of the recommendation
of the coniuiitteo, the Legislature parsed a law abol-
ishing the County Court of St. Louis, and reducing
the t^ixation and expenses of the county. This great
act against oppression and wrong was drafted by Mr.
Gantt. The operation of this act was most bene-
ficial and salutary. After four yeans the county
court was restored, and continued until the year 1876,
when it was again abolished. The provision of the
new Constitution of 1875 under which this court was
finally got rid of, was the special contribution of Mr.
Gantt.
In February, 1861, Mi*. Cxantt was elected as an
ft-
unconditional Union man from the city and county
of St. Louis to the State ( 'Onvention, called undeni-
iibl}^ for the puri)()se of i)assing an ordinance of
secession. When the convention met, more than
two-thirds of that body were sti'ong Union men, and
decidedly opposed to secession ; and accordingly reso-
lutions were adoi)ted in that body at the March ses-
sion, 18(51, opposing secession in the most determined
and decisive terms. These resohitions and measures
met with Mi*, (xantt's unqualified support.
At another session of the State Convention, held
hi the month of July, 1861, when the rebel governor,
Claiborne F. Jackson, and the lieutenant-governor,
ON GEN. McCLELLAN*S STAFF. 439
Thomas C. Reynolds, and both houses of the General
Assembly, had all given evidence and proof of their
secession proclivities, and of their open hostility to
the government of the United States, these executive
and legislative functionaries were deposed by the
Stxite Convention, and they fled beyond the bound-
aries of the State and joined the rebel forces.
A provisional State government for the State of Mis-
souri was established by the convention, with Ham-
ilton Rowan Gamble at its head as governor. To all
these measures Mr..Gantt lent an able and efficient
support, and \mder any and all circumstances he was
found standing up for and maintaining the cause of
the Union. On this point he was unconditional, un-
yielding, and uncompromising from first to last.
AftcT this service in the State Convention, Mr.
Gantt, in August, 1861, visited Washington City,
when he was appointed by Gen. McClellan, then in
command of the Army of the Potomac, one of his
aids, with the rank of colonel ; a position for which
Col. Gantt was well qualified, from his previous mili-
tary education. He was engaged thereafter, until the
Army of the Potomac took the field, in March, 1862,
in discharging the duties of judge advocate, for which
his legal mind and cultivation so well adapted him. He
remained in the field with the Army of the Potomac,
440 THOMAS TASKER GANTT.
in active service all the time, till the army reached
Harrison's Landing, in July, 1862, when he ¥?a8
from ill-health reluctantly compelled to retire from '
the service.
Upon returning to his home in St. Louis, he
was appointed by Gen. Schofield provost-marshal
general for the State of Missouri, and perfonued
the duties of that most delicate and responsible office
amongst the i)eople with whom he had lived, with
great satisfaction to the public, till ISTovember, 1862,
when it was ascertained that he was serving without
compensation, as he had resigned his commission,
and there was no })r()visi()n for the i)ay of a provost-
marshal as such. (xen. Hallcck, then in command,
relieved him from duty; when (Jol. Gantt resumed
the practice* of his profession with his usual activity
and industrv, until the year 1875, when he was
elected, from the city of St. Louis, a member of the
Constitutional Convention of Missouri, and took his
seat in that body in May, 1875. lie was a reliable
and efficient member, and took a very prominent
part in framing the new Constitution, which, being
submitted to a vote of the i)e()i)le of the State, was
almost unanimously adopted, in the month of Octo-
ber, 1875.
In the montb of December, 1875, Col. Gantt
JUDGE OF THB COURT OF APPEALS. 441
was appointed by Gov. Hardin, of Missouri, after
the new Constitution had been adopted, one of the
judges of the St. Louis Court of Appeals, and was
the presiding officer of that tribunal. The same
systematic order which Col. Gantt had been accus-
tomed to use in his business as a practising lawyer
was carried with him on the bench. He presided
with dignity, impartiality, and courtesy; nothing
was permitted to go at loose ends. He presided
with marked ability as a judge of that court through
the entire year 1876. It was provided by law that
the judges of this court should be elected by the
people for the terms of four, eight, and twelve years,
in November, 1876. Judge Gantt was willing to
continue as judge if elected ; but his views of pro-
priety and of the station to be occupied would not
permit him to solicit the office, or employ the in-
trigues and arts of the demagogue to gain it. For
it is but justice to Judge Gantt to say, that he has as
little of the elements of the demagogue in his com-
position as any man living. When he accepted a
seat upon the high bench of the Court of Appeals,
he relinquished a lucrative practice, from the high
and honorable motive that we was willing to serve
the bar and the public in a judicial capacity, and
that his well-earned reputation as a man and a
442 THOMAS TA8KEK GANTT.
jurist were sufficient recommendations to procure
his being retained. At any rate, he refused to base
his claim upon any other consideration. A conven-
tion of the Democratic party placed another individ-
ual in the seat held by Judge Gantt. He was urged
by his friends to accept of an independent call, and
become a candidate irrespective of party. This he
declined, because his motives might be misconstrued;
although he had submitted himself to no party nomi-
nation, condemning, as he did, all party nominations
for judicial station. Besides, he considered the
obligation he had conferred on the community and
the bar, by serving on the bench, at least a fiill
compensation for that judicial seat. He returned to
the bar on the 1st of January, 1877, and again has
become the recipient of a lucrative practice.
In this short sketch it is impossible to speak of
Judge Gantt in full, and as he deserves. He is a
man of warm impulses, and a generous friend. By
his own industry, energy, and enterprise he has
acquired a competent fortune ; is a fine scholar, a
finished and accomplished lawyer, and has won for
himself in the community where he has so long lived,
the reputation of an honest man, and an upright,
public-spirited, worthy citizen, ever to be relied upon
in the hour of danger and public emergency.
GILES F. FILLET. 443
This was fully manifested in the great strike made
throughout the country in July 1877, when Judge
(xantt was one of the most active, energetic, and
efficient men to unite and arm the citizens of the city
of St. Louis, to i)i'eserve order, and protect the liv^es
and property of the citizens. As one of the Com-
mittee of Safety, he co-operated with the mayor and
the Boai-d of Police C'ommissionei's. Complete suc-
cess ci'owned these efforts. The mob was put down
and the ringleaders captured without the loss of life,
or one single dollar's worth of damage done to prop-
erty ; and this at a time when many lives had been
sacriiiced by the mob and millions of property de-
stroyed in Pittsburg, Baltimore, and other places.
(iriles F. Pilley is named as one of the proud
mechanics of St. Louis, whose name and conduct
would entitle him to honor and respect in any age,
in any country, and with any community.
He was born in the parish of W^ntonsbury,
Connecticut, now called Bloomfield, in the year
1815. He left Connecticut, and started out in life
for himself, on September 1, 1834, and came to St.
Louis, where he arrived on the 1st of October. He
commenced to learn the trade of a tinner m St*
444 GILES F. FILLEY.
Louis with his brother, O. D. Filley, and voluntarily
bound himself as an apprentice. Serving out his
time, he was taken into partnership by his brother,
with whom he remained till the year 1841, when he
dissolved the partnership and entered into the crock-
ery business in St. Louis till the year 1849, when he
sold out.
Mr. Giles P. Filley next commenced a manufac-
turing' establishment, known as the '^Excelsior
Manufacturing Company,'' for the making of stoves.
It was a most successful enterprise, the product of
which since its organization has been upwards of
seven hundred thousand stoves, of which about thi-ee
hundred and thirty thousand stoves have been the
cooking-stoves known as the ''Charter Oak.'' So
popular has this stove become, and into such general
use has it gone, that it has been estimated that this
one kind of cooking-stove has done about one-thirtieth
part of all the stove-cooking in the United States.
We had intended merely to speak of Mr. Filley
as a business man, and the mai'ked and distinguished
ability with which he conducted his affairs. He hUvS
<iver been successful. He has put at defiance all
Mrihos and efforts to interfere with his men and
interi'upt his business, and has managed his affairs
in his own way, according to his own judgment.
Mr. Filley has met with disappointments in busi-
ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 445
ness. One of the most remarkable events which
befel him in business, perhaps, was his havang-
indorsed notes in the city of St. Louis, in round
numbei's, to the sum of about one million dollars.
The individual failed, and these notes went to pro-
test with Mr. Filley's indorsement upon them. Mr.
Filley, instead of saying that he would give up his
property and quit business, went to the holders of
.the paper and told them, "Gentlemen, I have not
the money to pay this debt ; but give me time, and I
will go to work and earn the money, and satisfy ycm
all." They did so ; and Mr. Filley did go to work,
and did earn the money, and did pay the debt. We
doubt if another such example, where there was such
a large amount of money to be paid, can be found in
the whole country. Such men as these were charged
with the duty of rearing and building up the great
and glorious city upon the west bank of the Missis-
sippi River ; such were their mental qualities, deter-
mination, and abilities.
Of Abraham Lincoln it is not (mr intention to
give anything but a brief notice. But as we knew
him well, and belonged to the same political party
446 ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
(the old Whig party) , and were associated with him,
and took part in addressing the same political assem-
blies, a few words in regard to him may not be out
of place.
In the great Whig campaign of 1840, when polit-
ical excitement ran to a higher pitch of enthusiasm
than has ever been known since the foundation of this
government, — in the memorable days of ''log cab-
ins," " 'coon-skins," " hard cider," of " Tippecanoe
and Tyler too," — it was customary for the prominent
Wliig speakers from Illinois to come over to Missouri
and take part in the political harangues in this State,
and in like manner the Whig speakers in Missouri
were frequently invited over into the State of Illinois
to take part in the political discussions east ot' the
Mississippi River. Myself and the late Judge
Wilson Prinun, of St. Louis, were frequently called
upon !o take part in the political discussions in that
great State.
A great gathering of the Whigs had been an-
nounced to meet at Belleville, in the month of April,
1840, to which Judge Primm and myself were invited.
The crowd was immense, as all the Whig meetings
in those times were. Mr. Lincoln was on that occa-
sion the fii'st 8i)eaker. He rang all the change supon
^''coon-skins," ''hard cider," "log cabins," etc.;
A CHARACTERISTIC SPEECH. 447
and, among other things, he launched forth in true
Lincoln style and manner, and said he had been
** raised over thar on Insh potatoes and buttermilk,
and mauling rails." In fact, Mr. Lmcoln seemed to
be getting the subject mto burlesque and ridicule,
with a certain degree of humor and fiui which he
•
seemed to have ready, and to call into requisition on
occasion. I went to Col. Edward Baker, I think it
was, and told him, for goodness sake, to try and get
Lincoln down from the stand : that he was doing
us more hann than good. Said I to Col. Baker,
*^We are making this thing ridiculous enough, any-
how, with our "'coon-skins' and * hard cider' em-
blems and representations ; but when Lincoln goes to
weaving in his buttermilk, Irish potatoes, and rail-
mauling, it would seem as if we are verging rather
too near onto the ridiculous." We succeeded very
soon in getting Lincoln down from the stand, and
got up another speaker, who seemed to have more
judgment in managing the canvass. The enthusiasm
was great.
We might, if we had space, give many interesting
anecdotes, sketches, and incidents characteristic of
Abraham Lincohi, but those characteristics are too
familiar to require any lengthened dissertation at our
hands.
448 ULYSSES S. GRANT.
The virtue and intelligence of the people is a
prolific theme for the politicians of this great country,
founded as it is upon and upheld by public opinion
alone ; nor is it our wish in the least to detract, in
any manner, from this universal sentiment of the
great body of mankind in this republic. The his-
torical fact, however, still remains, that Abraham
Lincoln was started and run into the presidential
chair upon a ^ ^ fence-rail " by the Republican party,
and that in like mannt^r the Whig party clothed
William Henry Harrison with presidential position
and honors from having started and elevated him
to that distinguished station upon a '* 'coon-skin"
and its appliances.
Perhaps something should be said of Ulysses
S. Grant in these pages. We knew him well.
When Lieut. Grant, of the United States army, was
about to marry Miss Julia Dent, his present wife,
Mr. Frederick Dent, the father of Miss Dent, did
myself and my wife the distinguished honor to invite
us to the wedding. I had known Mr. Dent from
the time I was a boy, — all my life, 1 may say, — and
had always been on terms of personal friendship
THE WEDDING. 449
with him and with many of his family, especially the
boys. Mr. Dent was a farmer of moderate means
and a man of great respectability, who lived on a
farm about ten miles in a south-westerly direction
from the city of St. Louis, in the '^ Gravois settle-
ment," St. Louis Coiuity, where he raised his family.
When his daughters grew up, he used to move into
town in the winter, for the benefit of society, and
partly to educate his younger children. At the time
of the mari-iage of Miss Dent, her father, Frederick
Dent, lived in a small two-story bnck house on the
south-west corner of Cerre and Fourth Streets, in
the citv of St. Louis. The house was an humble^
unpretending edifice, and yet stands there (1880).
The wedding was a quiet and unostentatious affair,
at which there were about two hundred pei'sons, the
most respectable people of the city of St. Louis.
Such was the beginning of matrimonial life with
U. S. Grant and Julia Dent, both of whom still
survive, and who have filled quite a large space u>
the public eye.
At that wedding, for the first time, 1 saw U. S*
Grant, then a lieutenant in the United States army.
Shortly after that, U. S. Grant went to California,
in the military service of his country. After a short
time he resigned and returned to Missouri, and took
29
450 ULYSSES S. GRANT.
up his residence as a private citizen on the Dent
farm, St. Louis bounty. His father-in-law, it wiw
said, gave his son-in-law, Mr. Grant, eighty acres
of land, in the woods, on the ridge a little north
of the old "homestead." Here the man of then
future greatness, glory, and renown built himself a
log cabin and established ' ' a local habitation and a
home." He made a living for himself and wife by
cutting and hauling fire-wood into the city of St.
Louis, being able to make one trip a day, and to sell
one load of wood on each trip. Many a time could
the man of then humble pretensions be seen drivhig
his two-horse, bran-fed, switch-tailed, raw-boned
team up Foui-th Street, in the city of St. Loiiis,
with his post-oak load of wood, without even an
inquiring glance from any one on the sidewalk as
to who he was, or as to who the poor vendor of the
post-oak load of wood might be.
When I had the honoi- of being elected to the
Congress of the United States from the city of St.
Louis, in the year 1850, by tlie great, powerful, and
distinguished Whig party, to which I belonged, —
being the first Whig that had been elected from the
State of Missouri for a period of twenty-five years,
say from the year 1826, when the Hon. Edward
Bates was elected, to 1850, when I was elected, — I
THE FIRM OF BOGGS & GRANT. 451
had mv office on Pine Street, a few dooi-s below
Third Street ; and when 1 went to Washington City
I left my office in charge of Josiah G. McClellan,
Esq., then a young attorney, jnst come to the State.
After my return from Congress, I engaged in little
or no practice whatever ; still I went to the office
every day, from habit, as a place to wi'ite letters and
attend to my own private business. A man by the
name of Harry Boggs, a son of a former merchant
of St. Louis, George Boggs, was a cousin of Mrs.
U. S. Grant. I was informed that Harry Boggs
was about forming a partnership with U. S. Grant
to go into the real-estate business and rent-collect-
ing, and wanted desk-room or a place in my office.
The firm was Boggs & Grant, and they commenced
and did business mostly as rent-collectors, which
they continued for some months, occupying desk-
room in my office.
The gentlemen, thus engaged in the laudable
effort of trying to make a living, met with moder-
ate success in the pursuit of their business. About
that time an office was about to be filled in the St.
Louis County Court, viz., that of county engineer,
to take care of the county roads, and the grading
and macadamizing of these thoroughfares and keep-
452 ULYSSES S. GRANT.
ing the same in repair. The judges of the St. Louis
County Court, which was composed of five persons,
had the appointment, and the salary was two thou-
sand dollars a year, payable out of the county treas-
ury. The officials who composed the court and
occupied the county tribunal at that time were
Taussig, of Carondelet; Easton and Lightner, of
the city of St. Louis ; Farrar, of St. Ferdinand ;
and Tippett, of Meramec Township.
As Grant was in very reduced circumstances,
struggling to make a living for his family, some of
his friends, moved by considerations of disinterested
kindness alone, determined to try and get the St.
Louis County Court to appoint him county engineer.
We drew up a petition to the ('ounty Court for his
appointment to the position sought. It was signed
by few of Grant's friends, perhaps seven or eight
persons. I recollect well getting Col. John O'Fal-
lon, a man of great distinction, position, and
influence, to sign the petition, and that I signed
the same immediately undei* the signature of Col.
O' Fallon. There was another applicant for the
same office, Mr. Salomon.
It is proper to remark that this petition to the
County Court for the appointment of U. S. Grant
URGING HIM FOR COUNTY ENGINEER. 453
as county engineer I have tried to find, and had the
keeper of the records search for some half a dozen
thiies m last month, but without success, so that I
might have had a copy made to insert hi this brief
sketch. 1 had seen it among the files of the papers
frequently, many years after it had been presented
to the coin-t ; but it seems that the petition has been
lost, or in some way abstracted from the files of the
records in the office.
■
After the petition had been presented to the court
for Grant's appointment, 1 went in person to see
some of the judges, to urge his appointment. Meet-
ing with Judge Tippett off the bench, I made it my
business to speak to him privately, referring to the
petition praying for Grant's appointment, the gi'eat
respectability of the signers, generally, to the peti-
tion. In as decent, proper, and becoming a manner
as I could, with a due regard to his station, and
speaking entirely in behalf of the public good, I
pressed ui)on the judge the appointment prayed for
in the petition. To which the judge replied, *' Why,
Mr. Darby, I don't know him." "'That maybe
so," said I, " but. Judge Tippett, he is vouched for
by Col. O' Fallon and other gentlemen of high
character whom you do know. Besides," said
454 ULYSSES S. GRANT.
I, ''he was educated at Wept Point, and is, no
doubt, qualified for the position. Moreover," I con-
tinued, ''his wife is a daughter of Frederick Dent,
was born in the county, and has some claims upon
us on that account/.' "Well," said Judge Tippett,
"I'll vote for him on the reconnnendation given me
by Col. ()' Fallon, yourself, and othei-s." Judge
Easton seemed to have little knowledge of Grant,
and apparently took little interest in him. The elec-
tion for county engineer came off in the County
Court, when Judges Taussig, Lightner, and Farrar
voted for Salomon, and Tippett and Easton voted
foi' (xi'ant. Salomon was electc^d. Grant defeated.
This was, 1 think, hi the year 1859 ; after which
Grant k^ft St. Louis and went to Galena, Illinois,
where he began dealing in hides. Since then his his-
tory is well known.
Many stones, hicidents, and anecdotes might be
told of Grant, which would be amusing, if not in-
sti'uctive. When Grant, in his days of humiliating
poverty and humble life, used to diive his poor old
raw-boned two-horse team up Fourth Street, in the
city of St. Louis, with his miserable post-oak load
of wood on his wagon, the animals that drew the
load were so shabby and weak that you could almost
PROM WOOD-HAULER TO PRESIDENT. 455
count their ribs from tlie sidewalk. There were men
who looked upon that poverty-stricken concern, in-
cluding driver and all, who scorned to acknowledge
Grant as an acquaintance, nuich less to recognize
him as a friend, who were too eager afterwards to
rush forward to throw themselves, in the most de-
graded and debased way, at the feet of power and
of greatness. Some of these men afterwards, when
Grant had become president of the United States,
and when he used to \'isit St. Louis, would procure
carriages and drive across the bindge to the Illinois
shore, and watch with midnight vigils the hour of
his coming on the I'ailroad, that they might* meet
and greet hiui. And Avhen these worshippers at the
shrine of distinction and i)()wer came within the per-
fume of the cigar of the great man, they seemed to
be moved by an Elysian hapi)iness and pleasure that
was perfectly intoxicating to these time-serving mor-
tals. Contempt for Grant as a wood-hauler, glory
for him as president, — verifying, in this respect, the
lines of the poet : —
'' And what is frieiKlshij) but a name, —
A cliarm that hills to sleep ;
A shade that follows wealth or fame,
But leaves the wretch to weep.''
456
GOING THROUGH THE RYE.
GOING THROUGH THE RYE.
BY N. M. LirDLOW.
To the Hon. John F. Darby the following verses are respect-
fully presented, with the compliments and esteem of the author.
(December, 1875.)
(Air—'' Comitig thro' the Rye.'')
If a body meet a body
Going through the *^ Uye,'*
And a body takes a toddy.
Need a body cry?
Many a laddie luis a daddy
AVho at times is dry.
And in the morn will take a horn.
And never wet an eye.
Those who teach and often i>reach
Ajrainst the use of *• Rye,'*
Will in small rings adjourn to '* King's**
And take it 'M)n the sly."
But those wht) think it right to drink
Should never get "too high,**
Nor e*er ••get tight,'* in broad daylight,
Hy ••goini; it ** on the •^ Rye.**
I know n man — whose name is Dan —
Who very oft is dry.
Who said, •• My dear, I feel quite queer ;
I'd like a little • Kye.* **
THE GOVERNORS. 457
She gave him some — but calPd it rum —
That she had bought that day ;
He took a draught, which caused a laugh,
For it was christen' d " Bay."
Sa3'8 Dan, *' Oh, dear! What have you here ?
I'm poison' d! Oh, I'll die."
" My life! " said she, "you frighten me!
I'll quickW get some ' Rye.' "
The '' Rye " was brought (just as Dan thought),
Wliich she did quick apply ;
And Dan — not dead — rose up and said,
''You've saved me with the ' Rye.' "
Now, gentle wife, give up the strife ;
Hide not away his "Rye,"
Or Dan will roam awav from home.
And drink when you're not by.
No good fellow, who get« mellow,
But will love his wife ;
And ev'ry year she'll prove more dear
To him, through a long life.
The following is a list of all the lieutenant-
governors of Upper Louisiana, the governors of
the Territor\% and also of the State of Missouri,
which may be of sufficient public interest to cause
it to be published : —
St. Ange, who was called " St. Ange de Belle-
458 THE GOVERNORS.
rive," was the first lieutenant-governor of Upper
Louisiana, and took up his residence in St. Louis
within the first year after Laclede foimded the town,
in 1764.
Don Pedro Pienias succeeded St. Ange as lieuten-
ant-governor, in February, 1771.
Don Francisco Cruzat was appointed lieutenant-
govenior of Upper Louisiana, and took up his resi-
dence in St. Louis, in 1775.
Don Fernando de Leyba superseded him as lieu-
tenant-governor in 1778. He was removed by the
governor-general at New Orleans in 1781, when Don
Manuel Perez was appointed and acted as lieu-
tenant-governor at St. Louis for a short time. Don
Francisco Cruzat was then reappointed, and served
till the year 1785, when he was relieved, and Don
Zenon Trud(»au was appointed lieutenant-governor
in his stead, and acted as such till August, 1799;
when he in turn was supplanted by Don Carlos De-
hault Delassus, who was the last lieutenant-governor
of L'^pper Louisiana, an,d who delivered the coiuitry
over to Maj. Stoddard, as the representative and
• agent of the United States.
The cei'emony of the transfer took place at the
government-house, near what is now called Walnut
and Main Streets, St. Louis, in March, 1804. All
THE CEKEMONY OF TRANSFER. 459
the people of the town had been assembled there ^
and filled the street in front of the house.
When the French flag was hauled down, and the
stars and stripes were run up as emblematic of the
sovereignty of the country, Col. Charles Gratiot
called out, in the Fi'cncli language (for very few of
the peoi)le could speak English), for three cheers for
the American flag. But no cheers were given ; the
people, many of them, shed tears.
On that occasion Don Carlos Dehault Delassus^
with tears in his eyes, told the people that, in obedi-
ence to the command of the great Napoleon, he
delivered this country, with all its inhabitants, to the
government of the United States ; but that their
country should be his country', and he w^ould live
and die with tliem as a private citizen. All these
facts I learned from a daughter of Col. Charles
Gratiot, now deceased, and who was on the porch
with her father, and witnessed the scenes and cere-
mony of the transfer. Don Carlos Dehault Delas-
sus was a native Spaniard, born at Seville, in An-
dalusia, Spain. In a desperate encounter between
the French and Spanish troops, where it was victory
or death. Col. Delassus led the forlorn and last des-
perate charge of the Spanish troops, saved the honor
of the Spanish flag, and won the victory. For this
460 THE GOVERNORS.
the king of Spain promoted him, and appointed him
commandant at Xew Madrid, Upper Louisiana ; and
afterwards his Catholic majesty appointed him lieu-
tenant-governor of Upper Louisiana, at St. Louis.
I saw him here in St. Louis in the year 1837, where
he spent several weeks, and I saw him again in Xew
Orleans in the year 1841 . He was a man of most
elegant manners, an accomplished gentleman, and of
pleasing and winning address. He died in Xew
Orleans, I think, about the year 1842 or 1843.
Gen. James Wilkinson, of the United States
army, a native of Maryland, was the first governor
of Upper Louisiana under the United States govern-
ment.
Merri wether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark's expedi-
tion, a native of Virginia, was the next governor.
He was appointed governor of Upper Louisiana
by President Jefferson, after his return from the
Pacific Ocean. He committed suicide in Tennessee,
on his way to Washington City, in 1809.
Samuel Hammond, born in Richmond County,
Virginia, September 21, 1751, was for a short time
governor of Upper Louisiana. He died in South
Carolina, September 11, 1842, aged eighty-five.
Benjamin Howard, a native of Kentucky, was
the next governor, after the territory had been
UNDER THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 461
changed from Upper Louisiana to that of the Mis-
souri Territory. He died in St. Louis, Missouri^
September 18, 1814, while he was governor. His
tomb is still to be seen in Grace Church grave-
yard, in what was once called North St. Louis.
William Clark, of Lewis and Clark's expedi-
tion, a native of Virginia, was the next and the last
Territorial governor of Missouri, and continued in
office as such till the year 1820, when the State
Constitution was formed. He died in St. Louis, in
September, 1838. His tomb is in O'Fallon Park,
on the Bellefontaine Road.
Alexander McXair, a native of Pennsylvania, was
the first governor of the State of Missouri. He died
in St. Louis in 182G.
Frederick Bates, a native of Virginia, was the
next governor of Missouri. He died in office, the
first year of his administration, at his farm, in
Bonhommc Township, St. Louis County, in 1825.
John Miller, a native of Ohio, wa^ the next
governor of Missoiu-i. He died in St. Louis County,
March 18, 1846. There is a momunent to his mem-
ory in Bellefontaine cemetery.
Daniel Dunklin, a native of South Carolina, was
the next governor of Missouri. He died at his farm,
in Jefferson County, Missouri, about the year 1845.
462 THE GOVERNORS.
He had been Iient«iant-goveriior before he was
elected governor, and presided over the State Senate.
He was called the " strict consti-uctionist," — true to
his South Carolina political doctrine and teachings,—
from the fact that when presiding over the Senate, the
weather being intensely cold, he would beckon the
door-keeper up to him, and direct him to set the door
of the Senate Chamber wide open. The membere
sitting near the door would get up and close the door
to keep the cold out ; but so soon as the door was
<?lo8ed, the presiding officer would beckon the door-
keeper up again, and direct him to open the door
wide open. The weather was so cold that some of
the members would get up and close the door again.
At last the presiding officer of the Senate could stand
it no longer. He drew the attention of the Senate
to the matter, and stated the fact that the Constitu-
tion, which every member of the Senate had taken
xin oath to support, expressly provided that ''both
houses of the General Assembly should sit with open
doors; ■' that he had tried to do his duty by keep-
ing the '' doors open," but that he regretted to see
that some members of the Senate were disposed to
violate the Constitution by closuig the door. Quite
an animated discussion arose in the Senate to decide
whether shutting the door to keep the cold out merely.
GOV. PRICE SIDES WITH THE "CONFEDERACY." 463
was sitting ''with closed doors." The Senate de-
cided that it was not.
Lilburn W. Boggs, a native of Kentucky, was
the next governor of Missouri. Joe Smith, the Mor- •
mon prophet, was charged with having attempted to
assassinate him, and shot and wounded him in the
head, after he had retired from office. He left the
State in 1849, and went to California, where he died
many years ago.
Thomas Reynolds, a native, I believe, of Ken-
tucky, was the next governor of Missouri. He com-
mitted suicide in the executive mansion m Jefferson
City, during his term of office, about the year 1842.
John C. Edwards, a native of the State of Ten-
nessee, was the next governor of Missouri. After
the expiration of his term he went to California. I .
do not know whether he is yet li\dng or not.
Austin A. King, a native of Sullivan County,
Tennessee, born September 20, 1801, was the next
governor of Missouri. He died in Kay County, Mis-
souri.
Sterling Price, a native of the State of Virginia,
was the next governor of Missouri. He took an
active pai-t on the side of the Southern Confederacy,
and after the war, fled to Mexico, from whence he
returned and took up his residence in St. Louis,
where he died verv shortly afterwards.
464 THE GOVERNOKS.
Tinisten Polk, a native of Sussex County, Dela-
ware, born May 29, 1811, was the next governor of
the State of Missouri. He was sworn mto office as
governor of the State, the first week in January,
1857, and was elected to the United States Senate
on the fourteenth day of January, 1857 ; so that he
was actually governor less than fourteen days. His
principal competitor for the Senate was John Smith
Phelps, present governor of the State. Mr. Polk
continued in office a few days after he had been
elected senator, when the executive mantle fell upon
Hancock Jackson, then lieutenant-governor of the
State, who performed the functions and filled the
office of governor till a new election was had, when
Robert M. Stewart was elected for the balance of the
tei*m. Mr. Polk seemed to have been carried forward
upon the same popular wave that had wafted him
into the executive mansion, into the Senate of the
United States, from which he and his colleague,
Waldo P. Johnson, were both expelled, January 10,
1862, for having taken sides Avith and joined the
Southern Confederacy. The State of Missouri was
thereby left unrepresented in the United States
Senate until Provisional Governor Hamilton Rowan
Gamble appointed Robert Wilson and John B. Hen-
derson to fill their places. Trusten Polk died in St.
Louis, April 16, 1876.
A MUCH MARRIED GOVERNOR. 465
Kobert M. Stewart, born at Trenton, Cortland
County, in the State of Xew York, was the next
governor of Missoun. He died at St. Joseph^ Mis-
souri, September 21, 1871.
Claiborne F. Jackson, a native of Kentucky, was
the next gov^ernor of the State of Missouri. He
joined the Southern Confederacy, and died during
his term, at a farm-house opposite the city of Little
Rock, Arkansas, amongst strangers, with no kind
hand of affection near to soothe his pain and rob his
death-bed of half its anguish. The most remark-
able fact connected with the history of his life is,
perhaps, the statement that he mairied five sisters,
in one of the most respectable, wealthy, and distin-
guished families in the State ; that as soon as one
wife would die, he would go and marry her sister in
a reasonable time ; of course, some of these w^ere
widow^s when he married them. In connection with
these marriages, there was a standing joke told at
the expense of the governor, which was, that when
he went and asked the old gentlenuin's consent to
many the last one, the venerable father is reported
to have said, ''Yes, Claib, you can have her; you
have now got them all. For goodness sake, don't
next ask me for the " old woman.' "
Hamilton Rowan Gamble, a nativ^e of the State
30
466 THE GOVERNORS.
of Virginia, after Gov. Jackson had left the State,
was elected ])rovisi(mal governor by the State Con-
vention, and died in office during the war, in the year
18(54, and was buried in Belief ontaine Cemeterv, St.
Louis.
Thomas C. Fletdier, a native of Jefferson County,
Missouri, and the first native-bom elected governor,
was the next governor of the State of Missouri. He
is still living in St. Louis.
J()sei)h W. McClurg, a nativ^e of St. Louis Comity,
born on the Maline Creek, in St. Louis County, Mis-
souri, was the next governor of the State of Miis-
souri. He still lives in Missouri, on the watei^s of the
Osage Kiver.
B. (iratz Brown, a native of Kentuckv, was the
next governor of the State of Missouri. He Hves
in the city of St. Jjouis, where lie has lived for some
yearn.
Silas Woodson, a native of the State of Ken-
tucky, was tlie next governor of the State of Mis-
souri. He is still living in the western \n\vt of the
State.
CMiarles H. Hardin, a native of the State of Ken-
tucky, was the next governor of the State of Mis-
souri. He was most rigid, stubborn, and unyielding
in the refusal of ])ardons to conWcts. It was said
NATIVITY OF THE GOVERNORS. 4()7
of him, that he was unmoved by the most agonizing
appeals and tears of affection of a fcmd mother in
behalf of an unfortunate son, even when the offence
was not very serious; and by his stern, unyielding
firmness to the appeals for mercy made in behalf of
the unfortunate in the State prison, had obtained for
himself from those wiio had a))pealed to him in vain
for executive clemency, the name of "' the unmerciful
governor." He still lives in the State.
John . Smith Phelps, the last elected and present
governor, w^as born in Simsburg, Hartford County,
Connecticut, December 22, 1814. He still fills the
executive mansion.
There w^ere seven French and Spanish governors,
five Territorial gov^ernors, and nineteen of the State
government.
It will be seen that seven of these governors of
Missouri were natives of the State of Kentucky,
five of the Sfcite of Virginia, two of the State of
Tennessee, two of the State of Missouri, and the
States of Maryland, Pennsylv^ania, Ohio, South Caro-
lina, Delaware, New York, and Connecticut, one
each. Six of them died in office, of which luimber
two committed suicide while clothed with executive
honors. Two of them left the State and went to
California after the expiration of their term of office.
468 THE GOVERNORS.
It has been remarked of the governors of Mis-
souri who had won and worn gubernatorial honoi-s,
that after having reached that elevated ])Osition they
seemed to liave passed that political bourne from
which no aspirant for public place and honor e'er
returned. It is true that one or two, after retiring
from the executive chair, by a last seeming spasmodic
effort were elected to Congress, where they won but
little distinction, and from which they returned and
retired, as it were, to sleep that sleep in politics that
knows no waking to public favor.
As stated, I knew Gov. Don Carlos Dehault
Delassus, the last of the Spanish governors. I also
knew intimately and well Gren. William Clark (of
Lewis and ('lark's expedition), the last governor of
the Territory of Missouri, and for twenty years before
his death I had the honor to be a visitor at his hos-
pitable mansion.
It was mv <i;oo(\ fortune also to know each and
everv m)vernor the State of Missouri ever had, with
some of whom I had and held for many yeai's most
intimate relations of personal friendship.
INDEX.
Anderson, John J. & Co., bankei-s, fail, 859.
Ashley, Gen. William H., in Congress, 220, 222.
Astor, John Jacob, 163, 212.
Barnes, Robert A. Sketch of his life, 415-419.
Barry, James G., 426.
Baker, Edward D. Sketch of his career, 350-352.
Killed at Ball's Bluff (1861), 352.
Barton, David. Sketch of early life, 20-26.
Appointed judge, 27.
At convention to form State Constitution, 28.
Elected senator, 29.
His struggle to elect Thomas H. Benton as United
States senator, 30-33.
Public services, 34, 35.
"' Hurrah for the little red,*' 36.
Fails of re-election to Senate, 39.
Defeated for representative, 40.
Sterling qualities and character, 40-42.
Monument, 43.
Barton, Rev. Isaac, concerning, 21-25.
Barton, Isaac, second^ 23, 26.
Barton, Jane, 22.
Barton, John, 23.
Barton, Joshua, 23, 24.
Barton, Martha, 21.
Barton, William, 23.
(40*))
470 INDEX.
Bates, Edward. Sketch of his career and character, 395-402.
Incidental mention, 18, 19, 24, 25, 37, 246.
Bates, Frederick, governor of Missoiin, 55.
Conduct at Gen. Lafayette's reception, 56, 461.
Bellesseme, Alexander. Meeting with Gen. Lafayette, 62.
Bent, John, 73.
Benton, Thomas H. Elected to United States Senate, 29-33.
Duel with Charles Lucas, 180.
Opposition to railroads, 181, 182.
Opinion of Douglas, 183.
Characteristic anecdotes, 184-187.
Personal appearance, 188.
Breese, Sidney, 183.
Berthold, Madame Pelagie. Short sketch of her life, 353-357.
Her family. *357.
Berthold, Bartholomew, 355-357.
Biddle, Maj. Thomas, 58, 80.
Affray and duel with Spencer Pettis, 189-198.
Blood, Sullivan, 58, 135, 263, 366.
Boggs, Gov. L. W., wounded, 200, 463.
Bonneville, Madame. Sketch of her life, 233-237.
Bonneville, Gen. Ben. E., 233.
Boone, Daniel, 82.
Brady, Thomas, 382.
Brotherton, Marshall. Mention, 149.
His connection, as bondsman, with the $100,000 defalca-
tion from county treasury in 1860, and successful
escape fnmi serious disaster, 357-371.
Brown, B. Gratz, 466.
Browne, Lionel. Duel with John Smith T, 90, 91.
Budd, George K. His part in effecting the purchase of Washing-
ton Square, 279-291.
Cabanne, John P., 31.
Carr, William C, 153, 161
Ceremony of transfer to United States government of Upper
Louisiana, 459.
INDEX.
471
Cbarless, Joseph, 5(>.
Chihimhua captured by Gen. Doniphan, 383.
Cholera in St. Louis in 1849, 384, 434.
Chouteaus* mansions in 1818, 10, 11.
Chouteau, Auguste, 31, 61.
Chouteau, Auguste P., 383.
Chouteau, Ci. S., 277.
Chouteau, Aunt Jane. Her experience with some Abolitionists,
384-391.
Chouteau, Maj. Pierre. 31.
Kntertains Gen. Lafavette, 57.
Chouteau, Pierre, Jr., 18.
Christy, William, Jr. Anecdote, 299.
Clark, William, 461.
Clav, Ilenrv. Visit to St. Louis, 327-334.
Collet, (). W. Speech of welcome to Daniel Webster, 267.
Collier, George, 143.
Conway, Capt. Joseph. Sketch Of his early life, 81, 82.
Sufferings at the hands of Indians, «3, 84.
Cook, John I)., anecdotes of, 123, 125.
Cook, Nathaniel, 29.
Corbin, Abel K., 288.
Cruzat, Don Francis, 158.
Darby, John F. Ilis father removes to Missouri with his family
in 1818, 1.
Incidents of crossing the Mississippi River, 2, 3.
A primitive ferr}-, 4.
lias a curious experience before Justi(re Walsh, 113.
Another before Justice Taylor, 116.
Buys the Stokes property, 144.
At Gasconade Circuit Court in 1827, 158.
Tncomfortable adventure with H. R. Gamble, 176-179.
First elected ma3'or of St. Louis in 1835, 202.
Efforts to secure railroads, 203-209.
472
INDEX.
Darby, Jolin F. — Continued.
Makes recommendations concerning sand-bai*s in river,
220, 221.
Work in behalf of Lafa3*ette Park and the public scliools,
243, 257.
incidents of a trip to Jefferson City, 251-256.
Elected mayor again in 1840, 277.
Largely assists in securing Washington Square, 279-291.
His part in founding the St. Louis Law Library, 325,
326.
Extricates Marshall Brotherton from financial trouble,
362-369.
A noteworthy dinner-party, 377.
Experience with an Abolitionist, 388-390.
Seeks to secure an appointment for Lieut. U. S. Grant
as county engineer, 454.
De Leyba, Don Fernando, 458.
De Smet, Father, 275.
De Ward, Churles, 207.
De Mun, Augusto, 408, 409.
De Mun, Mrs. Isabelle. Sketch of her life and famil^^ 405-411.
De Mun, Julius, 382, 407, 408.
Defalcation of S 100,000 from St. Louis County treasury, 357-371.
Delasus, Don Carlos Dehault, 458, 459.
Dervin, Pierre, 48.
Dodge, Henry. Attempt to join .Burr's expedilion, 88.
Doniphan, Gen., JJ83.
Dougherty, Thomas M., murdered, 243.
Du Bourg, Bishop, 272.
Blesses the St. Louis Guards, 273.
Duels. Barton-Rector. 24.
Benton-Luoas, 180.
PetLis-BiddIo, 193.
Smith-Browne, 90.
Smith-Houston, 91.
INDEX. 473
Dunklin, John, 461.
Durand, Martin, 48.
Eaton, N. J., 436.
Edwards, John C, 463.
Elliott, Henry, 29.
Farnham, Russell. Account of his remarkable journey across
Behring's Straits and Siberia to St. Petersburg, 163-167.
Farris, R. P., 185-188.
Ferguson, Peter, 191. /
Filley, Giles F., short sketch of, 443-445.
Pays a million dollars of security-debts, 445.
Filley, O. D., short sketch of, 429-431.
Fletcher, Thomas C, 466.
Gamble, Archibald, 17, 39.
Assists in reception of Gen. Lafayette, 56-63, 204.
Gamble, H. R. Adventure with Mr. Darby on journey to Gas-
conade County in 1830, 176-179.
Work to secure railroads, 207.
Incidents, 55, 465.
Gantt, Thomas T. Sketch of his life and public services, 431-
443.
Gamier, Justice Joseph V. Amusing anecdotes, 121-123.
Gasconade Circuit Court in 1827. Interesting reminiscences,
153-162.
Gaty, Samuel. Early career, and how he started in business in
St. Louis, 419-427.
Geyer, Henry S., short sketch of, with anecdotes, 371-376.
Gillespie, Joseph, 111.
Goodfellow, John, 219.
Grant, Gen. U. S., some anecdotes of, 448-453.
Gratiot, Charles, 223.
Gratiot, Gen. Charles. Sketch of his career, 225.
Examines St. Louis harbor, 226, 459.
474 INDEX.
Gratiot, Paul M., 406.
Gratiot, JohnB., 406.
Gray, Alexander, 26.
Grimsley, Tliornton, 204, 222, 247.
Grundy, Felix. Sketch of his life and character, 97-105.
Conduct of a celebrated case, 106-112.
Gunpowder explosion, 261, 262.
Hammond, George, killed by Francis E. Mcintosh, 238.
Hardin, Charles H., 466.
Hempstead, Charles S., 19.
Hempstead, Edward, urges Congress to confirm title to lands
for support of schools, 15.
Sketch of, 19, 20.
Hempstead, Stephen, 61.
Henderson, John B., 464.
Hequembourg, Mr. Justice, 389.
Hill, Capt. David B., commands a militia company at reception
of Gen. Lafayette, 64.
Amusing anecdotes of, 372, 373.
Hopkins, W. H., 39.
Houston, Gen. Sam, 91.
Kayser, Henry. His work on the St. Louis harbor, 230, 231.
Keemle, Col. Charles, 148, 204, 269.
Kennerly, G. H., 305.
Kenrick, Peter Richard, 274.
King, Austin A., 463.
Krum, John M., 270.
Jackson, Claiborne F., 465.
Jackson, Hancock, 4G4.
Jarnagin, Spencer, 22.
Johnson, Waldo P., 464.
Jones, John Rice, 29.
Jones, William H., unjustly suspected of theft, commits suicide,
175.
INDEX. ' 475
La Fitte, Monsieur, 45-53.
Pirates of Barataria, 4(), 47.
Attempts to capture tliem, 48.
Generosity of La Fitte, 49.
Various stories, 50, 51.
A desperate engagement, 52
Labadie, Sylvester, 31.
Laclede, assists at reception of Gen. Lafayette, 61.
Lafayette, Gen. Visit to St. Louis in 1825, 53.
Ludicrous difficulties attending his reception, 56-59.
Jacob Roth's enthusiasm over Lafayette, 59, 60.
Meeting with Alexander Bellesseme, 62, 63.
Departure, 66, 67.
Lafayette Park, origin of, 247-250.
Land-titles imperfect up to 1811, 13,
Lane, Dr. Hardage, 193.
Lane, William Carr. Mayor of St. Louis in 1825, 55.
Exertions to give Gen. Lafayette a reception, 56-61.
Elected mayor in 1839, 230.
Incident, 246.
Sketch of his life, 335-350.
Laveille, James C, 222.
Lawless, L. E., 133.
Words with John B. C. Lucas, 172.
Leduc, M. P., elects T. H. Benton to Senate, 31, 32, 56.
Incident, 247.
Lee, Lieut. Robert E., superintends work in the St. Louis harbor^
227-230.
Lincoln, President A., An anecdote, 445-448.
Lucas, Charles, killed in duel with T. H. Benton, 180.
Lucas, J. B. C. Scene with Lawless in court, 172.
Newman, John, 113.
Nicholas, George, 97.
O' Fallon, Benj., acts as second to Maj. Thomas Biddle in his duel
with Spencer Pettis, 193.
476 INDEX.
0*Fallon, John, marries Miss Stokes, 129.
Incidents of Ins early life, 129, 130, 143.
Marries a second time, 146.
Victim of a comical serenade, 147.
Character, 148-150.
O'Neil, Hugh. Plan for disposing of the proceeds of sale of St.
Louis "common," 244-246.
Anecdote of, 307.
Otho, King of Greece. His visit to St. Louis, 210-213.
McAllister, Rev. Alexander, 143.
McClurg, J. W., 466.
McGirk, Andrew, Isaac, Mathias, 26.
McGunnagle, G. K., 203, 371, 372.
Mcintosh, Francis E., kills two officers and is burned to death by
a mob in 1836, 2:57-241.
McKnight, John, sketch of, 379-381.
McNair, Alexander, 461.
Marie, Michel, 48, 49.
Miller, John, 189, 461.
Mills, Adam S., 222.
Mills, Benjamin, 108, 111.
Monroe, Joseph J. Storj' of Judge John D. Cook, 123.
Moore, ''Big Bob,'* 65, 114-116.
Moore, Jonas, curious anecdote of, 319, 320.
Mormons remove from Missouri to Illinois, 198.
Morrow, Jeremiah, 14.
Morton, George, 222.
Mullanphy, Brj-an. Anecdotes illustrating his character, 303-812.
Mullanphy, John, sketch of, 67-69.
His liberality, 70, 71.
Characteristic anecdotes, 72-75.
Compelled to serve at battle of New Orleans, 76.
How he made his immense fortune, 77-79.
His family, 80, 81.
Mull, William, arrests Francis £. Mcintosh, and is killed by
him, 238.
INDEX. 477
Murphy, Rev. William, 21.
Page, Daniel D., 222, 377.
Peck, James Hawkins, settles in St. Louis and is appointed United
States district judge, 167.
Incidents of his career, 168-176.
Endeavors to prevent the Pettis-Biddle duel, 196.
Sundry allusions, 26, 58, 147.
Peck, Rev. John M., 111.
Penrose, Clement B., 17.
Perez, Don Manuel, 458.
Pettis, Spencer, 188.
Candidate for Congress, 189.
Affray with Maj. Thomas Biddlc, and duel, 189-198.
Phelps, John S., 467.
Piernas, Don Pedro, 458.
Pirates of Barataria, 46-48.
Polk, Trusten, 464.
Pratte, Gen. Bernard, 18, 31, 219.
Prentiss, Sargent S., makes a speech at St. Louis, 314.
Anecdotes of, 316, 317.
Price, Sterling, 403.
Primm, Wilson, 117-119, 231, 233.
Ralls, Daniel, casts a vote for Benton while dying, 32, 33.
Rector, Gen. William, 24.
Reel. John W., 417.
Reynohls, John. Incidents of his career, 322-324.
Reynolds Thomas, 463.
Riddick, Thomas F. Scheme for endowment of the public schools,
14, 15, 17.
Monument due him, 18, 219.
Riley, Bennett, 290.
Riot in 1854, 436.
In 1877, 443.
Risley, William, as treasurer of St. Louis County, becomes a
defaulter for $100,000, 357-862.
The defalcation made good by securities, 368-371.
478 INDEX.
T
Risque, F. W., 304.
Roeatti, Bishop, 273.
Roth, Jacob. Ludicrous exploit at Gren. Lafayette's reception,
59, 60.
Sand-bars in the Mississippi River threaten damage, 218, 219.
Sarpy, Gregoire, 3L
Savage, William H., 56.
Schrader, Otho, 86, 87.
Sellers, Capt. Isaiah. Sketch of his life, 213-218.
Sevier, John, 22.
Shaw, Henry, 377.
Shelby, Col., 22.
Simonds, John, Jr., 58.
Skinker, Thomas, 308.
Smith, Maj. Thomas F., 276, 290.
Smith T, Col. John. Sketch of early life, 84, 85.
Makes himself delegate to look after the interests of the
Territory' at Washington, 86.
Attempts to join Burr*s expedition, 87.
Futile attempt to arrest him, 88, 89.
Duel with Lionel Browne, 90, 91.
Anecdotes, 92-97.
Challenges Gen. Sam Houston, 91.
Kills a man at Ste. Genevieve, 92.
Incidents of his career, 94-97.
Smith, Joseph, indicted for attempt to assassinate Gov. Boggs,
200. ^
Proceedings in couri, 201.
Murdered, 202.
Soulard, J. G. Sketch of his life, 413-415.
Southern Hotel. Reminiscences of the spot where it now stands,
391-395.
St. Ange de Bellerive, 457.
St. Louis. The town and inhabitants in 1818, 5-13.
In 1825, 54-56.
INDEX. 479
St. Louis ''common," 242-250.
Act authorizing its sale, 246.
Lafayette Park laid out, 247-250.
St. Louis Law Library. An interesting correspondence, 325, 326.
St. Louis Public Schools. Origin of land-grant, 14.
Receive one- tenth proceeds of sale of St. Louis '' com-
mon," 248.
St. Louis University, 257-260.
Visit of Daniel Webster, 265.
Stewart, Robert M., 464.
Stokes, Maiianne. Her suit for divorce against William Stokes,
131-141.
Stokes, William, settles in St. Louis and builds a magnificent
residence, 126-128.
The real Mrs. Stokes appears, 131.
Suit for divorce, and its extraordinary revelations, 133-
141.
Stokes's ruin and death, 142-146.
Sturgeon, Isaac H., 150.
Sullens, John, 162.
Sullivan, James, anecdote of, 393.
Swon, John C, 417.
Taylor, Justice Moses. A novel waj' of administering justice,
117-120.
Thomas, Capt. Martin, acts as second to Spencer Pettis in his
duel with Maj. Thomas Biddle, 192.
Treat, Hon. Samuel, 435.
Trudeau, Don Zenon, 458.
Tucker, N. B., 133.
Anecdotes of, 301.
Waldo, Dr. David. Sketch of his early life, 151, 152.
Held many offices, 153.
Walker, J. K., 58.
Walsh, Mrs. Isabella, 427-429.
480
INDEX.
Walsh, Justice Patrick. His extraordinary conduct of a case,
113-116.
Washington Square. An account of negotiations for the par-
chase of land for it, 276-291.
Webster, Daniel. Visit to St. Louis, 205-208.
Whipping-post incident, 159.
White, James M., 95.
Wilson, Robert, 464.
Wimer, John M., 288.
Woodson, Silas, 466.
Von Phul, Henry, 56.
.V-
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