Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-01-06

mrs. Elizabeth Orfes and Colonel John
O,FaIIon. Of Missouri

st. Louis, Mo-, has htely lost two |
remarkable personages, one OF whom,
woman, was a curiosity; the other,
man. was a fine character. The woman, |
Elizabeth Ortes, was one hundred and
six years old at the time of her death, |
and her personal recollections grasp the
sweep of nearly a century OF time
- When-she-w -born-at Nlncennes,
Ind, September %, 1759-there was
no State of Indiana; indeed, there was
no United States She was ten years
old when Napoleon was born, and sur
vived him over forty years. When she
was born, Washington was youngster
of twenty-seven, counting the Virginia
bellies, in red-heeled shoes OF She last
eentury, or discussing the news from
England on Fairfax Green with other
Virginia bloods of that day. What are
now the United States were ''our loyal
colonies of the British King. The
gigantic west was but gigantic soil
tude of forest, through which the Miss
issippi wended its way in silent majesty,
unobserved by the eyes of white men,
except at the little posts of st. Louis,
Natchez, New Orleans, and Nincennes,
her birthplace. She was sixteen years
old when the old-fashiOned Yankees OF
Boston town had their tea party IN
Boston harbor. She was thirty-four
years old, and had been married twenty
years, when Danton, and Murat. and
Ronespierre, and st. Just, and Char
lotte Cordray, and Vergniaud, and
Madame Roland were playing their
parts in the sublime tragedy of the
French Revolution. She lived con-
temporary with persons who had lived
contemporary with Cromwell. Two
such lives as hers would carry us back
within thirty-five years of the landing
=. of the Mayfower. Her memory was
aI,. and chn Al ION o.
to talk of tie early times In st. Louis,
- and to recount anecdotes of the noted
persons she saw in her youth, her COM
panv was felt to be an addition to any
circle Her memory could revert to
the time when the first church was
built In st. Louisa little log structure
ON Second street, near Market. She saw
the surrender OF st. Louis to the Span
iards. and hailed with Joy the delivery
of the city to the French again, which
occurred in Ler 10th year, and was one of
the few now living who saw the Star
SpangIed Banner float over 1t the next
dav when the French for the last time
surrendered the possession of the terri
tory of Louisiana. She shared the
history of st. Louis from that time,
when it was mere public outpost to
guard against savages, to the period
when it Is the commercial centre OF
denselv populated area She saw and
knew the founder of the city, had talked
with and witnessed the military display
of French commanders, had been on
intimate terms with the families of the
Spanish governors, and had shared the
terrors and dangers 9th Indian atta'k
in 1850 Sine was born the subject oI
the French Kingdom, lived succesSis ely
under the French, English, French,
Spanish, and again under the French
dominion, and finally became one of the
subjects of the republic which united
the Western territories of these three
powers under one government
Mrs. Ortes' personal history is brief.
Her mother was Maragret Dietremble,
aud her father, Antonio Barrada, was
gallant soldier who had served several
years in the French army, under the
command of Louis St. Ange de Belle
rive, then the commandant of the post
at Vincennes. The year after her birth
Vincennes was surrendered to the Eng
lish the French troops retiring to the
west side of the Mississippi to the post
- OF st. Louis, which had been founded
but a few years before by Pierre Lac
clede Lignest. Her parents fingered ut
Vincennes for four years after
the birth of their daughter Elizabeth,
but their love for their nation and their
detestation of the English led them in
1863 to remove TO st. Louis, where Bar
radios comrades in arms were stationed,
and which post was commanded by the
general under whom he had served. AT
the age of fourteen, In 1773, Elizabeth
BaFrada was married to Jean d. Ortes,
the companion of Lignest, the founder
of ST. Louis, a native of thu same place
Bion upon the borders of France, be-
meath the shadows of the Pyrenees,)
and fellow workman at the same trades,
cabinet making and carPentering. =
Ortes died in st. Louis, in 1913, at the
age of seyenty-five. Since the death of
her husband Madame Ortes had lived
with her son in law, Mr.. Phillibert, sur
rounded by her children and her grand
children, in the full possession of her
faculties, retaining her vigOr and
strength in a remarkable degree.
Colonel John O'Fallon was one of the
oldest and most eminent of the citizens
of st. Louis. His form, bowed with
age, supported by walking cane, was
familiar one In the street; for he hated
to recognize the work of time, and kept
his old place In the street with deter
mination not to, <succumb. He was,
perhaps the wealthiest citizen of the
CITY. His riches were the result of ju
dicious purchases of land in st. Louis,
Missouri and other Western States in
early times, which grew in value with
the settlement of the country, until its
value was largely over a million dollars.
He was ever most liberal with his chart
tiesHnd contributions to public enter
- prises of acknowledged usefulness. The
O'FalIon Dispensary (now known as the
- st. Louis Medical College), the o Fallon
Polytechnic Institute, - Washington
University and Home of the Friendless
public institutions of St. Louis-are
ali monuments of his generosity and
$3.50 public spirit. He was The firsI man
who organized sabbath school west of
the Mississippi river. 1t used to be
~ sala tn1s S 1;,; aU rb;cS ;iins io
e. - more than everything else could the
kindness of his disposition and his
promptness to sympathize with strug-
Cling merit He was universally regard
4 - -E,f