New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-16

La Salle'e enemies, and held a secret meeting with
the head men of the Illinois. The next day the
manner OF the ssyages was greatly changed, and Six
of the adventures took the first opportunity OF de-
sertng while most of the rest lost heart. 10 meet
this new danger La Sale built fort half league
down the river and gave it the significant name OF
Creveceur, or Fort Heart break. He had now lost
all hope of the return of the Griffin, and there
was nothing for him to do but go back on loot
TO Frontenac and obtain fresh supplies. so
setting his men to work on tho hull OF new vessel,
be started homeward on the I'd Of March, lOSO, with
four Frenchmen and Michigan Indian, leaving
Tonty with two or three honest men and thirteen
knaves to hold Fort CrevecGur during his absence.
The journey terrible. There was still too much
ice for the canoes. while the warm midday sun
melted the on the prairies, and they sometimes
had TO wade through mud and water knee deep.
There was danger, too from hostile Indians, whom
they only held at bay by incessant vigilance;
there was danger of starvation, for game
was scarce and all the men, at one
time another fell i'll from exposure and fatigue.
When they reached Niagara La Sale alone was fit
to continue the journey. With three fresh men he
pushed forward and on the 9th OF May at Fort
Frontenac only to find that ship from France laden
with his goods had been wrecked at the mouth Of
the St. Lawrence: that several Of his canoes with
rich cargoes of furs were lost that his agents had
pundered him, and his creditors had seized the
remnants of his property. He went to Mon
treal, and succeeded in raising moro sup
plies when news came from TOnty that
the men on the Illinois had destroyed the fort, plum
dered the magazine, thrown into the river whatever
they could not carry away, and deserted almost in q
body, They had afterward destroyed the fort at the
mouth of the st. Joseph, and twelve of them were
now their way to Frontenac to kill La Sale. The
intrepid voyager went out TO meet them with nine
men in canoes killed two and captured several
others, and on the 10th Of August, with new band
of twenty-five, set forth to relieve Tonty and begin
all his work afresh. 1t was November when they
reached the Illinois. A scene of desolation met
them at which their cheeks grew white and the
blood frOze in their veins. The Iroquois had
ravaged the country. and on tho site Of the Illinois
towns nothing was to be seen but eharred ruins, hui
man skulls, half burned bodies and rihed graves
over which the wolves and the buzzards were feast
ing The fort was demolished. No trace could be
found of Tonty and his three four faithful adhe
rents, nor there any indication in the track of
the cOnquerors that white prisoners had been carried
off. La Sale descended as far as the Mississippi
which he then saw for the first time-and convinced
that Tonty had not gone that way returned sadly to
the mouth of the st. Joseph, where detachment Of
his men had meanwhile restored the fort. Tonty in
fact, after escaping with great difficulty from the
Iroquois had made his way, accompanied by three
hired men and the Recollet friar Membre to Green
Bay. Father Ribourde had also been of his party;
but the good old man imprudently left his compani
Ons for an hours meditation in the woods, and was
wantonly murdered by some Drowling Kickapoos.
We have lost sight for awhile of the gay friar
Hennepin but his reverence had not been idle. La
Sale had commissioned him, before leaving Fort
Creveeeur. to explore the Upper Mississippi above
the mouth of the Illinois. and very unwilingly the
RecOllect had gone upon the voyage. Anybody but
me, no writes in his narrative q" would have been
very much frightened" There were two men with
him, Michel lAkau and Picard named Du Gay.
Akau was really the commander of the party. but
Hennepin il its historian and has promoted himself
to the first place. They bad peaceful voyage for
about forty days; when they taken prisoners by
a Sioux war-party, and for time it was almost an
even chance whether they should be adopted into
the tribe roasted on the spot Adoption prevailed
In the company OF their savage and not always
lOspitable entertainers they journeyed as far
as the Falls of st. Anthony, and some
distance above and OF last lel ip with the famous
explorer, Daniel du LhGt, cousin of 1onty, and
turned with him TO the French settlements. Henne-
pin figures no more in American history. He pub
shed narrative Of his explorations whom he got
back to Europe. any little lies in which entirely
3clipsed by second work, given 10 the world after
la Sales death. In this he pretended 20 divulge
acts which fear of La Sale had hitherto induced
lin TO conceal lie declared that he had not only
EXPLORED the Upper Mississippi, but frA q CIVILIZED
nen. had descended It to the s1a lie stole descfip
ion of the river from q suppressed narrative ~
'ather Membr6, who accompanied La Sale to the
iuIf !all.syg@g4 M. sfss aas shown the extent of
is pagI qrisihs aud the imI5ss6ifS 81 resQncilipg
he dates and distances in pig RsIitidts idEfnal 80
learly that there can ss no question about the inn
ostuTe -~~,s. t.s."
The disastrous failure Of all La Sales expeditions
Ear had only nerved the uncOnquerable explorer to
resh efforts and enlarged the scope of his designs.
The Iroquos had nearly proved his ruin he resolved
o build his fortunes upon the fear with which they
He'd the other tribes. His plan was to collect
olony of Indians and French in the Mississippi Val
cy, strong enough to hold the Iroquos at defiance.
ind the mouth of the great river and to build at it's
ntrance fort which would enable him to control
he trade of the region and give him ready communi-
alton With France: IAs tribes rallied ioyfullS
49, his ilo"Sslp, Y wa. NC eoo oollo0'ou "ou"u
'ort St Louis 6G the illinois about 10000 souls, from
he valleys Of the Mississippi and Ohio, from New
york. and even from Rhode Island. Ho completed
he descent Of the Mississippi with little otla of
anoes, landing frequently on the way to make
riends with the Indians, and on the 9th Of April.
6s2 issued into the Gulf Of Mexico, and took pos
ession of the country in the name of the King of
rance while his men shouted Vire 10 Roi and
he friars chante1 1e Deam and Domino Salram
&C Regea. In the interval bis affairs at Mon
real and Fort Frontenac were in worse
tate than ever before. Frontenac gone. and the
lew Governor, hostile to Frontcnacs friends, had
represented matters 80 at court that the king wrote