Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-12-07
LIEU LEWIS.
Astor's Seaman Who Blew Up His
chip and peri~h"d smong the Sava.
ges Who Had Murdered Captain
and Grew

iAstor's Seaman Who Blew UP His
chip and reri~h"d among the Sava.
ges Who Had Murdered Captain
and Grew.
The venerable David NJ. Hitchcock
who has been resident of St. Louis
since 1887, in conversation with q repOr-
ter adverted to a statement published d
short time ago regarding The remarkable
performance of Russell Farnu.D. who
crossed Behring's strait and went through
siberia to st. Petersburg in the service
Of John jacob Aston. Mr.. Hitchcock
said the account called to mind another
person named james Lewis. wh IN he
knew while IL boy in New Haven. Con
ncctlcut, and VINO in service Of Mr., AS
tor voluntarily met death in :, singular
manner. Few similar examples occur
IN history. Mr.. Hitchcock retains par
tcnlar remembrance Of Lewis from the
TACT that before he left New Haven he
-5:tye him !, silver whistle, whch he re-
tanned as a keepsake OF hero.
He sand: "Mr. Aston, in prose
cutting his scheme of
commerce and colonization on the Pac-
'hcs Determined on senuil,. out two ex-
prdltons. One by sea ant the other by
ana, the former to carry out the peoplss
amt stores, ammun ton ana M rc4HIise
necessary for trading post q tn. mouth
Of the Columbia river. As IS we'll Known,
the land expedition Wds entruSJ {. t. Mr..
Wilson P. Hunt of St Louis. 4 ship, the
foDquin, commanded BY Cnpt Jonathan
Thorn, lieutenact in the United States
navy. mounting ten guns, with q crew Of
twenty men, sailed from New York in
September, 1910, on this expedition. Ny
friend, james Lewis, was the ships
clerk. After getting to sea the Tonouin
was joined by the fryate Constitution
and conveyed beyond danger After var
luus vi,lssltude5 the ship eventually ar
rived at Vaucouver's island aud NJ
chored in the haruor o. Newetee, where
Sreat numbers Of the Indians came of
IN their canoes to trade. Some aiterca-
tons occurred between tn c,piain anu
The savases, but the day passed away
without any signs Of hostility and ar
night the captain retired u his cabin,
taking 10 more than the usu Il precau-
ton. This consisted Of extending Il rope
network around the ship to keep of The
in'lianH.
Sb"Ou the following morning at dav-
d ets 3 canoe CAME along with twenty
n Iians. LII Il sEnri tlile other Indians
came Vi and, breaking through the rope
network, they clAsnt'orcd up the sides
Ut the snip. Tle main ARTICLES sought
W the savages were KNIVES, and the
y ,at was ABOUT to sal, when the cap
ain ordered the ship to he cieurtti. In
an instant s;S'4l yell WAS gwen, and
The savAgrs, ru>ning OH their victims,
kllle every one on board cxcrp. Mr.
Lewis, who, however, recelvct IL dead.
X STAB II the back ami / II DO IN the
.,)npaulon way. The Indians then lett
he ship, and some four or FIVE of tie
shlu': Crew, who had . 1t out IN :. boat
and returned found Mir LIE xis aud
were requested by ni&n to take whatever
they cuu carry away WILL them and
fleet t!l-ir escane they had gone but
ew miles. when the next ln,rnin1
they saw the savageS crowuing the decks
# the ship. The sides were ais, GOV
"fed With the sayages intenl on plun,Ier.
In the midst Vi their exu|t,'ion Mr..
Lewis applied match 70 the ,nayazin3
.'"nialnlng the powder, ami tile: ship
b!e" up WIN Tremendous explosion,
Mr.. Lewis being inundated with his
victims. Arms aht legs We're blown int,
the air. anu the canOAs were DESTROYED
with the Inmates. Uuwatds IT y hun
'lred savages were killed 'jy Vie explo.
sion. Washington Irving wtlo describes
the scene in his Astoria, ta,ls to furnish
the ltl name Of the heroic Jane. Lew.
is who became the Victim o. ms terrible
revenge.
James had two brothers whom T
knew. One, the, YOU ngt~,, john Lew
Is, Is still living in New Haven, or was
there three or four years ago when !
was there. Another brother, Peter Lew
Is alter the death 81 Jar.s, was sent bv
his father to Shaw neetown. III 20 nre-
vent his going t. sea, aud he uyed and
dle0 there ia 1915"