Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-05-08
The Trials of La Sale.

bluCu hldcOu diu JDuU OldEh hlupalQ
published by Jones Brothers & Co., Gin
cinnati, Ohio. HIS journey up the St
Lawrence, the building of the Griffin
the voyage through Lake Erie, Huron
and Michigan. and to the Interior o
what is now Illinois, are graphically
described. Arrived there. new trou
bles pursued him. Fate seemed agains
him at every point. But he knew nC
surrender. We quote:
"One morning La Sale found SIX O
his men, including two of his bes
shiphuilders, had deserted. 1t GU
him tn the quick. Bnt this was no
all. A treacherous hand again placed
poison in his food. His life hung il
the balance for hours, but an antidot,
given bv the faithful Tonty turned the
wavering scale. Worse than all, il
was evident that the Griffin. the mair
stay of the whole enterprise, was lost
Nothing was ever heard of her again
Two men sent to search for her re-
ported that they had made the circuit
of the lake and found her not. La
Sale afterward found evidence of her
having been deliberately sunk by the
pilot, at the instance of his enemies
The loss of the Griffin was the severes,
blow yet. She carried anchors, ca
bles, and equipment of the new boat
he was 10 build on the Mississippi. as
we'll as costly supplies. The mountain
of disasters was enough to break a
heart of stone.
ola Salle's exploration could ad
vance no father until the precious ar
tlcles for the new ship. lost in the Grit.
fin. could be replaced. The expedi-
tion wrs eating itself up with expense.
Its chief determined to make his way
on foot through the vast and gloomy
wlldernesses which lay between him
and Montreal, in one last effort to re-
place the loss. 1t was equal to one of
the labors of Hercules-a journey of
twelve hundred miles, through coun-
try which was the perpetual battle,
ground OF hostile and cruel savages,
without food. sleeping on the open
ground, watching by night and march
ing by day, carrying heavy load of
blanket, gun ammunition, ,hatchet, ket-
tie, and a sack of parched corn. Some
times pushing through thickets, some
times climbing rocks covered with ice
and snow, with clothing constantly
wet from swimming a dozen rivers a
lay, and wading Tor hours at time
waist or even neck deep in marshes,
exposed continually to attack from
ravenous beasts, and to a thousand
other hardships, tolls and dangers.
In all the journey there was not
CLEAN of light from a single cabin
window to welcome the weary travel
ers at night fall, not a white mans
face to cheer them amid the frightful
and gloomy solitudes of uneuding for
ests.
CATER sixty-five days of unparsl-
le!ed sufferlngs, the stone bastlons of
Fort Frontenac rose before their
weary eyes. The unconquerable will
and iron frame of La Sale. who had
been reared in delicate luxury, a
scholar, whose career had been marked
out to be that of a gentle parish priest
Tor some rural flock in France, had
achieved the impossible
"Poor La Sale had reached his
goal, but his long journey had but
brought him to new grief. 1t is al
most too cruel to record. Within a
week he had, by extraordinary effort,
in spite of his bankruptcy and misfor-
,unes, collected the needed supplies.
1e was on the point of setting out on
he return trip TO his forlorn colony
IN the illinois. when two messengers,
rom Fort Creveceur arrived with
etter from Tonty. He reported to
lis stricken chief that, after his de-
the men had mutinied, blown
lp the fort, plundered its stores,
hrowing into the river all they could
lot carry off, and then deserted. All
was lost. His mighty effort was spent
Y ct he gave not an hour to his grief.
W hatever was the inward conflict, no
human eye could pierce beneath the
ron mask of his features. He chose
line trusty and well-armed men and
vent to meet the mntineers Two
'anoes surrendered at once. The
bird showed fight. Two OF the vii
aims were killed. The remainder
we're safely lodged in the dungeon of
he fort, to await the coming of Count
Frontenac. La Salle's enemies used
he killing of the two mutineers as a
,asis for a charge Of murder. 4
"When, at last, they drew near the
meadows on which had stood the
great village of the Illinois, with its
population of eight thousand souls,
heir horror stricken gaze met scene
If utter desolation. Where once was
heard the busy hum of human life, no
sound, save their own footsteps. broke
! silence as of the grave. The plain
vas covered with heaps of ashes and,
,harred poles. Hundreds of human
bodies, hideous souvenirs of battle,
lalf-eaten by wolves and birds of
,rey, filled the air with pollution.
With but one thought, La Sale
earched the blackened and bloody
ield of death, with sleepless anxiety,
or traces of the fate of Tonty, That
L SL