The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-11-29

Ahecdots o. Pierre tottInsau, N PIon0@F
Frer Gilman. Who lately Died.

Ahecdote o. Pierre BottIneau, N FIono~r
Frerchman. Who Lately Died
There iied, the other day, at his
home In led Lake falls, man who was
30 thoroughly identified with the early
history of Minnesota that TO try to re-
late 1t without mentioning his name
would be like trying 70 make bricks
without straw. This man was Pierre
BcttIneaN, the offspring Of a French
father and an Indian mother, and he
possessed all the characteristics w
both races.
Mr.. Bcttineau was a native of what
In now North Dakota, having been
born twelve miles west of the place
where Fargo. N. d.. now stands. At the
time of his birth Lord Sclkirk formed
a colony of Swedes and Scotchmen
near Fort Garry, and when Bottiheah
was ten years OF age these Feople be-
gan an exodus for other points Young
as he was. Bottineau was an expert
enced guide, skilled in wood and
prairie craft, and more than one of
Lord Selkirk's colonists he piloted out
of the wilderness
In many of the early expeditions OF
the United States government Pierre
was employed as d guide and scout,
and was one OF the principal tsembers
OF the noted SibiaS Expedition, which
crossed the plains in the early days.
Tie was we'll acquainted with almost
every foot of the Dakotas, Minnesota
and Wisconsin, and at one time was
the owner OF vast tracts of valuable
land, which he subsequently, lost In
r..
was a warm friend OF James J. Hilh
the railway maSnate, having met hi!h
at 81. Paul when that place was little
more than a trading point, and where
Mr. Hill was employed as freighter.
In iS41 Mr.. Bottineau took up n claim
on the spot where St Parl how stands,
but after having held it for a short
time traded it for q horse and COW,
which he drove away to his home in
the wilderness, little thinking that the
land he had almost given away wotld
in a few years be the site OF Z Cfeat
city. Later on Mr. Bottineau pur-
chased fcs small sum large portion
of what is now Minneapolis, but lost
the greater portion of it through the
dishonesty of purchasers and the Fast
through his weakness for poker, a
game which he thought he understood,
but which other people understood bet
ter than he.
There is a story, which the older
residents of Minneapolis declare to be
true, that Bottineau was once the sole
owner of Nicollet island, lying IN the
Mississippi river, which divides Mime
apolis into East and West Minneapolis,
and which is now one of the most i'm
portant business and residence districts
in the city and valued at many millions
of dollars, and that be lost it during a
game of poker. A party of men met
one evening at the homo OF one of
them, so goes the story, to play their
accustomed game. The stakes kept
growing larger and larger until every
jack pot contained q small fortune,
even for that early day.
Ever since the game had begun Mr..
Bottineau had been losing steadily, but
at last he was dealt hand upon which
/ he hoped to regain all his losses and
win something besides. He was given
four queens pat, and drew one card,
secured an ace, leaving only four kings
with which his hand could be beaten.
AS he saw, or Thought he did, which
amounted to the same thing, one of the
players discard a king, he considered
his hand invincible, and played it ac-
cordingly. His opponent also consid.
cred his hand good one. and prompt
ly raised every bet made by Bottineau,
Soon all the players but 1lottiReaG
and his opponent dropped their hands
md retired from the game, after which
they sat and watched the conflict The
table was heaped with money and the
| pars0nal belongings of two men, who
were wishing they had more to wager
upon their respective hands. At last
all the men possessed lay on the table
in front of them, and 1t was Dottineau's
bet Carefully looking over his cards
he thought a moment and then re-
marked that all he had left was Nicol-
let island, which was once the home OF
Father Hennepin, one of the earliest
settlers of Minnesota, his log cabin
stood upon little mound in the center
of the island up to few years ago,
when it was pulled down to mako room
for the residence of Col King.
! This island Bottineau was willing to
bet against two hundred dollars. The
bet was called by the man on the op-
posite side of the table and Bottineau
laid down his four queens with a smile
of triumph on his face. With shout
his opponent laid on the ia BILE, face up,
four kings and a tray. There was a
dead silence for moment Then Bot
tineau called for writing materials,
made out deed TO the island and left
the place. Since that day he never
touched a card or countenanced gam
bling in any form.
After drifting around the country for
a time Pierre went to Red Lake falls,
where he took up a claim, and where
he remained up to the time of his
death, at the age of 81 years He
! gradually acquired other property and
left his heirs a valuable estate. With
the death of Pierre Bottineau passes
away the last of the old-time Canadian
voyageurs and guides, who were such
an important factor in the upbuilding
of the northwest He was the father
of twenty-seven children, only few
of whom survive him The one best
known is j. B. Bottineau, who spends
much of his time at Washington as the
attorney of the Turtle mountain In
dians.-Chicago Times Herald.