The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-18

found their skeletons hal, buried under
the leaves OF a far away forest
Obstacles OF this sort had 20 terror Tor
The French solder. The jessie. beside
possessing ali the bravery tsssr went 20
make up the nan who fought f0r france,
was guided by & religious insptra1loa ana
Z. ferVnT that almost amounted 10 f4rAtE-
cisms. No danger was so great. &c peril so
imminent tARt Re would not face u.
Through the trackless forest. n TraA
canoe. down unknown streams, wceTs the
song % the arrow might bring tie mes
seager 81 death AZ any moment ne would
Journey. provided there was q posssoiiLiy
OF bringing a Single person from without
20 within the fold Of the Roman Catno4ic
church. = aalt-do1en If these priests Ac-
cozrpanted tne French explorers.
When the expedition reached he Ale
eheny river. it WAS considered tnai rs
real duties began. Here the fieGr &c Us o.
France ard the cross q the jesta{S were
placed side by side. church and state III
union that Savoreti OF nothing but pacifca-
licn. A. distances Of ten miles along Inc
route. Capt Celeron buried leaGen plates
inscribed with the arms OF France ana
Tho date OF the expedition DlrectiF
alongside the place Of burial oI these
plates the JesGigs buried wooden crosses,
Of which the one found near Rochester IS
a sample.
Miles and miles down the Allegheny. en-
countering perils % every description,
their numbers diminished by sickness,
weak from want Of food. these intrepid
men continued their journey until they
reached the junction Of tae Allegheny ana
Mononsahela rivers. Here they establish
81 q camp, which subsequently became
Fort Duquesne. although the sites OF the
fort and the camp are not Identical IN
point Of the exact space occupied. For
six months. or until the spring and sum
mer OF l758 IL is recorded that this expedl-
ton maintained the place or residence IN
dicated. After that no one seems TO know
what became Of them with the exception
OF NJ. Decontrecoeur. who. as stated, be-
came the commandment of the French post
named Duquesna
Whether Capt Coleron and his compan-
iors journeyed into the wilderness and
there left their bones 70 be whitened by
time. no one knows. Perhaps the musty
records In France tell the story. but the
chances ar that they have been destroy
ed, and ike the fate OF the explorers,
all but forgotten. Of the Jesuit priests
who particl pated IN the journey, an old
book. that refers 20 the matter, tells that
four of their number went on and that is
near infinity as Il is possible for mortal
mon 10 state.
An interesting fact in connection with
this matter is that no one remembers and
there is TO record of one of these cross -
having been hitherto eXhumed since tho
series of burials thereof occurred. Nor Is
there any record that one Of the eleven
plates intended to oerpetuate the vain
claim of France TO the country, claim
which horrid massacres and hard-fouEht
battles failed TO substan,late, was ever
unearthed. Another fact too. is that this
is the only expedition of such seeming i'm
portance which failed through one of its
members. at least, to achieve lasting
fame. 1t is only by accident that the
facts stated herewith IRE obtainaole. They
are bequest by an educated man OF the
period, who. hearing OF the tale Of adj
venture and exploration, fancied that sonic
time the facts in the case might be use
full Therefore he jotted thsn down and
in this way The history Of the Lachne OK
pedition is still known at the close of the
nineteenth century.
La Sale has a lasting memorial IN I'LL
nois. Father Marquette IS better Known
today -han he was a century and 7 half
ago. All through the Cana iien provinces
and the states that line their borders. the
names of ,Iesuits and Frene n officers are
perpetuated by their having been given
TO either localities or natural objects
Of interest. In each of these cases the
history Of the original owner &C the name
Is carefully treasured.
The Lachine expedition accomplished
much for France and the church. 1t
opened n way for civilization that kad
heretofore been impossible. II gave TO
others the glory Of con quest ana achieve
ment. while the men who male all this
possible are almost unknown. The cross
is the only lasting memorial Of the ex-
petition. 1t is through the kindly Of
fees OF nature. and not OF man, that tn's
is so.