The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-12-08

Their to the Duchess Of Lesdiguisres hav
also been translated and published unde
date Of I763.
ROosevelt's Interest in Louisiana
Coming Town to a more recent period "
haye the works Of the various historians o
the United States. The President of tn
United States has given a portion OF hi
strenuous labors to the subject Of Louisian;
in his winning Of the West"
It may be Of interest to st. Louis readers
and to those of the Mississippi Valley WHIT
have a due regard for historical accuracy
to know that the late Colonel James o
Broadhead once set his Government arigh'
in the matter OF the area Of the Louisiana
Purchase. In a paper read before the Mis-
souri, Historical Society several years ago
Colonel Broadhead took occasion to poin,
out the fact that the then late map of the
Department OF the Interior was in error
Louisiana proper extends to the head wa
tiers OF the Missouri River in the Rocky
Mountains and no farther west. The terri
tory afterwards known as Oregon became
a part of the United States later, and fol-
other reasons than by purchase. If, indeed
it has not always been ours by right Colo
mel Broadhead's paper was prepared with
the care bestowed upon a brief. and 1t made
itself felt. A new map has since been Issued
giving the correct dimensions Of Louisiana
az outlining every boundary insisted upon
by Colonel Broadhead. The matter has been
further fortified by the publication OF MI.
Binger Herman for the Government Of a
book on The Acquisition Of Territory by
the United States"
.Perhaps the ouaintest Of all the books on
Louisiana and the Mississippi Valley is that
Of Father Charlevoix. in the form OF MS
letters to the Duchess OF LesdigutereS. The
good father was at much pains to give to
bis noble patroness q full and accurate do
scription Of Canada and the ~neighborns
countries"
He tells the story Of how q mpan OF
women once put q party OF savages 10
light. The attack on the Fort de vercheres
II famous, he says, IN the annals OF CANADA
I'm 1880 these sayages Che Iroquois). be-
ing Informed that Nine. de Vercheres was
almost alone in her fort, approached 1t
| without being seen. and attempted to scala
| the palisades Some musket shot that wero
| fred to good purpose upon the drst noiss
| they made, dispersed them: but they soon
| returned. and they were again repuised; and
what surprised them the more was that
they saw only a roman and her they saw
everywhere. This was Nine de VerchereS.
4 who kept I'D as good q countenance as II
| she had been q numerous garrison The
hope which the besiegers had conceived at
nrst, to take a place easily. which they
knew was without men, made them return
several times to the charge; but the lady
with tho help Of the women with her. al
ways beat them on She fought in this man
ner two days, with such bravery and pres
ence Of mind, as would have done honor to
an old warrior; and at last obliged the
enemy to retro for fear Of having their re-
treat cut OF, greatly ashamed Of being
forced to dy before q woman"
Father Charlevoix speaks of tho previous
Affairs Of Canada a OF ancient history. He
would perhaps not recognize the places Of
|-AaA --aa1r. -lxL e,,nh %opofyfo ylfv ~
he were to visit them now. For instance
he says:
The Chicagou Of 1920.
fifty years ago the Miamis were set
tied at the south end Of the Lake Michigan,
in a place called Chicagou. which Is also
tho name Of q little river which runs into
tho lake, and the spring OF which Is not
far from that Of the Illinois. They are at
present divided into three villages. one Of
which n on tho river St Joseph. the Sec
ond on another river which bears their
name. and runs into Lake Erie. and this
third upon the River Ouabache Wabash).
which runs into the Mississippi"
The faker was abroad in his day as well
as now. Witness the reverend fathers ac-
count Of what he was told Of Niagara:
II have been told that the fish that are
brought into this current are killed thereby,
and that the savages settled in these parts
4AoAS SA II 49, - = I" Az BALI
thing. I have also been assured that tho
birds that attempted to ny over It were
sometimes drawn into the vortex which was
formed In the air by the violence of this
torrent; but I observed quite the contrary.
/ saw some little birds flying about directly
over the Fall. which came away without
any difficulty"
The missionary writes Of the customs of
the Indians, and he Is specially to be COM
mended for preserving the death song of
defiant prisoners. who go to their last walk
o n earth singing to the sound Of the
'-Chichakoue."
The song has something mournfuI and
naughty at the same time: and the captive
has nothing OF the air Of q man who SUI
fers, and that fs vanquished. This Is nearly
the sense Of these songs:
I am brave and intrepid:
I do not fear death. nor any kind Of tortures;
Those who fear them are towards: they are less
Life is nothing to those that have courage:
May my enemies be COMPOUNDED with despair
and rage:
Oh. that I could devour them. and drink their
blood to the last drop.
Indian Wit Recorded.
That the repartee of the Indian was ap-
preciated by the traveller is attested by these
anecdotes:
IAN Outaouais, named John lie Blanc, q
bad Christian. and a great drunkard. being
asked by Comte de Frontenac what he
thought brandy was made OF, which he
loved SO well. said it was an extract OF
tongues and hearts: for added he). when I
have drank it / fear nothing, and I talk to
admiration"
"A Huron captain was one day insulted
and struck by a young man. Those who
were present would have punished this au-
daciousness on the spot. Let him. said
the Captain. did you not feel the earth
tremble? He Is sufficiently informed Of his
folly"
IAN Outagami, who was burned by the
Illinois with the utmost cruelty. perceiving
a Frenchman among the spectators. begged
of him that he would help his enemies to
torment him: and upon his asking why he
made this request he replied: Because ]
should have the comfort Of dying by the
hands Of a man. My greatest grief is that
/ have never killed a man. But said an
Illinois. you have killed such-and-such .
person AS for the Illinois, replied the
prisoner. I have killed enough Of them.
but they arc not mem
IAN Iroquofs who served a long time in
our troops against his own nation. and even