The National tribune., 1902-01-02

q storm, an event of such general excite
Taent and horror as an Indian raid also
required time for peace and quiet to be
restored. For years after it afforded the
theIne of many an exaggerated story.
Mr. McNair came home from his visit
70 ST. Charles and st. Louis shortly after
the return of Capt. Coles rangers and
found the whole BoOncS Lick settlement
still wild with excitement. He had
learned of the raid, while in st. Charles.
and left his business half transacted and
hurried home. Though he had obtained
unofficial promises of leniency to George
for the rough way in which he had han
died the Sheriff, he was not assured he
would be fully pardoned for the act.
The Indians had evidently destroyed
the furs of Mr.. Van Loon, for they were
aeFcr found. The school-master, however,
partially recovered from his loss, and
wrote such Il graphic description of the
l,er0ism of George McNair for the Mis-
S6uri Gazette (now st. Louis RcpublIcD,
the weekly paper published in St Louis,
rhat George was soon notified that he need
have no cause tn fear the Sheriff, though
he was advised to keep Eunice out Of
reach Of Peter 4. LaBoOme.
Neither famine, pestilence nor war
could stop the career of LaBoome and
MuidFom in their mad quest Of land. They
were the smoked title princes of their
day. and so shrewdly did they manage
matters that many a free-holder was dis
possessed.
LaBoOme's favorite plan was to secure
compromise. Often he found stub
born or refractory opponent like Mr.. Me
NaiF, who refused 10 compromise; one of
these die-in-the-laSt-ditch fellows who with
the proud knowledge OF right on his side,
nailed his flag to the mast, and lost or
gained all.
Soon after the settlement became quiet
again, and the plowmen We're once more
turning up the rich soil. Mr.. McNair went
TO st. Louis. leaving George at home to
sgperintend the farm.
There was no more danger of Indian
raids. The severe lesson taught the saw
ages would keep them quiet a long time.
Besides, force Of United States soldiers
with officers empowered 10 make n treaty
bad been sent north to meet them, and
either drive them beyond the Territory or
secure some guaranty of future good be-
havior.
Mr. McNair was gone two weeks, but
SIS mail route had been established, they
received frequent letters from him. some
encouraging and some not. The cause
had been continued to the Fail term, and
he would he home soon, he explained in
his last letter. He followed the letter a
feg days later, and began TO cultivate
bis farm AMI prepare for the legal battle
George and his father dreaded that
legal battle more than any conflict at
arms with the sayages. They often dis
cassed what the evidence would be, and
George told his father LaBOOme had
once tried to corrupt the school-master
promising to pay his passage home if he
w0uid swear falsely about some numbers
attorney at st. Louis informing him Of
the new evidence, and was advised to
bring the new witness TO the trial.
OHe or two lawyers had located at
Franklin, then grown to quite village,
aad he secured one of these as his local
adyiser to act in conjunction with his
more prominent attorneys in st. Louis
LaBOome learning Of this, engaged an
ether franklin lawyer TO watch McNair
ana his local attorney.
Thus the commanders of the forces be-
gan to strengthen at every point.
As the time drew nearer Mr. McNair
became more and more nervous, more
anxious. He ate and slept little. He
grew thin and pale, while his patient wife
noticed that he was daily growing more
peaked" yet she Tcfrained from mention.
ing the fact, trying to deceive herself
into the belief that it was the bard work
on the farm, and perhaps his food was not
properly prepared. He seldom talked of
the coming trial unless with his local az
bald head. very verbose. To the ruStics
by whom he was surrounded he was a
prodigy Of wisdom and legal lore. He
discussed "iaches," "suits in assumpsit," I"
'fquantum merTuit." the legal ethics of the
''leges non scripta" with profundity that
quite took away the breath of his clients.
though he was as humble as Uriah Heap
ia the presence of an intelligent court.
''Have no fears, my Christian friend.
have 40 fears Of your cause" he would
declare 20 Mr. McNair; eve will file a de
murrer to his petition and he will find
himself out of court before he is aware of
IL. You have possession, and the onus of
4 previous entry is wholly on the defen-
daHt"
Though Mr.. McNair tried hard 10 take
some comfort from the promises of Mr..
Giriggs, he found it impossible to lift the
oppressive burden which weighed down
his spirits from his breast. There might.
after all their well-laid plans, be some
slip.
lie made George his confident. and the
SOC. with all the courage OF youth, told
him that even should they lose their
home, they could work and get another.
The father reasoned. however. that he was
growing old; the meridian Of life was past.
and Le was no longer able to work as he
once had. Then, il was humilliating TO
be robbed by such an old scOundrel as La
BOONE; TO feel that he had been cheated
by q keen. shrewd trickster.
When George tried to encourage him,
be shook his head sadly, sighed and said:
mo, no, George; we might go on into
the forest and build US another home.
then some o these same sharpcrs come
and take i from us. Wen fight to the
end. I'm in favor of gaiHin' all or losin
nil. Not till the highest court in the land
says it's his shall he have it,"
The harvest had been abundant. Such
yields Of corn, wheat and rye farmers had
never known. Despite the little Indian
trouble. other bold settlers came pouring
into the BoOne's Lick country. until peo,
pie began to talk Of church. Some were
building frame houses, and one of the
Bo0ncs had house OF stone, while two
or three of the more wealthy owned ele
CANT brick mansions.
At this time the seats Of justice of tho
different Counties, as they We're at that
time separated from each other by exten
fsFe tracts of uninhabited wilderness!
stretching from each other hundred anf
fifty miles, without roads. bridges and Of
ten without ferries, made "gOine to court
difficult task. According to our pres
eat views Of communication, it would b,
reasonable TO suppose that the legal busi
nesS Of each County was done eXclusivcl,
by those professional men residing at it
seat Of Justice. That, however, was no
the case. The Judges, as well as th
lawyers, and frequently their clients ar;
witnesses, had to travel from the most ex
IRENE settlements Of the Territory {,
where the court trying their cases wa
held.