The Saint Paul globe., 1902-11-08
DEATH OF MRS. LARPENTEUR RE-
CALLS HER HUSBANDS STORY
OF THE '40s
TRAVELS FROM ST. LOUIS
TO BECOME A BRIDE
Lived on Birch Street and Frequently
Entertained Indians = Lively Times
When Traders Came in to Buy Furs
Pioneers Wife Saves His Life.

The funeral of Mrs. A. L. Larpenteur
whose death occurred Thursday night
will be held from her late residence
MONDAY morning at $3.50 o'clock, fol-
lowed. by services from the Cathedral
at. 80 o'clock.
Mrs. Larpenteur's death has revived
failing memories of the old settlers
ana many anecdotes are being told of
her early experiences in ST. Paul. The
most entertaining of these memories
are preserved. In a paper read before
/ the Minnesota Historical society by
her husband, A. L. Larpenteur, who had
the following to say regarding his
Wlfe, their marriage and the hard
ships they endured in common half a
century ago. The excerpt is taken
from paper entitled "Recollections
or the City land. People of st. Paul,
1S43-1S9S.',
I'm the year 1S45 I married nv wife.
a sister of Bartlett Presley. She came
up from st. Louis for that purpose, as
this was to be our future home, and I
mad not the means to make the trip to
st. Louis to bring her up. You see it
was economy to have her come and
have the hymeneal knot tied here and
also showed good example to our
friends hereabouts
MOVING into our new quarters we
SOOii DOOe1it W 1lldhG OQI HlIIS uOIn6 DIS
comfortablF as circumstances would
permit Many times it became very
monotonous and lonesome for my
young wife, The nearest neighbors we
had were Mrs. John S. Irvine on the
south, Scott Campbell on the east, and
in order after these the families of
vital Guerh, Benjamin Gervais, James
w. Simpson, then bachelor, and on
the extreme edge of the bluff, at the
n 004e,
Henry Jackson and his wife. Mr.. and
Mrs. irving. were our nearest and most
congenial neighbors. My wife was ac-.
customedf to spend much of her leisure
time with them, their house being in
sight and within stones throw Of
ours.
Fur@Season Was Lively.
q AT times it used to be very lively
during the fur season, when sometimes
we would have so many Indians lying
about on the floor you could scarcely
move without stepping on one. We
always had to keep them over night
and feed them besides. Trading was
mostly done at night anyway, as the
Indians did not like to pass the fur
company's place of business at Men
dota in the day time when they could
be seen, for some of them were owing
the company.
Let me say right here, we owe a
debt of gratitude to the wives and
mothers Of the old settlers and pio-
neerS of Minnesota. Tt-fs2 to them that
many of-uss owe the blessings. we now
enjoy in the North Star state. Many
Of them left the comforts of home, and
friends, IpTing mo Tiers and doting ia
theirs, to Follow Us adventurers into an
unknown land and how well they have
done their part. Many of US would
have, fallen by the .Wayside, but by
have. bidden is to rise again, and thus
we were enaH I'd to face the stern real
tiles of life, Such, were, the wives of
the old settlers and to them is due all
praise for the benefits we are all en-
joying here today.
- Saved by His Wife.
ITO one OF these I may say I am in
sdebted for being able to deliver this
paper tonight. 1t was a dark and dis
NAL night. My wife had retired I
was about closing up the store. There
were yet "a few embers aglow in the
fireplace, when a knock was heard at
the door, We were alone. I opened the
door when an, Indian came in and
seated himself by the fire. I was in
hopes that. after he had warmed him
self he would get. up and so away. I
entertained him as well as I could, but
he became very abusive, and before I
could tfinlkihe drew his knife and was
in this act 6f making a plunge at me
when my Wife, in her white sleeping
grown, appeared in the door, this di-
verting his attention.
''This gave mel the opportunity of
grabbing hiss hand in which he held the
knife and5 tdisarmff1g him. I was his
equal tllen. left him a fit subject
for the cemetery and threw him over
the bluff Next morning he crawled
up and eatneG into the house and I as
sisted hi1fn TO perform ablutions and
gave him q good breakfast. We part
ed friends and were friends ever there
after. Such scenes as these were not
infreauents tp, wives and mothers Of the
pioneers Of Minnesota"