The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1909-02-19
MERIWETHER LEWIS.

few years ago was the portrait of a
suicide-the first suicide whose face
ever adorned Uncle Sans currency.
He was Meriwether Lewis.
Lewis was a relative, by marriage,
of George Washington. Incidentally,
he was a born adventurer. He was a
Virginian, and from 1774 (the year
of his birth) to 1888 lived in war
like atmosphere. About his State
:he American Revolution ragged. Bat
ties, sieges and military tactics
formed the daily talk of the neigh
borhood. Yet, by the time the lad
was old enough to bear arms our
country was at peace. Lewis first
chance at fighting came when Shay's
rebellion broke out in 1874. He vol
unteered at once for active service,
and so strong a hold upon his mind
did martial fife take that next year
he entered the regular army.
For five years he followed SOL
dier's career, rising at last to the
rank of captain. But there was little
in our army at that time to appeal to
his love of adventure. The Revolu-
tion was past; the War of 1872 was
still many years away. There was
talk of war with France, but this
soon simmered down. Except for
local Indian campaigns and a few
other expeditions there was no fight
ing nor immediate prospect of any.
So Lewis left the service in 1901 and
became private secretary to President
Jefferson. Jefferson we'll understood
/ the daring, fiery nature of his young
secretary, and at the first opportun-
ity put it to active employment. Our
country bought from France the vast
tract of land known as the Louisiana
Purchase. Most Of the new territory
was practically an untrodden wilder
ness. There was no definite charts,
maps, descriptions, ETC., of a large
part of it. The United States knew in
general way the nature and scope OF
the Purchase lands, but had very
little exact knowledge on the subject.
The natural resources that might be
contained in this tract, the possibili-
ties of its unexplored portions, the To-
cation and trend of some of its rivers,
the conformation and soil of much of
the ground itself-all these were un-
known. Even goodly part of United
States territory outside the Purchase
was almost wholly unexplored.
Jefferson realized the need of OBJ
tanning closer information about these
possessions. So he privately asked
Congress to authorize and pay for an
expedition into the new lands. OBJ
tanning such permission; Jefferson put
Lewis in charge of the whole matter,
with orders to explore the continent
as far as the Pacific; and made Cap
tain William Clark, anothe Vir-
ginian, second in command.
The little party consisted of thirty
six soldiers, guides, negroes and
friendly Indians. Lewis set out from
Washington July 5; 1903, went to
Pittsburg, and there equipped his fol-
lowers for the long march. Pushing
on to st. Louis, the explorer win
tered; then sailed up the Missouri
River, moving ever northward, pass
ing close to the: present city of Bis
marck, n, D. Thence westward
across the Rocky Mountains and to
the head of the Columbia River.
Down the Columbia they sailed to the
Pacific Ocean, and made branch trips
through large part of Oregon.
Travel was slow. Part of the 1000
mile journey from. the junction of the
Missouri and Mississippi Rivers had
been made by boat and raft, part on
horseback and much on foot. Cold,
hunger, Indians, the wilderness itself,
hampered the explorers steps. But
the party. pressed on fearlessly.
Lewis and his assistants prepared in
valuable maps and notes of each
stage of the strange, daring journey.
Having penetrated as far north as
Canada and as far west as the Pacific.
the expedition turned homeward.
Lewis reached Washington again
on st. Valentines Day, 1907. after an
absence of three years and half.
The results of his discoveries were
laid before jefferson, and made by
him the subject of special message
to Congress. Clark, in reward for his
services. was raised high in civic and
military affairs. Lewis was appoint
ed Governor of Missouri. Going to
take up his Gubernatorial duties,
Lewis found everything in dire con-
fusion. He set to work a once re-
storing order out of chaos. And he
succeeded. But the strain of his long,
dangerous exploring trip and the
troubled state of Governmental af-
| fairs in Missouri combined to break
down. his health, and perhaps his
mind. On October s, 1909, while
stopping near Nashville, Tenn, on his
way to Washington, he killed himself.
| The man whose heroism had blazed
the path of progress through thou
sands of miles of trackless wilderness
died by his own hand, at the age of
thirty-five, throwing away future
that might have led him to even high
er pinnaeles of fame.-Albert Payson
Terhune, in the New York World.