Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-01
ATTACK ON TORT @AckWLLE

Ohio Gouisville) without molestation.
There Clark made his headquarters on
bit of land called Corn Island He
selected this for safety and convenience
some of his men having become mu-
tinous owing to the secrecy he had to
maintain. Here he was Joined by a
few Kentuckians, and after building a
rude fort and leaving the faint-hearted
of his followers behind he set out on
June 26. shot" the falls and proceeded
down the river to Fort Massacre. about
four miles below the mouth of the
Tennessee, where he hid his boats
and started overland for Kaskaskia. He
was reluctant to go down the Ohio to
It's mouth and then up the Mississippi
to Kaskaskla, because spies or scouts
would warn the people in the fort
Across country it was a journey of 40
miles. A hunter. one of a party of
four that Clark had met near Fort
Massacre. had volunteered to guide the
little army, but he got bewIldered. and
Clark. fearing treachery threatened
him with death. Just in the nick Of
time the hunter got his bearings, and
thereafter was of excellent service to
Clark
With painstaking caution Clark went
through the woods and over the prairies
and on the night of July arrived on
the east bank of the Kaskaskia river,
three miles from the town. From Il
farmer and his family who were taken
prisoners Clark learned that Philippe
de Rocheblare. the Frenchman who
commanded the British fort. had heard
something of a threatened attack and
had sent out spies and scouts, but as
they got no news vigilance had been
relaxed There were about 500 men
In Kaskaskia, he learned, and the place
could be taken only by surprise.
Finding boats enough at the farm
Clark crossed the river and late that
night crept into Kaskaskla The COM
mandant was captured in his bed and
the garrison was overawed without
firing a shot The surprise was COM
plete. At daylight the soldiers and
people were disarmed
OMENS.
To persons who lay stress on omens
or condolences there may be interest
in these two facts; There was an
eclipse of the sun as the boats of
Clark shot the falls of the Ohio. and
Kaskaskia. the town of romance, the
Paris of the Mississippi valley in the
early days, was captured on the second
anniversary of the Declaration of In
dependence.
Most of the people OF Kaskaskia were
OF French descent and they feared for
their lives at the hands of the Amer
leans. but when Clark assured them
they had nothing to fear. that the
French government had come to the as
sistance Of the struggling colonsts and
that upon taking the oath of allegiance
to the United States they would be
permitted to go and como as they
pleased, they were oyerjoyed One OF
the first to take the oath was Father
Pierre Glbault. the parish priest Clark
told him an American officer had moth
Ing to do with churches but to defend
them from insult and that under the
laws of Virginia the Catholic religion
had as great privileges as any other
Father Gibault from that time forward
was one of Clark's most earnest and
valuable friends.
But Commander Rocheblare was diff
ferent. He was so violent In his con-
duct that Clark sent him to the Falls
of the Ohio a prisoner. and with him
no sent n portion of the garrison so as
TO lessen the danger of an outbreak.
The day following the capture of Kas-
kaskia Clark sent n force to capture
Cahokia. the oldest post In the Mis-
sissippi valley Cahokia is a few miles
south of East st. Louis The French
inhabitants greeted the Americans ioy-
ousy.
On his own suggestion Fnther Gi-
bault was sent TO Vincennes with DR..
de Fout. head of the Kaskaskla semi .
nary and several others. They re-
turned in August with the news that.
through Father Gibault's influence. the
inhabitants had raised the American
nag over the post and the small Eng
lsh garrison had fled. Clark there
upon sent Capt. Helms to take Charge