The Holly chieftain., 1923-09-06

rior Of the Long Knives" By concerted action
they could wipe out his scanty force In twin
king. Clark met them in council at Cahokia with
stern and lofty dignity. He showed no fear. He
gave no Indication of desire for friendship He
laid before them war-bet and peace-belt and
told them to take their choice. In Short this young
leader of backwoods militia blufed the great crowd
Of restless. boodthrsty pro-British savages to a
standstill One chief after another arose and made
submissive speeches. Clark refused to smoke the
peace-pipe with any till he had heard from all and
the treaties were concluded. These proceedings
lasted five weeks and their influence extended to
all the tribes around the Great Lakes. Clark had
no further trouble with the Illinois Indians
Virginia. which then claimed all this region Inn
medately cllnched Clark's victory by creating the
County Of Illinois," Col. John Todd, as County
Lieutenant" took possession, set up capital at
Kaskaskia In May of 1910 and established a COM
plete civil government.
Cahokia also figures large in an ambitious plan
by the British cabinet In 1850 to capture New Or
leans, the Spanish posts west Of the Mississippi
and the Illinois Country. War had been declared
May g. 1779 between Spain and Great Britain.
May 26 1880, raid was made on st. Louis the
Spanish headquarters, by force of 140 English
and Canadian traders and 500 Indians, fitted out
by Lieutenant Colonel Sinclair of Michilimacinac
(Macklnac) and led by Sioux chief named Wa
basha. A portion Of the party crossed the river
and raided Cahokia. Sinclairs official report says
"At Pencour (St. Louis) 6S were killed, and 7S
blacks and white people taken prisoners; 43 scalps
were brought In. The rebels lost an officer and
three men at Cahokia and Ave prisoners"
Suddenly, without pressing the assault, the en-
tire party decamped and scattered. They had
discovered that Clark had returned In haste from
Kentucky and was at hand, prepared to aid the
Spanish The very name of Clark was terror
to the Indians. high wind prevented signals
from being heard; otherwise Clark would have had
hand in the hOstilities.
This attack was part Of general plan devised
by Lord George German for the complete con-
quest Of the West. Features of this plan were to
bring down force Of Northwestern Indians on ST.
Louis; to send an expedition from Detroit to In
wade Kentucky and keep Clark busy; to bring a
fleet and army up the Mississippi under General
Campbell to unite with the northern expedition
Inc plan was a good one. 1t failed In part be-
cause Governor Galvez of New Orleans got busy,
licked the British and captured their posts along
the lower Mississippi and at Mobile and Pensa-
COLA 1t also failed because Clark blocked the prog
ress of the northern expedition and also brought
to naught the expedition from Detroit to Kentucky
under Captain Byrd
If this British plan of conquest had been sue.
cessfnl the country north Of the Ohio and west
OF the Mississippi would have thereupon become a
part of the Province of Quebec
Clark's brilliant exploits In 177S and 1779 there.
fore have place Of Importance in American his
tory that cannot be overestimated They enabled
the new nation of the United States in the peace
negotiations successfully to Insist upon the Mis-
sissippi as Its western boundary as against the
British contention of the Aleghanies
With the Mississippi and the Ohio carrying their
trade TO the Gulf, the American people could not
rest until New orleans was an open port to them
rms desire Of the frontier brought about the
Louisiana Purchase Of 1903. And with the conf.
hent theirs from the Atlantic to the Rockies tbt
uiafep 10 the Pacihc became d matter of course