Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-04-23

heehfHb LOT iHlHetles Douy. ne SHN
Senecas pass and repass. but as he
Travelled almost entirely In the water
he was successful In evadng them.
When he reached Lake Ontario, he
turned eastward. still carving his bum
die At night he slept with It close to
his face. breathing the precious In
cense OF T0inettes things. Some
times lie held To his lips the piece OF
red cloth she had worn around her
hair
No spring OF action encouraged him
10 return TO Forbidden valley or the
Richelieu. and Ii WIS chance and not
a definite purpose which brought him
to the place on Lake Champlain called
Ticonderuga by the Indians This was
late In the summer OF l756. The
French had occupied point OF land
and we're building Fort vaudreuil and
Fort Carlton. Ieems seized upon
these activities with the avidIty OF one
who at last had found something to
assuage Il killing hunger. lie Joined
Montcalm's forces and was given d
musket md Il spade In place OF his
bow an1 arrows.
He entered now mn apprenticeship
OF digging and building in the earth
where the forts were going up. The
work and its environment. the excite
ment Of war, and the ever-increasIng
news Of French victories were relief
to his broken spirits. hnt they did not
thrill him. He fought against this
apathy He tried to hate once more.
He repeated To himself many times
that the English and their Indians
were responsible for the tragedies
which had hefallen his loved ones.
But he could moi rise to the passion
for vengeance. lie wanted to fight. he
wanted to see the English and their
allies overwhelmed. hut his emotions
we're us dull as they were implacable.
They burned with Il fatalsffe> evenness
which neither triumph nor defeat
could raise ITO great heights or lower
to the depths they had plumhel. Death
could never stir him again as. 1t had
already stirred him ia slrtnhlps could
sicken him and 10 victory bring IL him
the reinotest -ladilpss III The song he
had ehanied in lie ilrni4ht ar
Chenufsia
IL made no cnnfitlanls inl ~ one
knew his siury An pHcrr found hr
was acquainted with the country and
he was made Lake George scout in
time 10 be captured BY Rogers and his
rangers on Christmas eve Of ITlG. He
escaped IN January and was back at
Fort Carlton early in February. when
he learned that Paul Tache had been
one OF The French officers nj OSwego,
and that he had been killed. Jeems
felt pang Of regret Lately tie had
been thinking Of Paul Tache and Of
Tonette's mother wondering what
their attitude would be when some day
he told them what had happened after
the massacre at Tonteur manor.
There Is no letter Of information
which covers the lapse in .Jeems' mill
tary history between February and
August OF 1857, at which time he was
present at the capture Of Fort VIII
liam Henry, or Fort George, and Wit
messed the massacre OF its English
garrison by uncomfortable French In
dams led by the Abenakis. Here
Jeems must have experienced an I'M
usual shock. for soon after the killing,
when In their madness some Of the In
dians were cooking English flesh on
splits and In kettles, he came upon the
black-frocked priest who had accom-
panied the Abenakis and found him to
be the Jesuit. Pierre ROubaud, who
had made Toinette his wife ut Chenuf-
sio. Father Roubaud was even then
preparing that eyewitness document
which was destined to become n VAIN
able part OF Jesuit and French Eng
fish history. and whose hundred or
more age-yellowed pages, written most
ly by torchlight amid scenes OF hor-
ror, one may read In the Jesuit
archives at Quebec. The priest saw
Jeems, but so intent was he upon his
task and so great were the changes |
wrought by sixteen months that he
did not recognize him, and Jeems left
his presence without making himself |
known.
After Fort William Henry and the !
brilliant French successes which pre-
ceded It, Jeems began to feel the in
evitable pressure which Is bound to |
crush the life from country that Ia |
enormously ontweighed by Its antag-
enist. The English colonies Ind put |
an end to quarrels among themselves.
and million and half people were
set In motion against the eighty thou
sand In New France. and behind this
inundating force were powerful Eng
llsh armies and still more powerful /
English navy already inspired by Pitt
and Wolfe. As re Deums were sung
because OF his victories. Montcalm knew
that New France was lowering at the
brink OF ruin. but at no time did the
outcome OF his heroic contest press
with greater certainty upon himself
than upon Jeems
AS the captured cannon were rushed
from Fort William Henry to Ticon-