The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-02-23

tionality. EEgt
BY the time George Rogers Clark appeared on
the scene Vigo rated one of the wealth
lest men in that part of the country with agen-
cies for his fur-tradng business in Kaskaskia,
Vincennes and as far north Mackinac. The
story of Clark's capture Of Kaskaskia in ITS is
too familiar to need recOunting here but Vigos
part In the capture of vincennes, the next step
In Clark's ambitious plan to wrest the Old North
west from the British, is not so well known.
Clark realized that until the British were driv-
en- from Vncennes the real center of their pow
er in that region, his hold on Kaskaskia was pre-
carious at best and his chances for extending
his conquest were very slight The only answer
to his problem to attack Vincennes and
capture drive away Gen. Henry Hamilton, the
British commander, and his force there. OF this
Rosellf says:
"Clark, at Kaskaskia, was helpless until he
knew what was going on at Vincennes over 200
miles away through muddy wilderness infested
by those scalping Indians of General Hamilton
whose prowess had brought upon that stern fight
the nickname of 'Hair-Buyer.' No news had
leaked through since August 1st 0778) winter
with its terrors already upon them; and
spring was bound to reopen the line of supply
between British Vincennes and British Detroit.
Vigo, at this time, already a prosperous mer-
chant who could not with impunity forego his
interests, and an italian to whom the future of
might have seemed immaterial, left everything,
and. with no remuneration whatsoever, started
upon his career as a gentleman-spy. He took
with him single servant and made for Vim
cennes.
His one chance to accomplish his mission
depended upon the following succession of
events: He must be taken prisoner-preval upon
his savage captors not to scalp him-appear be-
fore Hamilton-manage to avoid not only inn
priSn hut avo QypulSion--
linger on in Vincennes, seeing everything in the
fort and everybody in the settlement-then make
good his escape. Not an easy program; but one
which he followed according to plans and sched-
ule"
For Vigo succeeded in doing just as he had
planned He captured by Indians brought
safely to Fort Sackville at vincennes, questioned
by Hamilton succeeded in allaying the British
generals suspicious enough that Hamilton
allowed him to depart after he had been at
Vincennes for some time upon his signing pledge
that he would return to st. Louis without doing
anything injurious to British interests" Vigo
scrupulously kept his pledge by returning to St
Louis, after which he Immediately departed for
Kaskaskia and made the report to Clark on the
condition of the garrison at vincennes which
determined Clark's decision to march against
that post. va- ~
But this spying trip Of vigo's was not his only
contribution to the success Of Clark's expedition.
In fact, 1t the least of 1t. for far more
important was his financial help which made
the expedition possible. During the summer OF
ITS Clark had only Virginia currency, which
good with the French merchants of that
town, for the purchase of supplies until Vigo
induced them to accept it. Now Clark was again
in need of money-to pay his men, to buy arms
and supplies. Again Vigo came to his rescue. On
December he cashed a draft of Clark's on
Oliver Pollock, the Virginia agent at New Or
leans. for more than $4,000 and on January %
he cashed another for nearly 500.
"Forty-eight hours later, Clark and his party
of 172, rapidly equipped with Vigo's cash and
supplies, were disappearing in the wilderness,
eastbound." writes Roselli. "A long time would
pass before the gallant colonel beheld Pollock's
sarcastic letter explaining his refusal to extend
further credit to the Americans: How Colonel
Clark and the State of Virginia expect such
heavy sums to be paid by men without money, is
mystery which only time can point out 1t is
the quintessence of irony that the fiscal agents
letter was written on the very same day when
Vigo the stranger, was turning over his entire
fortune as an unprotected, unregistered, unlim-
tied loan which he never could collect IL Clark