USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Discovery and conquests of the Northwest, with the history of Chicago, Vol. I > Part 6
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Many a parting adieu was waved to the travelers as they slowly made their way across the extended plain in front of the fort, till the last glimpse of their receding forms was lost in the expanse of wilderness which in- tervened between them and New France.
La Salle with his men urged their way over the vast plains of Texas, swimming the rivers that crossed their path, subsisting on buffalo meat, and camping nightly on the ground, till they reached the Trinity river. The route thus far had been traveled a few months before by La Salle, in his erratic wanderings in quest of the "fatal river," and having an overstock of provisions at that time, he concealed some beans in a hollow tree for possible future use. Being now encamped hard by, he despatched Liotot, Hiens, Teissier, L'Archeveque, Nika and Saget, to secure them. To their disappointment they found them spoiled; but, on their return, Nika shot two buffalo. Saget was now despatched to the camp of La Salle for horses to bring in the meat, to be cured for use on the way.
The request was gladly complied with by sending two
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six or seven shots, Monsieur de La Salle, who was not far from us, heard them, and being in pain about it, he returned with six or seven men, and found all things in a good posture.
" He told us he had found a good country, fit to sow and plant all sorts of grain, abounding in beeves and wild-fowl; that he designed to erect a fort farther up the river, and accordingly he left me orders to square out as much timber as I could get, the sea casting up much upon the shore. He had given the same orders to the men he had left on the spot, seven or eight of whom, detached from the rest, being busy at that work, and seeing a number of the natives, fled, and unadvisably left their tools behind them. Monsieur de La Salle returning thither, found a paper made fast to a reed, which gave him notice of that accident, which he was concerned at, because of the tools, not so much for the value of the loss, as because it was furnish- ing the natives with such things as they might afterward make use of against us."
*The Indian mentioned by Joutel was Nika. This faithful servant had accompanied La Salle in all his forest marches ever since he first pushed his way into the lake country, and had more than once furnished subsistence to his famishing men by his superior skill in hunting, and had piloted them safely through mysterious portages known only to Indians.
58
Revolt and Murder Begin.
messengers, Moranget and De Marle, to return with Saget with the necessary horses. The meat had already been cut into thin slices and hung out to dry by the usual process; all except some choice bits which Duhaut and his pals had reserved for themselves. This was. an acknowledged prerogative of the hunter who killed game, and to Nika only belonged this right; but Mo- ranget, in no mood to respect these distinctions, abusing the whole party in a storm of indignation, seized all the meat by force.
The tragedy that followed is related by Joutel as follows:
"The 16th, in their return, they met with two bullocks, which Monsieur de La Salle's Indian killed, whereupon they sent back his footman, to give him notice of what they had killed, that if he would have the flesh dried, he might send horses for it. The 17th, Monsieur de La Salle had the horses taken up, and ordered the Sieurs Moranget and De Marle, his footman, to go for that meat, and send back a horse load immediately, till the rest was dried.
"Monsieur Moranget, when he came thither, found they had smoked both the beeves, though they were not dry enough; and the said Sieurs Liotot, Hiens, Du- haut, and the rest, had laid aside the marrow-bones and others to roast them, as was usual to do. The Sieur Moranget found fault with it; he in a passion seized not only the flesh that was smoked and dried, but also the bones, without giving them anything; but on the con- trary, threatening they should not eat so much of it as. they had imagined, and that he would manage that flesh after another manner.
"This passionate behavior, so much out of season, and contrary to reason and custom, touched the surgeon Liotot, Hiens and Duhaut to the quick, they having other causes of complaint against Moranget. They withdrew, and resolved together upon a bloody re- venge; they agreed upon the manner of it, and con- cluded they would murder the Sieur Moranget, Mon- sieur de La Salle's footman, and his Indian, because he was very faithful to him.
"They waited till night, when those unfortunate creatures had supped and were asleep. Liotot, the sur- geon, was the inhuman executioner. He took an axe, began by the Sieur Moranget, giving him many strokes
59
La Salle Falls a Victim.
on the head; the same he did by the footman and the Indian, killing them on the spot, whilst his fellow vil- lains, viz .: Duhaut, Hiens, Teissier and L'Archeveque, stood upon their guard, with their arms, to fire upon such as should make any resistance. The Indian and the footman never stirred, but the Sieur Moranget had so much vigor as to sit up, but without being able to speak one word, and the assassins obliged the Sieur De Marle to make an end of him, though he was not in the conspiracy.
"This slaughter had yet satisfied but one part of the revenge of those murderers. To finish it and secure themselves it was requisite to destroy the commander- in-chief. They consulted about the safest method to effect it, and resolved to go together to Monsieur de La Salle, to knock out the brains of the most resolute immediately, and then it would be easier to overcome the rest. But the river, which was between them and us, being much swollen, the difficulty of passing it made them put it off the 18th and 19th. On the other hand, Monsieur de La Salle was very uneasy on account of their long stay. His impatience made him resolve to go himself to find out his people, and to know the cause of it.
"This was not done without many previous tokens of concern and apprehension. He seemed to have some presage of his misfortune, inquiring of some whether the Sieur Liotot, Hiens and Duhaut had not expressed some discontent; and not hearing anything of it, he could not forbear setting out the 20th, with Father An- astasius and an Indian, leaving me the command in his absence, and charging me from time to time to go the rounds about our camp, to prevent being surprised, and to make a smoke for him to direct his way in case of need. When he came near the dwelling of the mur- derers, looking out sharp to discover something, he ob- served eagles fluttering about a spot not far from them, which made him believe they had found some carrion about the mansion, and he fired a shot, which was the signal of his death, and forwarded it.
"The conspirators, hearing the shot, concluded it was Monsieur de La Salle, who was come to seek them. They made ready their arms and provided to surprise him. Duhaut passed the river. L'Archeveque, the first of them, spying Monsieur de La Salle at a distance,
60
The Guilty and Innocent in Council.
as he was coming toward them, advanced and hid him- self among the high weeds, to wait his passing by, so that Monsieur de La Salle, suspecting nothing, and having not so much as charged his piece again, saw the aforesaid L'Archeveque at a good distance from him, and immediately asked for his nephew Moranget, to which L'Archeveque answered that he was along the river. At the same time the traitor Duhaut fired his piece and shot Monsieur de La Salle through the head, so that he dropped down dead on the spot, without speaking one word.
"Father Anastasius, who was then by his side, stood. stock still in a fright, expecting the same fate, and not knowing whether he should go forward or backward; but the murderer Duhaut put him out of that dread, bidding him not to fear, for no hurt was intended him; that it was despair that had prevailed with him to do what he saw; that he had long desired to be revenged on Moranget, because he had designed to ruin him, and that he was partly the occasion of his uncle's death .. This is the exact relation of that murder, as it was pre- sently after told me by Father Anastasius.
"Such was the unfortunate end of Monsieur de La Salle's life, at a time when he might entertain the greatest hopes as the reward of his labors. He had a. capacity and talent to make his enterprise successful; his constancy and courage and his extraordinary knowl- edge of the arts and sciences, which rendered him fit for anything, together with an indefatigable body, which made him surmount all difficulties, would have procured a glorious issue to his undertaking, had not all those excellent qualities been counterbalanced by too haughty a behavior, which sometimes made him insupportable, and by a rigidness toward those that were under his command, which at last drew on him an implacable hatred, and was the occasion of his death.
"The shot which had killed Monsieur de La Salle was also a signal of the murder to the assassins for them to draw near. They all repaired to the place where the wretched dead corpse lay, which they bar- barously stripped to the shirt, and vented their malice in vile and opprobrious language. The surgeon, Liotot, said several times, in scorn and derision, 'There thou liest, great Basha; there thou liest!' In conclusion, they dragged it naked among the bushes, and left it exposed
61
Audacity of the Assassins.
to the ravenous wild beasts. So far was it from what a certain author writes, of their having buried him and set up a cross on his grave.
"When those murderers had satiated their rage, they set out to come to us at our camp with the dried flesh, which they had caused to be brought over the river by the Indians, who had been spectators of the murder and of all the inhuman acts that had been committed, with amazement and contempt of us. When they were come to the camp, they found Messieurs Cavelier, the one brother and the other nephew to the murdered commander, whom Father Anastasius acquainted with the dismal end of our chief, and enjoined them silence, which it is easy to imagine was very hard upon them; but it was absolutely necessary.
"However, Monsieur Cavelier, the priest, could not forbear telling them that if they would do the same by him, he would forgive them his murder, and only de- sired of them to give him a quarter of an hour to pre- pare himself. They answered they had nothing to say to him; that what they had done was the effect of despair, to be revenged for the ill-usage they had received.
"I was absent at that time; they called L'Archeveque, who, as I have said, was one of the conspirators, had some kindness for me, and knowing they designed to make me away too, if I stood upon my defence, he parted from them, to give me notice of their mis- chievous resolution. He found me on a little rising ground, where I was looking upon our horses as they grazed in a little adjacent bottom. His intelligence struck me to the heart, not knowing whether I should fly or stay; but at length, having neither powder nor shot nor arms, and the said L'Archeveque giving me assurances of my life, provided I was quiet and said nothing, I committed myself to God's protection, and went to them, without taking any notice of what had been done.
"Duhaut, puffed up with his new-gotten authority, procured him by his villainy, as soon as he saw me, cried out, 'Every man ought to command in his turn;' to which I made no answer; and we were all of us obliged to stifle our resentment, that it might not ap- pear, for our lives depended on it. However, it was easy to judge with what eyes Father Anastasius, Mes-
62
Conspirators Quarrel over the Spoils.
sieurs Cavelier and I beheld these murderers, to whom we expected every moment to fall sacrifices. It is true we dissembled so well that they were not very sus- picious of us, and that the temptation we were under of making them away in revenge for those they had murdered, would have easily prevailed and been put in execution, had not Monsieur Cavelier, the priest, always positively opposed it, alleging that we ought to leave vengeance to God.
"However, the murderers seized upon all the effects, without any opposition, and then we began to talk of proceeding on our journey."
Thus, at the age of only forty-three years, fell the hero of a thousand conflicts against the calumnies of Jesuits,* the envy of rivals, and the untamed forces of Nature herself, against which he had contended for twenty years, in the heart of a savage wilderness. Much of this time the earth had been his couch at night, and his companions the savages whose realms he had entered.
With these he was an unusual favorite, not because he took the least interest in their every-day routine or catered to the narrow-gauge ideas with which the aver- age mind in a state of nature was occupied, but because in him was personified a true nobility of character, which perforce subordinates common grades of intellect, whether savages or civilians, to its will.
He was one of those men whose stamp of genius, in his peculiar sphere, has been left upon his age, where it will remain an indelible record, not only among the forests of America, but among the splendors of Ver- sailles, where his sunburnt face once stood among the effeminate graces of the French court like a giant among pigmies.
Strange that one so gifted should have had his weak points; but this was the case, and many of his misfor- tunes and his death were traceable to them. His weak- ness was found in his haughty, cold immobility, which repelled considerate counsels and left him alone in the hermitage of his thoughts when he needed advice.
Bereft of their champion, the situation of the party not in the conspiracy was perilous in the extreme. The
* La Salle never felt friendly to the Jesuits, and always chose priests not belonging to that order to accompany him. The Jesuits in turn opposed him. Hence the unfriendly manner in which Charlevoix speaks of him.
63
Retribution the Result.
least irritating word from them would have been the signal of death.
Duhaut and Liotot seized upon all the effects of La Salle, even the clothing on his person, leaving his naked body on the spot where he was killed, the flesh to be eaten and the bones tossed about by the wolves, and finally to moulder beneath the grasses of the prairie.
The excuse for this was, that it was but a just re- muneration for the losses they had sustained in follow- ing his fortunes to the desperate pass to which they were now brought. The appropriation of La Salle's effects aroused the indignation of the other conspira- tors, but the outbreak destined to finish up the closing 'scene was postponed.
Fathers of the faith and assassins besmeared with blood composed the company now left, on their way to the realms of civilization. These incongruous extremes, after being several days together, however, are relieved from each other's presence by a stroke of retribution as sudden as the death of La Salle himself. Joutel's relation of it is as follows:
"After we had been some days longer in the same "place, Hiens arrived with the two half-savage French- men* and about twenty natives. He went immediately to Duhaut, and, after some discourse, told him he was not for going toward the Mississippi, because it would be of dangerous consequence for them, and therefore demanded his share of the effects he had seized upon. Duhaut refusing to comply, and affirming that all the axes were his own, Hiens, who it is likely had laid the design before to kill him, immediately drew his pistol and fired it upon Duhaut, who staggered about four paces from the place and fell down dead. At the same time, Ruter, who had been with Hiens, fired his piece upon Liotot, the surgeon, and shot him through with three balls.
"These murders committed before us, put me into a terrible consternation; for believing the same was de- signed for me, I laid hold of my firelock to defend my- self; but Hiens cried out to me to fear nothing, to lay down my arms, and assured me he had no design against me, but that he had revenged his master's
* The two savage Frenchmen referred to by Joutel were deserters from La Salle's fort on Matagorda Bay the year before. They had cast their lot with the Indians, and here met their old comrades by chance.
64
Journey to the Illinois Country Resumes.
death. He also satisfied Monsieur Cavelier and Father Anastasius, who were as much frightened as myself, declaring he meant them no harm, and that, though he had been in the conspiracy, yet had he been present at the time when Monsieur de La Salle was killed, he would not have consented, but rather have obstructed it.
"Liotot lived some hours after, and had the good fortune to make his confession; after which, the same Ruter put him out of his pain with a pistol-shot. We dug a hole in the earth and buried him in it with Du- haut, doing them more honor than they had done to Monsieur de La Salle and his nephew Moranget, whom they left to be devoured by wild beasts. Thus those murderers met with what they had deserved, dying the same death they had put others to."
It had been apparent to the innocent party, ever since the death of La Salle, that the murderers durst not re- turn to Canada, and it had been a question, not only how to obtain a share of the outfit so necessary for the wilderness tour, but how to part company amicably with these odious associates.
The late death of Duhaut and Liotot settled this question very readily, Hiens, the leader of the outlaws, declaring that he would not risk his neck in Canada, and made an equitable division of the spoils. The travelers then cut loose from the late scenes of blood- shed, bidding adieu to the malcontents, whose lot was now cast with these Indians, less savage than them- selves.
The division of the goods and the final parting is best. told by Joutel, as follows:
"Accordingly he laid aside, for Father Anastasius, Messieurs Cavelier, the uncle and the nephew, thirty axes, four or five dozen of knives, about thirty pounds of powder and the like quantity of ball. He gave each of the others two axes, two knives, two or three pounds of powder, with as much ball, and kept the rest. As for the horses, he took the best and left us the three least. Monsieur Cavelier asked him for some strings of beads, which he granted, and seized upon all the late Monsieur de La Salle's clothes, baggage, and other effects, besides above a thousand livres in money, which belonged to the late Monsieur Le Gros, who died at our dwelling of St. Louis. Before our departure, it was a sensible affliction to us to see that villain walk about, in
65
Adventures of Tonty.
a scarlet coat and gold galloons, which had belonged to the late Monsieur de La Salle, and which, as I have said, he had seized.
"After that, Hiens and his companions withdrew to their own cottage, and we resolved not to put off our departure any longer. Accordingly, we made ready our horses, which much alarmed the natives, and especially the chief of them, who said and did all he could to obstruct our journey, promising us wives, plenty of provisions, representing to us the immense dangers, as well from enemies who surrounded them as from the bad and impassable ways and the many woods and rivers we were to pass. However, we were not to be moved, and only asked one kindness of him, in obtain- ing of which there were many difficulties, and it was that he would give us guides to conduct us to Cappa; but at length, after much trouble and many promises of a good reward, one was granted, and two others went along with him.
"All things being thus ordered for our departure, we took leave of our hosts, passed by Hiens' cottage, and embraced him and his companions. We asked him for another horse, which he granted. He desired an attest- ation, in Latin, of Monsieur Cavelier, that he had not been concerned in the murder of Monsieur de La Salle, which was given him, because there was no refusing of it; and we set forward with L'Archeveque and Meunier, who did not keep their word with us, but remained among those barbarians, being infatuated with that course of libertinism they had run themselves into. Thus there were only seven of us that stuck together to return to Canada, viz .: Father Anastasius, Messieurs Cavelier, the uncle and the nephew, the Sieur De Marle, one Teissier, a young man born at Paris, whose name was Bartholomew, and I, with six horses, and the three Indians who were to be our guides; a very small num- ber for so great an enterprise, but we put ourselves, entirely, into the hands of Divine Providence, confiding in God's mercy, which did not forsake us."
While they are laboring through the solitudes of the dreary country, we will follow the adventures of Tonty in his noble attempt to rescue La Salle's colony.
After the news of La Salle's departure, from France, to colonize the Mississippi country had reached Canada and the Illinois settlements, Tonty, who was stationed
66
Subtility of Cavalier.
at the latter place, was fired with zeal to serve the new colony by every means in his power. Accordingly, he assembled a band of twenty Frenchmen and thirty In- dians, and with this force, on the 13th of February, 1686, went down the Mississippi river to its mouth, where he expected to find his old friend La Salle at the head of a flourishing colony; but what was his surprise, and disappointment, when, after searching through the whole region, no trace of it could be found.
After leaving marks of his presence in various places, he wrote a letter to La Salle, and left it with the chief of the Bayagoulas, an Indian tribe on the banks of the Mississippi, who promised to send it to him should he ever learn his whereabouts.
Tonty then started up the river with his men; but "when he arrived at the mouth of the Arkansas, he deemed it prudent to build a fort, and leave a force of six men, among whom were Couture and De Launay, here to succor the colony if possible .*
This done, he returned to his post in the Illinois country.
For more than a year these sentinels of the forest re- mained at their post, holding themselves in readiness for any emergency.
Hard by was a large village of the Arkansas tribe, who enlivened the hermitage of the Frenchmen with the rude amusements of Indian life.
One summer day, while the tedious hours were being measured out with their dull routine, the Frenchmen were startled from their reveries by a French voice across the river, which flowed by their palisaded re- treat, and they immediately fired two guns as a signal, which the party across the river answered.
Two canoes were immediately sent across the river, and the tired travelers were soon taken over and con- ducted into the fort.
The reader scarcely need be told that they were the fugitives from La Salle's unhappy colony in Texas. Cavelier, his brother, was the principal spokesman, and as he related the long train of overwhelming disasters which had befallen the colony, and at last came to the cruel assassination of La Salle, their listeners gave vent to their feelings in tears and sobs.
After a brief rest, the travelers resumed their journey
*Tonty's Memoir, in French's Hist. Coll., vol. 1, p. 68.
67
Iberville and Bienville.
for the Illinois country, leaving the lonesome garrison at their post, whose duties were now to establish a representation of French interests in the country.
On the 14th of September they arrived at the old familiar grounds of Ft. St. Louis, on the Illinois river, opposite the present town of Utica; and now comes the. strange part of the history.
Tonty, the commander, was absent fighting the Iro- quois, and Bellefontaine, his lieutenant, stood in his place. All were eager to get tidings from La Salle, and in response to their inquiries, they were told that he was. well when they left, but omitted to state that he had been assassinated on the way-a very questionable way of telling the truth, by establishing a falsehood, the in- centive for which, it is but fair to presume, must have been from sinister motives, which supposition is strength- ened by the fact, that Cavelier borrowed, in La Salle's. name, 4,000 livres from Tonty.
It was the intention of Cavelier and his party to re- pair immediately to France, and to this end they made haste to take their departure. Arriving at Chicago, which by this time had become famous as a portage, they waited a week for the storm to abate, before daring to venture on the lake with their canoe, when they started, but were soon driven back by the heavy surf.
They now returned to Ft. St. Louis, and quartered under the hospitalities of Tonty, whose friendship for La Salle made him receive the subtle deceivers with welcome.
The next spring the party took advantage of the first mild weather to embark for Canada by the Chicago route; and from thence sailed for France, where they at last unbosomed themselves of their terrible secret at the French court. But, long before this, the withered germ of French power in Texas had fallen under the war- club of the Indians .*
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