USA > Indiana > Knox County > Vincennes > Historical sketches of Old Vincennes, founded in 1732 : its institutions and churches, embracing collateral incidents and biographical sketches of many persons and events connected therewith > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17
270
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
only the place of the meeting, but many things that then transpired. He represented the scene as dramatic from the beginning, when Tecumseh refused to be seated by the side of the Governor, preferring one on the green sward. After the preliminary compliments of the actors, Harrison told Tecumseh that he had heard that dissatis- faction obtained with the Indians, and for that reason he desired a conference with him, and had invited him and his chiefs to meet him in couneil, in order to disabuse his mind as to the feelings and intentions of the white settlers and that of the Government of the United States. He said the Government had ever been the friend of the Indians, and had always treated them kindly and justly. In reply, Te- eumsch, through the interpreter, Barron, told the Governor in an exeited manner that he lied ; when as quick as a flash Harrison arose to his feet and drew his sword to resent the insult, but his friends, surrounding him, prevented the blow. Terrible excitement prevailed for a while, and a general battle seemed imminent between the Indians, sol- diers and citizens. When the tumult had somewhat calmed, the Governor summarily dismissed Tecumseh, telling him his language was such that he would hold no further con- versation with him; and the chief retired with his braves up the river to his camping ground. On the following day Tecumseh, repenting his rashness, sent a messenger to the Governor requesting another meeting, to which he ac- eeded provided the chief would apologize for the insulting language he had used, and come only with a few braves. The meeting was held but the principals parted without perfect agreement on a peaceful basis. That the council was held in front of the veranda looking southwest under
271
OLD VINCENNES.
some shade trees about two hundred feet away there can be little doubt. The venerable A. B. McKee, a nono- genarian,* told the writer that his opinion, based on infor- mation gained from an eye witness, many years ago, is that the meeting of Harrison and Tecumseh occurred at the point named above, and in the shade of some walnut trees. Mr. Vital Bouchie, a native Frenchman of this city, now upward of ninety years old, coincides with the opinion of Mr. McKee.
The testimony of Judge John Law, a distinguished law- yer and an ex-member of Congress from this city and con- gressional district, who settled here in 1817, shortly after the famous council was held, and while yet its place and transactions were fresh in the memory of the citizens, agrees with the two former witnesses, and should be held as conclusive as to the locality, but he does not state the kind of trees under which the meeting took place. In his published history of Vincennes he says : "The council was held in an open lawn before the Governor's house, in a grove of trees which then surrounded it. But only two of these, I regret to say, are now remaining." John Law's residence for many years was only a few hundred feet southwest of the Harrison residence.
The door in the southwest side opens into a hall which communicates with the lower rooms and stairway ; the door on the east side is less pretentious and communicates with a single room ; and, hence, it must be concluded that the front of the house faced southward, looking in the direction of the locality where the pow-wow was held, as that was "before the Governor's house."
** Recently died,
272
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
On my arrival in this city a little more than fifty years ago, I remember to have noticed two trees, which were al- luded to by Judge Law. In that year the title to the Harri- son premises passed to B. C. Armstrong, who, it was said, during his brief ownership of the property, acted the van- dal, in slaying the historical and other trees merely for firewood, when fuel could have been then purchased for about one dollar per cord prepared for immediate nse. The spot having been verified where the conference took place, I sought to ascertain the character of the trees, and, with that object in view, I visited the present owner of the property, and asked him if he had ever seen any evidence of a grove of trees about where his paper mill stands. His reply was that, in clearing away and leveling the ground, preparatory to erecting the buildings, the stumps of three trees were noticed forming a triangle, being about forty or fifty feet apart. A pick was obtained and the stump of a tree was found just in front of his office, fifteen feet away ; in a moment it was laid bare, and parts of two of the roots were unearthed and broken off. The roots were sawed in twain to observe the color and character of the grain. Those present pronounced the roots to be walnut timber. An ex- pert dealer in woods, Mr. Heathcote MeIlvaine, had a like opinion, and, in eleaning them of clinging sand, the dark walnut stain, a crucial test, was in evidence so abundantly as to turn the water to ink black color.
Hence I think it follows, from the evidence adduced, that the location of the spot where the famous Harrison and Tecumseh council was held, and the character of the grove have been clearly and fully demonstrated.
273
OLD VINCENNES.
The old mansion, under the light of truth, will lose none of its beauties and fascinations by dispelling from it the nebulæ of gauzy fables, thrown around it by faney-weav- ing. peripatetic correspondents. It is a historical relic which has an intrinsic value of its own, and needs no veneering or furbishing to make it ever dear to those who cherish memories of the fading past. As a matter of his- tory, pertinent in this connection, and a result of this fa- mous council which culminated in the battle of Tippecanoe and the final overthrow of the Prophet's and Tecumseh's power in Indiana Territory, it would be well to state the main point of the controversy which led up to it. Some time previous the Government had made treaties and pur- chased lands from some of the Indian tribes. Tecumseh claimed that a confederacy existed, of the various tribes, and that neither one could alienate its lands without the consent of the whole. Governor Harrison dissented from the contentions of the chief, and hence a peaceful under- standing was impossible. So at the conclusion of the second vouneil Tecumseh and about twenty braves started south in their canoes down the river. Before coming to Vincennes it is said he had exacted a promise from his brother, the Prophet, that he would not engage in a war with the whites in his absence. Harrison, suspecting that Tecumseh's trip south boded evil ( and it so turned out that his mission was afterward learned to be to form alliances with the tribes along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers). determined, after considering the outcome of the council, and the preceding episode, when his ambassador to Prophet town barely es- caped assassination, to prepare for a visit to the Prophet and seenre an amicable or an enforced peace, if needs be.
[18]
274
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
by battle. Before starting to the Tippecanoe village, he re- ceived accessions to his little army from Kentucky, aug- menting it to abont seven hundred efficient men. Being thus prepared to cope with any hostile force he would likely encounter, he left for the Tippecanoe village about Octo- ber 1, stopping at Terre Haute to build a fort (naming it Fort Harrison), after which he proceeded north on his mission, arriving at the mouth of Vermillion creek October 31, where he built a block-house for the reception and pro- tection of stores.
On the night of November 6 he arrived in the vicinity of the village, still maintaining a friendly demeanor to- ward the Indians, and, meeting the Prophet's ambassadors, assured them of his peaceful intentions, and a council was agreed on, to be held the next day. That night passed off quietly until 4 o'clock a. m. of the 7th, when his forces were attacked without warning, and the battle of Tippecanoe was fought, against odds (the Indians numbering eight hundred and on their chosen ground), and won, breaking the power forever of the Indians in this part of the West, and bringing peace to the long suffering settlers. Tecum- sch, returning from the South after the battle, was so cha- grined that he went North and joined the English, and was slain in the battle of River Raisin.
The vicissitudes through which the old mansion has passed, during the j ast seventy-five years, have been many and varied. After the Harrisons left it, the building was used as a dwelling, as a school house, warehouse for storing grain, and for a hotel, and much of the time it remained nnoccupied, and was a great resorting place for imagina- tive, idle youths, fond of adventure, who, amid the dark
275
OLD VINCENNES.
labyrinthian cellars, conjured up spooks and subterraneous passages, upon which they could dilate upon in rehearsals to their less favored but credulous friends.
The lands on which the Harrison residence was built comprised lots No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in upper prairie survey, which embraced all of the river front, from Hickman to Hart street, running back to the Highland foot-hills, and contained 280 acres. The ground on which the house stands, and that constituting originally the yard, garden and outlots, embraced all of that which is bounded by the river on the west, Scott street on the south, by Park on the east and by what is now called Harrison street on the north, this latter street being known originally as Perry. In Sep- tember, 1815, the plat of Harrison's addition was made and legalized by an act of the Legislature on January 3, 1817. This plat embraced that portion of the land reaching from the river to Seventh street, then called Trotier street. The remaining portions of this land is embraced in Coch- ran's, Malott's and Shepard's additions to the city of Vin- cennes.
On June 26, 1821, Governor W. H. Harrison deeded the property to his son, John Cleaves Symes Harrison. From his estate it passed into the possession of David C. Armstrong. He sold it to James Ewing, and he to W. F. Pidgeon. Flavius Pidgeon inherited and sold it to the present owner, Mr. Edward Shepard, who has expended much time and money in making repairs and trying to restore to the old mansion some of its former beauty and attractiveness, for which all lovers of historic places and memories of pioneer days should be truly thankful. We hope its pristine glory may be regained and it continue to be an interesting relic in our city for ages to come.
Chapter XIII.
FACTS AND LEGENDS-POPULATION.
H AVING often been asked about the population of the town, especially in its early existence, the author subjoins the following, believing it sub- stantially sets forth the facts:
The first census recorded was taken in 1769.
1769. When it was 69
1777. Lieutenant - Governor Edward Abbot's report gives 250
1800. The next report was by United States Govern- ment: Males, 373; females, 333; slaves, 8; total 714
1810. Males, 336; females, 329; slaves, 5; total ... 670
The census in the next three decades gives the town and county together, the town being estimated at one-fifth of the total population.
1820. Whole county .. 5,315. Town estimated at .. 1,029. 1830. Whole county .. 6,557. Town estimated at .. 1,311. 1840. Whole county .. 10,657. Town estimated at .. 2,131. 1850. Vincennes population, separately taken, was 2,070. 1860. Vincennes population, separately taken, was 3,960. 1870. Vincennes population, separately taken, was 5,438. 1880. Vincennes population, separately taken, was 7,680. 1890. Vincennes population, separately taken, was 8,850. 1900. Vincennes population, separately taken, was 10,249.
It will be observed that the increase of the population for the four last decades has advanced with increasing
-276-
-
OLD VINCENNES. 277
impetus, and the increase during 1901 and 1902 will be one hundred per cent. greater than the late preceding years, and the outlook is promising for a greater increase in the immediate future. Not a house is for rent, buildings are rapidly going up, and the population, estimated on the school enumeration, now exceeds 12,000.
VINCENNES' FIRST THEATRE.
History tells us that a theatre was built here about the year 1806, on the corner of Broadway and Water streets, by John Rice Jones, an attorney, official and politician. It was first occupied in 1807, when the play was "Drown- ing Men Catch at Straws."" A singular coincidence hap- pened on the evening of the opening, in the drowning of a citizen, Robert M. Douglas.
That a theatre should be started in this place in the long, long ago days, environed by the wilderness of the North- west, far away from civilization, need not be wondered at, since all the world's a stage, as some one has said, and in every day life people are but the actors. If this phrase were transposed to read, "In all the world there is a stage," the aphorism would be equally true; as in savage and heathen lands, people may be found acting the various roles, from serio-comic to veritable tragic,-from the In- dian war-dance to the refined tragedies and comedies of modern times. Human nature is the same with all peoples and in all climes, and the craving for recreation, novelty and variety seems innate in the human creature. "A little nonsense now and then is relished by the best of men ;" " All
* History of Knox County, p. 244.
278
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," and "Variety is the spice of life," are axioms voiced all along upon the waves of expressed thought. Excessive labor and serious, prolonged study are inimical to man's terrestrial happi- ness. The bow, long over-bent, loses its elasticity, and ceases to respond to the light touch of the skilled archer. After diving into serious problems of everyday life, sub- jects of lighter vein bring rest to the mind and zest to the passing hours.
It seems that the playwrights of the olden days did not seize upon the episode of the raising of the first flag over Sackville as one suitable to the times, and it was left for others to exploit the reported act, in the play of "Alice of Old Vincennes."
The lighter vaudeville plays were in vogue in rural dis- triets in those early days.
Evolution has wrought some changes in the character of them, but light comedy roles will continue to be favor- ites with the masses as long as a good, hearty laugh is en- joyed.
It is a singular fact that the present MeJimsey's (Green's) Theatre should occupy an adjoining lot to the first one, built nearly a century ago.
THE OLD FERRY.
One of the oldest and most important institutions of the city sixty years ago was the ferry. Originally the canoe was the chief mode by which the citizens crossed the Wa- bash, but, very early in the nineteenth century, a way was devised far superior to the canoe or pirouge, in case, celer- ity, safety and accommodation, as horses, carriages and
279
OLD VINCENNES.
stock of all kinds could be transported by a boat propelled bv self-adjusting apparatus, which created a water power. The first license for a ferry was granted to Colonel Francis Vigo, February 16, 1805, "from his land on the north- west side of the Wabash river and opposite to the town of Vincennes, across the said river."* There were two ferries three-quarters of a century ago-one at the foot of Main street and the other at the foot of Broadway street. These boats were probably forty feet in length and ten feet wide ; the sides were of single pieces of broad, thick timbers, shaped at the ends like a canoe, with flat bottom of thick planks. The machinery of the motive power was simple, but not very easily described. A buoy was anchored a hun- dred or more feet above the track of the boat, in the middle of the stream, to which a stout wire cable was attached, running from the center of the boat; another wire was at- tached to the one up stream, one end being unattached, reaching to the boat, which could be changed to either end. A broad movable plank was connected at each end, on the upper side, which could be lowered below the boat, or raised to the surface of the water, at will, by a lever. By heading one end of the boat up stream, and shortening the loose reversible wire, keeping it taut, and lowering the plank at the other end, the current of the stream gave impetus to the boat and carried it silently and swiftly to the opposite shore. The return trip was made as quickly by a reversal of the appliances.
Esquire James Gibson kept the lower ferry and Esquire Thomas Bailey ran the Broadway street ferry. The latter lived on the opposite side of the river, just below the B.
# Indiana Territorial Journal, p. 126.
280
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
& O. S. W. railway bridge, opposite Hart street, in a brick house. Tradition tells of an amusing episode, with a tragic side, connected with the latter ferryman. Being a widower, Bailey took it into his head to get himself a second better half.
In those days charivaris were common following wed- dings with widowers, and especially so with those who mar- ried again before the conventional time had elapsed after the death of their consorts. If the groom in this case had violated custom it is not known, but if he had, he perhaps had heard of that precedent set by Father Whitaker, a rather eccentric and celebrated Methodist cirenit rider, which had occurred about this time in Kentucky.
Father Whitaker was blessed with a good-sized family of small children, and, having had the misfortune of losing his helpmeet, and his labor of circuit rider taking him from home a great deal of his time, when his little family were left without protection or help, he concluded it was his duty to take unto himself a "better half" who could look after their wants in his absence, remembering, no doubt, the divine injunction, "He who will not provide for his household is worse than an infidel." So in a very short time after the demise of Mrs. W. he found a good Samari- tan woman who was willing to share his troubles and joys with him, and they were married. Some of the sisters and brothers of the church were shocked at the hastiness of the preacher, and, when Conference next met, he was cited to appear and show cause for his unseemly behavior, which was calculated to bring scandal on his church. When ar- raigned by the prosecutor for his action, Brother Whitaker pleaded, first, that he was compelled to be absent from his
281
OLD VINCENNES.
helpless children while serving his church much of the time, who needed care; second, that he was too poor to hire a housekeeper, and, lastly, that "Sookey Honey" was just as dead in three weeks as she would be in three years.
These arguments appealed with such force that convic- tion was out of the question, and the brother was given a clean bill of acquittal.
So, on the eventful evening, while the bridal party was at the height of its enjoyment, some French boys crossed over to the house to give the groom and bride the usual charivari. Becoming too annoying, the groom introduced his old fowling piece and fired into the midst of the revel- ers. Although none were seriously injured by the charge, the merrymakers became incensed, recrossed the river and procured an old smooth-bore cannon, loaded with powder and ball, and, placing it in position, blazed away at the house of the groom. A truce was then declared, a protocol signed, and the white-winged dove of peace again hovered over the crystal waters of the Wabash, the dance was resumed, and the bridal festivities proceeded without fur- ther disturbance.
THE PRIMEVAL CONVEYANCE.
The memory of the oldest inhabitant, nor even tra- dition, runneth back to the time when the old "French cart," the primitive mode of conveyance, first made its ad- vent in Vineennes. It was unique in its character and ap- pearance, and its model may have been one of the relies saved from Noah's ark, which rested on Ararat at the sub- sidence of the flood. This cart was the first mode of con- veyance introduced to lessen the burthens of the French pioneers, soon after the first settlement of the village, in
282
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
1732. The present two-wheeled cart and old gig have some resemblance to its size, shape and capacity, save that its body was of greater size, and it was uncovered and un- seated. It seems to have been designed by its patentee, if its originator could be so called, to act as a family carriage, as well as a truck and wood carrier. When used as a car- riage, chairs and stools were set in it for the occupants, which could be removed when a load of corn or wood was to be hauled. Its composition was entirely of wood, in- cluding wheels, body and shafts, and the Canadian pony, its motor power, was rigged with a bridle and harness of ropes. In reference to this old mode of conveyance, Judge Law, in his article describing worshippers coming from church, has this to say : "On 'fast' days might be seen the patriarch of his flock, with blanket capot, a blue cotton handkerchief around his head, with a pipe in his mouth, and with his family seated in chairs, in his untired cart, which had never known the use of iron, drawn by a Cana- dian pony, and conveying his generation, as his fathers be- fore him had done in theirs," etc.
The use of this cart and its equipment obtained, with slight alteration, up to the middle of the nineteenth cen- tury, and its appearance is embalmed in the writer's first recollections of the Vincennes of fifty years ago. Just when it made its first appearance and its final exit is not exactly known, but, like many other things and customs, it gave way in the evolution of time, to something better and more in accordance with the thought and genius of the age. The old ox cart followed "the one-horse shay"; next, the light two-horse wagon, and that by the ponderous six-horse wagon, with top ribbed and covered, not very unlike a river schooner. These wagons were the carriers of goods
283
OLD VINCENNES.
from the mercantile depots, which obtained until the mid- dle of the past century, when they gave way to the iron horse and cars. And now steam seems to be gradually giv- ing way to the mightier motor power, electricity. As to the advance in the construction of wheeled conveyances, in- cluding the newcomer, the automobile, the writer would say that half a century ago there were only two or three carriages, and not exceeding half a dozen buggies in the town, horseback and wagons being the ahnost universal mode of land conveyance. Now every family has its car- riage or buggy, and even the old French patriarch drives to the city from his country seat in his landau behind a span of blooded thoroughbreds.
THE DONOVAN BOULDER LEGEND.
Though not a President of the United States, Jefferson Davis was elected President of one portion of our country, which was called for a while "The Southern Confederacy," and was quite an able and notable man. In early life he was a Lieutenant in the American Army, and while in the service of his country tradition says he was stationed at Post Vincennes, about the time Captain Zachary Taylor, of the United States Army, was, in the line of his duty, occu- pying this place. Many years ago a legend obtained cur- rency here to the effect that Captain Taylor had a charming young daughter, Miss Sarah, who captivated the young Lieutenant with her charms, and, while the courtship was going on, they frequently took rides to the country beyond the high lands. About this time Mr. Jeremiah Donovan, a worthy and intelligent young gentleman who lived here, had a sweetheart in the same neighborhood, by the name of
284
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
Wyant, and, while out sparking, would often see his friend Davis and Miss Taylor sitting on a large boulder lying in the woods, resting after their jaunt hither ; and it seemed to be a favorite trysting place, where the passing winds wafted the aroma of the clover around and the merry songsters poured forth their love songs to their mates in the green swaying branches just above their heads. But those haleyon days were not to last always, and ere the climax was reached, by love's fruition, Captain Taylor and family became domiciled at another post. After their departure, Donovan, more fortunate than Davis, wooed and won his fair country maiden, and soon became a benedict. Love ran not so smoothly with the other couple, as the Lieutenant's aspirations met with opposition from the young lady's father, and they only succeeded in realizing the joys of love's young dream years afterward, by an elopement. Davis soon left the army and drifted into poli- tics, and subsequently became the chief factor in the revolt of the Southern States, and was chosen their President.
Many years before Mr. Donovan died (in memory of his old friend Davis, and the episodes on the boulder, and his admiration of him and his sweetheart, Miss Taylor, and perhaps his own visits to that trysting spot) he had it re- moved to his residence in the city, and placed it in the front yard, on the corner of Sixth and Broadway streets. After his death the property was purchased by Doctor John H. Rabb, President of the First National Bank, who let it remain there perhaps on account of the romantic associa- tion with it, and it still lies today on the same spot, after the lapse of more than half a century.
It has been said that this legend has no foundation in fact ; that the lady in question was too young to marry at
285
OLD VINCENNES.
the time her father's alleged residence was here. But what has this problem to do with the romance ? It is said Davis was once stationed here, and Miss Sarah (not Jessie, as some have it) Taylor may have visited here subsequently to the reported time her father occupied this post; and the episode may have occurred just as related by Mr. Donovan, and the fact that the young lady and the Lieutenant did have a courtship, and did consummate the same by an elopement, gives color to the truth of the legend. And the well-established fact that the narrator of this romance did woo, win and marry Miss Wyant at the country farm al- luded to; did subsequently bring his bride to the city, and, years afterward, transfer the old trysting stone to his front yard, also gives color to the probability of the truth of the foundation of the legend. Now, let me ask what object Mr. Donovan had in going to the trouble and expense of remov- ing an unprepossessing-looking, unshapely boulder to his front yard, if some romance or some pleasing reminiscence was not connected with it which he wished to perpetuate ?
The writer thinks the romance stands on a better founda- tion than one-half of the fables that have been palmed off here on the people the past few years as veritable history.
Many passers-by, on viewing the rude monumental stone of Nature's handiwork, may query as to the reason why that ugly rock is kept there. If it could only speak it would vindicate its right of presence, with the "old, old story," rehearsed to the willing ears of some who have long ago gone to dreamland.
Nature could oft a tale unfold Of mem'ries past and things to be, If we had vision, to behold, And hands to use her mystic key.
286
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
LEGEND OF "ALICE OF OLD VINCENNES."
In writing his superb romance, Maurice Thompson had to have a heroine worthy of the thrilling episodes occurring in the great Northwest during the Revolution, and no fault can be found with him if she were obtained from the realms of fancy, if the impossible is not too greatly trenched upon. Where fiction takes upon itself the habiliments of reality, criticism is impotent of harm, when success is the goal aimed at. In cogitating over the threads of romance out of which the woof and warp of the story of "Alice of Oll Vincennes" was to be constructed, Maurice Thompson little dreamed that the wiseaeres of this town would at- tempt to materialize Alice Roussilon, and identify her with a dashing creole of a past age; nevertheless, such has been attempted, and with some claims of success, for a while; but an image-breaker came along and dashed our fondest hopes. We were hopeful when we read the following seem- ingly authentie piece of information pertaining to aneient history in the Vincennes Commercial, being copied from the Terre Haute Express, which last paper derived its in- formation from a Logansport paper. Here it is, verbatim :
"The only man living today who can explain the charac- ters in the book, 'Alice of Old Vincennes,' lives here, in the person of Charles B. Laselle, Judge of the Probate Court and dean of the Logansport bar. His grandfather was the foster-father of 'Alice,' whose real name was Mary Shannon, daughter of William Shannon, Captain of a com- pany in George Clark's regiment. Mr. Laselle was born in Vincennes, over eighty years ago, and knew 'Alice' well; her son, who was named William Shannon, was a playmate
287
OLD VINCENNES.
of Mr. Laselle. The Shannons lived on the west side of the river at Vincennes, and, during an Indian raid, all the members thereof, except 'Alice,' were massacred. In this Mr. LaSalle explains why the girl was not killed, a point which the author of the book, Maurice Thompson, fails even to attempt. The old man says that the girl, while running from the savages, eried, 'Mon Dieu ! mon Dieu !' and the Indians, believing that she was of French descent, allowed her to live. She found a boat ready to cross the river, was taken aboard, and afterward cared for by the residents of the town. Her foster-father, known as Gaspard Roussilon in the novel, was no other than Francis Bus- seron, the grandfather of Mr. Laselle."
In the foregoing extract, it will be observed, the state- ment is made that Mary Shannon ( Alice Roussilon) was the only one of the family who escaped in the massacre of Captain William Shannon's family, and that she did so by erying as she ran, "Mon Dieu ! mon Dieu !" and that the Indians, understanding the expression, and, being friendly toward the French, let her escape across the river. Follow- ing this publication, Mr. H. A. Foulks, our esteemed fel- low-citizen (whose wife is the daughter of the late A. B. MeKee, whose grandmother, Sarah Shannon, was a sister of Mary Shannon, the alleged Alice Roussilon), drew the old Vigo Bible in contradiction, and in which are regis- tered two other sisters, one of whom, Elizabeth Shannon, married Colonel Francis Vigo. This old record, in fact, shows that there were six children, five Shannon girls and a son, named William Shannon. Elizabeth was born March 23, 1770, Sarah in 1775, and Mary (Alice Roussilon) in 1777. So it appears that the old Vigo Bible record destroys
288
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
the identity of Mary Shannon with Thompson's heroine. While this is so, the author had some foundation for some of the characters introduced in his book. At the time of the capture of Vincennes by Clark there was a Frenchman here who was Mayor, or Chief Civil Officer of the old town, by the name of Francoise Busseron, after whom a street in the city and a township in the county have been named, and who was commissioned a Captain in the militia by Clark, before or just after the capture of the town. The positions he held and the name are so much like that of Gaspard Roussilon that it might have been taken by Thompson as the basis of the latter character. Another item in the make-up of the plot is the significant one that Mary Shannon (Alice) was an orphan child and an adopted daughter of Captain Busseron. The drawing of the record on Mary Shannon bars her from actual partici- pation in the flag-raising over Fort Sackville, as she was just two years old on that memorable occasion. But I doubt not at that particular time she was cooing "Yankee Doodle" in her little cradle and keeping time with her chubby feet to the music of the fife and drum. So, if she did not perform all the heroic and patriotic acts attributed to her, it was no fault of hers. Father Time had just delayed her birth a few years too long for that episode. As to Mary Shannon, the reputed Alice, the au- thor (Thompson) does not claim great beauty for her, when she was "sweet sixteen," but the reason for that was doubtless owing to a traditional view handed down by a discarded lover, or one whose æsthetic taste could not appreciate the highest types of beauty. A gentleman of discernment, yet living, who knew Alice when he was a
289
OLD VINCENNES.
boy, says, in relation to this subject: "Judging from her appearance in middle age, she must have been a beautiful girl. The most prominent features of her character were that she was very independent and kindly. She was, in fact, such a woman that the men would have called her 'a grand old lady,' and the women, 'a sweet old lady.'" The anachronism committed by the author in making out the case of Alice was justifiable, as life is often prosy without the spice of romance added to it to give it zest. It must be taken for granted that she was all the poet's fancy painted her, in the portraiture given of her physique and character. She was a dashing beauty, an expert with a foil, a crack shot with a pistol or rifle, and a full match with Cupid in wielding his bow and arrow, in his skirmishing raids for trophies of the genus homo.
290
HISTORICAL SKETCHES
ALICE OF OLD VINCENNES.
I.
In the village, Che-pe-ko-ke, In the times long past and gone, Nestled on the Ouabache river, Lived brave Alice Roussilon. Not a flower in valley blooming, Not a songbird in the glens Was so fair and sweet as Alice, Pretty maid of Old Vincennes.
II.
Oft she winged the grouse and partridge, As from covey up they flew ; Or, disporting on the water, Oft she sculled her bark canoe. And by arrow, swiftly speeding, As to mark it straightly wends, Doe and fawn were often trophies Alice bagged, near Old Vincennes.
III.
Ere the battle's smoke o'er Sackville By the winds were rolled away, Lithely sped the maid, unhindered, With her flag to crown the fray ; Then, to mast rope tightly fastened, Up Old Glory high ascends, Waving back a kiss to Alice, Heroine of Old Vincennes.
IV.
Mem'ry, often, us will carry On the wings of busy thought Back to early years, when Freedom 'Gainst its foes in triumph fought; Not a spot should now be dearer To the hearts of Freedom's friends Than the village, Che-pe-ko-ke, Home of Alice-Old Vincennes!
·
1
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.