USA > Minnesota > Ramsey County > St Paul > A history of the city of Saint Paul, and of the county of Ramsey, Minnesota > Part 7
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PARRANT MORTGAGES HIS CLAIM.
But we must not lose sight of old PARRANT, located at the cave. During all this time he was driving a flourishing trade,
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selling whisky to both Indians and whites. Occasionally a party of soldiers, bound on a spree, would come down to his ranch, get soaked with his red-eye and tangle-foot brands, and fail to report next day. Hence a guard would have to hunt them up, and the poor fellows would sojourn in the guard- house, or wear a ball and chain for a period. Two or three times the officers at the fort threatened to tear his shanty down, but never executed the threat at that time. His place was searched once or twice, with the intention of demolishing all liquor found, but the old fox was too sly to be caught that way. He didn't keep much stock in sight. The rest of it was buried near by, where no one but himself could find it. Some say he used to hide it in the cave.
But old PARRANT lost his place at last. In the fall of that year-1838-he borrowed from WILLIAM BEAUMETTE, of Men- dota, the sum of $90, and, to secure it to the latter person, gave him the following judgment note, the original of which the writer has in his possession :
"SAINT PETER'S, 12th November, 1838.
" On the first day of May next, I promise to pay to GUILLAUME BEAUMETTE, ninety dollars, for the value received, without defalcation.
his " PIERRE X PARRANT. mark.
" Witness :
" A. M. ANDERSON.
"H. H. SIBLEY.
" Know all men by these presents, that I, PIERRE PARRANT, residing near the entry of the Saint Peter's River, and in Wisconsin Territory, do hereby make over, transfer and quit-claim to GUILLAUME BEAU- METTE, of said Saint Peter's, all my right, title, and interest in and to all that tract or portion of land which I, the said PARRANT, now reside upon and occupy, at the cave, so-called, about four miles below Fort Snelling, to have and to hold the same to the said GUILLAUME BEAU- METTE, his heirs and assigns forever.
"Provided always-and it is hereby expressly understood between the parties. that if the said PIERRE PARRANT shall pay or cause to be paid, on or about the first of May next, to the said BEAUMETTE, the sum of ninety dollars, amount of a certain note of hand given by me, the
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said PARRANT, to the said BEAUMETTE, then this transfer to be null, and of none effect, otherwise to remain in full force and virtue. his " PIERRE X PARRANT. [L. S. ] mark.
" Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of-
" H. H. SIBLEY. "A. M. ANDERSON."
The above document is in the handwriting of H. H. SIBLEY, who was then, or at least shortly afterward, a Justice of the Peace of Clayton county, Iowa, with a bailiwick extending from the present Iowa line to the British Possessions.
WILLIAM BEAUMETTE,
to whom the above note was given, was a Canadian by birth, who had emigrated to Red River about 1818 or 1819. He was a stone mason by trade, and, while at Red River, helped to build the present Fort Garry. At the time of the exodus from Selkirk's Settlement to Fort Snelling, BEAUMETTE accom- panied the refugees, and proceeded to Mendota, where he lived some years. He did not become an actual resident of Saint Paul until some time after the date of this occurrence. He married a sister of VETAL GUERIN, and lived in Saint Paul for over twenty years. He died here in November, 1870, aged about 70 years.
Here, for the present, we must leave this real estate transac- tion.
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1
CHAPTER VII.
EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1839.
THE EXCLUSION OF SETTLERS FROM THE RESERVE ARGUED-SURGEON EMERSON ACCUSES THEM OF DEMORALIZING THE SOLDIERS WITH LIQUOR-GEN. WOOL CORROBORATES THIS-THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC WITH INDIANS-PARRANT LOSES HIS CLAIM-ORIGIN OF " PIG'S EYE"-SETTLERS AT THE GRAND MARAIS-FIRST MARRIAGE, BIRTH AND DEATH-THE MURDER OF HAYS-WAS PHELAN GUIL- TY ?- SURVEY OF THE RESERVATION-ORDER FINALLY ISSUED TO EXPEL THE SETTLERS-THE WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE PROTESTS-VETAL GUERIN JUMPS THE HAYS CLAIM.
E ARLY in 1839, the exclusion of the settlers on the Re- serve again occupied the attention of the authorities at the fort. The ostensible reason was the illicit liquor traffic which some of them carried on, but, from the subjoined letter of Col. SAMUEL C. STAMBAUGH, sutler at Fort Snelling, to the Secretary of War, quoted on page 61, other motives may have been at work. Referring to the lines of the Reserve, as adopted by Major PLYMPTON, he remarks :
A SIGNIFICANT DOCUMENT.
" Nor was it thought by any one that the line would cross the Saint Peter's. There is land enough on the west side of (or between) these rivers, in the Indian country, to make a reservation of any extent, which will not be bounded by western settlers for a long time.
" You will perceive, by an examination of the survey and plat before. you, that the line as run is both awkward and unnatural. It commences some distance above the Falls of Saint Anthony on the west side of the Mississippi, but, instead of crossing immediately and traversing the country to strike the angle of the river below the fort, it runs along the west side about three miles below the Falls, where it crosses the river, and thence strikes across the country to Carver's Cave, which is three miles below Fort Snelling by the course of the river.
"The land, embracing the Falls of Saint Anthony, on the east side of the river, has, since its purchase by the United States, been im- proved by settlements so as to secure a pre-emption, and it is now held in possession by Doctor WRIGHT, FRANKLIN STEELE, and myself, (one-
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half section,) and one section by Major PLYMPTON, Captain SCOTT, and Doctor EMERSON. These settlements include the best positions imme- diately above the Reservation, as surveyed. If the military Reservation is made to include Carver's Cave, below Fort Snelling, it will embrace all the steamboat landings on the Mississippi River along a distance of twenty miles below the Falls, as the country is broken and swampy nine miles below the cave, and hence no steamboat landing can be procured by settlers within a distance of twelve miles below Fort Snel- ling, and the rapids produced by the Falls will prevent boats ascending above the Reservation line. The property, therefore, in which I, with others, claim to have an interest, would be greatly enhanced in value, by a military Reserve, which would place our claim most contiguous to the fort. But I believe the military service cannot be benefited by such a measure, and the adoption of it would produce universal dissat- isfaction when the country comes into market, and would now be a great mortification and inconvenience to visitors, who will crowd the Falls of Saint Anthony during the summer months, if houses for their accommodation can be erected in the vicinity of Fort Snelling. The bluffs of the river immediately opposite the fort are very high and dif- ficult of ascent, and the current of the river strong and deep. They are exposed to the eye of the sentinel for more than a mile up and down the river, so that no soldier can cross and enter a house on the opposite side without detection. Whereas, if settlers are forced back into the interior, out of sight and beyond immediate investigation, they will be of an inferior class, and can, if so disposed, bring whisky in kegs into the forest, within a short distance of the fort, with but little risk.
"The same objections exist to the extension of the Reserve beyond the Saint Peter's River. In a year or two, in all probability, the Indian title will be extinguished on that side of the river, so as to secure both sides of the Mississippi, and the citizens of Iowa Territory will extend their settlements to the rich valley of the Saint Peter's. If, therefore, the line is established as surveyed, it will take in all the boat landings near the junction of the Saint Peter's and Mississippi, and the people of Iowa can have no town or depot within from 10 to 15 miles distance, centered by this important point.
"I have taken the liberty of submitting to you these undigested re- marks, because I know that the extension of the military Reserve for Fort Snelling, beyond the Mississippi and Saint Peter's, will give great dissatisfaction to the people who go to purchase land and settle in that country. I have heard but one opinion expressed concerning it from all who have visited that place since I have been there. The United States Commissioners, Judge PEASE and General EWING, who were there last summer, after the survey was made, expressed the same opinions here given. If a military force must be kept up, at a heavy expense, to
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preserve peace between the Indians and our own citizen settlers, the latter should not be thrown out of sight and out of hearing of that pro- tection, but, as is usual, the first settlers should be permitted to locate as near that protection as possible. As the line has been run by the survey now before you, with the Mississippi and a forest of several miles intervening, an Indian force can intercept all communication with the fort, and the inhabitants may be massacred before the military can be apprised of the attack. Whereas, if the settlements would border on the river, they could furnish a shelter for those in the interior, and be covered by a six-pounder from the fort. A friendly intercourse and feeling would thus also be kept up between the military and civil power, which is a matter of the highest importance in times of Indian troubles."
THE ILLICIT SALE OF LIQUOR TO SOLDIERS.
On March 10, Maj. PLYMPTON addressed a long letter to the War Department, mainly in reference to the lines of the Re- serve, and the settlers thereon, rehearsing the troubles the set- tlers had given him by selling liquor to the soldiers, and urging their expulsion. The surgeon of the fort, Dr. EMERSON, also addressed the following letter to the Surgeon General :
" FORT SNELLING, April 23, 1839.
" SIR : As a friend to the soldier and temperance in the army, I am induced to make to you, as head of the department to which I have the honor of belonging, a statement of our situation at this post. Since the middle of winter we have been completely inundated with ardent spirits, and consequently the most beastly scenes of intoxication among the soldiers of this garrison and the Indians in its vicinity, which, no doubt, will add many cases to our sick-list. The whisky is brought here by citizens who are pouring in upon us and settling themselves on the opposite shore of the Mississippi River, in defiance of our worthy commanding officer, Major J. PLYMPTON, whose authority they set at naught. At this moment, there is a citizen, once a soldier in the Fifth Infantry, who was discharged at this post while Col. SNELLING com- manded, and who has been since employed by the American Fur Com- pany, actually building on the land marked out by the commanding officer as the Reserve, and within gunshot distance of the fort, a very extensive whisky shop. They are encouraged in their nefarious deeds in consequence of letters received by them, as they say, from Saint Louis and Washington, mentioning that no Reserve would be acknowledged by the proper authority. If such is the fact, (which I doubt very much,) I can only say that the happiness of the officers and soldiers is at an end at Fort Snelling.
"In my humble opinion, the immediate action of the Government is
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called for, to give us relief in pointing out the military Reserve, which ought not to be less than twenty miles square, or to the mouth of the Saint Croix River, especially as the Indians are allowed by treaty to hunt on it. I am certain, if the honorable Secretary of War knew our situation, not a moment's time would be lost in turning the wretches off of the Reserve, who live by robbing the men of the garrison of health, comfort, and every cent they possess. Pardon me, sir, if I err in writing so, but I feel grieved to witness such scenes of drunkenness and dissipation where I have spent many days of happiness, when we. had no ardent spirits among us, and, consequently, sobriety and good conduct among the command. May I presume to ask you to use your influence with the proper authority to mark out the Reserve, and rid us of those harpies or whisky-sellers who destroy the health of the soldiers, and, consequently, their usefulness to their Government and country. " With great respect, I have the honor to remain your obedient servant, "J. EMERSON,
"Surgeon U. S. A.
" THOMAS LAWSON, " Surgeon General U. S. A.
" The immediate action of the Government is called for in this matter. "E."
This letter was referred by the Surgeon General to the Sec- retary of War, and, on June 2d, the post at Fort Snelling was visited and inspected by Brig. Gen. JOHN E. WOOL, who, in his report to the Secretary of War, strongly endorsed the above „views, as follows :
" My object at this time is to call your attention particularly to his peculiar situation in regard to the Indians and white inhabitants who are permitted to occupy the country surrounding his post. The views of Major PLYMPTON on this subject have been on several occasions presented to the War Department, and at length in his communication of the 11th March last, and which, from my own observation, I am con- fident are correct, and, if not attended to in due season, his predictions in relation to the Indians and whites will be verified.
"The white inhabitants, aware of the large amount of money an- nually paid by the United States to the Indians residing in that region of country, avail themselves of the means in their power, confident of the protection of the Government, of introducing at all points, and within half a mile of Fort Snelling, intoxicating liquors, which is no less de- structive to the discipline of the troops than hazardous of the peace and quiet of the country. Such is the character of the white inhabitants of that country, that, if they cannot be permitted to carry on their nefari- ous traffic with the Indians, it will sooner or later involve them in a
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war with the United States. If the Government would avoid such a re- sult, it should immediately adopt measures to drive off the public lands all white intruders within twenty miles of Fort Snelling, and prohibit intoxicating liquors from being introduced into the Indian country, or on lands not sold by the United States.
" Again, it is well known that the Sioux and Chippewas have been at war from time immemorial, and no prospect of its termination or of peace being established between the two tribes. The introduction of whisky, which is as common almost as water, by no means tends to lessen their national hatred; on the contrary, it prompts collisions and war, and, consequently, a source of constant and increasing anxiety to the commanding officer, which no vigilance can guard against. The sacrifice of blood and treasure in the late war in Florida ought at least to admonish us that we ought to be on our guard, and, by timely meas- ures, prevent similar results."
These reports and communications were taken under advise- ment by the Secretary of War, and soon induced him to take decisive action in the case, as will appear hereafter.
It may be thought that unnecessary space and prominence has been given to these documents regarding the lines of the Reserve, and the conduct of some of the settlers thereon. But the reader will soon perceive, if he has not already, that they are of the greatest historical value and importance, as giving the reasons and causes which first tended to the settlement of the locality which afterwards became Saint Paul, and deter- mined the location of our city. Hence, they could not be omitted from a full and impartial history, and deserve the careful attention of the reader.
THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC.
Perhaps the inquiry has arisen in the mind of the reader, was the illicit liquor traffic carried on so extensively as has been intimated above, and was it productive of the evil conse- quences mentioned, to the Indians and soldiers ?
I think there is abundant testimony from various sources to prove that it was. Intemperance among the soldiers, as Sur- geon EMERSON says, has always been one of the worst enemies to their health, good discipline and morale. How to prevent it always has been, and is now, one of the most difficult prob- lems of the good officer. Maj. TALIAFERRO, Indian Agent at
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the fort, in his journal, before quoted, refers in many instances to the trouble brought on soldiers by the illicit sale of liquor to them. On June 3d, 1839, he notes that forty-seven soldiers were confined in the guard-house for drunkenness, in one night, having been arrested in an uproarious spree in a whisky hovel across the river, kept by a man named MINK, who was, for that offense, sent out of the country. Mrs. JAMES PATTEN, of Minneapolis, (then living in the fort with her father, RICH- ARD W. MORTIMER, a Commissary Sergeant, ) states that, every winter, after settlers began to locate west of the river, and sell· liquor clandestinely, soldiers lost their lives by falling down on their way back to the fort, from DONALD MCDONALD'S, while intoxicated, and freezing to death. They would scale the walls, and run away, in order to go up to that groggery. The bodies of some who died thus were eaten by the wolves. Others, less fortunate, lost their hands or feet, and dragged out the rest of their lives, miserable cripples. The trouble and expense, and strategems soldiers would resort to to obtain liquor, shows the irresistible thirst that overpowers reason and self-command. A few years before the above date, a Sergeant MANN, one winter night, gave eighty dollars for a gallon of whisky, which probably cost the dealer a shilling.
Judge IRA B. BRUNSON, of Prairie du Chien, the Deputy Marshal of Wisconsin Territory, who, in 1840, was charged with dislodging the settlers from the Reserve, says that at that time a considerable part of the soldiers were men of intemper- ate habits before they joined the army, and many of them en- listed while drunk, so that, being habituated to the use of liquor, they would run all sorts of risk to satisfy their cravings.
The effect of the sale on the Indians was even worse. " Under the influence, [says NEILL, ] of a vile class of whisky- sellers that infested the neighborhood of what is now the capi- tal of Minnesota, the Dakotas were a nation of drunkards. Men would travel hundreds of miles to The place where they sell Minne-wakan, as they designated Saint Paul, to traffic for a keg of whisky." Rev. GIDEON H. POND, the editor of the Dakotah Friend, says, in an article dated September, 1851 :
"Twelve years ago they bade fair soon to die, all together, in one drunken jumble. They must be drunk-they could hardly live if they
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were not drunk. Many of them seemed as uneasy when sober as a fish does when on land. At some of the villages they were drunk months together. There was no end to it. They would have whisky. They would give guns, blankets, pork, lard, flour, corn, coffee, sugar, horses, furs, traps, anything for whisky. It was made to drink-it was good- it was wakan. They drank it-they bit off each other's noses-broke each other's ribs and heads-they knifed each other. They killed one another with guns, knives, hatchets, clubs, fire-brands-they fell into the fire and water, and were burned to death and drowned-they froze to death, and committed suicide so frequently that, for a time, the death of an Indian, in some of the ways mentioned, was but little thought of by themselves or others. Some of the earlier settlers of Saint Paul and Pig's Eye remember something about these matters. Their eyes saw sights which are not exhibited now-a-days."
WHAT SAINT PAUL OWES TO WHISKY !
Out of what humble circumstances sometimes spring great results. The history of Saint Paul exemplifies it. The illicit sale of liquor by some unscrupulous squatters on the Reserve, led to the expulsion without its lines of all the settlers, whether guilty of that offense or not, and resulted in forming a settle- ment at another point, which ultimately grew into the Saint Paul of a later day. Thus the very corner-stone of our civic existence was laid in whisky! To some extent the village throve on whisky at an early day, and whisky is yet an element of power in our midst, (especially in politics,) despite the no- ble crusade of Bishop IRELAND and the temperance societies. In fact, the first steamboat that ever landed at the shores of Saint Paul, the Glaucus, Captain ATCHISON, May 21, 1839, stopped to put off six barrels of whisky for DONALD McDON- ALD, since known as the " Half-Way House," being afraid to take the liquor any further up the river, for fear it would be seized and destroyed by the authorities at the fort.
It was always a mystery to the writer how such quantities of liquor could have been used by ordinary consumption, those days, unless the early settlers of this locality were " power- ful" thirsty fellows, got up on the sponge order. But Gen. R. W. JOHNSON, in his address before the Old Settlers' Society of Hennepin county, gives a charitable construction of it that ex- plains the whole question satisfactorily. He says that the old
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pioneers were about to settle in a region of which they had very little knowledge, and were afraid it might be infested with rattlesnakes, hence used considerable whisky to guard against the effects of the poison in case they should be bit. It must have been an efficacious remedy, as we believe there is no case on record of any one ever dying in this locality from a snake- bite, and, indeed, we never even heard of any one getting bit ! But they were right in being careful.
PARRANT LOSES HIS CLAIM.
But we must not lose sight of that real estate operation be- tween PARRANT and BEAUMETTE, mentioned on page 75. Be- fore the note became due, BEAUMETTE, probably forced by the pressure of circumstances, sold the note to JOHN MILLER, of Mendota. MILLER was a stone mason by occupation, as was BEAUMETTE. He built General SIBLEY's house at Mendota, the first stone private dwelling house in Minnesota. About 1844, he was drowned in the river near Grey Cloud Island.
When the first of May came round, PARRANT was unable to lift the note, so MILLER became a real estate owner of PAR- RANT's claim, by no expensive process of foreclosure. He did not keep it long, but transferred it to one VETAL GUERIN, a young voyageur, of Mendota, in settlement of a debt of $150, due the said GUERIN. The latter never got possession of it at all, the old adage about " many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip" being exemplified in this case, for some unscrupulous sin- ner, whose name history has not recorded, jumped the claim, and despoiled GUERIN of his property. Retributive justice overtook the graceless jumper soon after, as the United States Marshal tore down his house and drove him off the Reserve, as will be seen a little further along.
PARRANT MAKES ANOTHER CLAIM.
The ROMULUS of our future city, after losing his mercantile establishment at the cave, at once made another claim. He selected a tract just east of Serg't HAYS' claim, fronting on the river, extending from Minnesota street to Jackson street, ap- proximately, and thence back to the bluff. About where the
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foot of Robert street now is, he erected on the bank-afterwards known as Bench street, and since cut down-a hovel in which to reside, and carry on his liquor trade. He occupied this claim about a year.
THE ORIGIN OF "PIG'S EYE."
PARRANT, as before remarked, had only one eye that was serviceable. He had another, it is true, but such an eye ! Blind, marble-hued, crooked, with a sinister white ring glaring around the pupil, giving a kind of piggish expression to his sodden, low features. ROSWELL P. RUSSELL, now of Minne- apolis, who was a sutler's clerk, at Fort Snelling then, and was frequently back and forth through the village during those days, bestowed on PARRANT the suitable and expressive sobriquet, " Pig's Eye," and, after a little while, he was generally known by that appropriate nickname. (The Frenchmen called it O'eil de Cochon.) Finally, the name became attached to the locality itself, in the following manner :
One day, in 1839, EDMUND BRISSETT, a young Canadian, who had come to Fort Snelling in 1832, and was doing odd jobs of carpentering for the settlers hereabouts, such as furni- ture, doors, sash, &c., was stopping at PARRANT's, and wanted to send a letter to JOSEPH R. BROWN, who had a trading post on Grey Cloud Island, 12 miles below, and was a Justice of the Peace. But where should he date the letter at, was the problem ? "I looked up inquiringly at PARRANT, (says BRISSETT, in relating the circumstances,) and, seeing his old crooked eye scowling at me, it suddenly popped into my head to date it at Pig's Eye, feeling sure that the place would be recognized, as PARRANT was well known along the river. In a little while an answer was safely received, directed to me at Pig's Eye. I told the joke to some of the boys, and they made lots of fun of PARRANT. He was very mad, and threatened to lick me, but never tried to execute it." Thus the name bestowed on the place in a joke, stuck to it for years, and it is jocosely called by it to this day. After PARRANT removed to the bottom, below Dayton's Bluff, some three or four years
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