Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/162

 102 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI banks of the Mississippi were settled by rob- ])ers and eoimterfeiters. Flat boats descend- ing the river then had to go in eouvo.ys well armed and under the lead of some experi- enced commander; if thej' did not they were sure to be attacked, killed, or robbed of their effects by these robbers who were settled at different points on the river. In returning in a dug out with my hands, in 1810, we were followed by one of ^Mason's and Murrell's men from a little below Lake Providence un- til a few miles below Point Chicot. He came up within half a mile of us and no nearer; he continued his pursuit by following us two days. He was going as we thought to apprize some of his colleagues of our approach near Point Chicot, and that we were no doubt in possession of considerable money, proceeds of produce shipped to New Orleans. This rob- ber was one of ilason's surviving confeder- ates in crime, etc. He was a French Cana- dian by the name of Revard, and his location was on the island below Lake Providence ; there he watched and saw everything that passed up and down. We tried to pass in the night hoping not to be discovered but we could not. He was too watchful of us to evade his notice. We had some confidential advisers who instructed lis how to act in the neighborhood of Lake Providence, where 3Ia- son had his general rendezvous, on or near Bayou Mason, back of Lake Providence, a re- mote and secluded place where he kept his headquarters. Nothing saved us that trip from being killed by the French robber only my crew being French and he. Rivard. being a Canadian, disliked attacking, robbing and killing us. being French, he having heard my French crew singing French songs which was a custom among the French boatmen. After following us two days he abandoned the chase. My long residence at New ^Madrid gave me an opportunity of becoming ac- quainted with a great many people and their acts whether good or bad. Not a daj- from 1809 to 1815 but some innocent man, the owner of some flat boat loaded with produce, had been imposed on by some of this class by pui'- chasing of them for money, which they called good, and on good solvent banks, when in fact it was nothing but the basest kind of counter- feit money. There was scarcely a day but what there was large amounts presented to me for examination and inspection. Our whole country from Evansville, Indiana, to Natchez was full of such people. In fact they ruled and controlled the country at that period. They had the sway. We were from the necessity in the minority the' being the strongest party and to express our opinion against them and their actions placed our lives and property in a dangerous situation. After an elapse of a certain time a better population commenced coming in. We saw after counting these we considered honest and would take an interest in securing and driving out of the country the despised class, we had from necessity to consult with the citi- zens of the country and ascertain from them what course we ought to adopt in order to get rid of this description of population. They put at defiance all laws proving themselves innocent of every crime and charge brought against them. A general meeting of the citizens of the country was called and the matter laid before tliem. They came to a conclusion and that conclu- sion by a unanimous vote of the peojile then in public council. "That these people must leave the country" and a committee was ap- pointed by the meeting to carry the resolu- tions into effect, which was done and the country cleared of thieves and counterfeit- ers. The last difficultv we had with them they