Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/164

 104 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI ing 1 took the road cut by General Har- rison through the black swamp and traveled by the Northwestern army, and where he en- countered so many difficulties in getting along as commander of the Northwestern army. His object was to attack and beat back the British arm.y that had crossed over and at- tacked the American army at the river Rai- sin, under General Winchester. I had to travel one hundred miles through this swamp until I got to Fort Meigs, on the ilaumee river, foot of the rapids. I found three houses in crossing the swamp, where a trav- eller could stay all night about 35 miles apart. My ob.ject is to show you the great changes in the country now to what it was then — comparatively not known. In 1806 I visited St. Louis, a small French village. Little or no business was done, the principal men in the place were two Chouteaus. Their descendants are still there, all respectable and influential men. Fred Bates filled an of- fice about that time under the territorial gov- ernment, a recorder of land titles or secre- tary of state, under the acting governor. I knew him at Detroit, ^Michigan, in 1803 or 1804, one of those years Detroit was destroyed by fire, and I assisted Mr. Bates in saving from the devouring elements a few of his small effects. He was then a citizen of that place. I was intimately acquainted with him at St. Louis from his arrival up to his death. He was an intelligent business man and a gentleman in every sense of the word. The earthquakes visited New Madrid county in December, 1811. Their effect was felt all over the U. S. and more particiilarly in this and adjoining counties, and the injury pro- duced from the effects was more combined to this county than any other, producing alarm and distress, depopulating generally the whole country. Plantations, stock of all kinds, cribs of corn, smoke houses full of meat, were offered for horses to live on. At that time 1 was carrying on the Indian trade pretty extensively. The whole white population, or all that could leave as well as the Indians, left largely in my debt, leaving me considerably indebted to persons here and in other places and little or no means to pay with. What little was left me I had to subsist on and divide w-ith those that re- mained and could not get away. We had a trying time, our population having all left, no business doing and no capital to do busi- ness with. Heavy losses at different times at Chicago and on the Mississippi river in prod- uce sent to New Orleans in flat boats and by the earthquakes upwards to $30,000, leaving me destitute and without any capi- tal to operate on ; and on liaving a small fam- ily to support. 1 came to the conclusion, after consulting with my wife, to remain in the country and await the result of circum- stances. To leave without means and move to a new country, among strangers and be de- pendent on them for support. I could not rec- oncile it to myself. I proposed remaining and awaiting with patience the result of what was to take place, which I have done. I never left but stood up and persevered, in prosperity and adversity, contending against the misfortunes and privations of a new coun- try, the Mason and ilurrell counterfeitei's and horse thieves, earthquakes, and with all these reverses and misfortunes staring me in the face, it never produced the least change in my general course of conduct, but stimu- lated me to additional exertions. The mis- fortunes and privations I endured at an early period would have driven hundreds to acts of desperation. With me they never pro- duced the least change. I am what I was forty years ago. Nothing ever induced me