Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/175

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 115 facts in the case as presented by Gen- eral Pirmiu A. Rozier, are these: Just before the attack was made, Governor Leyba refused to allow the Ste. Genevieve company to be supplied with ammunition. Captain Valle attempted to supply this lack by seizing three kegs of powder in the possession of a lady who resided in the town. She very reluctantly allowed the powder to be taken and conveyed to the company head- quarters. While Captain Valle was tem- porarily absent, Governor Leyba ordered the company to spike their guns and to march up into a garret and remain. Captain Valle, however, returned and refused to allow the order to be obeyed. He and his company, then, did all they could to aid the citizens of St. Louis in the defense of the town ; their ef- forts were successful, and the attack of the Indians failed. In 1802 there occurred an incident which cast a light on the military arrangements of the Spanish. That year David Trotter, who lived in the New Madrid ,district, was killed by some Indians; they were members of a band of Creeks who had come from the east- ern states and were engaged in thieving and plundering on both sides of the Mississippi. Through the efforts of Louis Lorimier, five of the Indians were captured and one of them was condemned to be executed. Lieu- tenant Governor De Lassus, who resided in St. Louis, determined to be present at the execution and to take personal charge of the affair. About two weeks before the date, he set out from St. Louis for New Madrid. On reaching Ste. Genevieve, he ordered the three companies of militia at that point to be assembled and to accompany him under arms to New Madrid. He did the same at Cape Girardeau and further increased his army by the addition of the three companies at New Madrid. He thus had almost a full regiment of soldiers for the occasion. The order book used by Colonel De Lassus on this expedition is still in existence and it oontains a great nundjer and variety of orders. De Lassus was an officer, trained in the Spanish array, and he conducted his ex- pedition after the most approved manner of Spanish warfare. The most rigid etiquette prevailed, and everything was performed with the utmost care. The second in com- mand of the expedition was Don Francisco Valle. Don Joseph Pratte and Don Franr Cisco Valle, Jr., and Don Camille De Lassus were commanders of companies and the- last named was also an adjutant. There was ^ bodyguard for the lieutenant governor con- sisting of a mounted orderly from each com- pany. On arriving at New Madrid De Lassus apr pointed officers for the thi-ee companies at that place. One of these was a company of cavalry of which Richard Jones Waters was captain; George K. Reagan, lieutenant; and John B. Barsaloux, ensign. John La Valle was captain; Pierre La Forge, lieutenant, and John Charpentier, ensign of the first company of infantry. The officers of the sec- ond company were Robert McCoy, captain; Joseph Ilunot, lieutenant; and John Hart, ensign. The prisoner then under sentence of exe- cution was brought forth and the detail of soldiers was ordered out, who proceeded to execute the sentence by shooting the pris- oner. The corpse was then buried by the soldiers and the other four prisoners were turned over to the chief of the band under his promise that they should not again trou- ble the inhabitants of New Madrid district. The expedition then returned with the same