CAPTAIN LA BARGE IN “OPPOSITION.”
The term “opposition” in the early Missouri River fur trade had a
definite and specific meaning. It applied to any trading concern,
great or small, individual or collective, which was doing business in
competition with the American Fur Company. So powerful was this company
that it never permitted any other company or trader to occupy the same
field with itself except at the cost of ruinous commercial warfare.
There were many attempts to compete with it, but all of them ended in
failure.
The incident related in the last chapter, which led Captain La Barge
to quit the company’s service, induced him to try his own luck as an
opposition trader; but the result, which quickly developed, was quite
like that of his many predecessors and successors in the same line.
The Captain had laid by a few thousand dollars, which he put into the
venture, and secured additional capital from J. B. Roy and Henry Shaw
of St. Louis. The steamer _Thames_ was chartered to convey the cargo as
far as Council Bluffs, for, owing to the lateness of the season, it
was not thought safe to attempt to take the boat further. An outfit of
wagons was carried along, and it was expected that they would be able
to purchase enough horses and oxen to haul the goods the rest of the
way.
[Sidenote: EN ROUTE TO FORT LOOKOUT.]
It was late in the summer when the boat arrived at Council Bluffs.
She was promptly unloaded and turned over to her owners, and the
Captain immediately set about organizing his wagon train. October had
come before he was finally ready to start. His plan was to reach old
Fort Lookout before winter set in. He knew that that post had been
abandoned, but he understood that it was still in a good enough state
of preservation to winter in. At _L’Eau qui Court_ (Niobrara River) he
was compelled to abandon his wagons on account of the snow, and build
sleds. He traveled the rest of the way on the frozen surface of the
river.
[Sidenote: TROUBLE BEGINNING.]
Soon after leaving the Niobrara Captain La Barge had a foretaste of
what he must expect from the American Fur Company, and found that he
must be prepared to contend, not only with the long-established power
and unscrupulous methods of that great organization, but with the
petty trickery of small traders who were trying to make some headway
in the country. At the Niobrara he found Narcisse Leclerc, the same
whose expedition he had helped break up at Council Bluffs eight
years before. The Captain knew him well as a man acquainted with the
Indians and capable of rendering efficient service, but devoid of good
principle and ready for any underhand action that would promote his
interest. La Barge found him, with his family, entirely destitute, and,
counting on his well-known hostility to the company, he thought that if
he were to employ him he might depend on his loyalty. He accordingly
engaged him, but later bitterly regretted it.
Soon afterward, when Captain La Barge and Leclerc had passed Handy’s
old trading post, where Fort Randall later stood, they were met by
a party of ten Indians and a white man by the name of Bruyère, who
claimed that they were en route from Pierre to Vermillion. Leclerc
cautioned La Barge not to believe them, for he was certain that they
had been sent down from Pierre to spy out La Barge’s movements and
break up his expedition if possible. La Barge’s experience in the
Indian trade, and his strong backing in St. Louis, made his opposition
a matter of much importance. It was decided that it must be gotten
rid of in some way, by force if that were practicable, and if not, by
purchase or competition. The party that had come down the river was
evidently sent to find out what could be done.
[Sidenote: HAPPY EFFECT OF LIQUOR.]
A parley ensued and La Barge invited Bruyère and his party to go back
to Handy’s old post and he would give them a feast. This was agreed to,
and after reaching the post and fixing camp they were first treated
to coffee and hard tack. La Barge then gave Bruyère some liquor, and
asked him if he should give the Indians some. Bruyère assented, saying
the Indians liked it and he could take care of them. Bruyère’s party
numbered eleven in all. The Captain resolved to get them all deadly
drunk and then set out, leaving some liquor to keep them drunk the
longer. As the liquor began to work on Bruyère he became communicative,
and openly avowed his mission, which was the same as Leclerc had
sagaciously foreseen. “You treat me better than any trader ever treated
me before,” he said. “I was sent here to do you harm, but now I am for
you, and if any Indians attempt to harm you I will defend you.”
[Sidenote: THE UNARMED INDIANS.]
La Barge then went on to Fort Lookout without any further molestation
and took possession of the abandoned buildings, intending to conduct
his winter trade there. Shortly afterward he received, by the hands of
an Indian, a note from the agent at Pierre, inviting him in the most
polite and courteous terms to come to his post, as he had some business
to propose, and particularly wanted to have a friendly visit. Here
again La Barge’s suspicions were aroused. The Indian messenger, who
was a brother-in-law of the agent, had come to Fort Lookout totally
unarmed, a thing unheard of in the Indian country. He at once inferred
that the Indian hoped to allay any fears which La Barge might have of
traveling alone with him. La Barge received him kindly, said he would
decide in a day or two, and asked him to wait. At the first opportunity
the Captain strolled off with his gun, as if on a chicken hunt, and set
out on the route by which the Indian had come. He followed the trail
several miles, when he found the place where the Indian had cached his
gun under a tree top. La Barge confiscated the outfit, took it to camp,
and hid it. He then told the Indian that he was ready to go to Pierre,
and that they would start the next morning. They accordingly set out
at an early hour, intending to accomplish the journey in two days. The
distance was something over sixty miles by land, though one hundred by
river, for the great bend of the Missouri lay between the two places.
When they reached the place where the Indian had cached his gun the
latter excused himself for a moment, telling La Barge not to wait.
After a while he came up, but showed no signs of what his feelings must
have been. He behaved very well all the way. The first night was spent
on a sandbar of the river, and Fort Pierre was reached at a good hour
on the afternoon of the second day.
[Sidenote: LA BARGE UNSOCIABLE.]
The agent could not at first conceal his astonishment at seeing La
Barge, but quickly recovered himself, and feigned great pleasure at the
meeting, saying he was glad La Barge had gotten through safely--there
were so many scoundrels around the country that one’s life was in
danger, if unprotected. The agent then gave La Barge a good supper, and
after it was over insisted that he must sit up all night and talk about
things in St. Louis. Jacob Halsey was clerk at the time. They pressed
the Captain to join them in their drinks, but without success. The
agent then lost his temper, declared that La Barge was “unsociable,”
and that he was insulting his host by refusing his hospitality. La
Barge replied that if it was necessary to get drunk in order to be
sociable he would not be sociable.
[Sidenote: PROPOSITION FOR PURCHASE.]
“I had not been in the Indian country so many years for nothing,” said
Captain La Barge, when describing this affair. “I knew perfectly well
the unscrupulous methods of the company, for I had been an eyewitness
of them. They cared not how desperate the measure to arrive at their
end if only they could escape detection, and this was a comparatively
easy matter. ‘Killed by the Indians,’ and similar reports, were used
to veil deeds which were too black to expose to the world. It was no
uncommon thing for servants of the company who had started for St.
Louis, with a statement of the amount to their credit, to be heard
of no more. Knowing these things, I was confessedly distrustful of my
hosts. I knew that they dared do nothing openly, for that would lead to
prompt report and investigation; but if I were to join in their revels,
and lose my self-control, it would be easy enough to involve me in a
fray with an Indian and get rid of me in that way, or get me to sign
some agreement drawn up by themselves, which should rob me of my outfit
and drive me out of the country. Although a temperance man anyway, I
resolved to be particularly so on this occasion, and remain absolutely
sober. I knew well enough that a proposition would soon come to buy
me out, and I had no intention of losing my ability to drive a good
bargain.
“The expected proposition came from the agent on the morning of my
second day at Pierre. It was not as liberal as I thought it ought to
be, and I rejected it. Next day an express came from Lookout with
serious news for me. Leclerc, without the slightest authority, had
taken a third of my outfit and had gone to the Yanktonais Indians to
trade. This would seriously interfere with my plan, which was to hold
my outfit at Lookout until I knew what terms the company would offer.
I now felt that the quicker the matter was closed up the better, and
knowing the great hazard of attempting to oppose so powerful a company,
I accepted the proffered terms. These were that the company should
take my entire outfit at an advance of ten per cent. upon the cost to
me where it was, while I was to engage myself to the company for a
period of three years.
[Sidenote: SEEKING A SHORT CUT.]
“Even after this arrangement the agent subjected me to new and imminent
peril, as if still hoping that he would arrive at his end by a shorter
cut. Although he could just as well have instructed his trader on the
Little Cheyenne to receive and receipt for the goods in Leclerc’s
possession, he insisted that I should go to that post and either get
the goods or make a personal transfer to the trader there. He refused
me any escort, and the only thing that he would do was to lend me
a horse and sled. The mission was a particularly perilous one. The
Yanktonais were the most dangerous and hostile of all the Sioux tribes.
They knew the value of opposition in securing them better terms in
trade, and if they were to learn that my mission was to sell out to the
company, they would unquestionably undertake to wreak vengeance on me.
Notwithstanding the needlessness, as well as the peril, of the trip, I
was compelled to go, and accordingly set out.
[Sidenote: ZEPHYR RENCONTRE.]
[Sidenote: INDIANS INSOLENT.]
“The overland distance to the mouth of the Big Cheyenne was about forty
miles, and I made it in one day. Here the American Fur Company had a
wintering post under charge of a man named Bouis, who had with him as
interpreter a very valuable man by the name of Zephyr Rencontre.[10]
Zephyr was a good friend of mine and I resolved to practice a little
strategy to secure his company to the Little Cheyenne and his
assistance there. When I reached the post at the Big Cheyenne, Bouis
exclaimed, with a good deal of astonishment, ‘What! are you alone?’
I replied that I was, but that I had authority to take Zephyr to the
Little Cheyenne camp and return. Bouis was somewhat surprised at this,
but said that if such were the orders he would go. We set out at once,
and as soon as we were well on the way, I laid the whole matter before
Zephyr. He advised me by all means not to try to take the goods away,
for such an attempt would enrage the Indians. The thing to do was to
get an inventory of the goods from Leclerc, transfer it to the trader
there, Paschal Cerré, get his receipt, and thus transact the whole
business on paper without the knowledge of the Indians. We arrived
safely at the post and proceeded at once to our business. Everything
went well under Zephyr’s management for a time, but the suspicion
began to spread among the Indians that I was there either to remove
my goods or to sell out, and they began to assume a tone of insolence
and bravado. Leclerc was probably responsible for this, for he did
not relish at all the turn that things had taken. In the meanwhile I
took refuge in the lodge of an Indian who was a friend of Zephyr. The
latter said he would dispatch the business with all possible speed. The
Indians were feasting from lodge to lodge, and Zephyr said they might
try to annoy me at any time, but told me to remain right there, say
nothing to them, nor resent their actions if they became troublesome.
‘I am looking out for you,’ he said, ‘and have also some of my Indian
friends on guard.’ Along in the evening the Indians began to come
around, evidently in very bad temper, but none of them entered the
tent. They made things very uncomfortable, however, and several times I
concluded that all was over. They slashed the tent with their knives,
and stuck their guns through and shot into the fire, throwing the coals
all over me. They were trying to anger me to the point of resistance,
as Zephyr had said they would, and they came near succeeding. I could
hardly stand it. It seemed certain that I should be killed, and if
I failed to take off one or two of them I should die that much less
satisfied. I kept control of myself, however, and presently Zephyr came
to me announcing that the business was completed, the inventories
receipted, and that when a young Indian should come and tell me to
follow I was to get up and go. It was about midnight that the Indian
appeared and beckoned me to follow. I left the tent through one of the
openings which the Indians had slashed in it, and we immediately struck
out at a rapid pace down the Little Cheyenne. After proceeding four or
five miles I was joined by Zephyr, and the young Indian was sent back.
[Sidenote: NIGHT MARCH.]
“We then started straight across the hills for the mouth of the Big
Cheyenne, some forty miles distant. It was very important to get there
early the next day, lest we be cut off by the Indians. We ran a good
deal of the way, but such was the severity of the weather that we
almost froze. The thermometer must have reached thirty degrees below
zero. On the open hills the cold was terrible, and the side of my body
next to the wind became thoroughly numbed. The journey was not without
decided interest, however, for we were treated to one of the most
beautiful displays of the Aurora Borealis that I have ever seen.
“We reached the mouth of the Big Cheyenne a little after sunrise, and
I immediately got breakfast and set out for Pierre, where I arrived
about nightfall. When I reached the fort the agent could hardly believe
his eyes. ‘What! are you back already?’ he said. ‘I hardly thought you
would succeed in turning those goods over.’ I replied that I too was
astonished that I had got out of that scrape uninjured. ‘How did you
manage it?’ he asked. ‘I took Zephyr along with me.’ ‘Why, how could
Bouis spare him?’ ‘By your order. Didn’t you authorize me to take him?’
‘No, I never gave any such authority,’ said the agent, as he turned
away in anger that he had been so completely outwitted.
“The next day the agent detailed James Kipp, with three or four men and
a dozen Indians, to go with me to Lookout and receive the goods at that
point. The Indians were wholly unnecessary, and I can explain their
being sent only on the theory that the agent had not yet given up the
short cut for destroying this new opposition. But Kipp was a different
sort of man, and although he was sometimes compelled to do the bidding
of others to save himself, he never approved of such desperate measures.
[Sidenote: UGLY BUSINESS TERMINATED.]
“When we set out Kipp was on horseback and I on foot, and he said,
‘Well, let’s see who will get to Lookout first.’ Bercier and I were the
only ones who reached there that night, but I was so badly used up that
it was several days before I could walk naturally. Kipp did not get in
for two days. The rest of the property was then turned over and the
ugly business brought to a close.”
Such was Captain La Barge’s first experience in opposing the American
Fur Company; and if it resulted in a quick collapse the profitable
termination to himself, and the extreme opposition of the company,
showed that they did not regard his enterprise with an easy eye. The
whole affair made them set a higher value on La Barge’s services and
treat his opinions and rights thereafter with more consideration.
As soon as the business with the Fur Company was completed La Barge
set out for Bellevue, arriving there about April 1, 1841. He at once
went to the Pawnees, where he used to go seven or eight years before,
and brought down the bullboats. He was glad to make this trip, for he
always liked the Pawnees. Having arrived at the mouth of the Platte
with the bullboats and transferred their cargo, he set out for St.
Louis with the mackinaws.
[Sidenote: MARRIAGE OF CAPTAIN LA BARGE.]
[Sidenote: PELAGIE GUERETTE.]
The summer of 1842 was mostly spent on the lower river, without any
incident of especial note. This year was marked, however, by a very
important event in the life of Captain La Barge. On the 17th of August,
1842, he was married to Pelagie Guerette. His wife’s mother’s name was
Marie Palmer, one of a noted Illinois family of that name. Her father’s
name was Pierre Guerette, one of the Louisiana French, and he was born
in Kaskaskia, Ill. He was a millwright and architect. He built for
Auguste Chouteau one of the first grist mills run by water in St.
Louis. The mill was located at the old dam which extended from Chouteau
Avenue to Market Street, in the vicinity of Ninth Street. Pelagie
Guerette was born January 10, 1825, and was therefore nearly ten years
Captain La Barge’s junior. He had known her from childhood. She was a
beautiful woman, and although not robust in health, reared a family of
five boys and two girls, to adult years. She was a very sensible, noble
woman, and a constant help to her husband during their married life of
nearly sixty years.