Note IV'-46 — Chapter IV · OBSERVATIONS ON NEW SPAIN.[IV'-1]

Robert Cavelier, Le Sieur de la Salle, b. Rouen, Normandie, France, Nov. 22d, 1643, murdered by Duhaut in conspiracy with other assassins, in Texas, on a branch of the Trinity, or of the Brazos, Mar. 19th or 20th, 1687, was never at the mouth of the Rio Grande. La Salle sailed from France with four vessels and about 280 persons, July 24th, 1684; three of the vessels sighted Florida Jan. 15th, 1685; landed at St. Louis, later St. Bernard, now Matagorda, bay, in Feb., 1685; one vessel sailed away in Mar., 1685, leaving La Salle with about 180 adventurers or colonists. He founded Fort St. Louis at or near present La Vaca, in Apr., 1685, giving a color of French claim that did not entirely fade away till 1803, though the settlement speedily aborted. The remainder of 1685 and the year 1686 were mainly passed in fruitless wanderings and warrings in different directions, with misery and disaster at every turn. La Salle's people dwindled down to about 20 who were left at the fort, and 17 who started with their leader, Jan. 7th, 1687, overland to Canada. This verloren hoop included: La Salle; Father Jean Cavelier, his brother; their two nephews, Moranget and Cavelier; Sieur de Maria, Friar Anastase Douay, who afterward wrote of the journey, a witness of La Salle's death; Joutel, a trusty soldier, whose account (pub. 1713) is to be preferred to Douay's when the two differ; Teissier, a pilot, one of the conspirators; Liotot, the surgeon, ditto; Hiens, a German ex-buccanier, ditto; Duhaut, the actual assassin; Jean Archevêque, his servant and accomplice; Saget, La Salle's servant; Nika, a Shawanoe hunter; another Indian, and some other persons. This party had crossed the Colorado and Brazos Mar. 15th, 1687. After a quarrel which arose over some buffalo meat, in a detached party who were 6 m. away from La Salle, Duhaut, Liotot, Hiens, and others conspired to kill Moranget; Liotot brained him; Saget and Nika were also then and there killed. La Salle left Joutel and others in their own camp and proceeded to the scene of this tragedy, accompanied only by Father Douay, and an Indian, Mar. 19th or 20th. On his approach, Duhaut shot him in the head from ambush; Liotot and others mocked and buffeted his corpse. Some time in May Duhaut was murdered by Hiens; at the same time Liotot was murdered by one Ruter. Some survivors of this bloody expedition reached Poste aux Arkansas in July. The colony left at Fort St. Louis had been utterly extirpated by Indian massacre and dispersion of the few survivors, before Apr. 22d, 1689, when the spot, void of all but the dead there buried, was visited by a Spanish party under Don Alonzo de Leon. See note21, p. 560.