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Show 1~ AU'l'OHIOGRAPHY Ul•' . At .the period of which I speak, the major part of the Inhabitants of St. Louis were French and S . h Th fi . d pan1s . ese were on nen ly terms with all th I a· t ··b d · e n Ian Il es, an Wished to confine their lono·-e t bl" h d t ffi · h h o s a IS e ra c Wit t e Red men to themselves F th" h . · or IS rea-son t ey1 d iscountenanced the settlement of A meri. cans among t lem, as they considered it an invasion of their nl~nopoly of the traffic with the Indians. and St L . be th d a· ' • OUIS . Ing e gran tra Ing depot for the regions of the West a. nd North. west' the profits d eri. ve d fir om the in-tercouise 'vere Immense Th I a· t h 1 · e n Ians, too, thinking· . le inse. ves be. tter dealt with by the F rene h and Span IS l, united \VIth the latter in their h t"l·t . - flu f th A . OS I I Y to the Il1- X o e n1ericans. · When about ten years 0 f age I was sent to St L Is to attend school h ~ I . . ou- 1812 I h ' w ere continued until the year .d G was t en apprenticed to a man in St L . nan1e eoro·e C . I · OUIS ('rh. h d asner, to earn the trade of blacksmith . Is man a a partner named John L S . IS yet a resident in St L . ) . utton, who • OlliS. I took to the trade with some un\vilr but becotning reconciled t . t I Ingness at first, with my occupation. W~~~ I ~as soon_much pleased teenth year my seilse f. ad attained my nine- expanded a' nd r1 o In1portance h a d cons·i derably ' ' l \:e many others of m I self already quite a m A Y age, felt my- I an. mong otl . a· became enamoi·ed f ler In Iscretions o a young d I h. ' Ine into habits that m boss . amse 'w Ich, leading finally in a difficulty b yt disapproved of, resulted B . e ween us eing frequently tern t d . rules by staying from h p e to transgress my boss's ing, and finding the co orne solmewhat late of an even-irresistibly attractive t~~a~y ~pent my time with so obedience to orders I a cou d not bring n1yself to ' gave way to my passion, and JAME:::; .P. BBUKWOU1-t1'H. felt indifferent ,vhether my proceedings gave satisfaction or otherwise. One morning I was assailed by my principal in language which I considered unduly harsh and insulting, and on his threatenin~to dismiss me his house, I was tempted to reply with some warmth, and acknovvledge that his doing so would exactly square with my wishes. Provoked at this, he seized a hammer and flung at me. I dodged the missile, and threw it back at him in return. A scuffle then ensued, in which I, being young and athletic, came off master of the ground, and, accepting his polite dismissal, walked straight to my boarding-house. But a few 1noments elapsed before my assailant -yvalked in and forbade my landlady to entertain me farther on his account. I replied that I had plenty of money, and was com-petent to pay my own board. This provoked him to a second attack, in which he again came off worst~d. Hereupon resolving to leave the house, I began to prepare for my departure; but, before I had completed rny preparations, a one-armed constable presented himself at the stairs, and demanded to see me. Well knowing his errand, I took a well-loaded pistol in n1y hand, and went to meet him, assuring him that if he ascended the steps to capture me I would shoot hitn dead. In my exasperated state of mind, I really believe I should_ have executed my threat; the constable, perceiving my resolute bearing, after parleying a while, \vent away. Feeling confident that he had gone for another officer, who I feared might capture n1e, I expedited my departure, and, taking refuge in the house of a friend, concealed n1yself for three days, and then shipped on board a keel-boat, proceeding to the mines |