222 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 43 



of the cryiufi wrongs which the commandant exercised against one of the in- 

 habitants, opposed it firmly. It is true that he thereby drew on himself the 

 anger of the Sienr C'hoi);irt, who by surprise had him put in irons, but the 

 officer, having had the good fortune to escape and reach the capital, carried his 

 complaints to the commandant-general, who on the spot made the Sieur Chopart 

 come from the Natchez to answer for his conduct. The affair having been in- 

 vestigated the lieutenant had entire satisfaction in full council, where the 

 commandant of the Natchez was obliged to confess himself guilty. He would 

 even have been dismissed and would never have returned to his post had not 

 the conmianding general been forced to grant him pardon on accoinit of the 

 pressing solicitations of some persons who interested themselves in his behalf; 

 he sent him back only after he had promised him to treat the inhabitants better 

 and to change his conduct entirely." 



We have here the old, okl story of incompetence placed in a posi- 

 tion of responsibility by favoritism and held there against the judg- 

 ment of better men; but not always, fortunatel}^, has it had the same 

 tragic sequel for innocent and guilty alike. 



When Chepart returned to Natchez after his temporary disgrace 

 he had formed the determination to establish a plantation of his 

 own, but the best land not occupied by the native villages had already 

 been taken uj), and his recent experience deterred him from any 

 attempt to oust the white inhabitants. In view of this fact he took 

 the fatal determination to dispossess the occupants of one of the 

 Natchez villages and, if our principal authorities are to be believed, 

 he set about it in the most high-handed manner imaginable. There 

 is a disagreement between Dumont and Du Pratz as to which village 

 Chepart had determined upon. The former states that he established 

 his temporary country home at the house of a native of White Apple 

 village, whom he turned out, and that afterward he called the great 

 chief and ordered him to abandon the Grand village where he de- 

 signed to locate his permanent home.'' Du Pratz, on the other hand, 

 states that it was the inhabitants of White Apple that he desired to 

 evict, although at the same time a threat appears to have been directed 

 against the Grand village as well.'^ Chepart pretended that this 

 drastic i^roceeding was by order of the governor of the colony, and 

 that the removal must be executed immediately, although it was 

 explained to him that the corn had just sprung up and the hens Avere 

 setting, so that a removal would result in the loss of the native food 

 supplies for that year. Finally, however, he agreed to alloAV a cer- 

 tain respite — according to Dumoi>t tAvo months, according to Du 

 Pratz until the first frosts — on consideration of being paid a num- 

 ber of fowls, pots of bear's oil, baskets of corn, and peltries at the 

 end of that period. If this were not done, the insane commander 



"Dumont, Mem. Hist, stir La Louisiane, ii, 126-128. Du Pratz, Hist, do La Louisiane, 

 iir, 2.">1, attributos his rcstoralion to a clianRo in jioveniors and tlie fact lliat tlie new 

 executive, M. I'errier, was not sufficiently informed regardin;; Cliopart's cliaracter. 



""Dumont, Mem. Ilist. sur La Louisiane, ii, 129-180. 



« Du Pratz, Hist, de La Louisiane, iii, 231-233. 



