70 
ORNITHOLOGIST 
[Vol. 6-No. 9. 
Suicide of Gov. Lewis. 
We are indebted to the immortal Wii.son 
for the following touching de.scri[)tion of 
the death of Lewis, of the ever memorable 
expedition of Lewis & Ci.ark across ll)e 
American continent to the Pacific, during 
which so many new birds were discovered. 
It is extracted from a letter written by Al¬ 
ex. VVilson, and addressed to Miss Sarah 
Miller, Philadelphia, Pa., and dated at 
Natchez, Miss. Territory, May i8, 1810. 
“ Next morning, Sunday, I rode six miles 
to see a man of the name of Grinder, where 
our poor friend Lewis perished.* In the 
same room where he expired I took down, 
from Mrs. Giinder, the particulars of that 
melancholy event, which affected me ex¬ 
tremely. This house or cabin is seventy-two 
miles from Nashville, and was the last white 
man’s cabin as we entered the Indian 
country. Governor Lewis, she said, came 
hither about sunset alone, and inquired if 
he could stay for the night, and, alighting, 
brought the saddle into the house. He was 
dressed in a loose gown, white, striped with 
blue On being asked if he came alone, he 
replied that there were two servants behind 
who would soon be up. He called for some 
spirits, and drank a very little. When the 
servants arrived, one of whom was a negro, 
he inquired for his powder, saying he was 
sure he had some in a canister. The ser¬ 
vant gave no distinct reply, and Lewis in the 
meanwhile walked backwards and forwards 
before the door, talking to himself. Some¬ 
times, she said, he would seem as if he were 
walking up to her, and would suddenly 
wheel round, and walk back as fast as he 
could. Supper being ready he sat down, 
but had eaten only a lew mouthfuls when he 
started up, speaking to himself in a violent 
manner. At thes(^ times, she says, she ob¬ 
served his face to flush as if it had come on 
him in a fit. He lighted his pqre, and draw¬ 
ing a chair to the door sat down, saying to 
Mrs. Grinder, in a kind tone of voice, ‘Mad 
am, this is a very pleasant evening.’ He 
smoked for some time, but quitted his seat 
and traversed the yard as before. He 
again sat down to his pipe, seemed again 
composed, and casting his eyes wistfully 
towards the west, observed what a sweet eve¬ 
ning it was. Mrs. Grinder was preparing a 
bed for him, but he said he would sleep on 
the floor, and desired the servant to bring 
the bear-skins and buffalo robe, which were 
immediately spread out for him; and it be¬ 
ing now dusk, the woman went off to the 
kitchen, and the two men to the barn, which 
stands about two hundred yards off. The 
kitchen is only a few paces from the room 
where Lewis was, and the woman being con¬ 
siderably alarmed by the behavior of her 
guest could not sleep, but listened to him 
walking backwards and forwards she thinks 
for several hours, and talking aloud, as she 
said, like a lawyer. She then heard the 
report of a pistol, and something fall heavi¬ 
ly on the floor, and the words, ‘O Lord !’ 
“Immediately afterwards she heard anoth¬ 
er pistol shot, and in a few minutes she 
heard him at her door calling out, ‘O mad¬ 
am ! give me some water, and heal my 
wounds.’ The logs being open, and un¬ 
plastered, she saw him stagger back and fall 
against a stump that stands between the 
kitchen and room. He crawled for some 
distance, and raised himself by the side of a 
tree, where he sat about a minute. He 
once more got to the room; afterwards he 
came to the kitchen door, but did not speak. 
She then heard him scraping the bucket with 
a gourd for water, but it appeared that this 
cooling element was denied the dying man. 
“.'\s soon as day broke and not before—the 
terror of the woman having permitted him 
to remain for two hours in this most deplor¬ 
able situation — she sent two of her children 
to the barn, her husband not being at 
home, to bring the servants, and on going 
*It 18 hardly necessar}' to state, lliat this was the hravt? and eiilerpri.sing Iravelle', whose.jour' 
ney across the Jtockv Mountains, to llie Pacific Ocean, has obtained for fiini well-merited celetiriiy 
Tile true cau.se of him committing the rash deed. ><0 feelingly de'ailed above, is not yet known to 
tile public; but his friends will not soon forget the tmse impuia'ions and cruel neglect, which the 
honourable minif of the gallant soldier knew not how to brook. —Ord. 
