orwarded, as the need arose.

Failure of the American Government to Act with Proper Decision.

Carondelet was much encouraged as to the outcome by the fact that De
Lemos had not been dispossessed by force from the Chickasaw Bluffs. This
shows conclusively that Washington's administration was in error in not
acting with greater decision about the Spanish posts. Wayne should have
been ordered to use the sword, and to dispossess the Spaniards from the
east bank of the Mississippi. As so often in our history, we erred, not
through a spirit of over-aggressiveness, but through a willingness to
trust to peaceful measures instead of proceeding to assert our rights by
force.

Murder of the Messengers to Wilkinson.
The Murderers Shielded.

The first active step taken by Carondelet and De Lemos was to send the
twelve thousand dollars to Wilkinson, as the foundation and earnest of
the bribery fund. But the effort miscarried. The money was sent by two
men, Collins Owen, each of whom bore cipher letters to Wilkinson,
including some that were sewed into the collars of their coats. Collins
reached Wilkinson in safety, but Owen was murdered, for the sake of the
money he bore, by his boat's crew while on the Ohio river. [Footnote:
_Do._, letters of Carondelet to Alcudia, Oct. 4, 1794, and of De Lemos
to Carondelet, Aug. 28, 1795.] The murderers were arrested and were
brought before the Federal judge, Harry Innes. Owen was a friend of
Innes, and had been by him recommended to Wilkinson as a trustworthy man
for any secret and perilous service. Nevertheless, although it was his
own friend who had been murdered, Innes refused to try the murderers, on
the ground that they were Spanish subjects; a reason which was simply
nonsensical. He forwarded them to Wilkinson at Fort Warren. The latter
sent them back to New Madrid. On their way they were stopped by the
officer at Fort Massac, a thoroughly loyal man, who had not been engaged
in the intrigues of Wilkinson and Innes. He sent to the Spanish
commander at New Madrid for an interpreter to interrogate the men. Of
course the Spaniards were as reluctant as Wilkinson and Innes that the
facts as to the relations between Carondelet and Wilkinson should be
developed, and, like Wilkinson and Innes, they preferred that the
murderers should escape rather than that these facts should come to
light. Accordingly the interpreter did not divulge the confession of the
villains, all evidence as to th