Marantette in Centreville

The brick building is kitty-corner across the street from the present-day St. Joseph County courthouse. It was at this location that circuit court was held in 1834-36, where Patrick Marantette had to defend himself against the lawsuit for destroying the illegal liquor at the treaty negotiation.

The location is still used for government business. I don’t know if it has been a government building in all the intervening years, though.

One time when Marantette was here defending himself, there was trouble back at his place on the St. Joseph River. His story was as follows, as recorded on page 223 of the 1877 St. Joseph County history.

He had been dragged down to Centreville with his witnesses to attend court on the suit brought against him by Hecox for breaking in the heads of his whisky-kegs and spilling the fiery stuff on the ground, by order of Governor Porter, Hecox being a trespasser on the reservation. While he was gone his men had taken the occasion to get more liquor than was good for them, and the result was they were quarrelsome when they returned home. They sat down to the table, four or five of them, and began to find fault with the food, when Mr. Marantette rebuked them for going to the groceries and getting drunk and quarrelsome. Two or three made some insulting reply and sprang to their feet and drew their knives, when Mr. Marantette seized his rifle and drew a bead on the ringleader and commanded them to sit down. They looked at the wiry little Frenchman, and then at the long shining tube of the gun, the hammer of which was drawn back at full-cock, and a steady finger laid against the trigger, and then they looked at the door, but “sit down I tell you!” came once more from the lips of Marantette, and they sat down and finished their supper, Mr. Marantette doing likewise, but keeping his gun within easy reach.

All these photos were taken on July 15, 2006. It was very hot, in the mid-90s. Above is a place on the angling road between Centreville and Constantine where I stopped in the shade to take a breather. The day was getting late by now, which meant more of these very welcome shadows across the road. It’s amazing how much difference they can make on a hot day’s ride.