Was Explorer Meriwether Lewis Murdered? [podcast 3 min 54 sec]
When explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark blazed a trail through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in 1806, they were hailed as heroes.
But three years later — at the age of 35 — Lewis was dead. Most historians call his death a suicide, but Lewis' descendants aren't so sure.
In October 1809, Lewis stopped at a nearby inn en route to a meeting with President Thomas Jefferson. The next day, servants found Lewis shot dead. A companion, James Neely, wrote a letter to Jefferson: "Sir: It is with extreme pain that I have to inform you of the death of his Excellency Meriwether Lewis, governor of upper Louisiana, who died on the morning of the 11th, and I am sorry to say, by suicide."
No one witnessed the death, but Jefferson accepted the report of suicide, noting that Lewis was prone to depression.
Now, however, some historians have raised doubts, including John Guice, a retired professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi and editor of By His Own Hand?: The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis. He says there's scant evidence for suicide and several possible motives for murder.
Read entire article at NPR All Things Considered
But three years later — at the age of 35 — Lewis was dead. Most historians call his death a suicide, but Lewis' descendants aren't so sure.
In October 1809, Lewis stopped at a nearby inn en route to a meeting with President Thomas Jefferson. The next day, servants found Lewis shot dead. A companion, James Neely, wrote a letter to Jefferson: "Sir: It is with extreme pain that I have to inform you of the death of his Excellency Meriwether Lewis, governor of upper Louisiana, who died on the morning of the 11th, and I am sorry to say, by suicide."
No one witnessed the death, but Jefferson accepted the report of suicide, noting that Lewis was prone to depression.
Now, however, some historians have raised doubts, including John Guice, a retired professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi and editor of By His Own Hand?: The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis. He says there's scant evidence for suicide and several possible motives for murder.