| Suicide or Murder? |
| He attempted suicide, twice, before he reached Grinder's Stand. He was detained for ten days at a fort commanded by Captain Russell and kept under 24 hour suicide watch before he was allowed to travel on to Nashville, Tennessee He had to ask his servent for gunpowder because it had been taken from him earlier in his trip because the servent was afraid to allow Lewis to load his guns. He begged his slaves to finish his life, and offered them all the contents of his luggage if they successfully completed the deal. It was noted by Thomas Jefferson that Lewis often suffered from "hypocondriac effects" that would almost incapacitate him for days at a time. He failed to write in his journal on such momentous occasions as when the expedition finally reached the Pacific Ocean; this may indicate Bi-ploar disorder, which could be a reason behind suicide. Shortly before his death, Lewis was known to be addicted to alcohol and morphine, both of which could contribute to his depression. Lewis was under tremendous pressure to finish the publication of his expidition Journals, which were several years overdue, and pressure of his new office as Governor of the Louisanna territory |
| No documented evidence exists in support of the murder theory, but many speculations are abound. Such as: |
| SUICIDE |
| MURDER |
 |
| Lewis could have been the victim of a bungled robbery, but none of his personal effects or luggage was missinge when his body was discovered in the morning and no one else was seen going to or from Lewis' cabin. The Grinders could have plotted to kill Lewis, but no motive for the Grinders to murder Lewis has been discovered. Lewis could have been the victim of a government conspiracy that could be traced all the way to Thomas Jefferson; the evidnce for such a theory has conviently been covered up or lost. |