The New York herald., 1870-02-01

96h4I outfit would have created sensation in New
York. Eacn had on, BY advice OF the settlers, two
three pairs or "ySI wooiien SOCKS with % moccasns.
two undershirts and thicK merino over.
s ysst coat oysrooa. osalo waS M ssin oyercoa,
thick scarf to wrap about the lace and long sheep.
skin mittens with the wool inside. All this clothing
riding with the Thermometer twenty degrees below
zero, ana q attn ncrtn wind whistltng through our
canvas covered sleigh. demonstrated that we needed
noon the sun was shining bright and we were pic
turing to ourselves at least two or three days Of
three O'Clock however, II commenced TO get thick
overhead. and as the sun went down the air became
nlied with dampness that keenlv bit the face and
so cold that We had to vet out and walk, but The
snow had driIted so badly Ia many places that It
now shoss ud ws we're Se oo
pelled 20 return 10 the sleigh and bury
ourselves under the bufalo robes. Occasionally tue
horses would waliow to their bellies IN snow, which
In iair weather we would not have minded; but with
snow storm driven upon the arctic wind into our
as We @ IN Ss sSn
snow q mOmentary luli revealed the gIlmmer Of q
lgnt iar anead and alter half an hour OF hard whip
ping aud p0yglot cursfn9 BY the half-breeds we
drew UP behind the log building Of
THE JESUIT MISSION.
panon having letter OF introduction from Paymas
ter Walker 70 Father Gonin we were soon comforta-
bly, restoring circulation by magnificent dry oak
Genin, q iight-haired, blue-eyed, dencate man, OF
% abont thirty-ay he Is Greek By BIRTH has been
Sosr 10 tue Jesuit ces
Indian and haIf-breed camp between tue Missouri
and ASSN bOln rivers RON tue MISSISSIPPI 10
the Rocky Mountains. The building consists OF q
small two story log structure, with four rooms on
the ground floor and chapel above. A hall breed
and his wife occupy one OF the rooms and board
Father Genn when at the mission; but most OF tae
time he Is out on his long wanderngs through the
wilderness. When no goes out on these trips nc
always sends Indians or hall-Dreeds ahead ana Io-
lows with small parry bearing large white nag,
with q cross upon IT, In this manner he travels
thousands Of mics, visiting hostile as wen US peace
full Indians and extending and perpetuatng ms re-
ii2lOn. as has been done Tor two nundrei years IN
the wilderness OF America. His simple harratiops
OF missionary experience filled with incidents
or suffering and peril are very thrilling: and listen
ing 10 his unairected recital OF his duties there
comes up before tne listener Vision OK the savage
congregations that assemble here aud there to hear
the young missionary. some Ol ms missions are so
remote tas no only visits Them once IN TWO ears;
but a tins interval ls occupied In travelling between
widely separated stations, with the exception OF
snort time In winter, when IL IS tmp0Sstbe to make
long trips Al the Indians VINO know MIN reyer-
ence MN, however hostile they may be to the SET
tiers, and the haIf.breeds whom he visits frequently
would terribly aveaKe any outrage upon hun aud
gave thelr lives IN his defence He Is Intimately as
s00lated with BISHOP Tachc or Winnipeg, and Is
believed TO pe Que Of the controlling spirits In the
we sa hoped .aa So ' Storm Would cease dans
the night, but daylight showed that although seve.
raj inches Of snow had fallen there was every prODa
Dility OF the storm continuing for day or two. At
ten O'Clock SERVICES were ned In tne chapel on the
upper ioor, which, Notwithstanding the storm, Was
HALF-BRERD CONGREGATION.
Thesa people were oil various cOlors and grades,
like the negroes aud muiatt0es OF the South The
out rod or two from the building and as tho hour
for worship approached IT WAS strange TO WiLness
these people some IN color, manner and dress, re-
semDlng she full blood Indian. ana the rest but lit
Gle more civilized In appearance, dart into the dis.
Cernble space about the mission from all
s rune nsy 4Ssy generate da ca%s na
at all troubled by the storm, and wound suddenly
break In upon us out OF the gloom OF the binding
bee returning Its hive. While waiting for the ser.
vices to commence they all STOOD out III the snow,
and when they did enter they went 10 WIN rush.
1t would be dlfcnt W Adequately describe that con-
gregatlon. Everything about It was Indian IN Char
Hcer except few articles OF dress, and the hoarse
responses OF the men sounded more like the pro-
lOnged gr0ws Of Gagged WIG beasts taan the articu-
lati0n or human beings. All seemed very deyout;
but when the services were concluded tney rushed
out Is hastily as they went In anu, with scarcely
word TO any one darted away Ia various directions
into the dense IOg OF snow.
Previous 10 the services we had heard that party
OF Canadians from Winnipeg mad arrived At hsli.
breed house about nall q Iniie frOM the mlssl0n,
and we went over to see them. they consisted of
CONTRACTORS and engineers VINO had been employed
On the Canadian road VIA Lake of the Woods and
Rainy lake, and Notwithstanding their having been
ana sr ~ the wea a 70 aer pacK N sas
journey. some OF tuem were badly frozen. They re-
ported that they had been eleven days on the road
and expressed The belief that this storm would com.
petey blockade the route. They stated that further
north the road was already badly drfted; that they
had oeen caught out IN storm lew days before,
and that 1t would De very hazardous TO attempt TO
60 further In tnat direction. The winnipeg news
brought by the Canadians has already been ior-
warded in previous letter.
TIE GREAT STORM
perceive BY the papers tnat the storm which we
experienced on the 10th extended down through
An fnnku dam
damage Substitute snow for rain in those accounts
and consider the thermopetsr twenty-five degrees
below zero ana something OF an idea may be formed
OF wnat Northwestern prairie snowstorm s. Tax
Ing the advice OF Father Genln and the Canadians
concluded to return to Fort Abercr0mbie there
was no prospect Of the road being open Ia week or
more. and the season OF frequent storms mad Just
commenced. Fearing that we delayed our return
tue road might get closed up bemnd us, and as we
would have the WIND t0 our backs, determined 10
set out Tor Abercrombe at once, at started
from the mission. The MISSION Is located III tue
timber in bend OF the Red river and has above
and below along the stream aoout oozen
half breed families. The fact That the road from the
mission to ADercrombe IL In ne place more than two
or three miles from lumber, and In many places
touches the beds or the river held out to us the op
portunlty OF getng into some slight shelter, where
We might start q Dig ure should the storm stop our
progress; and besides we might possibly in such q
case be able to reacn hait-breeds log hut We mad
not realized the nature OF the storn however, be-
fore leaving the mission, ana when we got out on
the prairie, away from the timber, we bitterly re.
gretted tnat we had started.
me snow was A. dry and light as ashes. and
the fierce wind not only powdered the fall
ing, nakes, but caught up the snow on she
prairie. ntttng the air so densely tnat we
could not sch our horses ears over one-half the
tlme 1t was thick, stihing, freezing gloom. The
blast howed with fearful Violence shaking our can
vas covering a. II It would tear It to riDOons. and
drifting In upon US neavy weight OF snow. The
road, fortunately having been travelled great deal
between the mission ana the fort, mad no weeds or
grass IN IT, and by closely observing the sides Of
the team the line OF reed tops above the snow We
were able to keep IN the track, although III many
places it was already drlfted so tnat 1t was almost
impossible to get through. Tno appearance pre-.
sented by US an hour after leaving the mission was
rather curious. Our whiskers and muffiers were
frozen together In q solid mass Of ice from our
CONCEALED breatns, and strange as IL may
seem, NOT only were our mustaches as
s0lldly frozen as II Immersed In water
ana having . heavy weight upon tue hp but our
cyelashes were so loaded with frost that we could
not see each others eyes. The snow beat into the
hsir Of the ponies and formed coating naf inch
thick into which the harness was US firmly welded
ss irost could do 1t. The half breed driver did NOT
seem to mind the cold a. ALL but sat In cue front or
the sleigh, lashng and cursny his ponies, while we
huddled under our blankets ana buffalo robes, and
just at dark, alter what seemed aye, VIC reached
the timber near Fort ADerCrOmbe, with noses and