Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-01-17

rles took place st F0ct Saskac owao,a mGuujcC;
p'l.cs outpost se7co;y miles from here, on tue
2O.h ins;., the victim being Swift RuuCcr, T.
Cree ladIan, who Was gully OF murdc: aod
csnatalisn. Fort Saaks;cleaau stguds % the
5ou.h bank Of he North Saskatchewan rivcc
| aad is sasr3uld d On every side by pr c:pi,ous
hills, which ara infested BY iudan c,l,ir5s;.
2nd BY The refugees who f2d It TO ,hyir inter-
5 10 kHep Clear OF the h:r!tf AMI cyi, za,jcn
Ehc Hofsc, Snake, Beaver, N1oosa eni ygr-
m!iloo hills have long hG!bored h.s, gea,fy,acd
tha cfprta OF the police to drive or sa!ya 4 ,m
2Cs have never succeeded. Swift Kuouer's
crimes HEc .! the must T,veitirg aaG uauatrfsl
claF' r. S0E)e ais sg) he wa4 heed mao
10 ire !l.'!c h%ad Ul Grccs ttat roam shr0urh
the North Saskatchewan dis;:c aud When she
pcl'Ge c2re 10 this part .! :&c CJuntsy, 10 1878,
he Was rccomucGGcd 20 III III Ly It's hudson
Bay ethrrfS rs trustworthy aai intvitig elt
~ dc. His cN5aot Si;h W itu ii ., however,
iuled Lin. Although whi.k2y b..r { rhc
territories, large q1aotitleS nevertheless lid
Their " !a, iu uo.tlss Disguised a. paGuLc LnCU
;cns.
Swift Ru1uer became icer}iuatciy teuG Of il,
and wnru bali diurk wsa :ha icyr0r OF the
whole region. Six feet ard ttr1c ia lcigl.,
and OF au cx;racTdi1Gcy s:roDgth, he was "a
ugly customer 10 meet whcn On spree, md
the poc gave Eim = siGe oc:sj. on such oc-
! .sslnns At length hs co0iu5t Grew 50 out
rasoOu>ig had that they scot hin. back to his
'rlbc, tut h:s uJ habis cuoE 10 bia AID 10
'Eu2td the Cree c.mcs iotc i.lt!o ho!I=. i,4s.
Wl0ter he stole several bp dis OF ,crirs from
L hait-or2ed hur;er ara .radtd nam L s paak.
CT Tor Whl.kcy. lie W.s dGruk ioc three c;cnths
1t stretch, snd, al.hop.h !l;igcnt S. ?h was
| made n.ihcr bis fellow sasGses nor the polio
could come &c oes the spot uhoGa no bad
c,cheet G: scclcted his store of liq!ar o. tho
II d ol ID mber, 1878. he cEt d Eo!, Sssk
Gtchc~an aud attempted to shoot trader. lie
Was arrested aod conh1cd u nil &c had r.co7u.c!
from AZ attack OF deli1um trcn1ans
o. his return TO his biHd they refused t.
let him traV0l viii them, ard seat bin
uoaeE an c:c1rt 20 the Moose HIS H;s
family y--r)osl5tluS Of lis @iia, iIolher apd
seven childreo-reTancd wish the band, but
On bis lr missing to behave himself they wcnt
10 tho hll to Iiv. vi him 4, this tifac Gfeat
Bust.rd, The Cree chief, reported 10 TIC police
thai Swift Runncr had iurGcd candlbaI; but.
as there was 90 GvidcLc 70 su3eu the c7arsc,
nothing c.nc Of il. Ga tho lS,h Of Ja.-
uary Cree hunter who tad bcca 1t the
bills brouGht word that Swift Runncr
| had murdered his eotiro family snt was sub
slsslng % their circassc5. 4 Fqnsd Of p0.ios
vas dispatched TO the Scene, bu. S4ifC Runagr
| was Dot 10 be tOuod, nor uld any trace be soi
OF his family. Sev raj t!tlrs during the
summer ;hc police went out ln sel.ca of him,
but, knowing every hole and corner in the
mGult unou3 region, be SlTays managed 20 give
than the sip. AT last CO the 18th ct October
tree police overlook hin 10 the valley OF the
k'th Creek, ff' mics Dorth Of Fort SaskstchcI
wap, as he was Il eng TO the AthabesCa tern
! tory. They carried him to the tort and sent for
Sheriff Richardson. o. being charged With
| the CHINO he pleaded guilty sad offered to con-
Cue the polio, to the rculsi1s. Hr had canned
| IN mole 0: cava at the base of the nouotains
| aod the bones Of his victims !ay ecatterad about
| the e or. They lad been boiled. Hook ug
bis hnger 10 the eye Of enc Of the sk1iIs ho
picked it up, and said in the most nouch slant
| rnsnner, "lhis is my moth ri" and so en- with
| the other :kos, nine 10 ell. He ssid wliskev
had denoralz 4 him and made him feel
like a volt. ho killed them ell one uisht
while they were asleep, ard buried the
bJd!ea 10 the sn0w, cutting them mp arc boiling
them as he needed them. He was fJrthHi b
sentenced to death, and his rcqu st TO be shot
Instead CT hanged we5 rtfusei. The I.diaus
thrcu2hou: the district wero invited 10 gi7o
their view % the case, aud thcy uu.1imou-Iy
| approved OF the Scnteucc. Swift RuGUer Was
asked if he would like to see "ulack COAT.
G., priest from the R mar Catholic rissi1n
ou the North SsskatchGwar-but be said the
white men had ruined hin aud therefore be
| di3u't thltk their God could I'm ut to muoh.
Al sevgp o'ctck ou tac mornog of the 20'h
he vas ordered to prepare Tor death. The
sc,tio!i had 5ccu ercctcd jIst outside the III IL
| gale OF the fort. 1t Ras plch dark a4d blow
| ing fearful sncw5sorm a. the cj1icGucd clan
] vas marched from tho lUckuy to the ga!i0Es.
| a nulber Of lndisos 9Go had hung around the
place all night had | ght d Eris 10 irolt Gf the
| ga'I0ws, aud swift RIuner, who UaS the coolest,
camfS' Ran Ia tbc crow !, stopped and warmed
himself the execution bad been Fixed fl
half past seven o. m., bat II vas iouId tHat b.
Indians had used the TRIP door for kiud 2
wood, aud delay O. 50 hour occurred. duriog
witch SIi& Runner. with rorc about his
neck, sat st one Of the fires aud par,ock oi q
haary breakfast. The hanSnaU, halt bracG
was very per7ous. sDd wher everything Csc
was ready il tueucd Out that he had no strap!
for pipioaing h's man. Another opg Ge
lay ensued. Tie Indians, who neYc,
before ssw Or herd Of death by habgng. yeT,
AK ous 10 know il it was species Of torture
and Swift Runner said If Il would suit tht
police De would kill himself With tonaheHb
end save the hsDEman further trouble. | w..
bitter cold-40 beiow z r.. At 9 a. IL. tn.
he0gmau returUcd y! /. ca!t o ropc but b,
tremeed SO that tho i.1:41s drove hn ctf spC
bound the prisoner themselves. Than thp,
stood BIN up sgslost the scsifold posts al!
ds1ced the death caGce while SWil. Ruoae
! laughed aod appeared to LOOK upon the who'll
business as good joke. Al $50 :. Ii. ha &c
msnded more food, god after eating pcuad G
J pemuIcan mouuted the sal!ogs and I'll mi.tec
hms Il 10 he tx cutoner, who had recovered
. bis uciVe. Que OF the police officers attempted
TO read prayer, but his voice was drowned b
! the eIs ed 5heu's Of the Indians AMI Shcrit