The Northern Pacific farmer., 1885-04-30
LOUIS REL.
Bishop Brondel of Montana Gives Some
Interesting Facts About Riel.

Interesting Facts About Riel.
Bishop Bronuel of Helena, Mont, preached
Sunday the 2Gth in st. Matthew's church Wash
ington, D. c. His errand East is to secure
assistant priests to go and preach among the
12,G00 Indians under his charge He knew
Louis Riel, the leader Of the half breed re-
volt.
sIn 1885," says Father Brondel, when
went to Montana, Louis Riel was in the en-
ploy of our church teaching the Indians
found him at the St. Peter mission teaching IN
breed wife, quiet woman who shared his ad-
ventures and who is now with him in the hos
tile camp. He has two or three small child
ren, but the little family lived quite happily
at the mission. Riel was good teacher, edu-
Gated at Montreal under Archbishop Tache,
He Is handsome man, tall, we'll built,
with full, horid face, keen pair of eyes, and
when saw him last, some time in August of
last summer, he wore a long silky black beard
The troubles in Manitoba are to-day What they
were in 1870 and Louis Riel is not the author
peated calls Of his PEOPLE, the half breeds.
I know that he was. 10th to go to war:
and that he was overborne by the demands
and entreates of these people. They look
10 Lin as tileir 4eader-the man who has the
education and courage and skill to act as
brought on. Riel has no property of any kind.
I think he Travelled up from Montana into the
British possessions on other peoples horses,
those of half-breeds who were with him in the
struggle. In 1860 the Canadian government,
through the home government, sent request
to Archbishop Tache, who was in attendance
on the vatican council, to come home and go
out to these half breeds in the hope of persuad-
ing them to lay down their arms and accept
the conditions OF peace the governmentauthor
lied the archbishop to make. These were that
tho half breeds should be spared their lives,
and homes and that their farms should not be
disturbed by tho government surveyors with
out just compensation in other lands. After
peace was restored this way, the archbishop
having great influence over Reil, Gen. Wolse-
ley came on the field. and it was noised
through the country that he had put down tho
rebellion Then the Canadian government re-
fused to keep the promises it had authorized
Archbishop Tache to make. He was unable
to make the half. breeds and Indians under
stand, and to this day his influence among
the Canadian government in 1870. He said
rcgretfully, this time when he. was call
ed on to try and talk the half breeds out of
the determination to fight No, no, it is too
late. They would uot believe me, g think,
added Bishop Brondel, E'that the American
Indians will not go to Riel: A year ago they
Among the Blackfeet there was hardly a dog
to be seen, for they had eaten them. Two
hundred and forty souls perished of hunger
in the winter of 1sS3-S4. Since then a good
deal has been done for these Indians.
Their children are being taken into the
white mans schools, fed and clothed and taught.
This the adults of the tribe like. They are
bound by this benevolence to keep the peace,
and they seem disposed to follow the abundant
advice given them to till the ground and be-
come independent of the white mems cruel and
thlcving agents. The same thing is true of
most of the Indians in Montana; none of them,
think, will go into the revolt. There is only
one end of the matter for Riel It may be de-
1ayed, but it will surely come. He will be beat
en- and punished"