St. Paul daily globe., 1885-11-19
THE BURIAL OF RIEL.
His Friends Gather at st. Vital and Ar
range to Secure the Booy for
Decent Burial.
An Affeotionate Letter from Riel toSHis
Mother and Relatives Made
Public.
Much Excitement at Si6a1ey, Neb. &,
over the Recent Murder of
Martin Collins.
News From Various Points of the
Northwest Cleaned by Globe
Correspondents.
Arranging for the Funeral.

Arranging fOr the Funeral.
Special to the Globe.
WINNIPEG, Man., Nov. 1S.-An 1nfu-
ential meeting of half-breeds was held last
night at st. VITAL five miles from here, at
RielS old home, where steps were taken 10
bring the body of Riel down from kegina
for burial Many of the eX-rebers OLD com
panionS-in-armS and relatives attended
The most profound sorrow seemed 10 over
spread the meeting, and many hal1.oreeus
broke down while speaking ABOUT hie! a
subscription was opened ana SulilciehV
money subscribed to defray the puriai eN-
penses. AS it appeared tnere Wouiu pe
difficulty about getting the ooay, III was re-
solved to request Archbishop Iache to look
after the matter. 1t is understood he will
at once seek to obtain the body from Gov.
Dowdnev. When it is brought down there
will likely be a large funeral, as hun
dreds in this locality admire Riel. 1t
has been learned that on the morning of
the hanging. RiePS mother and his brothers
and sisters were all waiting i'll Archbishop
Tache's palace, across in st. Boniface. for
the terrible news. When, at last, it did ar
rive the poor old woman and her children
were almost beside themselves. They re-
fused to be comforted Mrs. Riel was
crazy for a time. His grace was obliged to
summon carriages and send the grief
stricken family home. RiePs wife was not
there, for the reason that she was i'll at ST.
Vital, having two days before the hanging
given birth to male child. which was dead
when it was born. The physician who at
tended her said the child was killed with
the great grief of the mother. The deepest
sympathy is expressed for the family in the
neighborhood. Rieps last letter to his
mother, written few hours before his eX
ecution, has been given to the public, and
is as follows:
RIEL'S LETTER TO HIS MOTHER.
My Dear Mother: l received your letter of
benediction, and yesterday l asked Pere An
dre to place it upon the altar during the cele-
bration of mass, that might be held under
the shadow of its blessing. l asked him
afterWard to place his hand upon my head,
that l might worthily receive it. as l could
not attend at church, and he thus had ditfused
upon me the graces of mass with its abund-
ance OF spiritual and temporal good. 70 my
spouse, to my children, my brother and sister
in-law and other relatives who are all very
dear to me, ! say farewell. Dear mother, 1t
is the prayer of your eldest son that your
prayers and beseechingS in his behalf ascend
TO the throne of Jesus Christ, to Mary and to
st. Joseph, my good protector, and that the
mercy and abundant consolation of
dren and other relatives with all
spiritual blessing from generation to gener-
alton, on account of the great blessing you
have poured upon myself, or yourself, and
especially for having been good mother to
me, that your faith and hope, sour charity
and example, be as the tree laden with eX-
cellent fruit in the present and in the future,
and when your last day arrives that the good
God will be so much pleased with your pious
spirit that He will bear it from earth upon
the wings of angles. 1t is now o'clock in
the morning my last Gay on earth, and Pere
Andre has told me to be ready for the grand
event. | listened to him and am prepared to
do everything according to his advice and
earnest recommendation. God holds me in
his hand, to keep me in peace and sweetness,
as oil held in a vessel which cannot be dis
turbed. l do what l can to
KEEP MYSELF READY
for any event, keeping myself calm in ac-
cordance with the pious exhortations of the
venerable Archbishop Bourget Yesterday
and to-day l prayed to God to reaSSure you
and send you all sweet consolation in order
that your heart may not be disturbed by
anxiety and trouble. l embrace you as
dutiful son, and, my dear wife. embrace
you as a Christian husband according to the
conjugal spirit of the Catholic union. l en-
brace you, children, in the breadth OF divine
mercy; and my brother and sister-in-law,
and all relations and friends, | embrace you
with all the good feeling of which my heart
is capable. Dear mother, am your aHec-
tionate, obedient and submissive son.
LOUIS DAVID RIEL.
While the jury was viewing the body
some misguided relic hunters cut Off pieces
of hair from the head and beard, the but
tons from the coat and vest, removed the
moccasins and were actually cutting up his
suspenders when interfered with. The
body was subsequently placed in black
painted shell and left underneath the
scaffold pending burial. Riel's will made
i'll Regina on Nov. has been given out.
1t is a long, rambling document and con-
sists mainly of expressions of faith in the
Catholic church and supplications for the
forgiveness of all whom he has wronged or
offended. lie ''pardons" all who perse-
cuted him, not emitting those who SEN
fenced HIM to death. No mention is made
of any property. He closes with an admo-
milton to his wife to bring their children up
in q Christian manner. and says: He
leaves them neither gold nor silver" but
trusts that God inspires the truly paternal
blessing which he gives them.
FUND FOR MADAME RIEL.
MONTREAL. Nov. 18.-The former COM
,-oJao of pial in tho cohOpI ha attaDdad