Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-11-26
tied in France at the beginning of the

tied in France at the beginning of the
last century. and one of his ancestors
married a French woman Subse-
quently this ancestor went to Ireland
and his son married an Irish woman
and emigrated to Canada Here the
family became absorbed by the
French Canadians, and the name
through constant experimentation
was changed to Rel, although the
registry in the Parish where they set
tied, bear witness TO the fact ii at the
name was originally Riegel.
Louis Riel's father, Jean Baptiste
Rel, was a famous trapper of the
Northwest and the most influential
man among the French Half Breeds
He headed an insUrrection against the
Hudson's Bay company In 1S49 and
forced a settlement of the grievances
of which his people complained. His
son Louis he intended for the priest
hood and sent him to school to st.
BonIface, where his quick intelligence
soon attracted the attention Of Arch
bishop Tache, who took th9 young
He sent him to St, Msry's College,
Montreal, where ne received a good
education from the Jesuit fathers.
He did not however enter the priest
hood, and for time studied
law ia the office OF Hon. Ma. Lsfam-
me, an ex minister Of Justice. He did
not succeed at the law and finally re-
turned TO the Northwest, married land
settled down as farmer.
Riel was the leader Of the half breed
Instruction In Manitoba in 1869, but
had associated with him as secretary
of state" an Irish schoolmaster named
ODonohue. The expedition led by
Colonel, now General Lord Wolseley
put speedy and bloodless end to the
rising, but Rel escaped capture and
later was elected to the Dominion
Parliament TO represent district of
the north west. He appeared IN the
house and signed the roll, but the
seat was declared vacant and he was
placed under arrest. He feigned In
sanity and was placed in lunatic asy-
I'm, from which he was subsequently
released. After this he came to the
. nited States and settled among the
French Canadian half-breeds in Mon
tana. From his retreat, however, he
kept up q constant communication
with his countrymen at home and
made several visits to the Northwest.
Finally, On the invitation of his Metis
friends, he returned permanently to
the Northwest Territory, and settled
down on farm. He at once assumed
the leadership of the dissatisfied, and
after the failure of all peaceful efforts
to secure satisfactory settlement, the
insurrection was finally decided on.
The result is too fresh ia the memory
of our readers to need recapitulation
here.
In appearance ana manner Louis
Rel struck one as an educated French
man, without any trace Of Indian
blood. His face was very striking,
opt exactly handsome. In height he
was about five feet seven inches, and
he had strongly-knit frame, He
spoke French with great purity, al
though he was perfectly at home in
the dialect used by the habitans,
which is mixture of the old patois
of Normandy and Brittany, from
which provinces most of the first
French settlers in Canada came. He
spoke English with great fuency,
and with only sight French accent.
He vas unquestlonably a man of con-
siderable ability, aud probably of per-
feetly sound mind, adopting the de-
vice Of feigning insanity to save his
life. He loathed English rule, and
The ambition of his life was to build
up French-Canadian republic.