Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-11-26
TuE A + O U REL.
A Priest who Attended Riei During HIS
Is, aour. Gives Out nterestin Facts.

~ Nou
wrSsrpro, Man, Special Telegram, nov
l7-Father Mcwilliams, who spent SUNDAY
with Riel before his execution, gives some
tersstiug details of the last hours OF the great
.hief of the half breeds Father McNillams
was a classmate with Riel In college al mon
treal. and talked much about old times WIN
The condemned man. He says ne Lew
attended a condemned man who wasso iuIy
prepared 10 die as was Riel, though unlll VIC
'ast moment arrived he believed something
wa.,ld happen to save his nfe. fatnet w
Williams secured many Of RieIs papers
among which was the following;
II 1 have said anything perenlps0rs ~ mar,
san.a and 10 be received into the bosom OF the
Roman Catholic church, which Is the only tIue
church. and acknowledge mySeh su to,mss ~
10 IL, and l believe In the iniaiiipie aosnAs"
me LOUIS DAVID RrEI4
DR.. Dodds, coroner, who was standing De-
low the drop, says:
ING on one leaf only, shot downward ana tCt-
ward, his legs rising as the rope ughlengIi IN
an instant the rope was stretchei 70 lts ,u,I ~
tent. Riel's BODY came violently lor"aiu on ~
cheat. aid we distinctly heard q crack as the
yertebTD were fractured. A..
pere Andre, whose ministratiOns to the
condemned have been constant during MS
confinement. was interviewed He says II
WAS IkAtA y " AN~ >"
day, his mother having sent him a BIoie.
THE MuRDER or SCOTT.
He detailed the conversation he mad WIN
him a short time previous 70 The execution,
relative to the murder OF Thomas Scout uur-
ing tina rebellion Of 1863 Riel said: "
have been rsproached for the death OF Scott,
but at this day thinktt was only political
mistake. and by bringing the aalf-Dreeds 20 q
sense OF what they we're doing saved hundreds
Of other lives. | think | made 4 mistake, but
I lNl MT commit
A crime. Sir John Macdonald Is now committing
me TO death for the same reason | committed
Scott because 1t is necessary for the country
good / admit that Scctts shootingwas nus
managed. bat | commanded Il beoauSe1 Thought
IL necessary. lie tried 20 XIII HIS gnards. they
came and said they could do nothing WIN MN,
Rebellion was on the eve OF breaking OCT Az over
the country, but as soon as Scott vas killed IL
subsided.
Being asked to divulge SCOTS place Of
burial, Riel said:
That's not my secret. / nave been paEdoned
for his death, but am going TO die for u.
In response to u query OF Father McWill
Jams, Riel said: l'.
assure you that three weeks before the Duck
Lake fight | had no idea OF rebellion, but II was
forced on me by Gabriel DumOnt and Others,
who cana and said the people would soahloh
me II l did not do something 70 bring the gov
eminent to terms. / had been SIX months IN
the country and done nothing.
RieI, when asked why, when the rebel Ion
was first started. he did not act deCisiveiy by
attacking Prince Aibert and CARTON, saia
Il was afraid. for II I went there with the
Indians there wouid inevitably have been a
massacre / asked why he left all his papers
to be captured, thereby discriminating many.
Riel replied:
, During the last three day at Batoche l con-
Tess l lost my head. | told Pierre Parautcan 20
destroy them al. but in the hurry and confusion
he did not do 80. 4
At IN. Riel wrote a letter to the law
yers who defended him, saying he was thank
tul for all they had done They had done
everything in their power, and If they had
failed it was not their fault He also wrote
lette rs TO his wife, mother and relatives
Then, kneeiing, he prayed extemnore for al
hour aud a h1lf, using the most beautiful
language. He asked that God would give
SIR John wisdom but take him very quickly
to himself. Riel laughed as he said this, and
Capt White Fraser, who was watching, said
that was bad Riel replied that he could not
do better than wish Sir John in heaven.
Then, rising, smiling, he said in q reflective
manner that 1t was very strange 10 see
poor man like himself with all the POwer o.
Canada arrayed against him. 1T Is not be
cause | am q prophet, for they know thai
cannot help ME in the present position.
Requiem mass was said at 5 o'clock by PERI
Andre and Father McWI.iams, RiGl Their
receiving the sacrament After mass the
two priests urged him not to speak on tn,
scaffold, as IL would excite him. Rlel wal
very reluctant to foregos the privilege, say
ing he wanted to let tho people know he was
prophet and had a mission here. Andre said
You have a mission, and Il is to die as. become
q man and a Christian. | have been preparing
you TO die worthlly for the last three months
and new you will not cause my efforts to be IL
Fain.
After further conversation. Riel said:
Father, ! am in your hands aud will Yield I
-FOUR advice. feel happy and ready TO die. d
not be afraid that | Will break down. ! ma,
be nervous, but for the last two months l hav
been making ready for death. and my couTag
will not fail