The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-05-01
louis REL.
Bishop Brondel Of Montana Gives sorne
Interesting Facts About Riel.

HA
Bishop Brondel of Helena, Mont, preached
Sunday the 18th n st Matthew's church Wash
ington, d. G. His errand East is to secure
assistant priests to go fad preach among the
1900 Indians under his charge. He knew
Louis Riel, the leader of the half. breed re-
volt.
SIN 1888" says Father Brondel, awhon !
went to Montana, Louis Riel was in the en-
ploy of our church teaching the Indians. j
found him at the St Peter mission teaching IN
the little school house there. He had y half
breed wife, a quiet woman who shared has al
ventures, and who is now with him In the hos
tile camp. He has two or three small child
rem, but the little family lived quite happily
at the mission. Riel was q good teacher, edu-
Gated at Montreal under Archbishop Tache,
and speaks French correctly and fiuently.
He is q handsome man, tall, well built,
with o full, ford face, a 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
of the revolt He was drawn into it by the re-
peated calls of his people, the half breeds.
/ know that he was 10th TO go to war,
and that he was overborne by the demands
and entreaties of these people. They look
to him as their leader-the man who has the
education and courage and skill to act as
their commander in the little war they have
DfOugnJ on. Ii6l mas no properly Oh any kllu-
/ 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 a request
to Archbishop Tache, who was in ATTIC 1aHce
on the vatican council to come home and 20
out to these half breeds in the hope of persuad-
ing them to lay down their arms and accept
the conditions of peace the government author
lied the archbishop to make. These were that
the half-breeds should be spared their lives,
Ind homes and that their farms should not Dc
disturbed by the government surveyors with
out inst compensation in other lands. After
peace was restored this way, the archbishop
having great influence over Rel, Gen. Wolse-
ley came on the field, and it was noiscd
through the country that he had put down the
rebellion. Then the Canadian government re-
fused to keep the promises IL 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
them has been weakened by the bad faith OF
the Canadian government In 1870. He said
regretfully, this time when he was call
ed on to try and talk the half-breeds out of
the determination TO fight, NO, no, IL is too
late. They would not believe me-, 81 think, .
added Bishop Brondel, ssthat the American
Indians will not go to Riel. A year ago they
might have done SO. They were starving then.
Among the Blackfeet there was hardly q dog
to be seen, for they had eaten them Two
hundred and forty souls persisted OF hunger
in the winter Of 1SS3-64. 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