Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1885-08-08

He Prays I'm Court and Moves
the JurOrs To- Tears.

He Prays fn Court and Moves
b Jurors to Tears.
Riel's trial closed at Regina on July 81
The jury found him guilty, and he has
since been condemned to death. His coun-
sci plead insanity. Riel spurned the insan-
ity dodge from beginning to end. He spoke
two hours in his own behalf. Before
speaking he turued his eyes upward and
prayed fervently for o few minutes. He
said:
Your honors, gentlemen Of the jury, 1t
would be easy for me to-day to play in
sanity because of the natural excitement
caused by my trial. The excitement would
cause o nature like mine to be far from
calm, but l hope by the help OF God TO
retain my calmness. The jurors will see
by the papers that / am inclined TO be
religious, but I trust that my religious
actions will not be thought insane.
Turning his eyes heavenward again, and
crossing his hands. he continued:
Oil my Godi Help me through the
grace and divine influence of Jesus Christ.
Oh my Godl Bless me, bless the honor.
able Court, bless the honorable jury. bless
my good lawyers, who have come 700
leagues to try and save my life. Bless the
lawyers of the court, because they have
done, / am sure, what they thought their
duty, and they have shown a fairness
which l did not expect. Oh my God !
| Bless all those who are around me. and,
through the grace of Jesus Christ, our
SAVIOR, change the curiosity of these peo-
| pile who are around me into calm interest.
| Amen.
Riel then said his mother, who gave him
birth forty years ago, had taken care OF
him and nursed him. He had another
mother-the Northwest-whom he loved
and whom he was sure would not kill him.
any more than his earthly mother did.
| He next proceeded to talk about griev-
ances, and showed how he came back to the
country to benefit the half breeds alone.
He spoke In English, and said he would
| try and do his best to be understood. He
would yet be justified. He sought to
| bring about practical results, and when he
was dead, which might be soon, he hoped
his spirit would yet bring about practical
results.
He spoke strongly about the papers
| found at Batouche. which he said were his
| own writings, and which would yet justify
him. II released, he trusted the Grown
| would return them to him. For the past
ten years he had believed he had a mission
to perform. He believed it still. and with
the help of his God he was performing that
| mission In the criminal dock. He had
waited patiently for years for an opportu-
| nifty TO perform It. The late Archbishop
| Bourget said that he (Riel) had q mission
to accomplish. he had no narrow views.
| As long as British justice prevailed he
knew that God would take care Of him.
When Middleton was at Bstouche, and
the bullets and shells we're flying about his
head thicker than mosquitoes, he was pro-
tected, and IL was nothing but Gods bene-
| diction that preserved him. When Gen.
Middleton and Capt. Young were giving
evidence as to his insanity he felt that God
was blessing him. He blessed the Grown
lawyer for breaking down the evidence Of
DR.. Roy TO the effect that he was insane.
1t was justification, and proved that he
was not insane, as asserted. Even il con-
demned and hanged he would have the
satisfaction Of knowing that the world did
not believe him.insane. Nolin wanted him
to make a bargain to renounc his Ameri-
can citizenship, but Riel refused, as he
believed IL would be Of advantage to him
The agitation in the Northwest would
have been constitutional if the Metis had
not been attacked. The court had not
found out the facts of the attack. He
denied antipathy to the police. He had
never said one word against the police.
He respected them. He had not, be-
cause he had been libeled for fifteen years,
ceased to believe that he was somebody.
By the grace OF God be was the founder
of Manitoba. The whites were the pio-
neers OF civilization, but had brought
decentralization among the Indians.
" Don't be offended" he said. "ladies,
don't be offended; the clergy will cure the
evil"
As TO the evidence that he had called
Archbishop Tachea q thief. he explained
that the Archbishop had taken property
from 9 widow. He was proud that he
had the manliness to stand up and de-
nounce such action, even If committed by
such q dignitary.
At the close OF Riel's speech two Of the
jurors were crying, and 80 were some OF
the ladies in the court. The jury then re-
tired.