Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-06-05
REL MUST HANG.
RELATIVES OF HIS VICTIMS SWEAR
HE SHALL NOT LIVE.
A Very Interesting Account of the inside
History of the Rebeliion-The Leader
Anxious to Sell Himself to
the Government.

advanced on the eneWy!s position, and the
general impression is that the fight is now in
progress. Gen. Middleton, before the wires
went down, photographed the militia authori-
ties here that he intended making an attack
yesterday afternoon.
A secret society has been formed here, com
posed of men who were imprisoned by Riel
both in this and the previous rebellion, and
those who have had fir ends and relatives put
to death o. tortured by the rebels, all OF
whom have taken oath to have Rieps life If
he is not sentenced to death. The society
will send representatives to watch the trial
at Regina. This movement is encouraged
by the act of the French haf-breeds here to
raise money to aid in Riel's defence.
The rebellion has demonstrated how ut
terv useless is the mounted police force
which thu government has had stationed in
the disaffected region for many years at q
cost of many hundreds of thousands of dol
lars annually Commanders OF the force
have proved themselves criminally cow
ardly, and when ordered to ASS; the troops
in engagements have always managed never
to receive tho order until too late. While
soldiers were on the fed of Batoche these
uned police, knowing that the fight was
| going on, held their annual sports thirty-five
miles away. Gen. Middleton has advised
/ the government to lose no time in abolishing
the force and in its place to pnt some of the
| troops who have done so nobly. He has re-
! ported to the government that the mounted
police have become Oh jects of derision and
scorn among the Indians, instead of objects
of respect and fear.
Rel is rapidly becoming an object of con-
tempt among Roman Catholics, from whom
it was expected he would rec i've aid in his
trial Rev. Father Andre. VI Prince Albert,
bn i.i. aJ hi al lof tIo
rising, who offered if he would lend his in
fuencc to the haf-breeds in the rebellion,
and get other Catholic priests to do likewise,
the church should receive half of all the
half breeds obtained by the rebellion. The
reverend father Indignantly refused to hear
of such proposition, when Riel few INTO
violent rage, and shaking his fist in the
/ priests face said he could triumph in spite
of the Catholic Church, and would trample
the priests under his feet when he became
the ruler of the Northwest. Ric week or
so afterward, cooled down, and saw he made
a mistake by defying the church, and he
asked Father Andres pardon, and that of the
church, but was refused. Riei finding it
was no good then offered to leave the coun-
try if the government would give him 50, 0O0
He said he could tell the half-breeds he was
going down to further their interests at
Ottawa, and they would believe him, and
Father Andre asked him did he think the
half breeds would believe what he said and
remain quiet and Rel told him the half
breeds would believe anything he said to
them. His name, he said, was q power
among them and whatever he did appeared
right to them. He then commenced to COM
plain bitterly of the manner in which the
government treated him in 1870. Sir John
Macdonald having promised him $4,000,
which he did not receive, to leave the
country. Sir John Macdonald, he said,
stated in the house that he had only given
him (RieD 81 900, but as matter of fact, he
had received through NJ. Prue over 81, 000
These are facts never before made public,
and their publication will create great SEN
sation all over Canada. Riel told Father
Andre he considered the government owed
him the money Ne had not received. and the
least they could do for him was to give him
, enough to carry himself and family to Lower
| Canada, where he would be among friends
and always under the eye of the government.
In case the government refused to accede to
his demand, he would raise he said, such q
storm that it would cost them 10000, 00C
and much blood before they could subdue it.
Father Andre, who previous to this had
\ treated Riers vaporings with contempt, now
began to see he was making serious mischief
| among Ine nall-DTeelS am lDIlpHllnS TcIeI
: lion. He therefore PROMISED to use his in
: fluence with governm ent officials known tc
} him to procure the money demanded, and
! for this purpose waited Jpn Mr.. D. II. Nc
Dowell, member of the Northwestern coun
, Gil for Prince Albert and begged him t.
take the matter in hand. Mr.. Mcdowell al
| first refused but eventually agreed to set
e Riel, and for that purpose went to hin
i in company with Father Anlre AMI
e after conference lasting over thre,
' hours in which Riel laid his grievance.
u against the government before him, and re
y, iterated his offer of leaving the Northwest
t on receipt of 80 900 from the government
: Mr.. Mcdowell promised to do his best to T.
h duce the government to comply with Riei
!, demand On receipt of this assurance RE
/ promised to wait forty days before takin,
e further steps. Mr.. Mcdowell then wrote t.
+ Governor Dewdney, placing Riers demand
~ before him, also his views on the subject
II and received an answer to the etfec
l. that the matter would be laid befor
h Sir John Macdonald. The stipulate,
e forty days flew by, but no answer cam
v from either Sir John Macdonald or Governo
u Dewdney. At the expiration of fort
:, !, days another letter was addressed to Cover
y nor Dowdney inquiring what action ha
e been taken on Ries proposals, and repl
" came to the effect that the government di
y, not wish to hear anything more about Rie
e. and that they would do nothing. This pre-
1t cpitated tho rebellion. Riel at once sough
he revenge. He melted the half-breeds to re
~ bellion, but with poor success until a
~ event occurred which set them all in a blazC
l. This was the passage of the Hon. Law
renee Clark through the French hal
h. breeds settlements. In answer to thei
n. repeated inquiries as to the resu
NJ of their petitions, no less than thre
~ of which had been sent down at varior
., times, without the Dominion governmeI
I'll vouchsafing any noti~a, his reply wa
as "There are 500 police coming up behind II
n with an answer in shape Of bullets" Notl
TX ing further was needed Half terrified
oil wholly Infatuated, the halfbreeds, exa
W perated beyond endurance, hew to arms, an
or the disastrous results which followed a
IN know. This is the inside history Of the hal
bread rebellion in the northwest