The Northern Pacific farmer., 1885-04-30

THE 1IHL LREDHIE1oH.
Thirty Whites Probably Butehersd at the
Fort-A skirm1sh at Battlsford, and an
Ear2y Attack Expected.
Winnipeg, spssacSlal, +4o1esraMlsi April as-
At Battleford yesterday; . five mounted
policemen arrived from Fort Pitt, bearing
intelligence that in an attack by tha Indians
one of the policemen was killed and one
wounded. All the other occupants Of the
fort, including the Hudson Bay factor, Nc
Lean, and family, have taken refuge in a
camp Of friendly Indians near the post The
police, who escaped upon;a raft, toll the story
Of the fight and give details Of the position.
For two weeks the fort was surrounded by In
dians, who constantly menaced the place, and
an attack was constantly expected The In
dians demanded the surrender Of the fort, but
Inspector B1ckenB Of the police, resolutely re-
fused There were about fifty men in the bar
racks, including the police, 44nd as they We're
away, but Chief Big Bear sent to have parley
with Mclean, the chief factor: The chief told
him if the civilians and police would lay down
their arms and surrender he would protect
them; Mclean is timid, and accepted the offer
Dickens even after tie Civilians had LETT him,
refused TO surrender; and, with his men, he
was embarking on q raft for Battleford when q
band OF q hundred Indians under Big Bear
attacked him The police ;ftnght despefftely
and killed 4 copsideta bio Number Of rearskins
police escaped. William Cowan, one Of the
number, was killed, and another, named Ions
by, fatally wounded. Others were wounded,
but not seriously. The tiInidity ot< Mclean
embarrassed the police and proved fa-
men, Women sa1 ana children-w%ho % are Believed Believed
to have fallen victims to the treach-
cry of the Indians before this. The police who
escaped brought intelligence regarding the
Frog Lake massacre, which wae reported few
days ago to have been a canard The Indians
about Frog Lake had been acting in strange
manner for some time, and one Sunday they
invited the whites to attend church The
| frightened people complied There in the sane
tuary for hours sat the trembling women and
with their dusky enemies. When the service
was over the Indians retired first, and as tho
whites left the edidce ten Of them were shot
instantly: The two priests, Fathers F8fard
and MarchAud who had oficiated at the
service, were then SEIZED by the bloodthirsty
Indians, and after being beaten to death, the
bodies were burned. The redskins subse-
quently raided houses in the vicinity ana
committed many depredaticne Battleford
dispatches states that Frank Smart, store
keeper there while on duty at the barracks,
was killed by bullet from a rifle in the hands
Of an Indian sharpshooter The guards then
fired upon band of Indians at Battle river
crossing with what result is not known
Moosimin's band is In communication with
Poundmaker's, and tronble is feared An early
rison is thoroughly alarmed Word has been
sent to Col Otter to make all haste with his
column to the relief of the besieged It is
now expected that he will reach there satur-
day. There seems little doubt he will have
some fighting to dc, as The entire country
about Battleford is supposed to be swarming
with hostile Indians. suff cient amount Of
supplies has at last reached Middleton to en-
able him to proceed forward. A dispatch re-
celvod this morning said:
MIDDLETON WOULD ADVANCE TO-DAY.
Melgund and his scouts encountered several
of Kiels scouts yesterday and exchanged shots
with them, but as Riers men retired into am
bush, where it was probable that half -hreed
renforcements lay, ,Melgund retired Middleton
telegraphed Instructions t. nave the steamer
Northcotte bring On Supplies with all haste The
steamer is now on the way to Prince Albert, heav-
n.y. frelghted with provisions. Middleton says he
will meet her in Prince Albert in three DAYS.
by winch time no expects to have cleaned out
the rebels. Arrangements have been made for
Irvine to meet him near Batoche's Crossing,
Irvine will prevent the escape OF the rebels in
the event of an engagement It is quite v*,-
dent that the military authorities are
IN IN possession Of facts not known to
were Peoa1ea Po1ea from FOR SGsb SS{Spt0 h,es 9rders
troops stationed here to go to the trent at once
~ London fusieers Snd ni6hcch battalion,
On 21v str9ng left in two special trains
- Swift Current, from which point
they WIN be forwarded by river to join
Middleton The governor generals body
Quebec school of cavalry go to Fort Qu'Ap-
pelle. The objectls to reinforce Middleton from
the rear should it be necessary for him to fall
back. They will also be used to guard supply
depots along the line 1t is believed here that
intention and his forces which led him to ask
reinforcements, A late dispatch, from Middle
ton tonight annoUnces that he has postponed
his forward movement till to morrow morn
ing: Prince Albert intelligence indicates all
well, but anxiously awaiting relief Charles
hewitt, who was reported killed at Duck Lake,
is alive Nolln, one Of Riel's councillors, is q
prisoner at Prince Albert.
AS telegraphed, Riel is at Batoches, the
greater part Of his force being in rifle pits and
Gt is allegeD lntrenched on the south side of
the river According to t, the best information
chief has $50 half-breeds armed with forty
Winchesters, twenty Snider's Captured at the
Crozior fight, together with 400 to 500 rounds
of ammuniton) and $50 to 200 shot guns, the
laL!ef eHectlVe aL lUU yaIus Wu0u lOaQoO Win
slugs and buckshot. It is now positively as
serted that he has two brass field pieces (seven-
pounde1s) with a few rounds of solid
shot for each. If he has, the guns are relics
of those formerly owned by the Hudson Bay
company and not regarded as very dangerous
in these modern days. Estimates of Riel's In
dian allies vary from three hundred to five
hundred, and the former is likely to be nearer
the truth The Indians have arms O. all sorts
very similar in effectiveness and condition to
- <11r 1oo
of first class ammunition. Rel's men have
made up their minds that if caught they will
be hans ged-ergo, s'Tis better to have fought
and died than never to have fought at all, and
die anyhow They will fight on the Indian
every tree trunk and inequality Of ground as
coign of vantage.