The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-08-19
RIBL FOUND GUILTY.
Sentenced to be Hanged Septem-
ber is, at Regina, Manitoba.
A SkeIh Of his Life and the
Rebellion Which hs Led.

l He C.lQl VI LOUIS 1llclJ tlle NuHuuluil
rebel, was concluded at Regina, Manitoba,
on the 1st. Forr hours were occupied by the
judge reading over tho evidence and charg-
ing tho jury. He pointed out the duty of the
jury to find the prisoner guilty unless they
were thoroughly convinced that tho prisoner
was irresponsible and insane during the COM
mission of his acts.
The jury retired at quarter past 2 o'clock.
During their absence the prisoner kneeled in
the box and prayed audibly and fervently,
He had scarcely eaten anything for the PAS!
three days. He was in the jury room during
tho recess, sat on every one of the jurors
chairs and prayed fcrvently Oh each. Then
he sprinklcd thom with holy water.
The jury was nbscnt an hour and returned
with verdict Of guilty with recommenda
ton to mercy. The foreman cried like g
child when he announced tho verdict Riel
remained on his knees praying until the yer.
dict was announced, then jumped up looking
pale but calm.
After tho verdict of guilty was rendered
Ric! WINS asked if Eo had anything to say why
the sentence should not be passed. He spoke
two hours, reviewing the half-breed gricv
ances since 1Si9. He asked that commits
sion be appointed to try him; also a commits
sion Of doctors to see whether he is insane o.
not.
The Judge said that none of the reasons h
offered had any weight, and he advised til,
prisoner to prepare for tho end, and sentenced
him to be hanged OIL the 18th Of SeptemSe
next, Mt Regina.
Riel's counsel declared their intention O
appealing the case ut once
sketch of Ricl's life.
Louis Riol was born within five miles of th
Fort Garry settlement in 1874, when the OLE
Hudson Bay company regime was still il
power. He is half breed, hut has fair hal
ard light blue eyes, and usually passed for I
full blood European. He was brigh
boy in his youth, and winning tho favor O
Archbishop Tache, he was sent by the lat
ter to Montreal to be educated. His patrol
had intended to mako q priest of him, and
young Riol completed the usual course o
studies for admission to the priesthood, bu
when lie presented himself Tor holy orders
to Fort Garry, and there his suavity of man
, ners and native shrewdness secured him hos
| of friends among the French half breeds, ant
gave him influence i'll the tribe.
When the half breads resolved in 1869 t.
resist the invasion of Canadians, just afte
the purchase of the territorial rights Of tn
| Hudson Bay company, Riel put himself a
tho head of the rebels. Ricl, with hi
forces, descended upon tho company's fort
seized it, set up q provisional governmen
OF his own, and issued bill of right
| demanding representation Ill Tn
| Dominion government and q series
public improvements. He had secured al
abundance of arms and ammunition, and Ii
1.nl Ia, NJ N
| colony of English settlers who strove to resis
him, and took all the prominent Canadian
residents prisoners 10 telrify the settler
| further, he had their leader, Thomas Scott
| of Ontario. shot.
General Wo!scley, who was then Cana
| dian lieutenant-colonel Of no particular prom
| incnce and with little hope Of advancement
was chosen to lead the expedition against th
rebels. The moment Wolseley, backed b.
| 1908 regulars and militia, set his foot in For
Garry settlement Riel disbanded his govern
ment and fled to tie United States.
The Canadian parliament advanced Con
eral W olse,ey and banished Ricl for five years
| The half breeds were 1uieted for time by
| living in Manitoba rs compensation TO
| disturbing the old river frontage system
Riel was mere popular than ever with tn
half breeds when he got back to Mani
| toba after his exile but he now playe
tho part of loyalist and offered to ait
| General Archibald to resist the Fenian ir
yaders, who, unlcr O'Donahuc, proposed t
sweep down Oh the province of Manitoba
Immediately alterward, III 1915, he wa
elected representative i'll the Dominion paria
mcnt from the province and went to OttoW
and was sworn into office by the clerk Will
the building was deserted. News got abroa
| ~, 10 hot o1 ,ronp
ordered Scott to be shot, was in town
and hearing Of the threats o
infuriated loyalists to shoot him in reveng
if he attempted to take his seat in parliament
he fled from the city and never again CT
tered it.
His seat was declared vacant the ncxt day
and he Travelled in the United States unit
in 1884, mutterings of fresh outbreak anon
tho half-hreeds in the Northwest le / him bac
tohis birthplace, and again he was chosen
leader, this time by his dissatisfied fellows q
Frlncc Albert settlement
The half breeds here, as well rs at all othe
settlements along the Saskatchewan. had bee
excluded from the grants to the Manitob
half breeds in 1863, and when early Ia:
winter government surveyors entere
the Prince Albert settlement ard III
gan TO lay out in blocks the land Oh til
river banks, deprivins tho half breed
of their river frontage. Riel demande
that the half breeds rights be respected Ju
as lie had previously done in Manltoo'
lie declared that tho laws would have to b
equalized Tho demand was not answered a
Riel thought it ought to be, and he got tI
gether 1850 half breeds, armed them VIII
Winchester and Remington nritles, and opane
warfare without ceremony. Many Indian
ioined in tho insurrection. Ri,l made
speech to his followers, saying that III
would deliver them from their OF
pressors, aud that ho had the mean
| this time that would make his hgl
for their rights successful. MaJol
General Middleton was sent from Ottawa !
march with Dominion miltin toput down II
uprising. but it wns not until May u. att
weeks of skirmishing and lighting, that IL
rebels were routed at Batouche, AMI four day
later thrcc Dominion scouts. captured kiel G
an unfrcnuentel Indian trail three miles nor
Of Batou"Le. Ho was tried before Ju'it
Richardson at Regina, his counsel pleadli,
insanity, but he himself declaring that
was sane. He was convicted and sentence
to be hanged at Regina September IS: -.
An ottawa dispatch says that the Enslis
residents ara highly pleased and the rrehs
population very indignant ut Riols conVl
tion and sent :ncc.
TWO CITIES IN RUINS.