Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-11-27
EXECUTION or LOUIS 1sIEL.
He Meets His Death Like . Brave Man.
and Declines to Mako = Speech Upon
i the Gallows. KS

4 the Gallows. .45t
All efforts having failed to secure fur
ther respite, Louis Riel Was executed at
Regina, n. w. T.. Monday, the 18th inst.
At last it appeared that he had given up all
hopes OF escape from his terrible tate, and
had made up his mind to die bravely. He
did not retire the night previous at all,
but remained up, praying most ofthe time,
and conversing with Pere Andre. He
went oyer the events Of the two rebel
lions, and said, while he admitted having
made mistakes, he always had the good Of
his people at heart and he could die with q
clear conscience. About / clock he took
his last meal on earth. Before passing out
on the scaffold, a signal was given and the
party stopped. The priests and Riel
kneeled to pray. Riel's clear voice could be
heard above that OF the priests, repeating
the prayers OF the Roman Catholic church
used in cases of death. The litany was re-
cited. Slowly but surely the service drew
to an end. The priests repeated the pray
ers slowly as if to prolong the
life OF the poor man every moment
they could. But at last the end came,
and the party rose from their knees. Riel
looked calmly around. His eyes were OBJ
served to be moist, and some fancied they
heard a sob escape from him, but he soon
stitled any feeling Of weakness he might have
felt, and SUNNI oning up that courageous and
manly bearing which he always possessed.
he said firmly, in french, "Gentlemen,I am
ready; do your work" At a signal from
Deputy Sheriff Gibson, the hangman APP
peared from the gloom OF the corridor. He
was masked, and presented repulsive
through small apertures in the mask,
cleaning through.
HE HAD GRUDGE.
His name is Jack Henderson, and he is
the same who hanged Corners. He owed a
special grudge against Rel, having been i'm
prisoned by him during the Red river re-
bellion in 1870, and he pleaded as a par
ticular favor to be allowed to hang his old
enemy. He carried in his hand some straps
with which, under the direction OF Gibson, he
bound Riels hands behind his back.
gazed through the aperture at the fatal
moose, which, suspended from a heavy
beam, was dangling before him. A slight
Bhudder seemed to shake him for an in
slant, but that was all, and the next mo-
ment he stepped firmly out OF the building
and on to the scaffold. AS he stepped out
he repeated Ave Marias.
AS Rel stepped upon the trap he con-
tinued to calculate: I'm God I put my
trust" Before the hangman adjusted the
white cap, Sheriff Chapleau stepped up to
Riel and said: Louis Riel, have you any.
thing to say before the sentence OF the
court is executed upon your"
For a moment Riel WAS silent; then to the
great surprise OF all, he answered in firm
voice. mo" He was told he would have
two minutes to pray, and he repeated the
Lords prayer. He invoked the aid Of Je-
sus, Mary, Joseph and the other saints.
Father Andre and McWilliams stood faith
fully by him and to their exhortations to
stand firm. Riel said he was not afraid
to die. II believe in God to the last" he
said. ''yes, to the very last" DR.. Jukes
shook hands with him, when he thanked
the physician for oil he had ever done for
him. The rope WAS now adjusted by the
demonstrating hangman, who also drew
the white cap over Riel's face. Then Faith
er McWilliams was asked to repeat the
Lords prayer. Recommended in slow and
measured tones. The suspense was terrible,
and could not last much longer. Wien the
words, Lead US not into temptation
were reached, Deputy Sheriff Glib
son nodded to the hangman, who
kept his eyes fixed on him. With
Il slcdge hammer he struck the bolt which
shot back into its socket, and as a conse-
quence shot Louis Riel, the leader of the
half-breeds and whose name will ever live in
Canadian history into eternity. The drop
was nine feet and the victim fell with ter
rible force, SO that his neck was broken in
stantly.