Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-11-17

| "uASu SouoCu ulul " onOW 2L tlme0
thas morning some signs of faint
| ness, but he afterwards completely
recovered from this and displayed no effort
| IN mounting the ladder which led to the attic
OF the guard house, on his way to the scaffold.
fhare was barely q quiver Is the drop fell,
and his death was pronounced an easy one.
Durlng the early hours of the morning he
gathered up all his papers which covered his
desk, embodying the supposed visions he had
seen and his prophecies, and asked the privi-
lege from the officer of the guard to destroy
them. This was allowed him, and gathering
them together carried them to an open stove
nre' and thrsst them in, Watching them till
the daues had devoured them. He then re-
turned to his cell and his devotions.
| 1t would be difficult at this time to guage
the sentiment clearly in the Northwest as to
Riel. The expressed views are almost en-
tirely unfavorable to him, and the half breeds
generally are silent upon the topic. ma
Jority OF the resident population believed he
deserved death, and this was undoubtedly
especially true in Manitoba Here, where
ne was tried, there was some expressions of
sympathy for him.
The execution of Riel is to be follow ed 1t
| Battieford by the hanging of 10 Indian chiefs
| for atrocities committed during the recent
] rebellion, and in each instance for murders.
This will close the book of criminal proceed
are growing out Of the Northwest war, as the
\ other persons convicted were given PRISON
1 sentences, all of which are now being served
out
The Rev. Mr.. McWilliaus has in his DOS
| session a series of letters written bv Riel
within the past ten days, which serve as
partial index to his character, and his claim
to being a patriot and likewise q prophet.
RiePs handwriting is bold and moderately
regular. He handed Father McWilliams the
following, Nov. 9th, four hours before he
heard OF his respite:
REGINA JAIL, N. w. T.. Nov.:9
On the 4th OF November, 1885, 1t was re-
vealed to me, your death is reprieved. There
is ten lawyers. Ol the 9Th, it was said to me
from ABOVE, the council will meet Tuesday
| on your indictment.
(Signed) LOUIS DAvap RIEL
These events transpired, as he indicated in
his paper. All letters are signed Louis
''David" Riel-the word David invariably
being quoted.
erend gentleman said, while Riel was labor
ing under excitement-
REGINA JAIL, Nov. f.
am most acknow ledging towards you, my
God, for having fulfilled the promise which
you never fully made to me, through your
| beloved servant, Ignace Bourget, that you
would not abandon me on account Of the
mission which you have goodly given
to fulfil in all points.
(Signed) LOUIS DAVID RIEL.
The following was written the same dav
| REGINA JAIL, Nov. 8, 1885.
For assisting to alleviate the wrongs of
my countrymea am to be -, but l will
not say it, for having done all could to bet
ter the condition of the people at large, as an
original, as an American and as a prophet,
will lose my temporal life.
| (Signed) LOUIS DAVID RIEL.
About 7.3O this morning he wrote the fol-
lowing to Rev. c. A. McWilliams:
| My good thanks for assisting me in differ
ent ways, principally by your prayers.
(Signed) Louis DAVID RIEL.
| Nov. 10th, 1885.
Twenty minutes before he went to the
scaffold he wrote the following in French of
which close translation is given. This
was his final missive and is in clear, bold
hand:
"What there is too presumptuous in nv
writings must say that by these presents
| subordinate it entirely to the good pleasure
| of my God, to the doctrine of the church and
| to the infallible decisions of the supreme
pontif. die Catholic and in the only true
faith.
| (Signed) DAVID RIBL.
FIR. McWilliams declares he never witness
ed more resigned feeling than was show n
| in the case of Riel during his last hours.
The members of the nothwest council are
now in session here, but as a rule are not
willing to prognosticate the probable effect
of the death of Riel upon the halfbreeds or
the country generally. One of the half-bree
members said his countrymen undoubtedly
sympathized with their leader, and doubtless
would do so doubly now he was dead 1t is
declared this afternoon that the government
will probably not allow his body to be moved
to Winnipeg, through fear of the demonstra-
ton which might possibly be made by the
half-breeds at his funeral.
| The executioner of Riel was man named
Jack Henderson, who was a captive of Riel
in the rebellion of 1870.
| Louis Riel was born in 1874, about five
milas from Fort Garry, now Winnipeg, the
capital of Manitoba. He was partially edu-
Gated at Montreal for the Roman Catholic
priesthood, and has always been under the
influence of the church. In 1869, while
some government surveyors were running a
line across land which Rel considered to be
the rightful property of half breed friends.
he set mis- foot on the chain and commanded
the men to leave. They obeyed, and Riel
soon after gathered an insurgent force and
opened his first rebellion He fed to this
o0untry in the spring of 1870, and was,
by act of Parliament, declared banished from
British territory for FIVE years. What he
contended for in this instance was afterwa ards
establifhed by law, and the people showed
their admiration of the rebel by electinQ him
to their Parliament. His second and recent
revolt was undertaken on as good ground,
many believe, and probably at the same in
stIgation as the first.
ST. PAUL, Nov. l6
Hon. w. F. Luxton, editor of the Winnipeg
Free Press said today: The general opinion
in Winnipeg is that Riel deserved his death.
not because he was the recognized leader of
the rebellion but because he is paltroon.
1t came out in evidence. during the trial,
that he made proposition to the govern
ment to sell out his friends for cash com
pensation of about $4,000.
MONTREAL, Nov. IL.
There was considerable excitement among
the French Canadians here when the news
of RiePs execution was received The French
Canadian students to the number of 500, car
rying tricolor, marched through several
streets giving cheers for Riel and denouncing
Sir John Mcdonald. Flags are half mast
in many parts of the city.