Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-16
NUMBER az.
RIEL'S GRAVE.
| The Neglected Resting-Piaoe of the Half
i Breed Leader In the Northwest

l
No visit to this interesting region is
complete without crossing over Red
river from Winnipeg to the suburb OF
| St Boniface. the home of Archbishop
Tache. There arc two men IN Winnipeg
who, by their personal merits and a
| long course of wise actions for the benc-
fit CT this region. have become pre-emi-
nent in their influence over the people
of the Canadian northwest. Sir Donald
A. Smith, whose Winnipeg home is AT
| Silver heights, on the banks of tie AS
siniboine, was for many years the head
of the Hudson q Bay company in this
country, and his influence over the peo-
pie in the wide domain extending from
the boundary to the Arctic circle and
from the great lakes westward to the
Rocky mountains has been very marked.
Archbishop Toche, whose province ex-
tends all over the same wide territory is
the reyered spiritual adviser of the
| French and Indians, and also n sage
counselor for tho whole country. These
two men for a long period have been a
reliance of the government in dealing
with these remote people, and they were
mainly instrumental in settling the orig
inal troubles in Manitoba which result
cd it its being made a Canadian pro-
vince. Riel very properly objected TO
some suggested modes of settlement, be-
cause. as he said. the people of this re-
gion desired to be equal to and not sub
ordinate to Canada; they did not wish
ito be the colony OF colony" Cross
| ing over the substantial bridge spanning
the Red river between Winnipeg and
| St Boniface, the attractive cathedral is
in full view. The river sweeps grandly
around from the west TO the north, and
on the edge of the outer bank is a road.
A plain white fence borders this road
with foliage behind 1t, from among
which stands up the cathedral of St
| Boniface, with Its tall, shining, tin COW
| cred spire. reproduction of those seen
on the lower st. Lawrence. Above this
is the large, square academy building.
which is school of the Sisterhood of
Gray Nuns from Montreal and adioin-
| ing it is their convent. Below the church,
embosomed in trees, stands the modest
residence of the archbishop, low,
square-roofed house, vet comfortable in
It's appointments. st. Boniface college
is behind. The buildings are construct
ed of the cream-colored stone found
near by, and which is used so extensive
ly in Winnipeg. The church is of mod
ern build, erected in 1860, to succeed
the original church then burnt 1t has
famous chime of bells. first sent out
from London to the old church, destroy
cd when the church was burnt, the
fragments collected and sent back to
London for recasting, again sent out,
and, after meeting various misnaps,
finally safely brought overland by OK
teams from St. Paul, on the Mississippi
river. They are known here as the
travelling bells of st. Boniface. . But
the most interesting part of the place is
the grave of Riel in the church-yard. It
is a Hat grave inelosed by plain wood
en- fence, with cross, also of wood,
stuck in the ground and bearing the
words Louis David Riel," without other
mark. His widow who recently died,
is inferred alongside without any mark,
and, in fact, the graves show no evil
dence of any care being taken of them.
The death of Riel by the extreme PEN
atty of the law, while still cause Of
great irritation among the French of
Lower Canada. has probably ended all
prospect of French half-breed domina-
ton in any part of the northwest where
the English rule, mainly through the
instrumentality of the Canadian Pacific
railway, has now established its SUI
preme authority Winnipeg Cor. Lon
don Times.