, 1891-11-24
THE POLICE.

A Talk with One of the Lads Who Look
After EvIIdoers In Canada's Northwest.
II a squad of the Canadian mounted
police were suddenly to appear on Broad
way in their gaudy uniforms they would
make quite a sensation. These strap
ping fellows are scattered all over the
Canadian northwest in barracks at the
principal settlements. They number a
thousand. are splendidly mounted and
are quite a feature in the life of the
northwest territories. half a dozen of
them may always be seen at the more
important stations on the line of the
Canadian Pacific railroad, where they
form quite an attraction for tourists, I'M
til they cease to be n novelty.
Their uniform is one of the gaudiest
ever donned by a police force. On their
heads they wear a black fiat cap much
like a skull cap, with a broad yellow
border, and a leather strap fastened to
its sides and resting on their chins.
Their jackets are n bright red, with q
profusion of gilt buttons, and their trou-
sers are black, with broad yellow side
stripes. They always wear spurs and
generally a belt full of cartridges. and
make quite a striking appearance.
"Our life is not such q very easy one,"
said one of them the other day. ITO be
sure we do not drill much, except in the
early part of our service, but we have a
good deal of barrack work to perform,
and every little while we are sent on a
hunt after horse thieves or other crimi-
mails, or down south to the Indian reser-
walton to settle some little trouble among
the Indians"
do you wear this uniform when you
are chasing horse thieves?' the police
man was asked. Your red Jackets
must advertise your presence on these
fiat p~rairies as far as the eye can reach"
"Oh, no." he replied. when we are
off on a hunt for criminals, we dress en-
tirely in black. Sometimes we are gone
for two or three weeks on this service.
Occasionally we take a weeks rations
with us, but we do not like to burden
ourselves on a rapid march with heavy
haversacks, and when possible we rely
for food upon any settlements which lie
in the direction We are taking. AS q
rule, we are successful in catching Grim
inals, even when they have some days
the start of us. On these great plains
they cannot conceal themselves as they
might in timbered countries, and, more
over, they find it necessary to visit some
settlement or ranch for food, and if they
appear at any town the telegraph is quite
sure to put us on their track"
The pay of the Canadian mounted po-
lice is thirty dollars a month and found.
They first enlist for a period of five
years, and the government is glad to re-
enlist them for three years longer at adj
vanced pay. Some of the northwestern
territories are very anxious to become
provinces. but even when this change in
their form of government takes place it
is probable that the system of mounted
police will be continued for many years
yet. The territory they police is enor-
nous, and so long rs it is thinly settled
no other means of preserving the peace
and bringing criminals to justice is
likely to prove SO economical and eff
feCtive.
Many of them %re-enlist at the end of
their term of service. They are all tall,
well developed fellows and fine speci-
mems of manly health and vigor. Most
of them like their way of living and are
particularly proud of their craftsmanship
and of the fine animals provided for
them.-New York Sun.