Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-02-12
THE CANADIAN POLICE.
FORCE WHICH PATROLS TIE
GREAT NORTHWEST.
Drilled In All Branches OF the Military
Service - Protecting ssttlers'
Property and Prevent
ing Smuggling.

police ID one OF the mOSJ Valuable
bodies In the police service. The
force Is small but most excellent
state OF efficiency is maintained, and
the discipline is excellent says the
New York Times. The corps is COM
posed of ten divisions OF 100 men eac h
and tifty-two officers. including medical
officers.
This comparatively small body is
charged with the full maintenance of
the law and order of the whole dis
trict from the Red river in the east TO
the Rocky mountains in the west,
distance of 900 miles, and from the
international boundary line on the
south to line 800 miles north. max
ing total area OF ~. 600 square miles.
The country is most diversified in It's
aspects Starting from the most east
ern outpost at Sourisford. on the one
hundred and first parallel OF longitude
the traveller passes west through open
prairies. with but little water and no
wood. This. as he nears Moose Pond
near the one hundred and fifth par
alleL, changes into excellent grazing
country and so gradually to luxur-
liant grass country. until Cypress Hills
with their magnificent pasturage, are
reached. The whole district, from
Cyress Hills to the most western sta
ton. Morley, is not so luxriant, but
still affords good water and feed In
the northern journey. the fertile belt
being passed. the way lies through
sand hills and small scrub there being
no wood and but little and bad water
from Medicine Hat until one nearly
reaches Battle River.
1t is in this wild. scarcely settled
country that the lives of the members
of the Northwest Mounted Police are
passed, the whole area having to be
patroled every week. The headquar-
tiers are at Regina, and here Colonel
l. w. HerchmeE the commissioner.
and his staff are to be found. together
with from $50 to 10 non-commis-
stoned officers and men. The force Is
known under the title OF mounted pc.
lice. but they are really much more Of
military corps than mere police.
Their uniform is rich and impressive.
consisting of scarlet tunics with yellow
braid reliefs and yellow facings, blue
cloth riding trousers with q yellow
stripe top boots and spurs and hel-
met in Summer. In winter the men
wear fur coats. fur capes and mecca
sins. Thus dressed and mounted they
look more like section of crack
cavalry regiment than mere body OF
police
Their drill. too is fully calculated
to increase this idea. as they learn the
whole service being drilled as in
fantry cavalry and artillery, and
armed with Winchester carbines, En-
field or small revolvers, and when nee
essary sabres. In addition TO head
quarters there are fourteen stations,
each under an officer or non-commis-
stoned officer. from which patrolllng
is done.
This Is one of the great duties OF
the force In bodies of two, three
and four the police scour the whole
country. chiefly by means of trails.
which have been made in almost
every direction. The objects OF the
patrols are numerous First there is
the protection of law-abiding settlers.
and the vigilance required to prevent
deserters from the United States,
whisky smugglers and horsethieves
from coming into the Dominion from
across the line. Cattle and horse
stealing are not so prevalent now as
they used TO. be, probably owing TO
the efficacy OF the patrol system; still
in the last year forty-six horses were
reported as stolen at Lethbridge. in
the Blackfoot district, and OF these
forty-two were recovered.
The advent of Indians from the
United States who come to visit their
friends is always looked upon with
dread by the commissioner and author
tiles All over the district are Indian
reserves where Blackfeet, the more
troublesome; Regina. Blood Sarcee
Stony, Chippewa and Salteau indians
have been settled. 1t is part OF the
duty OF the police to see that these In
dians keep to their reserves. though
they are by treaty allowed TO hunt
provided they do not interfere with
white settlers This privilege is con-
stantly leading to trouble cattle being
found killed, SO that every effort is
made to keep tho Indians on their re
serves unless they have a license to
travel.
When United States Indians come
over the incentive to exercise hospi-
tality even at the expense of their
neighbors becomes too strong to be
resisted, and there is an increase in
the number OF cattle killed. An order
was promulgated in 1890 to turn back
all American Indians coming in with
arms and horses. or disarm them and
collect duty on the horses
Another OF the duties OF the police
Is to enforce the prohibition law in the
Northwest territories. This law is
very difficult to enforce 1t was forced
on the provinces by their legislature.
but the people themselves are not in
favor OF tho law and will not lend the
police tho slightest assistance in en-
forcing it Not only So but the set
tiers take every opportunity OF evading
it. The Indians themselves behave
fairly we'll in this respect but they