St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-04-20
THE MOUNTED POLICE.
A Talk with One of tho Lads Who LooI
IL L..

A Talk with One Of tho Lads Who Look
After Evildoers In Canada's Northwest.
II 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 II
thousand, are splendidly mounted and
are quite u feature in the life Of the
northwest territories. Half 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
I'll they cease to be novelty.
Their uniform is one Of the gaudiest
ever donned by police force. On their
heads they wear Il black fat cap much
like a skull cap, with broad yellow
border, and a leather strap fastened to
its sides and resting on their chins.
Their jackets are bright red, with
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 Il striking appearance.
Our life is not such very easy one,
said one Of them the other day. "To be
sure we do not drill much, except in the
early part Of our service, but we have u
good deal of barrack work TO perform,
and every little while we are sent on
hunt after horse thieves or other crimi-
nails, or down south to the Indian reser-
walton to settlesome 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 praries as far as the eye can reach. y
ooh, 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 rapid march with heavy
haversacks, and when possible we rely
for food upon any settlements which lie
in the direction we are taking. AS a
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 ad.
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 as 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 develored fellows and fine speci-
mems of manly health and vigor. Most
of them like their way of living and are
particularly proud of their horsemanshir
and of the fine animals provided fol-
them.-New York Sun.