Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-11-15

E&NMN Matt, the last
* NY ness of terri
BILE drama that
took place at one of the Hudson's Bay
company's posts, on the shores OF Hud-
sons bay, in the year 1919.
Mary Matt was then, at the time Of
the raid on Hanna bay, a girl of six
teen, and the daughter of one of the
principal Indian murderers.
The history of the Hanna Bay mas
sacre, am sure, is new to the world at
large. for it took place three-quarters
of century ago.
News in those days was not flashed
about the world with the rapidity of
the present time, and, besides, the
disaster was local affair. Even the
people of the then only two provinces,
Ontario and Quebec, or, more properly
speaking, upper and lower Canada, did
not hear of it for over n year. In
those DAYS officers and servants of the
company, when leaving or going out
on leave of absence, used to speak OF
going to Canada as If it were a foreign
country. Even down to early in the
seventies, several years after the
company had ceded its rights to
the new dominion, / have heard old
gentlemen in the service say they
were going out to Canada next year or
that such and such was the news in
the last papers they got from Canada.
But through the building of our trans
continental railroad and the explora-
ton of the numerous rivers falling
into the valley of the St Lawrence on
its north side, the upper waters OF
which rivers were dotted with Hud-
sons Bay posts, the residents of these
places became acquainted with out
siders, and by degrees they recognized
the fact that, no matter how far off
they were situated, they lived in
Canada, and that the vast territories of
the company had been absorbed into
the dominion of Canada.
Before going on with my story l
might as well inform the reader that
under the charter that the company
received from Charles ii. of England,
the governor and his council had su-
preme power vested in them, and all
crimes committed within its territories
were tried before this body in sum-
mary way.
Hanna bay, from which the post
took its name, is an indentation of
James bay, and again James bay is
larger indentation of Hudson's bay
itself
At the very southern end of James.
bay was situated, and is still, Moose
Factory, the headquarters of the whole
southern department, as the waters
emptying into Hudson's bay were
called, and from Moose Factory to
Hanna bay the distance is one hum
dred and twenty miles.
With these explanations and refer
ence to any good map, the reader will
understand the situation of the place
at which the catastrophe | am about
to relate took place so many years
ago. Inasmuch as | knew Mrs. Matt
personally and she was present at the
time, and hearing of her death last
year from correspondent of mine at
Lake Superior, l have decided to write
the history for publication.
In the year 1919, Hanna Bay post
was in charge of q gentleman of the
company named CorrigaL The resi-
dents of the post in that year were
Mr.. Corrigal, his wife, grown-up
son and daughter by former wife,
and three young children by his pres
ent one, a young clerk who acted as
his assistant, and three man servants,
two of whom were married, and their
five children. Thus the number of
souls within the stockade at the time
was, all told, eighteen.
In those days, one of the English
ships that came out, loaded with pro-
visions, clothing, guns and ammuni-
ton, used to land the particular por-
tion of her cargo destined for the trade
of Hanna bay on her way to Moose
Factory, and thus save two landings
and transshipping back by schooner
from the factory.
The Indians that traded their furs
at Hanna bay, after several secret
councils held amongst themselves in
the interior. conceived the plot TO kill
the employees Of the post, pillage the
place, await the arrival of the ship,
take her by surprise, and sail away and
take England, the place from which
all beautiful goods were obtained. A
bold plan certainly, and it took the
brain of savage to think such thing
possible.
At New Years lime the Indians wcre
in the habit Of visiting the post for
the purpose Of trading their furs and
getting regalement from the compa-
ny, and they chose that time for the
uprising.
In the days of which write the COM
pany had not as yet excluded rum from
its territory, and it was the custom to
give each hunter, after the feast with
in the post, one-half pint to carry
away to his wigwam. To portion out
this rum Mr.. Corrigal and his assistant
had to go TO the trade shop. The clerk
would go down the trap-door in the
floor to the cellar and begin to draw
off the grog. And from the clerks
hands the chief trader handed the por.
ton to each man as he handed out his
tin pan To receive il. This had been
the custom for years. This ceremony
OF the closing of their annual feast
was well known to the Indians, and
JIllS was iut OCCdSlOn CuOSCh IOI JhS
assault.
AS the clerk was handing up the
first measure to Mr.. Corrigal, and his
head was slightly above the level oi
the floor, his brains were dashed out
with concealed hatchet brought by
one of the savages under his capot'
for that purpose. At the same mo
ment three or four others threw them
selves bodily on Mr.. Corrigal and Dor,
him to the floor, and never relaxed
their grip on his throat until life wa
extinct, and his body was tumbleC
brutally into tho cellar, and the tral
| closed.
All this had taken place without tn
least sound having reached tn
servants quarters of the double mur
der that had been perpetrated SO clos
! to them. The men saw the heretofor
friendly Indians approaching thei
house without suspecting them Of an.
bad intent By preconcerted az
rangement, the squaws, willie the mel
were in the trade shop, had gone out
side the gates and secured the guns o
the party. These they hid in the fold
| of their blankets and returning the