Washington sentinel., 1900-01-13
n,y SENTINEL
Soldier Police Of the Canadian
North west.


". a Fraser, ~ PsaySoa'S Magazine,
In 1873, $50 men were sent to
Manitoba from eastern Canada
That was the beginning Of the
Northwest Mounted Pol ce. The
following year the force, 900 strong,
marched to the Rocky Mountains.
That was the beginning OF the
movement which has eliminated
in the dominating of the whole
Northwest Territories by these
men. Within few years the force
was increased to 500 men, and dur
ing the Riel rebellion it numbered
I geo. 1t was divided into ten
divisions, each division being des-
ignated by a letter and the depot.
In 1894 it was reduced to $50 men.
When Piapot-restless,
ouarrelsome, drink loving Piapot
-and his swarthy, hawk faced fol-
lowing Of Crees and Saultaux,
hundreds Of them, spread the cir
es of their many smoke tanned
tepeeS near the constru ction line
OF the Canadian Pacific Railway,
beyond Swift Current, there was
inaugurated the preliminary Of
massacre, an Indian war, the driV-
ing out Of The railway hands, or
whatever other fanciful form OF
entertainment the fertile brain OF
PiaDot may devise. The
railway management sent a remon-
STRANGE to the powers. The Lieu
tenant Governor issued an order,
and two policemen two plain, red
coated, blue trousered policemen
rode forth to execute the order.
It was like turning king of his
throne. Piapot refused TO move,
and treated the bearer OF the Pale
face Mothers message as only a
blackboard Indian can treat man
who is forced 60 listen to his insults
without retaliaung. The sergeant
calmly gave him fifteen minutes in
which TO commence striking camp.
= When the fifteen min
utes were up, the sergeant threw his
picket line 10 the constable, dis
mounted, walked over to Chief
PIspot's gTotesQuely painted tepee,
and calmly knocked the keypole
out. All the warriors
rushed for heir guns; but the SER
geant continued methodically
knocking keypoles out, and Plepot
saw the game was up. He had
either got 70 kill the sergeant
stick his knIle into the heart ofthe
whole British nation by the murder
Of this unrufled soldier--or give
in and move away He choose
the latter course, for PIapot had
brains.
After the killing Of Custer, Sit
ting Bull became a more or less
orderly tenant OF Her Majesty the
Ou.en. With 900 lodges he
camped at Wood Mountain, Just
over the border from Montana. An
arrows fight from his tepees was
the Northwest Mounted Police
post. One morning the police dis
covered SIX dead Slultaux Indians.
They had been scalped in the
most approved Sioux fashion.
Each tribe has a trade mark OF its
own in the waV oi taking scalps;
some are broad, some are long,
some round, some ellipIcal, some
more or less square. These six
Indians had been scalped accord
ing to the Sioux design. Also a
seventh Saultaux, a mere lad, and
still alive, had seen the thing done.
The police buried the six dead
warriors, and took the live one
with them to the police post. Sit
ting Bulls reputation was not
founded on his modesty, and with |
characteristic audacity he came,
accompanied by four minor chiefs
ahd herd oi hoodlum warriors,
and made demand 10! the seventh
SaultauX the boy. There were
twenty policemen backing Ser
geant Mcdonald; with the chief |
there were at least 500 warriors;
so what followed was really an
affair OF prestige more than oftorce.
When Sitting Bull arrived at the
gate OF the post, he threw his |
squat figure from his pony and
in his usual generous, impetuous
manner, rushed forward and thrust
the muzzle of his gun into Sergeant
McDOnald's chest, as though he
would blow the whole British ma.
ton into smItheTeens with one pull
OF his finger. Mcdonald was OF
the sort that take men coolly-he
kurns~aN - II,
quietly pushed the gun to one side,
and told the FIVE chiefs to step in |
side, as he was receiving that alter |
noon. When they passed through |
the little gate, he invited them to
stack theI. arms in the yard, and |
come inside the house and pow
W w. They demurred, but the
sergeant was firm finally, the arms
were stacked and the chiefs went
inside to discuss matters with the
police Outside the stockade It
was play day in Bedlam. The
young bucks rode and whooped, |
and fired their guns; they dis.
turbed the harmony OF that after
noon tea. s the sergeant explained
{ Sitting Bell. "Send your men
a way" he told him. The Sioux
chlel demurred again. "Send them
a way" repeated the sergeant, "it
you have any authority over
them" Eta sign Sitting Bull and
the chiefs made towards the door,
but there were Interruptions-red
coated objections. And the rifles
OF the chiefs were stacked in the
ward outside. Sitting Bull had |