The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-10-17
ADVENTUROUS
LIFE Is ENDED
Executioner of Louis RieI Meets
Death Himself.
KNOWN IN SALT LAKE CITY
MADE START FROM UTAH FOR
WILD NORTHWEST.
IN SALT LAKE CITY

John Henderson, the executioner of
Louis Riel, leader of the Riel rebellion
In Canada, who died recently at Glas-
gov. Mont, was known in Salt Lake
City by many of the pioneers in the
carry days. He was in Utah over forty
years ago, before starting for the
northwest He was one OF the settlers
III lhe Red River country, but before
gong there be led an adventurous life
: IN many parts of the world He was
porn IN Boness, Idnlithgowshire. Scot
! Iand' across the Firth from Edinburgh.
he was placed in the famous educa-
tional institution founded by George
herlot, the friend of James VI, mem
tiVned in the WaverIy novels. There he
acquired the solid grounds of all educa-
ton.
Then he went on an Arctic voyage in
the Diana, up to the west coast of
greenland, looking for whales. He
knocked about at sea and on shore for
some years. and finally found himself
stranded i'm Valparaiso, in Chile. South
america. This was when gold was first
discovered in California. and i'm the
year of the great rush Henderson
shipped on a vessel bound for San
FRANCISCO, and. on arrival in port. he.
Ike many other tars. deserted ship 10
JUL III the rush or 49,
Good luck attended him. He came
PACK TO the coast with money, and
hearing that a large mirror. the first
in California, had been imported and
installed in a certain place, he went
10 nave look at ii. Having broken
MS nose by recent fall, his beauty
was not of a high order. In fact, he
was extremely Disguised with his an
pearance when he saw himself. An
gered by the reflection the mirror pre-
scented, he threw his bag of nuggets at
the glass and smashed it. proceeding
mat cost him several thousand dollars.
Comes to Salt Lake.
After wasting his substance in riot
Gus living Henderson went up the conn
try again After the ups and downs of
the frontier miner in the middle of the
last century, he got another pile and
started across to Salt Lake.
At Salt Lake he found a Red River
man named Grant coming across to the
settlement Henderson Joined the par
~, and they started west across the
mountains and plains, then uninhabit-
ed, except by Indians and hunters.
After many adventures and hair
breadth escapes from hostile Indians,
he found his way to the Red River set
tlement i'm 1867. He then went out to
Lake Manitoba, and it is recorded of
him that going out on that little lake.
he became seasick for the first time in
his life.
Henderson Made a Captive.
During the troubles of So 20 Hender-
son was taken prisoner. He was one of
the party of white men who came down
from Portage la Prairie under Bolton
TO assist DR.. Schultz in capturing Fort
(rsnrsV ID mi
receive the support expected from the
English-speaking settlers near the fort,
and it was found impossible to organize
a sufficient force. They were going back
10 Portage Ia Prairie in disappointment
when a party Of French half-breeds
under the Fenian. O'DOnOhue. cut off
their retreat and ordered them to sur
render-an inglOriOus termination TO
their enterprise. Jack Henderson and
Charlie MAR. the poet. and author of
TeCumSeh, were two of the indignant
prisoners who were compelled to lay
down their arms.
The indignties he received from his
captors in Fort Garry required the or
nate language Of Henderson to describe.
Years afterwaTd he used to swear that
he would live to have his revenge. and
he volunteered with alacrity to be the
eXecutiOner to hitch the rope around the
neck of Louis Riel
Henderson had by that time married
a native woman. and moved to the ter
ritories. Later on he went TO Montana