The Montgomery tribune., 1910-04-22
.ians?" asked the

Are you ready for these lndians?" asked the
American officer.
yes sir" responded the policeman,
They're bad lot. Where is your escort sta
tioned?"
The trooper smiled family under his mustache.
why. Scotts having his horse shod and | guess
Murray's getting drink They'll be along In
a minute
And when presently Scott and Murray came
placdly the scene, that troop of cavalry sat on
their horses and watched the band of Indians they
had carefully guarded, depart over the yellow
prairie under the charge Of three men.
The American officer watched them dwindle to
dot across the level. Then his feelings found
speech. We'll, I'm damned" ne said And the
troop rode away.
Again old Piea-pot and several hundred Of his
tribe making serious trouble along the rail-
road then under construction. and the mounted po
lice promptly rode out to the Indian village with an
order for the tribe to break camp and take the trail
to the north, away from the line.
When the policeman explained the order to him,
Pie-a-pot laughed and turned away. The other In
dams jeered and discharged their guns In the air
The two policemen sat still
81 will give you just is minutes to comply with
the order, said the sergeant quietly.
When the Is minutes up, he dismouned.
walked over to the chiefs tepee and with calm de-
liberation kicked the key-poe of the lodge
bringing the whole structure down-poles. war bon.
nets. drying skins kettles and all-in miscellane-
heap.
n
gesture to his young men would have sent nun.
dred bullets into each of the quiet unrufied men
who were Systematically going through the camp,
kicking out the key-pole of each tepee But the In.
dans of the northwest had learned that sooner or
later justice was done by the mounted police. and
Piea-pot never made that gesture He gave in.
and in sullen silence the camp collected Its scram-
bled effects and turned their ponies heads north
Not fortunate the attempt of Sergt Cole
brook TO arrest fugitive Cree Indian named Al.
mighty Voice
Almighty Voice had stolen steer, and Sergt
Colebrook with a halfbreed companion, rode across
the prairie to arrest him. The policeman In
structed the halfbreed to tell the Indian that they
had to arrest him. and that he must go with
them. The Cree replied: Tell him that If he ad
vances will kill him"
Instantly the half-breed covered the Indian with
his rifle but Colebrook promptly ordered him to de-
sst. for Almighty Voice must be taken alive. Then
he rode deliberately forward upon the muzzle OF
the Cree's rifle, and, than submit to the
shame of arrest, Almighty Voice fired. year la
ter. however, the Indian was surrounded In pit
where he had taken refuge The police brought up
their field guns and shelled the pit killing Almighty
Voice and thus avenging Sergt. Coebrooks death
The outcome Of this incident served to prevent Sc
rious trouble with the Indians, who were all In a
more or less sulky and unsettled mood at the time
How greatly the Indians have come to respect the
just and impartial administration of the law by the
mounted police was shown when one of Mecasto's
band escaped from the guardroom at Macleod after
having been tried by the police a charge of theft
and convicted When he returned to Mecasto's
camp, the chief who had attended the trial at which
the fugitive was convicted had been so deeply i'm
pressed by the impartial nature of the proceedings
and by the fair administration of justice that he
promptly delivered him up again at the fort gate tc
the officer in command.
Perhaps the greatest achievement which the po
lice ever undertook was accomplished when they
persuaded Sitting Bull and his band of between
five and six thousand hostile Sioux to return ane
surrender to the United States authorities wher
they had taken refuge in Canada after the memor
able massacre of Gen. Custer and his command
Commissioners from the United States had visited
Sitting Bull and had negotiated with the chief fo
his return and surrender to no avail The police
however. by infinite tact and diplomacy and be
in their previous transactions they had woI
the confidence of the Indians of the northwest, a
length succeeded in inducing Sitting Bull and hi
hostile braves to return peaceably to the United
States exploit OF which any body of men nigh
be proud.
When the Boer7war broke out England called TO
the mounted police to help her there. One-third O
them, practically the pick OF the force, went out
Very few of them ever came back Many oi
fered commissions. and some accepted Whereye
there is trouble, there the mounted police are tn
answer to the problem, as they have been In west
ern Canada for 80 years. from the time OF the Rie
rebellion up 10 today
The story of the mounted has its shadows Me
grew tired of the loneliness and deserted at times
who had lost al---love, hope ambition--quietl
went away into the wilderness and blew out thei
brains The life unsettng could nc
leave 1t and take UP clerical work or farming. bt
adventures not built that way
But. shadows and all, the story OF the Canada
mounted police is one of the most gorgeous tale
since the days of the Spanish Main And the spi
1t OF the force is best embodied in that messag
found scrawled on the orders of policeman VIII
pershed In a blizzard while making his way wit
n dispatches to a distant post In his last moment
I. with nnmbed hand he had written: Lost. horf
dead. Am trying to push ahead Have done m
hest