The Ronan pioneer., 1917-05-25

To be tried by the Canadian gov
ernment as rebel in 1887, SEN
fenced to be executed, sent to New
gate prison in London, where he was
visited by Daniel Webster; banished
to Van Diemans Land in Australia: !:
escape by seizing his guards musket,
return stow-away to New York
where he was met and feted by Hor-
ace Greeley and James Gordon Ben
nett; come to Montana in 1916, and
become the partner to Jim Bridger,
the noted frontiersman, in trading
with the Indians, were some of the
events in the stirring life of James
Gemmell, who died at Sheridan, Mon
tana in 1881.
A quiet, unassuming man, Gem
NELL came little into publicity in
Montana, and when he passed away
after peaceful old age, there were
few in the state who knew anything
of this pioneer of the Treasure state
or of his life.
Gemmell was born in Scotland and
emigrated to Canada at the age OF
Il, settling not far from Toronto
How he came to participate in the
Canadian rebellion of 1887, is told
by him in letter which survives
him, having been written after his
return to America from Australia;
which follows:
Government Oppressive.
81 was in my twenty-third year,
and little disposed to quarrel about
forms of government, but had wit
messed an accumulation of real op-
pressiOns and acts of injustice which
l could see no other way to get rid
of, as remonstrances to the legisla-
ture, or by it to the British power in
the colony or in England having long
ago proved unavailing. The English
government acknowledged the JUS
tice of our complaints and said they
had sent Sir Francis Head to redress
them, and he proved more corrupt
and partial ruler than his predeces-
sors. Lower Canada was still worse.
and as l had voted for the resolution
to make common cause with her. |
kept my word, our interests being
the same.
81 was taken prisoner at the Short
Hills, taken before Sir George Arthur
and promised a free pardon if I
would tell all l knew of the conduct
of William Musson, William Ketch-
um and the Messrs. Mcintosh OF To-
ronto, whom he said he suspected,
but lacked evidence to convict. l de-
clined freedom ON these terms, was
tried before Judge Jones at Niagara
in August, 1888, with Is others, SEN
fenced to be executed"
1t appears from newspaper ac
count of Gemmell'S adventures, pub
lished in New York in 1912, that the
date of his execution was fixed at the
end of 40 days from the time he re-
ceived sentence During the inter
i'm, however, the governors of the up
per and lower provinces of Canada
got into a dispute about some ques-
tions of jurisdiction. The result was
the court of Queens bench in Lon
don, and he, with 23 others, was
taken to London and placed in New
gate prison, where they were visited
by Daniel Webster and Caleb Cush-
ing, some of the prisoners being citi-
zens of the United States. After a
full discussion of the matter, Daniel
Webster said he would try to get
the sentences commuted, and he en-
gagged the services of the great Lord
one of the most noted law
yers in English history, who argued
the case before a full bench of the
highest judicial tribunal of the king
dom. His point was that they had
been convicted under laws which,
though enacted by the Canadian par
lament, had not been sanctioned yet
by the English parliament or by the
queen. The result was that the death
was revoked and Gemmell
was sentenced to Van Diemans
Land a British penal colony in Aus
tralia, to endure penal servitude for
life.
Gemmell was placed on one of the
horrible British prison ships, the
and taken $4,000 miles to
Hobart Town. The guards on the
to the prisoners and used to amuse
themselves on the long voyage by
thinking up new forms of torture,
which not infrequently resulted in
death to the victims. Many of these
keepers were liberated felons, who
had served their time and who were
CHOSEN because OF their known
harshness and brutality.
Governors Brutality.
Sir John Franklin, who afterward
perished with all of ships crew while
the Arctic seas in search
for the Northwest passage, was gov
ernor of the penal colony in Van Die
mems Land, and Gemmell alleged |
hat his treatment of the Canadian
eXiles was most brutal, and that sew
eral of them died as result of the
manner in which they were treated
Gemmell, in convict's garb, one leg
and arm black, the other yellow, was
sent to clear some land for the police
but he managed to es-
cape from the guard by seizing the
alters musket and running into the
,hick brush, from which he escaped
At night and made his way to Hobart
Town, where he got aboard an Amer