The Benson signal., 1920-03-06

| tainly would be a new chief of the
Siou-1. When, finally after years of
constant watching, Walsh prevailed on
the Sioux to surrender to the United
States authorities, Sitting Bull gave
Walsh his war bonnet in recognition
of the "braveSt man he had ever met"
Even during the rebellion in 1885 the
great tribes remained true to the po-
lice and only few joined with the
Metis under Louis Reil. 1t was the
respect that the Indians had for the
scarlet and gold" that saved western
Cancda at that period from gravest
disaster
Deeds of Individual Bravery.
1t was not alone in keeping the In
| dians in check that the police showed
bravery and tact. Col. Sam Steele, who
commanded the Strathcona Horse in
South Africa, rose from a sick bed
faced and arrested the ringleaders of
several hundred infuriated armed rail-
way strikers in the Rockies.
| But it was in the long patrol of the
terrible North that the best traditions
Of the force have been preserved.
They plunged into these unknown
wastes, hundreds of miles, sometimes
alone, sometimes in pairs, facing an
arctic winter to rescue the unfOrtu-
nate or capture the wrongdoer. Deeds
were done that, if in other fields, would
have won the highest decorations.
Akpo 1<.l1 ~
| in that Northland waste, martyrs to
duty. On the Fort Resolution and
Dawson patrol, in 1911, Inspector Fitz-
gerald and three companions lost their
lives. Fitzgerald failing to arrive At
his destination Dempster was ordered
to find Fitzgerald with Instructions:
"Bear in mind. nothing is to stand in
your way until you get in touch with
this party" Dempster started into
the wilds of the terrible arctic winter
and, hundreds of miles from the post
of civilization, found FitZgerald's COM
panions lying together, with hands
crossed and faces covered Fitzgerald
had cared for his comrades until they
died, and even after death. Then he
pushed on, but was found with diary
and mail bag under his body, protect
ing it to the last. In his pocket was
found his WILL written with a charcoal
stick, leaving everything to his mother
and concluding: "God bless you all.
F. J. Fitzgerald. r. N. w. M. P"
He, like many others Of the force,
had paid the penalty Of the arctic pa
troll. 1t took Inspector French two
years and an arctic patrol of 5000
miles to investigate the murder of Red
ford (American) and Street (Cana-
dian) by Eskimo within the arctic cir
Cle He found the Eskimo had
acted in self-defense and no ar
rests were made. Inspector La Nauze
chased the Eskimo murderer of Fa-
theirs Rouvier and LIE ROux through
the islands of the Arctic ocean, but
finally arrived in Edmonton with his
prisoners. They were found guilty,
but the sentence was commuted to
| Imprisonment for life among their own
people, which means living under po-
| lice supervision. They were in
capable of realizing the seriousness
! of their crime. Leaving Edmonton to
60 back to arctic solitude they cried
like children on being separated from
the big inspector who had captured
them and brought them to trial Now
a police post on Coronation gulf mas
been established, and these simple
children of the North are learning re-
spOnSibility.
Always Did Their Best
Struggling through the arctic wilds
a lone policeman has brought maniac
strapped on dog sleigh to civiliza-
ton. Alone with the mailman facink
the most terrible storms, he has won
through.
But all do not win through, as shown
by this last message found on one of
the force caught in a terrible blizzard:
lost, horse dead; am trying to push
ahead. Have done my best" There
never was more deserving motto for
my force than the last words of this
lying member of the scarlet and gold.
Have done my BEST"
And so it has been in the arctic
wilderness or on the bliZzard-swept
prairie, whether serving the empire in
| the Strathconas in South Africa, or in
the Garry Horse on Flanders fields,
the riders of the plains have always
done their best. Harvard graduate
or Canadian farmer, Texas cowboy or
French Canadian voyager, the English
aristocrat or the Scotch breed of the
prairie, the scarlet and gold held them
all, and always they did their best.
Fifty years they have been the guard
ians of the wildS. The wiIds have
disappeared, and so does this grand
old corps, leaving as a heritage the
best traditions in service and loyalty.