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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Gazette, 1893-11-02, Page 63 never. was within 300 miles of the front, an Car a a s 1 al l his active service at the base of sup t Mounted f "L•aw sad River to the y Adm�ation Scribn�r's. The Canadian Pacific Railway made such unexpected progress that in 188`_ definite plans could be made for the permanent stations of the force, which wasthenxaised to a strength of . 5u0. Regina, the capital of the territories, was chosen as head- quarters, and Fort Walsh and Wood Mountain wereabandondd, though the latter, from its commanding situation, has since been re-established as a permanent outpost. Substantial barracks began to replace the original quarters that the troopers had built for themselves of cotton -wood -pickets, roofed with poles and thatched with grass and clay. Comforts were provided in the shape of libraries, recreation rooms, and canteens for the supply of small luxu- ries and the beverage known from, ita au- thorized strength as " four per beer," and the Police settled down to their new and ever-increasing duties as a permanent garrison. A11 seemed to be going well for three years, and then ceme " the psychol- ogical moment" in the history of. the North- west. Had the warnings of the Police been heed- ed the rebellion of the half-breeds under Louis Riel would have beer impossible. The actual outbreak found them ready, but though the strength at the northern posts had been increased to 200, all decisive action depended on orders from Ottawa, 2,000 miles away. At a day's notice Colonel Irvine, with 4 officers and 86 men, all the force available, left Regina, and marching 291 miles in seven days in the depth of a Northwest winter, passed right through the district held by the insurgents, out- flanking them by his quickness and upset- ting Riel's plans to seize Prince Albert, the key of the situation: Twenty-four hours iat T 'Worn by Canada's Ncrthwest it is the S7rnbo10 Order From the Red Rookies—A Semi-Militar Organiza- tion Which as Won the of the World. py J. G. Creighton, zn October medal that:clecorates many a volunteer who pies or in the Home Guard of his own set tIemenet. And why ? Let red-tapedo gnawed for itself :'tThe. Mounted Belie were doing their ordinary duty." A proud er distinction ie would be hard to invent. The duty done so well was not confine to those who were with the three colum in the field. Those left behind had hes work and respousibility. The firm fro shown and the preparations for defence all the posts undoubtedly checked a gener rising of the Indians. At Macleod_ in pa titular, the tact and personal influence the officer in command, Major Cotto aided by the same qualities in hi former chief, Colonel Macleod, and backed up by the admirable conduct of ti rank and file, kept the Blaekfeet, Bloods and Piegans from disregarding the loya counsels of old Crowfoot and joining Riel. Had they done so, every Indian in the ter- ritories would have risen,their friends from across the border would have joined them, and there would have been massacre and rapine throughont the whole Nor thwest. Immediately after the ' outbreak the strength of the Police was increased to 1,000, their present number. In 1886 Col- onel Irvine resigned, and was succeeded by the present commandant, Colonel Law- rence Herchmer. And now it 18 time to say something of the composition and rou- tine work of the force. The. Northwest Mounted Police, like the Royal Irish Constabulary, on which it was modelled, is, in the eye of the law, a purely civil body ; its officers are magistrates, the men are constables. But so far as circumstances will allow, its organization, internal economy, and drill are those of a cavalry regiment, and when on active service in a mili- tary capacity, the officers have army rank. The Queen's Regulations do not apply to it, however, and discipline as strict as in the army, is enforced under a concise and comprehensive enactment which pro- vides a maximum penalty of a year's im- prisonment and a fine of one month's pay, leaving it to the discretion of the officers to make the punishment fit the crime. Even the same C. O.'s views naturally vary, and if this provison were made a little more definite so that the defaulter, whose mili- d n v3 n a a r o n s e 1 ONE OF THE RIDERS. f- 1 a a d 0 s 1 d 0 II t a were occupied in organizing the defences o Quince Albert, and before daybreak Colone Irvine, hoping to quash the rising by prompt and decided movement, was on th way to reinforce Fort Carlton. Unfortun ately, that very day Major Crozier ha sent out a party to secure provisions an .ammunition at Duck Lake from falling int the insurgents' hands. Resistance wittirade, and he went out himself, with, al told, 99 Police and Prince Albert • volun beers, and fell into a trap skilfully planne by the rebels whom he had no reason t think were in force. They were betwee 310 and 400 strong, however, and almos surrounded him. Crozier's. men made splendid ,stand, though fighting in deep snow which made their one field -gun almost useless, and with no better cover than their sleighs, while the enemy were con- cealed in thick bush. After losing 12 killed and .12 wounded they retired as steadily and coolly as they had fought bringing off their wounded and the gun, and got back to Fort Carlton just as Colonel Irvine arrived there. •It was the only check the Police have ever experi- enced. That they would have retrievedthe situa- tion by themselves no one who knows then -has ever doubted. But they never had a free hand. General Middleton, the Imperi- al officer in command of the Canada militia, was on his way to Winnipeg to direct a campaign ; they were already placed under his orders and "the ceremonies of the wars must be kept." - " What are the Police doing ?" was the question on every lip for anxious weeks. Their enforced inaction, and the consequent lose. of prestige that had, so -often enabled a- handful.of troopers to disperse hundreds of armed warriors, emboldened whole bands of Indians to join the insurgents and heart- -2;10 them to a determined resistance that cost many brave-. lives: to overcome. All that was _soon known ; but until the inner history of that sharp ' little campaign -is written the injustice and misrepresentation hill got be revealed which they were n19de to bear that Meal might .make euro of 1 reaping' all the glory and reward: It is impossible even to outline here the events of 1885. The records and the graves on the . prairie tell what the police did whenever and wherever they got their chance. Their. indispensable. and invaluable aid has been frankly acknowledged by eommanders in whom selfishnessdid not rear personaibrav- sry,and their soldier-ccmrades were the first to testify that they did their fall share, and more, of marching, hard wok , and fight- ing. But minim in the force wears the most places, especially m ..the north,. the tary " crime " consists in • buttons insuf- ficiently burnished, or in miscalculation of the time available -to see his sweetheart home before "la,t post" sounds, -might meet a more uniform fate, a grievance would be removed. . e The affairs of the force are managed by a distinct department of the Government at Ottawa, under the political supervision of one of the Cabinet Ministers, at present the President of the Privy Council. Mr. Fred- erick White, formerly Sir John Macdonald's Secretary, has for many _years been the Controller of the department, its permanent Civil head. The executive command is held by an officer styled the Commissioner, and ranking as lieutenant -colonel. The Assis- tant -Commissioner ranks with a major, and after three years' service with a lieutenant - colonel. Ten Superintendents, with cap- tain's rank, command the divisions, - with about thirty-five Inspectors as sub alterns,. who correspond to lieutenants. Paymaster's and, quartermaster's duties aiedone by the ofifners of each division, and the. Superintendent of the depot divis- ion acts asiregimental adjutant; an inspect- or performing similar duty for each of the individual divisions: The medical staff consists of a Surgeon, five assistant- Sur-geons and two Veterinary Surgeons, the Small number of the latter being supple- mented by veterinary staff -sergeants. The non-commissioned" officers are, as in the army, sergeant -majors, staff -sergeants of various sorts, sergeants, and corporals, while the troopers are called constables. is fair supply ef'small :game in the season oarir'd The Macleod and Calgary districts ab with find trout. The rank and file are not surpassed any picked corps in any service. A rec must be between twenty-two and forty - years old, of good character, able to and write English or Freneh, -active, built, and of sound constitution. He is supposed to be able to ride, and a man knows something of horses is preferred, these two requirements are broadly in ranted. The physique is very fine, the erage of the .whole thousand being five nine and a half inches in height and the eight and a half inches round the ch There has always been an unusual prop tion of men of good family and educati Lots of the young Englishmen who co out to. try their hand at farming in M soba, or ranching in Alberta, eventu drift into the Police, as do also m well-connected young Canadians. Fa ers' sons from Ontario, clerks ti of city life and poor prospects, migrants who have not found tl El Dorado, waifs and strays from eve where and of every calling, are to found in the ranks. The roll -call aro show many defaulters•if no man answe to any name but his own. There w and still may be, at least -one L in the force; several of the menentitled to more than the plain re mental number as a handle to their nam and many are university graduat IIn these days of short service d charged soldiers are glad to take t Queen's shilling again, so that med E won in England's continual little w at the other end of the world are not u usual, snd not a few officers who ha borne Her Majesty's commission now ser as simple troopers. In the adventurous i fancy of the force these elements were ev more numerous than nowadays, and man an odd rencontre,has occurred between m who lead last met at the mess -table of som crack regiment, in a swell London Club, an English country -house. The term of e listment is five years, but many of the me " take on" again, especially since the e tablishment of the pension system. Di charge may be obtained by purchase, b the small number allowed to avail them rn t five read well - also who but ter- av- feet rty- est. or-' on, me ani - ally any rm- red im- ieir rv- be uld red as, ord are gi- es, es. is - he ale ars n ve ve n. en y en e or n n s - On one side- the officered—quarters feral a row of detached cottages nbarraokerneMs, sergeants' quarters, orderly -room, guard house, prison, canteen, -recreation rooms,` stables, and store -houses complete- the square, and the Union Jack: flies from a flagstaff overall. Outside are the- hospital-, more storehouses, a- fine riding-school,and a small cluster of married men's quarters, but wedlock is an institution not favored by the authorities. All round is the open prairie, reaching to the horizon in long un- dulations unbroken except by Government House near by, the distant roofs of Regina, and the straight line of the Canadian Paci- fic Railway to the -north. The aspect is peculiarly bare, even in summer when the toughclay soil,. in which trees will not grow, yields its abundant harvest of wheat. The other Divisional Posts, scattered as they are through such an extent of country, vary much in situation and local color, but all have the samC family likeness. Times have changed inuch since the Police first came into the Great Lone Land. Towns and villages and farm -houses stand where only the tepees cf passing Indians broke the horizon line. Wagon trails sear the plains with broad brown bands, but the creaking " bull train," drawn by long teams of oxen, wincing under the resound• ing crack of long whips plied by wild - looking drivers volleying strange oaths from under the canvas -tops of the "prairie schooners" that slowly dragged out mile after mile, is almost extinct. Only blanch- ed skulls and the deep furrows worn by countless thousands following each other in singlefile, remain to tell of the buffalp ; and the great "fall hunt," in which the halt -breeds laid up store of robes for "the Company," is now a legend. The " Sun Dance" is no -longer a mystic rite to test the would-be warrior's fortitude, but a means of extracting a little money from tourists, and the youthful Indian slaves at pothooks and hangers in the school at the Reserve. a The glamour of the early days is gone, . Yet the endless prairie is never far from the barrack -gate, and whether it be bright and sweet with its summer carpet s- of flowers, brown and bleak in spring and ut autumn, or blinding in brilliance of winter whiteness, its deep silence, broken neither by the cool breeze, sweet to man and horse after the scorching heat of a summer -day, nor by the deadly rush of the icy blizzard, strikes deep into the soul. (To BE CONTINUED.) ' MIMIC/ WAR AT HALIFAX - selves of this privilege, only three a month, and the long delay in getting a release— often useless unless available at ' once— constitute a serious grievance and an easily suppressible cause of desertion. Hardships and monotony, especially to those unused to work and discipline, proximity to the border, the inducements of high wages in civilian life, and dread of punishment for some offence—unpremediated perhaps and trivial enough in anyone but a soldier— frequently make deserters. But they are usually a good riddance to thejr comrades, whose good record is not spoiled by the in- vitable black sheep. After passing the doctor and takin the oath of allegiance, the recruit goe to head -quarters for training. His lif there is that of a cavalry soldier all th world over. He undergoes in the riding school that refined torture which results in a military seat, and incidentally learn much of the peculiarities of the Western broncho. After a trial of Mounted Infantry drill, the force has returned to the regular cavalry system, in the simpler movements of which it is thoroughly exercises?, and field -artillery drill has also to be .learned. Rifle and revolver practice, mounted and dismounted,and instruction in police duties complete the professional training. There is plenty to do in the way of parades, stables, guard mounting, orderly duty, escorts, and "fatigues." He also learns to rive a transport waggon and buckboard— wo veLieles constantly in use for prairie ravel—so that merely as a soldier he has o master the work of all arms of the ser - ice, besides those of a police constable. The uniform is very like that of an Eng- sh dragoon, the full dress consisting of arlet tunic braided with yellow,dark blue reeehes with -a broad yellow stripe .down e side, riding -boots and spurs faultlessly olished, and white helmet with glittering ass spike. In undress, with his tight -fit - ng jacket, round forage -cap perched on ree hairs,and silver -mounted whip, as he aggers down the street of some little orthwestern town, there is not a crack valry regiment in Her Majesty's service at can show a smarter trooper. Only the cers and sergeants wear swords ; the nk and file are armed with Winchester rbines and d Enfield revolvers, the cart- ridges for which are carried in brown leather bandoleers and waist -belts. The Policeman's kit is of excellent quality and unusually varied in description, to meet many varieties of climate and duty. Be- sides uniform, a liberal supply of warm underclothing, the usual toilet necessaries, brushes and cleaning apparatus. for himself and -his horse, blankets and bedding on a liberal scale, and table -necessaries, there are such items as fur cap, buckskin mitts, one -hide moccasins, and long woolen clones to wear with them, a waterproof et, a rug, and a red worsted tuque, the turesque and piratical -looking winter d -dress of the French Canadian habit- . A long blue cavalry cloak and cape. ve well enough at ordinary times, but out -door duty in the bitter _ frost of the rthwest a coat of black Russian lamb - n is the best substitute, that has yet been and for t old-time buffalo coat, which ow as se arce and valuable as one of its ginal wee ears. Duck clothing is provid- for the no.. less trying slimmer heat, and ut pea -jackets for spring and autumn. patrol and at the outposts the cowboy's fortable felt hat is a frequent substitute the stiff helmet and shadelesa forage cap. perienced officers advocate a " prairie " of neutral color, keeping the present form tor parade use ; and now that the -coat has served its purpose so effectually ight well make way for the more suit - working dress. he. Depot Division and another of the into which the force is divided, about hundred strong, are stationed- at head - eters, three miles from Regina, and a e g s e e s d t t t v li se. b th br ti th sw N ca th offs ra ea mo sto she pit hea ant sec for No ski fo is n ori ed sto On The offlcers''pay is not large. The Com- for missioner receives $2,400 the Assistant- Ex Commissioner, $1,600; the Superintendents suit and Surgeon,S1,400; the Inspector $1,000 ,uni year, with, of course, free"quarters, ra• red tions, light, fuel, and forage. But promo- it m tion is very slow, and these are -the rates of able twenty years ago when the `force was small, T the duties far less .numerous and exacting, ten and the life far snore attractive. -_ Themen, however, are well paid, and without the vexatious deductions which in the army _redude Tommy Atkine's pocket -money the to a mere -pittance. The non -commis- of signed officers get from a dollar to a dollar co and a half a day the constables fifty cents met with an addition of five cents when em- ployed as clerks or artificers. Both -officers the and men are provided with liberal pensions tine graded according, to length of service, and d rail attainable -after ten years." Rations. are of Bas exeellent quality and large quantity, and by can be supplemented very . cheaply% with . The little luxuriesfrom the Canteen, which is ings now a feature of every division .;port. - At --g two qua w form a little prairie ton of themselves on banks of the Wascaua. The English._ this _ euphonious name, which hardly mpensates for absence of water inesum- and intense muddiness at all seasons, Pile -of -Bones Creek, se -,called from stacks of 'buffalo bones three upon a e . stored there to be carried away by and ,converted into fertilizers, so that tern cattle in their turn might benefit the eieinentts of the rich prairie grasses., barracks, . umber of wooden bprld -many of them merely portable- houses ro.iped, round a'.prairie=ground, -do_not_ mike ars -i:pusing display of aroldtecture Land Forces and Fortifications Effectively Resist: Attacks by Land and Sea, A Halifax, N. S., special says :—The sound of war was heard all day in Halifax, Five thousand men under arms manoeuvred in and -about the eight forts at the entrance to the harbor and on the warships of the British fleet. The regular forces were aug- mented" -by all the militia at this point. The object of the operations was to test the ability ot the land forces and -fortifications to resist a probable attack either by land or sea. On t -he occasion of the last man- ceuvres, York redoubt, the most effective fortification in Canada to -day, was found to be unable to cover a t►hip that might steal upon the harbor under ite guns. An immense sum has since been spent to rem- edy the- defect. Early in the morning the Blake and Tartar went to sea and mili- tary were stationed in all the forts. The first movement was the landing by a tor- pedo boat of a party of sailors at Herring Cove. They stole along the road two miles to York redoubt, and surprised the garri- son there. An alarm was given and hostili- ties began. In the engagement a sailor had one arm blown off and the other hand split to the wrist. In the hurry of firing the field gun was improperly sponged out, and the new charge prematurely exploded. Fol- lowing the attack on York redoubt by the land forces was a bombardment by the Blake and Tartar. Then the cannonade be- came general from all the forts and ships. Meantime another landing party of 250 sailors was making its way along the road towards the northwest arm to reach the city. They were met by the 66th, and an- other engagement " took place. Another casualty occurred here ,,° private of the 66th having his ear blown off by a comrade's rifle. The pro=gressof the invaders was stopped, and the interest was again center- ed in the firing between ships and forts, The official announcement of the result of the tactics and manoeuvres has not yet been made. To -day's engagement is understood to be more favorable to the defending forces than at former .operations. York redoubt was more effective than before. A promin- ent officer in the Royal Artillery told your correspondent that the ships were well with- in range of the guns at the redoubt and McNabb's Island, and- that they could never have stood the fire from the forts, that at times the other forts would have been very destructive. It was 9 o'clock when the regulars and militia arrived home tired and fogtsore most of them, and they realized that even mimiewarfare is not at all fun. Devonshire Cream. Persons on their return frometheir travel abroad, express surprise that they can never get at Dome, such delicious creamers they have in England and Scotland. It is known as Devonshire cream, and not many people, in this country, especially, know what it is, but suppose it to be the partie. ularly rich cream: of the country in ques- tion, whereas, every Canadian housekeeper have Devonshire cream on her own may' table, if she will take the trouble to prepare, it, Rich, nevi -milk is put in a very shallow vessel, with an extended surface, and cis ththeme*on.a range, where the milk will be warmed, buton no account must it boil; or even scald. The heat will cause all the creamto rise to the surface in a very short time, and the pan is then taken - off and placed in the ice box, grin'a cool place. When thoroughly chilled, the cream may be taken off, and will be nearly of the con= istencysof newly made batter. This is put In Jars,- and at breakfast is helped with a poem s -and is delicious with'oatnieal, jams, bwerries-everything, in fact, that :ordinary - cream is used:: for, its merits being, 'that not only does one -obtain the riepest cream, but it will keep fortwo or three.days with. out becoming " Sour. Why this English dainty is-not'media this country to the-: same "extent as in England,is to be wonder-'- ed at,but our dairy folk seem to :know nothing: aboutit. - Every temptation is great or sou `Eordiug as the bran : w R Interestint Thema from G1 the Conti -heat of Europe Astrology refuses 'to die ottr logical paper just started re prosperity. The last lineal descendant of they of "Robinson Crusoe " is a _pauper, years of age, nearly blind, and in ttenotiet of outdoor relief., In Liverpool there are technical, educar - tiona_ l schools for teaching cookery, laun- dry work, dress cutting, and--hoasebold sewing at two pence per lesson. One more of the few survivors of the. Grande Armee, M. Gambette, has _ just died at Maintenon, Eure-et-Loire, at -the age of 93. He was wounded at Waterloo. There are only eleven now remaining of the medailles de Sainte -Helene.' "They have discovered a valuable wood in Borneo called Bifran, much like ebony in , appearance. and stronger than English oak, although not a heavy wood, weighing only three-quarters as much as . boxwood. itis also free from the propensity to swell in water. Postage stamp collectors are hereby notice fied to look out for a possible rarity. The French Government is about to establish a postal service by camels in the French ter- ritory of Obock and the Somali coast. In the centreof a triangular stamp will be a melted, or racing camel, and in the back- ground a desert. As the route -is only for experiment,the stamps issued may be very few. Prof. Koch, the Berlin bacteriologist, who - recently secured a divorce from his wife -and married an actress, has told his friends . that if they want his society in future -they . must receive also his wife. Berlin has made no outspoken objection, but in the little Hartz mountain village of Clausthal, where Prof. Koch was born, the women have torn down the tablet which had for years mark- ed his birthplace. A photographic record of the oscillation of projectiles has been obtained by Prof. Neesen of Berlin. Each projectile was hollow, containing a . sensitive plate, to which a ray of light penetrated. From`the curve described by the luminous point on the plate the oscillation of the axis and the point of the prejectile could be calculated, and both were found to have had quite un- expected movements. b It appears from the official statistics o$ the production of gold in Russia in 1892 . that the output of the mines has beengrear; ly increased by the improvement of tent cal appliances. The production of•thc-pre cious metal has reached a total of aee3esa than 2,601 puds, as compared with '•. pude in 1891 and only 2,041 puds in 40 Taking the value of the pud on the avenge: at 14,104 roubles, there is thus a total of 36,670,000 roubles, or upward of $25,000,000.. The French Government's monopoly of cigarette selling has produced an interest- ing question. It has peen a common indus- try in Paris toroll and sell cigarettes, the tobacco being bought frrm the S ., Re- cently the small try were pros - n_ on- the ground that they were defrauding the Government, and a high equrt has sustain- ed the claim that although a man may buy his tobacco from the Government he has not, therefore, the right to do with it after ward as he likes. At the Trade Union Congress fir Glasgow there was a heated discussion whether 'San - day should be selected for the annual dem- onstration in the name of labor. John Burns,whofavored Sunday,is quoted as say- ing: "Thebetter the day thedeed. There is only one religion, and that is the cause of labor." This was both applaud- ed and hooted with cries of "Shame !" - On a vote 58 voted for Sunday against ,60 to . the contrary, and Mr. Burns exclaimed: _ "Bigotry has won 1" The British Government leas net paii:d $40,010 through the unwarrantabl liberat- ty of James I. in giving away so ething which did not belong to him. Ii39i a royal gold cup given to -Charles VI. r France by the Duc de Berry came to E e Mand iII return for money loaned to the Fre ch King to carry on war. One day Jame. L per- sonally gave this national tre. tie a Spanish ambassador. The latter arti.toaconvent, and the Abbess sold it 013 on_ Pichon in Paris in 1883. It has ' ow been brought by the British Museam f• g, 000. Trouble was recently threatened he people of Orissa and the India ent, on account of the "Pooja hich had rested for ages over ntrance to the Temple of the Su arved with symbols of the sun an nd thirty years ago fell from it he temple to become at once a e ect of worship. The "Governor ing interested in it as an are reasure, had it removed to useum, and this raised .such mong the natives that the sto restored to them and has been its original place in the tempt Berlin newspapers publish the ote of the late Duke Ernst of Sa otha and Prince Bismarck. On hen the German troops were be e Duke began grumbling in resence because the Iron Cross o lass, given for bravery in th attle,bad been distributed too irately. Bismarck repliedthattli ion of such decorations elicate and difficult taste for nspicuous merit has to be rew some cases conspicuous posto ithout merit, cannot well be See, now," he added, oor has it; Blumenthalfuss , But then your Highness and -1 and surely it isnot for tie t©` t m w e c a at t M to d th C b ti co in between Govern. stone, ' fie% main - 'Ina: Sinete, ain'wau:planets, place in ecial - aeoiog€cal Indo t - The magnificent diamentl. other day at Jagerefontbin Orange Free State, islageitt Rev. John Rei .neinee color, and is stated. ,to Wed earats. it is expected tort size of the finest stone - that is the De Beers' mine caught in the act of stears It Its. weight was .424 -cars# and ft [measured lArkike waS realm veined need an leen Done i _address and eharge daub than ten let rate system -fifths of the companies i ligible th recognized for any pur Firms havin words, two the uninit -convey any but this is bob in his c for him, fo to pay for who Londo lish, would London. you can po and how m ingItmiseracuan -city to tra the modus bought the but instea ents to credit of sible to ta -cable corn messages t by wire. amount at in his cabi paid," or mention sage is de the cable him in cas grams are and such pasarpotysyebtit mistakes due to th as to ear repcloynwsiadne Belobehist which is c A New Ra - Fine The Fre new line has begun imposing a. arelstie thteen min Fretted trta gage ge train rtattl :he grade, are' never 7at's ly in any average .s Trend- lin for be -lig has lei t an energe womb sho about one live to te made S. be which in of its mai detaile ham, e-nd on tinee• remaidder more r tane minuers .3,000 ra ten half et the to th built t to eaddle time mere micuts minus t public! , ed, it will n3dui legkii de at lac Thet .and w west ated elaret in th bord The eGartc for tr ee ce ass rep vel