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THE COURIER, RIVER!Some Twice Told Talesof Stirring Adventureon the Western PrairieHOW COLEBROOK OF THE NORTH WEST MOUNTEDPOLICE MET HIS DEATHand it look* like an Indian rising.Before the guests had time to get thnf wraps a bugle was sounding through the barrack* square, which all night long resounded with the noise of preparations for an earlv itart for the scene of the fighting.Next morning a party of twenty tine men with horses and cannon, under the leadership of Colonel Mcll-Iree, left by special train for DuckLakeThe bluff which was guaided by the watchers was shelled and Almighty Voice and Ms two conipan■ A -ft a d» • _ * ■ _A Story o( The Most Recent of All Indian BettiesIn IffjiS Almighty Voice, an Indian of One Arrows Reserve at DuckLake, had killed some cattle which had been loaned him by the Department. The agent had had some trouble with this man, and was determined to make an example. Accordingly. he had hitn arrested and confined in the Prince Albert jail. Like all Indians of the plain*, hepined for freedom, and watching foran opportunity, succeeded in effecting his escapeHe was not long away until Sergeant Colebrook. one of the most efficient non-commit worn d officers of the force, accompanied by a half-breed intrepreter, was hard at his keels. Somewhere in the Duck Lake region,aomcwmrc in me L»uca Lake region. Cole brook tighter hi* quarry, and hi lowing the tradition of the force, advanced on him. The intrepreter gave a word of warning to the policeman He it armed, he mid “and will ftfht rath, r than be uken The set geant laughed at the idea that he could be intimidated by a mere Indian. Almighty Voice handled hisdied out to the interpretergun, and cain the Crce language, Tell the Red coat to keep off. 1 do not want totake his life.” Again the intrepreter warned Colebrook. who told him to go home if he was afraid.As the Redroat neared the Indian, Almighty Voice leveled his musket, and shouted, Awii, Awls, the Crce equivalent for keep off. Colebrook rode forward as cooly‘at if on parade, and the Indian, giving up allhopes of being able to warn him, pulled the trigger. The heavy ball in Dieted a mortal wound, and the ser-grant, throwing his hands in the air, tell from hi* horse. It was his own fault, I told him not to come on, cried the Indian, and the IntrepreterCalloped from the scene as fast a« is frightened horse could carry him. Almighty Voice possessed himself of the weapons and ammunition of his victim, and accompanied by hit squaw fled to the bush country. Of course when the news came Jo Prince Albert, Captain Allan ordered a search to be made throughout the country for the murderer, but Almighty Voice scented to have disappeared off the face of the earth.— — — — — -— — - — ~W wdoughty Captain, who, in spite of the pain of his wound still retained hitcartridge belt and revolv Said the Indian, making a menacing gesture I II sec you in bell first, replied the y Captaluck and habit of command. The ndian was actually intimidated and beat a retreat aa the mounted patrol, attracted by the sound of the firing, dashed up. The Captain was rt rnwv ed to Prince Albert for surgical at*rtention, but not before he had givenuinstructions to surround the which was now known to contain several Indians besides the murderer. It was thought at first that Captain Allan was mortally wounded but his resolution and an iron constitution triumphed over his injuriesThe following day, in a brush withScrgwounded. Word had been sent tothe Indiansrant Raven wasRegina and Prince Albert for cannon to shell the bluff and reinforcementsA party of volunteers under the leadership of Thomas Mackay had arrived on the ground. An attempt was made to reconnoitre the Indian position and Mr. Grundy, the postmaster-at Duck Lake, with troopers Kerr and Hockin of the police, attempted this dangerous service. By this time the Indians had constructed riffc pits near the edge of the bluff and were occupying a strongsomeFor two years the search was kept up but although reports were current that the fugitive had been seen by Indians in various parts of the country from Duck Lake to Touchwood, the police were unable to capture him.In May, 1897, a police patrol from the Duck Lake detachment, consistinjf^ of a corporal, two troopers andetis scout named Napoleon Venue came upon a suspicious looking party of Indians near the reserve. The corporal ordered his party to advance •M question them. The Indians retreated into the bosh, but before retiring, opened fire on the patrol and wounded Vcnne in the shoulder. One of the Indians had been identified as Almighty Voice, and on news of the occurrence reaching Prince Albert, Captain Allan, whose daring and soldierly qualities had made him the idol of the force, took personal command of a small party and started on the trail of the fugitives. The scout with Captain Allan’s party tracked the Indians into a poplar bluff. The Captain ordered his men to go around one side whilst he rode on the other. As soon as he had parted from his men hr saw a movement of the bushes, and riding forward to investigate. was tumbled from his saddle by a heavy bullet through his shoulder As he lay on the ground, while his startled horse galloped from the scene. Almighty Voice approached him from the shelter of the bluff, holding a smoking riffc. into the chamber of which kt was pumping g Iresli cartridge. Throw me yourposition. The volunteers and spectators were watching the progress of the manoeuvre from the summit of a hill a little distance away. They were able to observe Grundy and the two policemen advance carefully towards the bluff, taking advantage of cvcrv inequality of the ground. They roust have crawled right up to the riffc pit of the Indians before they were aware of its proximity. Almighty Voice and his companions simply waited until they were within point-blank range and shot down the whole three of them.Grundy and Kerr were instantly killed. but the watchers on the hill sawHockin move after he fell. Dr Stewart of Duck Lake, who was on the ground with a lively team hitched to a buck board, shouted, “He is still alive. Who will go with me to bring him in?*' The challenge was promptly accepted by Constable O*-Relly» a daredevil Irishman, and the buckboard swung down the hill at the gallop. The Indians instantlyopened fire and a journalist present,miwho had tern much actual warfare in his day, declared that he had never seen a more dariitg exploit A glance showed that all were dead with the exception of Hockin and poor Kerr had been badly man-handled. In • hurricane of fire the team was stopped and Hockin was lifted to the rig and the reti'eat commenced. O'Kel-ly*s spur was shot away and a spoke tOrn^ out of the buckboard by a heavybullet The return was safely made but Hockin died shortly afterwards. He was an Englishman of aboutforty years of age and was typical of the Miousted Police of that period. He was the son of an English Admiral and had held the Queen** commission in a British regiment for over k dozen years.When the news came to Regina a ball was in progress at the Barracks in honor of the departure of the jubilee contingent. A two step was beaing danced and Commissioner Her-chmer. with all his well-known enthusiasm, was charging down the room when he was interrupted by an orderly with a telegram He excused himself to his partner and opened it He then walked to the centre of the floor and raised his hand as a signal. The music stopped and the dancers trailed to their seats. Ladies and gentlemen, he said, “I am socrv to say that Captain Jack Allan, whom you all know so well, has been shot,ions, fighting and bring to the last, were killhl bythe rain of shrapnel.It was at first thought that Captain Allan would die of his wound, to the sorrow of the police force, who loved him to a man. Then it was decided by the surgeon* that hi* life might be saved if his arm were amp utated The gallant Captain, while agreeing to the operation, refused to take an anesthetic, saying that his father, a veteran of the wars of Napoleon, had been probed for bullets without any chloroform and he could stand it just as well There was no operation and he recovered his Health and the use of hi* arm as well By the way, this same heroic old father of Captain Allan only died in 1885 at a great age. He had carried in hi* body a bullet received with Sir John Moore of burial fame at the Battle of Corunna and it worked its way out of the body of the veteran justafter he died.However, just one more relic ofAlmighty Voice. C W. Speers, Do minion Colonization Agent, acquiredhis war pony, which he presented to Lord Minto, who took it to OttawaIfiI1lctcsI
Newspaper Details
Riverhurst Weekly Courier
Riverhurst, Saskatchewan, CA
Thu, Sep 19, 1918
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA 27 Jun 2023
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Riverhurst Weekly Courier
