Discussions

Are we placing too much blame on the Mounties when we criticize their implied over use of force? The RCMP enlists students from the general public and they generally have to be in good physical condition and have an average intelligence. They are then sent to Regina for 24 weeks training, which includes learning how to march. They are a  
Para-military organization, to which they refer to themselves as “Members.” This force is steeped in History, which I am sure they are encouraged to continue in their personal careers. Their famous motto is “Mounties always get their man.” We can read many accounts of this: locally we had the shootings and hostage taking at Virden and Oak Lake on January 23, 1978, http://www.rcmpvets.com/Honour/Onofrey.html, or the murder of Constable Dennis Strongquill on Friday, December 21, 2001, at Russell http://www.odmp.org/canada/officer/699-constable-dennis-strongquill.  
I just wish to mention the case of “Almighty Voice”, a Cree warrior of the One Arrow Reserve near Batoche, Saskatewan. From May 29 until mid morning May 30, 1879 the NWMP bombarded with shell fire Almighty Voice and Little Salteaux the two surviving Cree males as they vainly tried to defend themselves with small arms fire. When all went silent the RWMP crept into the small grove of trees shortly after noon. Three bodies were found: Tupean had been shot through the head. Little Salteaux and Almighty Voice were lying in a lump in their rifle pit both killed by cannon shrapnel. They were buried where they died by their people, amid the trees that had hidden them during the one sided battle. This saga started when 21year old Almighty Voice was about to enter his fourth marriage to a thirteen-year-old girl. He was a strikingly handsome young brave who was preparing for his wedding feast, when he happened upon a stray cow on his Reserve. The number of people he could invite to his wedding feast was determined by the amount of food he could provide for his guests. With the meat from the hapless cow he could invite everyone. The incident would have remained unknown but for the actions of an ex-brother-in-law who told Sergeant Colebrook at Duck Lake, and when Almighty Voice later arrived at the settlement to collect his Treaty Money, he and a companion were arrested and placed in jail. Almighty Voice, who’s Cree name was Kisse-manitou-wayo, but was registered on agency records as Jean Baptist waited for the prison guards to change shifts, and in the early hours of October 23, 1895 he simply walked through the unlocked door of the Duck Lake prison. With that action he had disrespected the Dominion of Canada’s authority and destroyed the NWMP mandate to maintain order in Queen Victoria’s land. One week after the prison break, Sergeant Colin Colebrook and his Matis guide and interpreter Francois Dumont were finally given a lead by the family of a slighted ex-wife. They were told that Almighty Voice and his new wife were tracked thirty miles from Botoche, crossing to their camp just south of Kinistino on October 29. As many Mounties still do today, Officer Colebrook rode boldly towards the camp. He asked his interpreter to order Almighty Voice to surrender, being so sure that there would be no objection because he was the Administrator of the Law. Even though the translator told him not too, and the threatening actions of Almighty Voice should have warned him, he rode in. The Cree warrior holstered his rifle to his shoulder, and aimed it squarely at the approaching Police Officer. Almighty Voice shouted out in Cree, “Leave us. I must kill you if you don’t turn back.” Dumont translated the message and added: “He’s serious,” urgently trying to get Colebrook to realise he was in danger. Again, Almighty Voice shouted the message, this time stepping in front of his wife to protect her from the advancing horseman. Again the message was translated. Sergeant Colebrook kept riding forward towards the married couple, his idea of “deadly force” was his uniform: he had one hand extended in a display of peace and the other hand on his revolver.  
When Almighty Horse determined the Police Constable had moved close enough to impede the safety of him and his wife he pulled the trigger. The eyes of the NWMP Sergeant Colebrook widened momentarily, as he realised that he had been shot, and then he fell from his saddle with a bullet lodged in his heart.  
For those days the unthinkable had happened, a Police Officer had been murdered. Francois Dumont quickly reigned in his mount, turned tail, and galloped away from his dead comrade. Almighty Horse leapt onto Colebrook’s horse, and with a longing glance at his child-bride headed in the opposite direction. The NWMP Sergeant had allowed a small misdemeanour crime to escalate into a murder, and Almighty Voice new that he would pay for it with his life.  
News of the Mounties death spread across the Prairie, like a wild fire, from the Settlements to the Reserves, from Settlers, to Homesteaders, between the Police Posts and the Trading Camps. It was even discussed in those days that Sergeant Colebrook was partially to blame for his conduct in a volatile situation. Negotiations would have been more prudent and would probably have prevented bloodshed. Now the Mounties new what they had to do, “They had to get their man.” The Native community closed ranks, and for six months Almighty Voice stelthfully kept one step ahead of the Law. The Government of the Dominion of Canada offered a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a Criminal. Chief Inspector John B. Allen, (Broncho Jack Allen to his friends) was in charge of the search, and he believed Almighty Voice had fled south to the States. As an inducement he had released from custody his new wife and his father John Sounding Sky. A whole year had passed and the NWMP barracks were frustrated because an unavenged murder of one of their own was still at hand.  
On May 26, 1897 the Mounties got the break they had been hoping for. Again it was a cow that was to be the downfall of Almighty Voice. Two Matis brothers David and Napoleon Venne, noticed three Natives killing a cow near a sheltered patch of trees, and when confronted they ran. Napoleon Venne recognised two of them as Little Salteaux, a boy, and Tupean, a former brother-in law of Almighty Voice. Venne was not sure if the third man was Almighty Voice, but he was sure he had his build. Venne reported his findings to Corporal William Bowridge, the new Commander of the Batoche detachment. The next morning they went to the place where the remains of the dead cow lay, and began to track the Indians. By the afternoon they saw two men making for a grove of Poplar trees. The cow slayers, who ever they were did not wish to have police contact. Venne and Bowridge cautiously approached the poplars, but before they got too near a shot rang out, and Venne was hit in his left shoulder. With know doubt that they had found their men, the two lawmen turned their horses and ran. The following day, May 28, 1897 Corporal Bowridge had sent for backup. A “Heavy force” of NWMP arrived. Broncho Jack Allan and his posse of Mounties, included Sergeant Charles Raven, and armed civilians, surrounded Almighty Voice, Tupean, and Little Salteaux. They were all armed and aimed to see Justice done. Next followed a ferocious gun battle, Sergeant Raven and Constable William Hume were first to approach the trees. Crouching low and moving slowly they traversed the woods from north to south, looking for any movement within the trees. Some would say it was a brave feat of courage and others would say it was just plain stupidity. In any case Raven suffered dearly for his assault when he was hit in his lower body from a slug from the rifle of Almighty Voice, which shattered his hip. Raven was still firing towards the enemy when Broncho Jack Allan and the rest of the men joined him. Allan was first to be hit during this charge, and the bullet hit him in the shoulder knocking him from his mount. Above him stood Almighty Voice with his gun barrel pointing at his head, as Broncho Jack Allan waited for his demise he heard a staccato of rapid gunfire. Constable Hume had begun firing rapidly causing Almighty Voice to take cover in the woods. Hume removed the unconscious Allan from the scene while Raven’s men shot round after round into the willows where Almighty Voice had ambushed Allan. With officers injured the command fell to NWMP Corporal Charles H. Hockin. He sent a request to Batoche for medical assistance and more men.  
If the Lawmen had secured the perimeter of the Poplar Grove, they could have waited until the outlaw Indians had exhausted their ammunition supplies, food and water, which would eventually lead to their surrender. But the imminent darkness spooked Corporal Hockin and he made a foolish error. His imagination feared the fugitives would sneak away in the night, and so he decided to move towards the trees. He thought the suspected men had dug a deep pit and were waiting to be approached by the Lawmen. He was correct, and with nine other men they made an assault on foot. Slowly sweeping from one side of the bushes to the other until they finally came across the three fugitives. Almighty Voice opened fire and dropped two of the ten men instantly. Dead were the civilian Postmaster of Batoche, Earnest Grundy, and NWMP Constable John Kerr, Hockin was mortally wounded and died a few hours later. Tupean was likely killed in this exchange but they do not know for sure when his time of death occurred. Now four men were dead and the NWMP had decided to call in their “Deadly force.” NWMP Assistant Commissioner John McIllree, twenty-four Mounties, and a Posse of civilian men arrived with a seven-pound field gun from Prince Albert and a nine-pound gun from Regina. These huge guns were placed at the foot of the bluff facing the impact zone containing the Native rifle pit. Not until silence was returned did the NWMP penetrate the small grove of trees. That afternoon the Police carried away their dead, three Police Officers and one civilian. This was a senseless Siege that took the lives of seven men. Indian Legend says that no birds sang on the day of the burials. At the North-West Rebellion a decade earlier, a Gatlin Gun was used, it was supposed to be the ultimate weapon, deadly enough to stop all wars. Civilian Security Forces have used Rubber Bullets, Mace, Stun Guns, and now Taser Guns, all of which have caused death to unarmed citizens. http://www.securityprousa.com/stunguns1.html  
Cannot we in this day and age subdue an unarmed person without risking his life? The Winnipeg Sun is leaning towards these lines, and printed an exclusive story yesterday, they are saying that the Mountie training and procedures are inadequate and both civilians and Members are dyeing needlessly:  
http://winnipegsun.com/News/Canada/2007/12/02/4701471-sun.html  
 
Source: http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-69-1931-12547/life_society/saskatchewan_100/clip1