He refused to go to another location with the Cree warriors and was shot dead onsite. Veteran Windy Gale sent us the following article which was written by Charles Whitehead (Reg.#1577) Whitehead and appeared in the 5th edition (1923) of the Vancouver Division – RCMP Veterans’ Association’s Scarlet & Gold Magazine. We fell in for stables and then suffered breakfast and “watering order.” This last thing was a choice morsel. Comes 10 o’clock. The eight men who sacrificed their lives at the end of the rope were the champions of freedom and democracy. Fort Battleford National Historic Site. Some faced trial and jail or sentence of death. It was 8 o’clock in the morning, silence suddenly fell on the whispering groups of civilians. The bodies were duly placed in the boxes and we escorted them to the trench that had been excavated in the frozen ground with some difficulty. rifles at support, marched up to form a cordon about the foot of the scaffold. I liked to fight. There are a number of first-hand historical records that exist of the Hangings at Battleford, however the majority of accounts are written from the perspective of settlers in the area. Repeated posting of identical or very similar information is counter-productive and is also prohibited. Quinn was a notoriously harsh Indian Agent, who kept Indigenous people near Frog Lake on the brink of starvation ("no work, no rations"). The scaffold was erected in the open square of the stockade which surrounded the buildings that formed the old fort. To ensure this level of mutual respect, we will retain the right to review and edit comments prior to them being posted on our website. I can hear that death chant yet, and the drop of the bodies, when I can easily forget what they looked like. Entre 1876 et 1883, Battleford était la capitale des Territoires du Nord-Ouest. EDITOR’s NOTE: The following details supplement Whitehead’s account and were contained in the Saskatchewan Indian magazine – July 1972 and entitled “Battleford Hangings”. You have been good to me; better than I deserved. This had the effect of giving an uninterrupted view from all sides of everything that went on, both on and under the scaffold. L'Hôtel du Gouvernement, siège du gouvernement des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, disparut lors de l'incendie du 7 juillet 2003 . The eight men who were hung were as follows: In September and October the accused were tried by C. B. Rouleau, Resident Stipendiary Magistrate of Battleford. But after you, the redcoats, came and the Treaty was made with the white man, war was no more. Aquisanee!“. Français; Conditions régissant l'utilisation; Fort Battleford National Historic Site It was a cold day and dull. Sheriff, Clergymen, Interpreter, and hangmen mounted the scaffold. L'Hôtel du Gouvernement, siège du gouvernement des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, disparut lors de l'incendie du 7 juillet 2003. The death chant from the doomed Indians ceased abruptly as a squad of N.W.M.P. Until then, it is true, the thought of death had not frightened them; but the day before their execution they seemed to remember all their wishes. The platform, 20 feet by 8 feet, 10 feet above the ground with railing enclosing the trap was reached by a stairway.