Four Months Under Arms

              Taking

Prisoners
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to Regina
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Page 17

Orders were received by the police to bring the prisoners to Regina, and eight local teams were securcd for transport. The volunteers were still liable to be called for service, and two guards for each wagon was called, HonDre Jackson was one of the prisoners. He had joined the rebels shorlly after Riel came over, and was said to be secretary tD Riel. He had nD grievance or claims for adjustment such as the rebels had, and was well aware Df the pDsition he was in. He had not shaved or cut his hair for a long time, and was a wierd 10Dking creature. and WdS playing the role of a lunatic. GeDrge Cockrill and I had been allDted to Wm. McBeath's w~gon in which there was three Indians and .Jackson. and he W2S shackled by the foot tD a SiDux Indian called One Arrow. A strong escort of N.W.JVL Polie" under command of Inspector G. K Sanders accompanied us and We left Prince Albert on June 20th. crossed the S8uth Saskatchewan at McKenzie's and camped fm the night. Next day we followed west along the south bank of the river to Batoche, where a stop was made to give relatives of the prisoners a "hance to bid them farewell. Then went 20 miles farther and camped. Tents were pitched and beds made for the prisoners, but Jackson would not keep stilL so we unshackled him, spreadeagled his limbs and staked him down with tent pegs, and threw a blanket over him. He kept quiet. HAD ARGUMENT WITH JACKSON

Next day was very warm and after being on guard the night befDre I was sleepy, and with my rifle standing between my knees with the butt resti"ng on the floDr I dozed off. Jackson sat directly in fronl of me and I felt a touch Dn my rifle, and took a stronger grip on It, waited. Soon Jackson grasped it with both hands and tried to wrench it from me, but I broke his grip and said that jf he touched it again that I would shoot him. He replied. I wish tD God you would. We told him that he was going to be hanged when we gDt to Regina, which did not ease his mind. Next day we reached Humbolt in mid-afternoon. The Midland Battalion was there. They had been recruited mainly from the counties of Huron and Bruce. Jackson was born and brought up in the town of Wroxter and many of them knew him. They lined up on both sides of thc road and pointed him out tD the alarmed. others, and Jackson 'Nas getting The surgeon of the battalion had been a professor in a Toronto college and Jackson had been one of his pupils for a couple of terms. He asked permission to interview Jackson, so Geo, and I unshackled him a-nd took him over. The surgeon was a very tall man, and was wearing a cork helmet. Jackson was a short man, and the surgeon sat on a camp chair so that he could study Jackson's expression better when asking him questions. As the surgeon asked him questions, he feigned hard of hearing, and moved up clDse. When he stopped asking questions, Jackson spread his arms apart and said. "These wide plains will again be covered with buffalD," then bringing his hands together, brought them down on the cork helmet, and pushed it down on the officer's ears. Geo- and I did not anticipate any such action,