Report of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, 1907
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7-8 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 28 A. 1908 REPORT OK THE El) 1907 PRINTED BY ORDER OF PARLIAMENT OTTAWA PRINTED BY S. K. DAWSON, PRINTER TO THE KING.S MOST EXCELLENT MA-TESTY 1908 [No. 28—1908.] 7-8 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 28 A. 1908 To His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Albert Henry George, Earl Grey, G.C.M.G., kc, Sc., Governor General of Canada. May it Please Your Excellency : The undersigned ha#the honour to present to Your Excellency the Annual Report of the Roval Northwest Mounted Police for the vear 1907. Respectfully submitted, WILFRID LAURIER, President of the Council. December 6, 1907. B 7-8 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 28 A. 1908 CONTE^^TTS. Page. Commissioner's Report I APPENDICES TO THE ABOVE. Appendix A. —Superintendent R. B. Deane, Calgary 16 B. —Superintendent C. Constantine, Lesser Slave Lake 26 C. —Superintendent G. E. Sanders, D.S.O., Regina 35 D. —Superintendent P. C. H. Primrose, Macleod 56 E. —Superintendent A. R. Cuthbert, Maple Creek 69 F. —Superintendent J. O. Wilson, Lethbridge 75 G. —Superintendent J. V. Begin, Prince Albert 85 H. —Superintendent J. A. McGibbon, Battleford 94 J. —Inspector D'A. E. Strickland, Fort Saskatchewan 101 K,—Inspector D. M. Howard, Fort McPherson 112 L. —Surgeon G. P. Bell, Regina 116 M. —Veterinary Surgeon J. F. Burnett, V. S., Regina 119 N. —Inspector A. M. Jarvis, C.M.G., reports on buffalo in Mackenzie River District 122 O. —Inspector E. A. Pelletier, report on patrol Regina to Churchill and return, winter 1906-7 130 P. —Inspector E. A. Pelletier, report on patrol Norway House to Churchill and return, summer 1907 140 Q.—Inspector E. J. Camies, report on Peace River-Yukon Trail 154 R. —Inspector A. E. C. Macdonell, report on Peace River-Yukon Trail .. 156 S. —Constable J. A. W. O'Neill, report on trip Norway House to Island Lake 159 T. — Sergeant R. Field, report on trip Chipewyan to Fort Saskatchewan 161 U. —Constable H. Shand, report on trip Edmonton to Macleod River.. 163 Y. —Constable A. G. Gairdner, report on trip Dunvegan to Fort Graham, B.C 165 PART II. STRENGTH AND DISTRIBUTION. Schedule A. —Summer, 1907 1 B.—October 31, 1907 5 PART III. YUKON TERRITORY. Report of Assistant Commissioner Z. T. Wood, Commanding 3 Appendices to the above. Appendix A. —Superintendent A. E. Snyder, Whitehorse 16 B. —Inspector T. A. Wroughton, Dawson 24 C. —Inspector R. Y. Douglas, Patrol on Pelly River 42 D. —Constable R. E. Forrest, Patrol, Dawson to Port Macpherson .... 44 E. — Surgeon L A. Pare, Whitehorse... 48 F. —Assistant Surgeon W. E. Thompson, Dawson 49 G. —Veterinary Staff Sergeant G. H. Acres, Dawson 51 H. —Veterinary Staff Sergeant R. M. Nyblett, Whitehorse 52 PART IV. PHOTOGRAPHS. 28— 1 — 7-8 EDWARD Vli. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 28 A. 1908 Royal Northwest Mounted Police Headqu.\rters, Regina, December 1, 1907. To the Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier, P.O., G.C.M.G., &c., President of the Privy Council, Ottawa, Ont. Sir, —I have the honour to submit my annual report for the year ending the 31st of October, 1907. I attach for your information reports of the officers commanding districts, and certain reports covering work of a special nature which should be of public interest. strength and distribution. On the 31st of October the strength of the force stood as follows : fifty-five officers, five hundred and eighty-four non-commissioned officers and constables and five hundred and twenty.seven horses. Compared with last year the strength is less by forty-five men and forty-nine horse.*. This loss has occurred chiefly in the Yukon Territory, where the strength has diminished by forty-seven men and twenty-three horses. The following is the distribution by Provinces and Territories : Surgeons. Surgeons. Constables. Commissioner. and Sergeants. cn Superintendents. Commissioner. Asst. ^istant eg Inspectors. Veterinary Corporals. Surgeons Sergeants. Special a Horses. \ Staff o 1 O 4 13 1 12 18 28 132 28 236 257 1 1 5 15 1 1 18 18 26 159 32 277 230 1 2 1 1 4 2 17 4 32 Yukon Ten itorj' (Sept, 30) 1 1 5 8 7 9 45 16 94 40 1 2 11 35 5 1 39 47 65 353 80 6.39 527 1 In the province of Alberta there are five divisional posts, and 67 detachments ; in divisional Saskatehewan four posts, and 64 detachments ; in the Yukon Territory two divisional posts, and 17 detachments; and in the Northwest Territories one divisional post, and six detachments ; a total of 12 divisional posts and 154 detachments. In 1900, the strength (not including those on service in South Africa) was 774 officers and men distributed at 10 divisional posts, and 101 detachments. Thus with a loss of 135 men there is an expansion of 55 posts and detachments, which illustrates the strain thrown on the force. In 1901, the population of the ai^ea over which the force has jurisdiction was 238,000, and this year it is upwards of 600,000, an increase which is largely due to immigrants from Great Britain, the northern and central states of Europe, and the United States, who are unfamiliar with Canadian laws. These people 28-— — 2 ROYAL yOKTHWEtiT MOUNTED POLICE 7-8 EDWARD VII., A. 1908 have spread over the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. They are en- as as titled to our protection. I have endeavored to meet the demand far possible, but not as fully as I desire. I have many applications from all parts of the new provinces for police which I have not been able to meet. In the Northwest Territories the strength is not sufficient. Posts are required at different points on the Mackenzie River. In the Keewatin district inhuman practices among the Indians have come to light, and in the interests of humanity more police posts ought to be establi-shed. In Ungava the same practices are .said to take place. There are no police stationed in that district at present, but they ought to be sent there. Assuming that our jurisdiction is not to be curtailed in the near future, I am it to bound to express the opinion that the strength of the force is not sutiicient for to perform its multifarious duties satisfactorily to the government, and with credit itself. CRIME. There is a marked increase in the number of cases, there being 6,736 with 5,685 convictions. Last year the cases entered numbered 5,148, and convictions 4,256, for eleven months. The largest number of cases under the Criminal Code is for assault, theft and drimkenness, and offences created by the provincial statutes which are not criminal in their nature. I regret to note that 35 charges of rape and indecent assault are entered and only 12 convictions secured. These offences are on the increase, and should be dealt with very severely. There are 1 1 charges of murder and 6 of attempted murder. Three murder cases took place in Keewatin, and not in Saskatchewan as shown, and one occurred last year, but was not tried until this year. The number of murder charges is large, but does not indicate a state of lawlessness, as the following statement shows : MURDER. Rex vs. Sugar (Indian). Shown as awaiting trial. Outcome of a quarrel. Rex vs. Macdonald. Acquitted. This man was charged with the murder of a Stony Indian named Dixon, an employee on Macdonald's ranch. Death resulted from excessive use of intoxicants, which it was claimed were administered by Macdonald. Rex vs. Michalchuck (Galician). Awaiting trial. Result of Metre Sharpo (Gali cian) the murdered man, debauching wife of Michalchuck, Rer vs. Barrett. Awaiting trial. Victim being stepson, aged 12, who interceded on his mother's behalf while Barrett attempted to shoot his wife. Rex vs. Hande. Acquitted. Outcome of a drunken brawl. Rex vs. Prior. Awaiting trial. A fiendish murder of a little girl. Rex vs. Gilbert. Convicted, subsequently commuted to life sentence. Shown as awaiting trial in last year's report. Rex vs. Mack Sing (Chinaman). Awaiting trial. Poisoning case, the outcome of rivalry between two restaurant keepers. Rex vs. Joseph Fiddler (Indian). Convicted, under sentence of death. Case showh under Saskatchewan, really occurred in Keewatin, N.W.T. Convicted of murder of Indian woman, who was demented at the time, and due to the superstition of the tribal belief that insane persons are beset with evil spirits and would turn cannibals. Rex vs. Jack Fiddler (IndvAn). Relation of the above. Assisted in strangling. Committed suicide whilst awaiting trial. Rex vs. Norman Rae (Indian). Awaiting trial. Evidence in Fiddler case showed that he was implicated in a similar crime. Patrol is being sent to fetch furthf-r witnesses, and also to arrest brother of accused, who, it, appears, is equally implicated. —— REPORT OF CO^rVISSIOyER PERRY 3 SESSIONAL PAPER No. 28 ATTEMPTED MURDER. Rex vs. Kirk. Acquitted. Evidence showed that he used a knife in self-defence. Rex vs. Barlcnv. Acquitted. A poisoning case. Rex IV. Mastapidro (Italian). Convicted and sentenced to one year's imprisonment. Result of quarrel with fellow labourer. Rex r.s. Bimn. Awaiting trial. Outcome of a dispute. Rex vs. Warner. Accjuitted. Result of a quarrel. Rex vs. Fetlerman. Awaiting trial. The defendant is the wife of O. C. h'etterraan. The following table gives a classified summary of cases entered and" convictions made in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta from November 1, 1906, to October 31, 1907. Saskatchewan. Alberta. 73 73 " a .1-1 a o <t> - s O > S.I e5 > c3 e c S ^ Oo QeS Q < Ho Offences against the person Murder I 9 11 II attempted 2 6 Infanticide 1 1 Manslaughter 1 1 Threatening tu kill.