3 5 1 . m û (o Yukon Archives Robert C. Coutts Collection «3 VICTORIA SESSIO N A L PAPER No. 16 A. 1900 REPORT OF THE NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE 1899 PRINTED BY ORDER OF PARLIAMENT OTTAWA PRINTED BY S. E. DAWSON, PRINTER TO THE QUEEN’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1900 [No. 15—1900] €3 VICTORIA SESSIO N A L PAPER No. 15 A. 1900 To His Excellency the Right Honourable the Earl of Minto, £c., &c., Governor General of Canada, &c., &c. M a y i t p l e a s e Y o u r E x c e l l e n c y :— The undersigned has the honour to present to Your Excellency the Annual Report of the North-west Mounted Police for the year 1899. Respectfully submitted, Wil f r id l a u r ie r , President of the Council. F e b r u a r y 15, 1900. 63 VICTORIA SESSIO N A L PAPER No. 15 A. 1900 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I NORTH WEST TERRITORIES Page. Commissioner’s Report............................................................................................................................... 1 APPENDICES TO ABOVE. Appendix A.—Superintendent Sev. Gagnon........................................................................................... 8 B. —Superintendent R. B. Deane............................................................... 15 C. —Superintendent A. H. Griesbach........................................................ 27 D. —Superintendent G. B. Moffatt............................................................. 38 E. —Superintendent J. Howe............................................................................................... 48 F. —Superintendent G. E. Sanders............................................................ 70 G. —Inspector J. O. Wilson.................................................................................................. 84 H. —Inspector W. S. Morris............................................................................................. 94 I. —Assistant-Surgeon C. H. Haultaln ....................................................................... 100 K. —Assistant-Surgeon G. P. Bell.................................................................................... 102 L. —Acting Assistant-Surgeon F. H. Mewburn............................................................. 104 M. —Acting Assistant-Surgeon E. H. Rouleau............................................................ 105 N. —Acting Assistant-Surgeon P. Aylen........................................................ 106 O. —Acting Assistant-Surgeon A. Blouin........................................................................ 108 P. —Acting Assistant-Surgeon E. C. Kitchen................................................................. 110 Q. —Acting Assistant Surgeon A. B. Stewart............................................................ Ill R. —Hospital Staff Sergeant C. T. McNamara............................................................... 112 S. —Veterinary Surgeon J. Burnett................................................................................ 114 T. —Assistant Veterinary Surgeon T. A. Wroughton............................................... 116 U. —Veterinary Staff-Sergeant D. Fraser....................................................................... 118 V. —Veterinary Staff Sergeant H. T. Ayre.................................................................. 119 W. —Veterinasy Staff Sergeant C. H. Sweetapple............................ 121 X. —Veterinary Staff Sergeant J. Pringle........................................ 122 Y. —Veterinary Staff Sergeant J. Mount ford................................... 123 Z. —Veterinary Staff Sergeant G. Stevenson.................................... 125 AA.—Veterinary Staff Sergeant D. Corlstine............................................................. 127 15—11 63 VICTORIA SESSIO N A L PAPER No. 15 A. 1900 ANNUAL REPOET OF COMMISSIONER L. W. HERCHMER NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE, 189!) N orth-w est M o u n ted P o lic e, Offic e of th e Commissioner , R eg in a , January 1, 1900. The Honourable The President of the Privy Council, Ottawa, Ont. Sir—I have the honour to submit my annual report for the year ended November 30, 1899, together with the annual reports of the following officers, for the same period :— Superintendent Gagnon. ” Deane. “ Griesbach. “ M ofi'att. “ llowe, with report of Supt. Constantine, Moosomin. “ Sanders. Inspector Wilson. “ Morris. The Assistant Surgeons and Acting Assistant Surgeons. The Veterinary and Assistant Veterinary Surgeon, and the Veterinary Non- Commissioned Officers. PATROLS. Our annual winter patrol to the north this year only went as far as Fort Reso­ lution, returning by Peace River and Lesser Slave Lake. The example made, during the previous patrol, of hunters who killed buffalo had an excellent effect ; one of them, during last winter, while very much in need of food, seeing the tracks of a buffalo in the snow in the early morning, is re­ ported to have fired his gun in the air, and hunted off in a different direction to that indicated by the tracks, and, as far as we can gather, not a single animal was killed last winter, and T have no doubt, with the extension of the close season, and the new order re only killing bulls when the close season is up, the buffalo will rapidly in­ crease. 15— 1 2 NORTH WEST MOUNTED POLICE. 63 VICTORIA, A. 1900 In addition to this patrol returning via Peace River, &c., several were made during the v/inter, and also in the summer to Lesser Slave Lake and Peace River Landing, and a detachment of one inspector and ten men accompanied the Indian commissioners on their treaty-making expedition to the far north. It is reported that their services were much appreciated, and that all hands performed arduous duties cheerfully and willingly. The detachments at Lesser Slave Lake and Peace River I anding have good control over the country, and after very hard work succeeded in arresting several Indians for killing an alleged Indian cannibal on Smoky River, one of them being found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced at Edmonton. Corporal Trotter, the solitary representative of the police in the far north, succeeded in arresting, near Fort Providence, one Sabourin, for murdering his brother’s wife, and conveyed him to Edmonton, where he was found guilty and sentenced to be hung. These were the only two cases of serious crime reported in the unorganised districts, and we were fortunate to bring both to justice. This promptness will certainly have a good effect in future. Our system of small detachments and constant patrols has been very effective during the last year, and the alleged murderers of Nelson Hagle, who disappeared in June, 1898, from near Lacombe, have been arrested in consequence, and his remains found. A large number of arrests have been made throughout the Territories on information gathered by these patrols for horse and cattle stealing, all of which will be found in the reports of the superintendents in whose districts they occurred. The enormous amount of work we have done for the Department of Agriculture has brought us into close touch with the inhabitants generally, and a great deal of valuable information has been thus acquired, which will be useful hereafter. INDIANS. The Indians have given us no trouble this year beyond getting drunk occa­ sionally. It is reported, however, that the knowledge of English gained at the various industrial schools enables some of them to get liquor at any time as half- breeds. All the bands have made great improvements during the year, and have put up enormous quantities of hay on contract, besides freighting and other work. Their cattle have done remarkably well, and the very highest prices paid for beef steers have in some instances been paid to Indians. Their horses are still too small, caused by inbreeding, and a few blocky small stallions distributed among them would raise the standard and usefulness for farming and freighting very rapidly. LIQUOR. The North-west government have taken up the matter very strongly of the evasion of their ordinance, and there has lately been a very marked improvement in icarrying out the law re closing, &c., but interdicted persons still seem to get liquor, and a good deal reached the Indians, chiefly through a depraved class of half-breeds who hang round the towns, and are glad to eke out a living by immorality and procuring whisky for their Indian relatives. At the re­ quest of the North-west government, I have instructed the force at large to pay closer attention to the enfoi cement of the liquor ordinances. Hitherto except in very glaring cases, we did not interfere, as there was a feeling that the Territorial government., having their own inspectors, did not require police assistance. HORSES. Horses are el il! going up in price, and it is very difficult to get the remounts required for the police, as nearly all the breeders are raising heavy horses suitable REPORT OF COMMISSIONER HERCHMER. 3 SESSIO N A L PAPER No. 15 for farm work. We bought during the year three or four Montana horses, but all the rest were raised in the Territories. The good crops have caused a demand for horses, and there is no difficulty in selling any number of good solid horses. I attach a list of the horse? purchased, sold, &c. FORAGE. Owing to the extremely wet summer and early autumn, there has been great difficulty in curing hay all over the country, and at some points we have had trouble to obtain it. But, although the year has been so unsuitable for hay making, we have received some of the best hay I have ever seen up here. The crop of oats, except in the Edmonton