Part 18 (1/2)

I thank the glorious General Middleton for his testimony that I possessme when those words were pronounced I was in Beauport Asylum; Dr Roy over there knows it, but I thank the Crown for destroying his testiue Pointe, near Montreal, also; and would like to see my old friends, Dr Lachapelle and Dr Howard, who treated me so charitably Even if I a that I will not be regarded by all men as an insane person

TO THE COURT--”Your honour and gentlemen of the jury, my reputation, my life, my liberty, are in your hands, and are at your discretion I ah sense of duty that I have no anxiety as to the verdict My calmness does not arise froh you are only half a jury, only a shred of that proud old British constitution, I respect you I can only trust, Judge and gentlement conscientiously rendered I would call your attention to one or two points The first is that the House of Commons, Senate and Ministry, which make the laws, do not respect the interests of the North-West My second point is that the North-West Council has the defect of its parent There are practically no elections, and it is a sha from his subject, Riel broke forth and said:

”I was ready at Batoche; I fired and wounded your soldiers

Bear in mind, is my crime, committed in self-defence, so enor to tear me into pieces Jurors, if you support the plea of insanity, otherwise acquit me all the same Console yourselves with the reflection that you will be doing justice to one who has suffered for fifteen years, to my family, and to the North-West”

Riel concluded as follows, his language containing a strange admixture of the words applied to hiainst the Governentle the circu to which I would respectfully call your attention before you retire to deliberate is the irresponsibility of the Government It is a fact that the Government possesses an absolute lack of responsibility, an insanity complicated with analysis A overnment, and its little North-West council, hadto jump at me and my people in the fertile valley of the Saskatchewan You are perfectly justified in declaring that having my reason and sound mind, I acted reasonably and in self-defence, while the Govern irresponsible, and consequently insane, cannot but have acted h treason there is, it must be on its side, not on thy address, MR CHRISTOPHER ROBINSON, QC, closed the case for the Crown in a powerful speech, which went far to counteract the sympathetic effect produced by Riel's disconnected but eloquent oration Mr Robinson pointed out that no evidence was produced to show that the prisoner had not coed with From the evidence it was quite clear the prisoner was neither a patriot nor a lunatic

If prisoner was not responsible for the rebellion, as? The speaker went over the evidence and showed that Riel's acts were not those of a lunatic, but well considered in all their bearings, and the deliberate acts of a particularly sound mind The evidence as to Riel's confineo was not satisfactory Why was he sent there under an assu with the other papers, and a state the asylues of insanity Taking up the evidence against the prisoner, Mr Robinson went over it in detail, and said no mercy should be shown one who had committed such acts He pictured the terrible results if Riel had succeeded in his effort to rouse the Indians, The reason the prisoners Pound Bear had not been put in the witness box, was that they could not be asked to give evidence that would incriminate themselves

MR JUSTICE RICHARDSON then read over the evidence to the jury, after which the court adjourned

THIRD DAY'S PROCEEDINGS

[Footnote: This abstract of the final day's proceedings we take fros on the ust, at the usual hour, and Col Richardson continued his charge to the jury He read all the principal evidence, coed the jury to do their duty without fear or favour

THE VERDICT

When the jury returned with the verdict at 315 pm, after exactly one hour's deliberation, the prisoner, who had been on his knees in the dock praying incessantly, rose and stood facing the six e of life or death

The CLERK of the Court, aypt, it could be felt, asked if the gentlereed upon their verdict?

MR COSGROVE, the foreeneral hush, ”We have!”

The CLERK then asked: ”Is the prisoner guilty or not guilty?”

Everyone but the prisoner seeer to hear the e of fate, was calm

The Foreman replied: ”Guilty, with a recommendation to mercy!”

Riel sracefully to the jury

THE PRISONER'S SPEECH