PROTECTED BY HALF-BREEDS.
On the 3rd of April Big Bear came into our tent and sitting down beside
us told us he was very sorry for what had happened, and cried over it,
saying he knew he had so many bad men but had no control over them. He
came very often to our tent telling us to "eat and sleep plenty, they
would not treat us like the white man. The white man when he make
prisoner of Indian, he starve him and cut his hair off." He told us he
would protect us if the police came. The same day Big Bear's braves
paid our tent another visit, they came in and around us with their guns,
knives and tomahawks, looking at us so wickedly.
Pritchard said, "For God sake let these poor women live, they can do no
harm to you: let them go home to their friends."
The leaders held a brief consultation.
An Indian stood up and pointing to the heavens said, "We promise by God
that we will not hurt these white women; we will let them live."
They then left the tent.
Every time I saw one of Big Bear's Indians coming in, I expected it was
to kill us, or take us away from the tent, which would have been _far
worse_ than death to _me_.
But they did not keep their word.
On the third night (Saturday, the 4th April,) after our captivity, two
Indians came in while all the men and Mrs. Delaney were asleep, I heard
them, and thought it was Pritchard fixing the harness, he usually sat up
to protect us.
A match was lighted and I saw two of the most hedious looking Indians
looking over and saying where is the _Monias_ squaw, meaning the white
women. I got so frightened I could not move, but Mrs. Delaney put out
her foot and awakened Mrs. Pritchard, and she wakened her husband, and
he started up and asked what they wanted, and they said they wanted to
take the white women to their tent, and I told Pritchard they could
kill me before I would go, and I prayed to God to help me. Pritchard and
Adolphus Nolin gave their blankets and dishes and Mrs. Pritchard, took
the best blanket off her bed to give to them and they went off, and in
the morning the Wood Crees came in and asked if those Indians took much
from us, and Pritchard told them "No"; the Indians wanted to make them
give them back. After that Pritchard and other half-breeds protected us
from night to night for we were not safe a single minute.
During the two days which had passed, the bodies of the men that were
murdered had not been buried. They were lying on the road exposed to the
view of everyone. The half-breeds carried them off the road to the side,
but the Indians coming along dragged them out again. It was dreadful
to see the bodies of our _poor dear_ husbands dragged back and forth by
those demoniac savages.
On Saturday the day before Easter, we induced some half-breeds to take
our husbands' bodies and bury them. They placed them, with those of the
priests, under the church. The Indians would not allow the other bodies
to be moved. And dreadful to relate those inhuman wretches set fire
to the church, and with yelling and dancing witnessed it burn to the
ground. The bodies, I afterwards heard, were charred beyond recognition.
Upon seeing what was done the tears ran profusely down our cheeks and I
thought my very heart would break. All the comfort we received from
that unfeeling band was, "that's right, cry plenty, we have killed your
husbands and we will soon have you."
On Easter Sunday night there was a heavy thunder storm and before
morning it turned cold and snowed; the tent pole broke, coming down
within an inch of my head, the snow blowing in and our bedding all
covered with it and nothing to keep us warm. I got up in the morning and
found my shoes all wet and frozen, and the Indians came in and told us
what they saw in the heavens. They saw a church and a man on a large
black horse with his arm out and he looked so angry, and they said God
must be angry with them for doing such a thing; the half-breeds are as
superstitious as the Indians.