Two months in the camp of Big Bear

T >> Theresa Gowanlock and Theresa Delaney >> Two months in the camp of Big Bear

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TWO MONTHS IN THE CAMP OF BIG BEAR.

The Life and Adventures
Of
Theresa Gowanlock and Theresa Delaney.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

INTRODUCTION
WE LEAVE ONTARIO
INCIDENTS AT BATTLEFORD
ON TO OUR HOME
AT HOME
WOOD AND PLAIN INDIANS
THE MASSACRE
WITH THE INDIANS
PROTECTED BY HALF-BREEDS
THEY TAKE FORT PITT
COOKING FOR A LARGE FAMILY
INCIDENTS BY THE WAY
DANCING PARTIES
ANOTHER BATTLE
INDIAN BOYS
HOPE ALMOST DEFERRED
OUT OF BIG BEAR'S CAMP
RESCUED
WE LEAVE FOR HOME
AT HOME
TO ONE OF THE ABSENT
SHOT DOWN.
J. A. GOWANLOCK.
W. C. GILCHRIST.

PART II.

PREFACE.
MY YOUTH AND EARLY LIFE.
MY MARRIAGE LIFE.
THE NORTH-WEST TROUBLES.
CONCLUSION.
FATHER FAFARD.
THE SASKATCHEWAN STREAM.
MR. DILL.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

THE SCENE OF THE MASSACRE.
MRS GOWANLOCK.
SQUAW CARRYING WOOD.
WANDERING SPIRIT.
MR GOWANLOCK'S HOUSE, STORE AND MILL.
MR. GOWANLOCK.
MR. GILCHRIST.
THE WAR DANCE.
FROG LAKE SETTLEMENT.
MRS DELANEY.
MR DELANEY.
THE RESCUE.
FATHER FAFARD.
MR. DILL.

PART I.

INTRODUCTION.

It is not the desire of the author of this work to publish the
incidents which drenched a peaceful and prosperous settlement in
blood, and subjected the survivors to untold suffering and privations
at the hands of savages, in order to gratify a morbid craving for
notoriety. During all my perils and wanderings amid the snow and ice
of that trackless prairie, the hope that nerved me to struggle on,
was, that if rescued, I might within the sacred precincts of the
paternal hearth, seek seclusion, where loving hands would help me to
bear the burden of my sorrow, and try to make me forget at times, if
they could not completely efface from my memory, the frightful scenes
enacted around that prairie hamlet, which bereft me of my loved one,
leaving my heart and fireside desolate for ever. Prostrated by fatigue
and exposure, distracted by the constant dread of outrage and death, I
had well-nigh abandoned all hope of ever escaping from the Indians
with my life, but, as the darkness of the night is just before the
dawn, so my fears which had increased until I was in despair, God in
his inscrutible way speedily calmed, for while I was brooding over and
preparing for my impending fate, a sudden commotion attracted my
attention and in less time than it takes to write it, I was free. From
that moment I received every kindness and attention, and as I
approached the confines of civilization, I became aware of how
diligently I had been sought after, and that for weeks I had been the
object of the tenderest solicitude, not only of my friends and
relations, but of the whole continent.

There have appeared so many conflicting statements in the public press
regarding my capture and treatment while with the Indians, that it is
my bounden duty to give to the public a truthful and accurate
description of my capture, detention and misfortunes while captive in
the camp of Big Bear. The task may be an irksome one and I might with
justice shrink from anything which would recall the past. Still it is
a debt of gratitude I owe to the people of this broad dominion. To the
brave men who sacrificed their business and comfort and endured the
hardships incident to a soldier's life, in order to vindicate the law.
And to the noble men and women who planned for the comfort and
supplied the wants of the gallant band who had so nobly responded to
the call of duty and cry for help. And I gladly embrace this
opportunity of showing to the public and especially the ladies, my
appreciation of their kindness and sympathy in my bereavement, and
their noble and disinterested efforts for my release. In undertaking a
task which has no pleasures for me, and has been accomplished under
the most trying difficulties and with the greatest physical suffering,
I have embodied in the narrative a few of the manners and customs of
Indians, the leading features of the country, only sufficient to
render it clear and intelligible. I make no apology for issuing this
volume to the public as their unabated interest make it manifest that
they desire it, and I am only repaying a debt of gratitude by giving a
truthful narrative to correct false impressions, for their kindness
and sympathy to me.

I trust the public will receive the work in the spirit in which it is
given and any literary defects which it may have, and I am sure there
are many, may be overlooked, as I am only endeavoring to rectify
error, instead of aspiring to literary excellence. I express my
sincere and heartfelt thanks to the half-breeds who befriended me
during my captivity, and to the friends and public generally who
sheltered and assisted me in many ways and by many acts of kindness
and sympathy, and whose attention was unremitting until I had reached
my destination.

And now I must bid the public a grateful farewell and seek my wished
for seclusion from which I would never have emerged but to perform a
public duty.

THERESA GOWANLOCK.

MRS. GOWANLOCK

CHAPTER I.

WE LEAVE ONTARIO.

We left my father's house at Tintern on the 7th of October, 1884,
having been married on the 1st, for Parkdale, where we spent a few
days with my husband's friends. We started for our home on the 10th by
the Canadian Pacific Railway to Owen Sound, thence by boat to Port
Arthur, and then on to Winnipeg by rail, where we stopped one night,
going on the next day to Regina. We only stopped in that place one
day, taking rail again to Swift Current, arriving there the same day.
This ended our travel by the locomotion of steam.

After taking in a supply of provisions we made a start for Battleford,
distant 195 miles, by buckboard over the prairie, which stretches out
about 130 miles in length, and for the remaining 55 miles there are
clumps of trees or bluffs as they are called, scattered here and
there. Our journey over this part was very pleasant, the weather was
fine and the mode of travelling, which was new to me, delightful. Our
company, consisted in addition to ourselves, of only one person, Mr.
Levalley, a gentleman from Ottawa. We passed four nights under canvas.
The journey was not a lonely one, the ships of the prairie were
continually on the go, we passed several companies of freighters with
harnessed oxen, half-breeds and Indians. It was also full of incident
and adventure; on one occasion, when cooking our tea, we set fire to
the prairie, although we worked hard to put it out, it in a very few
minutes spread in a most alarming manner, and entirely beyond our
control, and we let it go looking on enjoying the scene. Upon nearing
Battleford a number of half-famished squaws came to us begging for
something to eat, but we were not in a position, unfortunately, to
supply their wants, on account of our larder having run dry. We
entered Battleford on the 19th of October.

The town of Battleford is situated on the Battle river. The old on one
side, the new on the other, in the direction of the fort. When the
Indians plundered that place it was the town on the south bank. The
houses on the opposite bank were protected by the guns at the fort. My
husband had a store on the north bank in the direction of the fort.

The town is very scattered, covering a large area of ground, it is
verily a place of distances and quite in keeping with the north-west
generally. There are a few fine houses in the place, notably, the
industrial home for Indian children and the residence of Judge
Rolleau.

CHAPTER II.

INCIDENTS AT BATTLEFORD

I remained at Battleford six weeks, while my husband went to Frog
Creek, (where he had thirteen men working on the house and mills,) and
while there I became initiated into the manners and customs of the
inhabitants. A few incidents which happened during my stay might be
interesting to the reader, therefore, I will jot them down as they
come to mind.

After our arrival the Indians and squaws came to see me and would go
and tell some of the others to come and see the monias, (squaw) and
when they saw my husband they asked him why he did not live with her,
and if she was well; and one day I walked with him over to where he
was keeping store before he went west and the Indians came in and
shook hands, and laughed, and the squaws thought my costume was rather
odd and not in keeping with that of the fashionable north-western
belle. The squaws cut off about three yards of print and make the
skirt; while others take flour sacks and cut holes through for the
waist and have leggings and moccasins; they would disdain to wear such
an article as hose.

They are quite adepts in the art of tanning. I saw them tanning
leather; they took the skin and put something on it, I do not know
what it was, and put it in the sun for a few days, then with a small
sharp iron fastened on a long handle, they scraped the skin with this
until very smooth, and greased it over and put it in the sun again for
some time, afterwards two squaws pulled it until nice and soft,
and then it was ready for use.

One afternoon I was out shopping and on my way home I saw some little
Indian children coasting down hill on an earthen plate, but before
getting to the end of the hill, to their evident surprise the plate
broke and they commenced crying because it was broken and went back
and got another one, and so on until they thought they would try tin
plates, and the little friend that was with me, Effie Laurie, took the
tin plate from them and sat down on it herself and went down the hill,
and they looked so astonished to think that a white woman would do
such a thing.

Another time on going out while two men were crossing the bridge over
Battle river; a horse broke through and was killed and the squaws
gathered around it taking the skin off, while others carried some of
the carcass away, and I asked what they were going to do with it, and
my husband said "they will take it home and have a big feast and if
the meat has been poisoned they will boil it for a long time, changing
the water, and in this way anything that was poisonous would not
affect them."

The way the Indians get their wood, they send their squaws to the bush
to cut the wood and they take a rope and tie around as much as they
can carry, and hang it on their backs. Those who have dogs to carry
the wood for them tie two long sticks together, fastening them on the
dog's back, then tying a large bundle of wood on the back part of the
cross sticks by that means the squaw is relieved from the task. The
squaws perform all manual labor, while the big, lazy, good-for-nothing
Indian lolls about in idleness.

CHAPTER III.

ON TO OUR HOME.

At the end of six weeks my husband returned from the west, and with
many pleasant recollections of Battleford, we left for our own home,
which I had pictured in my mind with joyous anticipation, as the place
of our continued happiness: a beautiful oasis, in that land of prairie
and sparse settlement, and with a buoyancy of spirit which true
happiness alone can bring, I looked forward with anticipated pleasure,
which made that little log house appear to me, a palace, and we its
king and queen.

On this last part of our journey we were favored with the company of
Mr. Ballentyne of Battleford who went with us, and after the first
day's travelling, we stopped all night at a half-breed's house, where
they had a large fire-place made of mud, which was just like a solid
piece of stone; they had a bright fire, and everything appeared nice
and tidy within; a woman was making bannock, and when she had the
dough prepared, she took a frying pan and put the cake in and stood it
up before the fire. This is the way they do all their baking, and then
she fried some nice white fish and hung a little kettle on a long iron
hook over the fire, put in potatoes, and boiled the tea-kettle, making
the tea in it too. She then spread a white cloth over the table and we
all enjoyed our supper together after the long ride. The squaw gave us
a nice clean bed to sleep in, making theirs on the floor and in the
morning I saw four little children crawling out from under the bed
where we slept, and my husband looked up at me and laughed, and said,
"that is where children sleep up in _this country_." Their ways
appeared very strange to me, and in the morning before going away,
they gave us a warm breakfast.

We travelled all the next day and camped that night. We had a small
tin stove which is part of a camping outfit, and which smoked very
much while cooking. We had great trouble to know how we would obtain a
light, but we had a candle and we lighted that, and then we had
nothing to hold it in, but as necessity is the mother of invention, we
found a way out of the difficulty; we took a pocket knife that had two
blades, and stuck one blade in the tent pole and opened the other half
way, fastening the candle into the blade, which answered the purpose
and enabled us to see while we ate our supper. We then turned down our
beds, and in a few minutes were fast asleep. When morning came we had
breakfast, and travelled on again. Mr. Ballentyne shot some prairie
chickens and we had them for our dinner, which was a great treat to
me. We arrived at Fort Pitt on the tenth, bidding Mr. Ballentyne
good-bye, stopped at Mr. McLean's all night, where we enjoyed a very
pleasant evening.

The next morning we left for Onion Lake, where we were welcomed by Mr.
Mann and family, and after a night's rest proceeded on our journey to
Frog Lake, reaching there on the 12th. We went to Mr. and Mrs.
Delaney's, who kindly allowed me to stop there until my husband fixed
up some articles of furniture at our own house two miles further on
and south-west of the Lake.

After arriving at Mrs. Delaney's, my husband left me and went down to
the house to work, on Saturday evening he came back. On Sunday morning
Mr. Quinn came over and asked us to go for a drive, we accepted the
invitation. It was a bright frosty morning; he took us to our little
home that I had not yet seen. On hearing the men singing who were
employed at the mill, we drove down to their cooking tent, where we
found Mr. Gilchrist cooking breakfast for fourteen men. They had a
large cooking stove inside, with a long board table; the table was
covered with tin plates and cups. They had rabbit soup, and bread and
coffee for breakfast; after getting ourselves warm we drove back to
Mr. Delaney's. On the following Thursday my husband drove up and took
me to our home, where all was in beautiful order, and Mr. Gilchrist
waiting for our arrival.

CHAPTER IV.

AT HOME.

Now we are at home and I am thankful. There they nestle in a pretty
valley, the simple house, the store, and beside the brook, the mill.
The music of the workman's hammer alone breaks the stillness that
pervades the scene, and the hills send back the echo without a
discordant note. The hills were covered with trees, principally poplar
and spruce, interspersed with berry-bearing shrubs. A most beautiful
and enchanting location.

That little settlement of our own was situated upon Frog Creek, about
three miles west of the lake of the same name, and distant from the
Frog Lake Settlement, our nearest white neighbours, about two miles.
But we had neighbours close by, who came in to see us the next day,
shaking hands and chatting to us in Cree, of which language we knew
but little. The Indians appeared to be very kind and supplied us with
white fish twice a week which they procured from the river for which
in return we gave sugar, tea, prints, &c., from the store. Christmas
and New Year's were celebrated in about the same manner that they are
amongst us civilized people. Both Indians and squaws put on their good
clothes, which at the best of times is very scant, and do their
calling. They salute the inmates of each house they enter with a
congratulatory shake, expecting to be kissed in return. Just think of
having to kiss a whole tribe of Indians in one day, that part we would
rather do by proxy. We would not countenance it in any way.
On Christmas day we went out for a walk along Frog Creek; on our way
we came to where two little Indian children were catching rabbits with
a snare, they stepped to one side and let us pass, and were delighted
to have us watching them while catching their game; and further on
some of the squaws had holes cut in the ice, and having a sharp hook
were catching fish. In this way they get fish all winter, and to look
at these "shrimpy-looking" women trotting along with their brown
babies slung in a sort of loose pocket dangling away behind their
backs, it was comical in the extreme, they would stop and look and
laugh at us, our appearance being so very different to their own dark
skin and sharp eyes. They wear their hair hanging, strung with brass
beads, and have small pieces of rabbit fur tied in; and the men wear
theirs cut very short in front, hanging over their brows, and
ornaments of every description. These people don't set at table on
chairs, rich or poor; they squat down on their feet in a fashion that
would soon tire us exceedingly. Then at night they wrap themselves up
in a blanket, lie down and sleep as soundly as we would in our warm
feather bed and blankets.

My husband and the men worked hard during the next two months on the
mill in order to get it finished before the spring set in. As far as
the weather was concerned it was very favourable for working. The men
lost no time from the cold. During that period the thermometer ranged
from zero to 60? below but the air was so clear and bracing that the
cold was never felt. I have experienced more severe weather in Ontario
than I ever did in this part. I have heard of north-west blizzards,
but they are confined to the prairie and did not reach us. It is the
most beautiful country I ever saw with its towering hills, majestic
rivers, beautiful flowers and rolling land. I had made up my mind to
see nothing but frost, ice and snow, but was agreeably disappointed.

Nothing of an eventful nature transpired, during those two months, the
mill was about completed and Williscraft and the other men were
discharged with the exception of Mr. Gilchrist, who assisted my
husband. The machinery was all in position and everything done but
finishing up, when on the 17th of March, two men, strangers, made
their appearance at the mill and asked for employment. They said they
were weary and worn and had left Duck Lake in order to avoid the
trouble that was brewing there. One was Gregory Donaire and the other
Peter Blondin, my husband took pity on them and gave them employment.
They worked for us until the massacre. They were continually going too
and fro among the Indians, and I cannot but believe, that they were
cognizant of everything that was going on, if not responsible in a
great degree for the murders which were afterwards committed.

CHAPTER V.

WOOD AND PLAIN INDIANS.

The Indians are in their habits very unclean and filthy. They will not
in the least impress anyone to such an extent that they would be
willing to forego the restrictions of civilized life, and enter upon
the free life of the red man.

The Indians living on the reserve in the neighbourhood of Frog Creek
are known as the Wood Crees, they were all peaceable and industrious,
and were becoming proficient in the art of husbandry. They lived in
the log cabins in the winter, but in the summer they took to their
tents. They numbered about 200 persons. They appeared satisfied with
their position which was much better than what falls to the lot of
other Indians. They did not take part in the massacre, nor where they
responsible for it in any way.

The Plain Crees are composed of the worst characters from all the
tribes of that name. They were dissatisfied, revengeful, and cruel,
they could not be persuaded to select their reserve until lately, and
then they would not settle upon it. Their tastes lay in a direction
the opposite to domestic; they were idle and worthless, and were the
Indians who killed our dear ones on that ever to be remembered 2nd of
April. Those same Indians were constantly fed by Mr. Delaney and my
husband. The following correspondence will show how he treated those
ungrateful characters:--Big Bear's Indians were sent up to Frog Lake,
it is said, by Governor Dewdney who told them, if they would go there,
they would never be hungry, but last winter their rations were
stopped, and they had to work to get provisions, or starve. They would
go around to the settlers houses and ask for something to eat, and Mr.
Delaney would give those Indians rations, paying for them out of his
own salary. Gov. Dewdney wrote a letter stating that he must stop it
at once; but he did not listen to him and kept on giving to them until
the outbreak. And the very men he befriended were the ones who hurled
him into sudden death.

Big Bear was only nominally the chief of this tribe, the ruling power
being in the hands of Wandering Spirit, a bad and vicious man, who
exercised it with all the craft and cunning of an accomplished
freebooter.

CHAPTER VI.

THE MASSACRE.

Now come the dreadful scenes of blood and cruel death. The happy life
is changed to one of suffering and sorrow. The few months of happiness
I enjoyed with the one I loved above all others was abruptly closed--
taken from me--for ever--it was cruel, it was dreadful. When I look
back to it all, I often wonder, is it all a dream, and has it really
taken place. Yes, the dream is too true; it is a terrible reality, and
as such will never leave my heart, or be effaced from off my mind.

The first news we heard of the Duck Lake affair was on the 30th of
March. Mr. Quinn, the Indian Agent at Frog Lake, wrote a letter to us
and sent it down to our house about twelve o'clock at night with John
Pritchard, telling my husband and I to go up to Mr. Delaney's on
Tuesday morning, and with his wife go on to Fort Pitt, and if they saw
any excitement they would follow. We did not expect anything to occur.
When we got up to Mr. Delaney's we found the police had left for Fort
Pitt. Big Bear's Indians were in the house talking to Mr. Quinn about
the trouble at Duck Lake, and saying that Poundmaker the chief at
Battleford wanted Big Bear to join him but he would not, as he
intended remaining where he was and live peaceably. They considered
Big Bear to be a better man than he was given credit for.

On the 1st of April they were in, making April fools of the white
people and shaking hands, and they thought I was frightened and told
me not to be afraid, because they would not hurt us. My husband left
me at Mr. Delaney's and went back to his work at the mill, returning
in the evening with Mr. Gilchrist. We all sat talking for some time
along with Mr. Dill, who had a store at Frog Lake and Mr. Cameron,
clerk for the Hudson Bay Company. We all felt perfectly safe where we
were, saying that as we were so far away from the trouble at Duck
Lake, the Government would likely come to some terms with them and the
affair be settled at once. The young Chief and another Indian by the
name of Isador said if anything was wrong among Big Bear's band they
would come and tell us; and that night Big Bear's braves heard about
it and watched them all night to keep them from telling us. We all
went to bed not feeling in any way alarmed. About five o'clock in the
morning a rap came to the door and Mr. Delaney went down stairs and
opened it, and John Pritchard and one of Big Bear's sons by the name
of Ibesies were there.

Pritchard said "There trouble."

Mr. Delaney said "Where?"

Pritchard "_Here_! Our horses are all gone, the Indians deceived
us, and said that some half-breeds from Edmonton had come in the night
and had taken them to Duck Lake, but Big Bear's band has taken them
and hid them, I am afraid it is all up."

My husband and I got up, and Mrs. Delaney came down stairs with a
frightened look. In a few minutes Big Bear's Indians were all in the
house, and had taken all the arms from the men saying they were going
to protect us from the half-breeds, and then we felt we were being
deceived. They took all the men over to Mr. Quinn's, and my husband
and I were sitting on the lounge, and an Indian came in and took him
by the arm saying He wanted him to go too; and he said to Mrs. Delaney
and I "do not to be afraid, while I go with this Indian." We stopped
in the house, and while they were gone some of the Indians came in and
went through the cupboard to find something to eat. They opened the
trap door to go down cellar, but it was very dark, and they were
afraid to venture down. Then the men came back and Mrs. Delaney got
breakfast. We all sat down, but I could not eat, and an Indian asked
Mr. Gowanlock to tell me not to be afraid, they would not hurt us, and
I should eat plenty. After breakfast they took us out of the house and
escorted us over to the church; my husband taking my arm, Mr. and Mrs.
Delaney were walking beside us. When we got to the church the priests
were holding mass; it was Holy Thursday, and as we entered the door,
Wandering Spirit sat on his knees with his gun; he was painted, and
had on such a wicked look. The priests did not finish the service on
account of the menacing manner of the Indians; they were both around
and inside the church. We were all very much frightened by their
behaviour. They then told us to go out of the church, and took us back
to Mr. Delaney's, all the Indians going in too. We stopped there for
awhile and an Indian came and told us to come out again, and my
husband came to me and said "you had better put your shawl around you,
for its very cold, perhaps we will not be gone long." We all went out
with the Indians. They were going through all the stores. Everything
was given to them, and they got everything they could wish for and
took us up the hill towards their camp. We had only gone but a short
distance from the house when we heard the reports of guns, but thought
they were firing in the air to frighten us; but they had shot Quinn,
Dill and Gilchrist, whom I did not see fall. Mr. and Mrs. Delaney were
a short distance ahead of my husband, I having my husband's arm. Mr.
Williscraft, an old grey-headed man about seventy-five years of age
came running by us, and an Indian shot at him and knocked his hat off,
and he turned around and said, _"Oh! don't shoot! don't shoot!"_
But they fired again, and he ran screaming and fell in some bushes. On
seeing this I began crying, and my husband tried to comfort me,
saying, "my _dear_ wife be _brave_ to the end," and immediately an
Indian behind us fired, and my husband fell beside me his arm pulling
from mine. I tried to assist him from falling. He put out his arms for
me and fell, and I fell down beside him and buried my face on his,
while his life was ebbing away so quickly, and was prepared for the
next shot myself, thinking I was going with him too. But death just
then was not ordained for me. I had yet to live. An Indian came and
took me away from my dying husband side, and I refused to leave. Oh!
to think of leaving my _dear_ husband lying there for those cruel
Indians to dance around. I begged of the Indian to let me stay with
him, but he took my arm and pulled me away. Just before this, I saw
Mr. Delaney and a priest fall, and Mrs. Delaney was taken away in the
same manner that I was. I still looking back to where my poor husband
was lying dead; the Indian motioned to where he was going to take me,
and on we went. I thought my heart would break; I would rather have
died with my husband and been at rest.

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