fied
by witness). I did not return to the rebel camp. Saw the
prisoner armed once after the Fish Creek fight. Riel was
in command at Batoche, Dumont being in immediate command
of the men. I know prisoner's handwriting. (The original
summons to Major Crozier to surrender, the letter to
Crozier asking him to come and take away the dead after
Duck Lake fight, a letter to "dear relatives" at Fort
Qu'Appelle, a letter to the half-breeds and Indians about
Battleford, a letter to Poundmaker, and other documents
were put in and identified by witness as being in Riel's
handwriting).

Cross-examined by Mr. Fitzpatrick--The agitation was for
provincial rights and their claims under the Manitoba
treaty, and I was in sympathy with it. Riel was brought
into the country by the French half-breeds. I attended
a meeting at Prince Albert immediately after Riel's
arrival in June, 1884. Riel said what they wanted was a
constitutional agitation, and if they could not accomplish
their ends in five years they would take ten to do it.
Riel was their adviser; was not a member of the Executive
Committee. Up to March last, from all I heard prisoner
say or discovered otherwise, I believed Riel meant simply
a constitutional agitation, as was being carried on by
the other settlers. Riel had told him the priests were
opposed to him, and that they were all wrong. Heard Riel
talk of dividing up the country to be bestowed on the
half-breeds, Poles, Hungarians, Bavarians, etc. When I
was Riel's prisoner I heard him talk of this division,
which I thought meant a division of the proceeds of sale
of lands in a scheme of immigration. This was altogether
different from what he had all along proposed at the
meetings. All the documents Riel signed that I know of
were signed "Exovide" (one of the flock). Riel explained
that his new religion was a liberal form of Roman
Catholicism, and that the Pope had no power in Canada.
Think Riel wanted to exercise the power of the Pope
himself. These expressions were made by Riel after the
rebellious movement was begun.

GENERAL MIDDLETON was now called, and was examined by
Mr. C. Robinson, Q.C. He testified that he was sent by
the Minister of Militia to quell the outbreak on the
Saskatchewan, and gave the well-known details of his
encounter with the rebels at Fish Creek, and of his
subsequent movement on Batoche. He testified to receiving
two letters from Riel on the day of the capture of Batoche,
in one of which