Francois Tourond

Francois and Patrice Tourond are brothers. I have known them for a long time. They are unmarried. They are among the most respectable families of the North West. They were seven sons and a widowed mother. These young men were the admiration of all the neighborhood; they were so quiet and hard working their farm was the nicest kept in the settlement. They were opposed to Riel in all his movements. The crafty Riel tried every means to induce the boys to join him, but without success. They were well off, had a fine farm, plenty of cattle and horses, and were worth a good deal of money. Riel went day after day to the poor widow, and with his devilish cunning played on her superstition and credulity. He told her of his holy visions, how he saw himself surrounded by seven glorious stars of extraordinary brightness crowning him with glory. These bright stars, he cried, are your seven glorious sons, who are to achieve the glory of the half-breed nation, and the poor woman, in her simple faith of his divine mission, prayed of her fine young sons to go forth and battle under the banner of heaven. Alas, with what terrible results? That once happy home is now desolate, the wealth produced by industry and sobriety is swept away like snow before the wind; the grand young sons, their mother's pride and strength, where are they? Three of them, shot on the field of battle, lie in hurried graves on the banks of the Saskatchewan, and another of a broken heart at the sudden shock of the terrible death of his brothers, another wounded and crippled for life, and two, the two above named, prisoners awaiting sentence at the hands of outraged majesty of the law of their country. Oh, spirit of mercy, enter the heart of their judge in pity and compassion, for the poor heart-broken widow now almost childless; deal mercifully with these poor deluded young men, and in mercy send them home to console the desolate heart of their mother. It must be remembered to the credit of Patrice that when Riel ordered the prisoners to be given up to the savages to be brutally murdered he cried out: " Riel, these prisoners you shall not kill until you kill me first." These two young men are the only support of their mother and two young sisters. They have lost all their property. [Their brothers Calixte, Charles and Elzear all died of their wounds of battle (Batoche).] That poor mother, Josephte Paul Deposition of Alexis Andre priest Prince Albert