Louis Riel on Trial

Photograph of a sketch of Riel's trial in Regina, NWT, 1885. Riel stands at centre in the prisoner's box.

Historical note:

Charles Nolin, Riel's cousin, is testifying at the extreme left. Questioning Nolin is prosecutor, Christopher Robinson, standing in robes in the centre. Robinson was the son of John Beverley Robinson, a central figure in Upper Canada's Family Compact. Riel stands in the prisoner's box in the middle of the picture. Judge Hugh Richardson and Magistrate Henry Lejeune preside on the bench. Crown Counsel B.B. Osler is in robes on the right. North-West Mounted Police Captain R.B. Deane is seated at the far right. The Reverend E.F. Wilson, 1844-1915, completed the sketch. He was present in the courtroom the day Charles Nolin testified. The engraving of the artwork appeared in the The Graphic (London, England) on September 12, 1885, page 292. Source, Glenbow Archives.