The Grip cartoons: vols. I & II, May 1873 to May 1874

Chapter 23: No. 21. “A Case of Riel Distress.”

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About This Book

A curated selection of satirical cartoons re-rendered and presented with a brief introduction and concise annotations by the artist. The plates use caricature, visual puns, and topical pastiche to critique parliamentary scandals, civic disputes, public commissions, and notable public figures, shifting between single-panel gags and recurring motifs. Explanatory notes accompany each image to clarify local allusions and the cartoonist’s intent, so the sequence functions both as humorous commentary on contemporary public life and as an organized record of editorial opinion.

No. 21.
“A Case of Riel Distress.”

The murder of Thomas Scott, at Fort Garry, during the Red River Rebellion, naturally excited great indignation throughout the Dominion, and a universal demand was made for the apprehension and punishment of Louis Riel, the leader of the malcontents, at whose instigation the deed was committed. This righteous sentiment, however, ultimately resolved itself into mere political “claptrap,” and the action of the Conservative Government, then in power, was hypocritical throughout, they having secretly promised the rebels an amnesty, while publicly professing an anxious desire to “catch him.”

October 25th, 1873.

No. 21.

A CASE OF RIEL DISTRESS!