'N leafing over the pages of Can-
adian history, one is intrigued
by the figure of a man who play-
ed a brief role—heroic and tragic
|_in the Canadian people’s strug-
gle for self-government in 1837-
the man who is recorded in
our history books as Colonel Von
Shultz.

More research is necessary to
fet a rounded-out picture of the
yman, but even the little that is
Svailable in the books found in
our public libraries serves to
provide at least a sketch of the
person whom friend and foe alike
‘describe. in glowing terms as a
man of great valor and the loftiest
ideals.

Nils Gustav Szoltewski (from
among the various spellings that
appears to be the most probable
version of the original Polish)
came from®a noble Polish family
in Cracow. His father was a major
in the Cracow regiment and had
an interest in the salt mines in
that area.

Some sources say that the
family had Swedish connections;
in any case, the young Szoltewski
secured his. higher education in
“northern,” evidently Swedish
universities, where he received
“the highest literary honors” and
was reputed to be a brilliant sci-
entist.

As a young man he took part in
the abortive Polish uprising
against tsarist Russia in 1831. His
father and older brother fell dur-
ing the fighting in Warsaw, and
he himself fled into exile,

After wandering for several
years through Europe, he went to
America, where he settled in
Salina (mow Syracuse) in the
United States, working as a chem-
ist with his own laboratory in the
salt enterprises (with which he
was familiar from his native
Poland).

It was there, in 1838, that
the 39-year-old Pole learned from
Canadian refugees of the strug-
gles of the Canadian people and
was fired with the desire to help

them.
*

The situation in Canada was
briefly this. After denying the
Canadian people their long-de-
manded desire for self-govern-
ment, the British rulers provok-
ed them into armed uprising.

The rising of the people of
Lower Canada (Quebec) in the fall
of 1837 was suppressed with the
utmost cruelty by the English
troops. Indecision and _ineptit-
ude led to the defeat of the Up-
per Canada (Ontario) rebels who
had gathered to take York (To-
ronto).

Many of the patriots were kil-
led, many imprisoned and ex-
iled, and many others fled to the
United States to save their lives.

William Lyon Mackenzie esta-
blished his provisional govern-
ment on Navy Island (above Nia-
gara Falls) and proclaimed Cana-
dian independence, but after
some months was forced to flee
to the United States.

A reign of terror raged througl-
out Canada, but at the same time
the battles continued (a guerrilla
band of 500-600 men functioned
all through 1838 in the Welland
county, for example). ee

Canadian refugees and Ameri-
can sympathisers (“men of poor
fortunes,” the chronicler reports)
formed a secret society known

as “Hunter’s Lodges” in the Uni--

ted States with the purpose of
crossing into Canada and joining
with the patriots who remained
in their country to overthrow
British rule.

The members took an oath to

“attack, combat, and help to
destroy by all means that their
officers should think proper,

Gustav

Szoltewski:

patriot and martyr

eagerenenannnreceveccecenareecavaravveciuanacasaun By JOHN 7 | Ce

every power or authority of
Royal origin upon this continent,
and especially never to rest till
all tyrants of Britain cease to
have any dominion or footing
whatever in North America.”

*

Von Shultz (as Szoltewski was
called then) threw himself into
this movement and _ personally
paid the expenses of other Polish
revolutionaries to join in the ex-
pedition, which was planned
against Prescott.

Given the rank of colonel, he
worked out a plan where the vol-
unteers would land in Prescott
and take the town, rally the Can-
adian patriots and then strike at.
Kingston, which was the seat of
British military power in Upper
Canada. The date for the attack
was set for early November.

This plan, however, was over-
ruled by. his superior officer,
General Bierge, who ordered in-

The bishop they

LONDON

heal former Bishop of Birming-

ham, Dr. Ernest Willam Barnes,

is dead at his Sussex home at the

age of 79 years. During his 29

years as bishop he was publicly

denounced by three successive
Archbishops of Canterbury.

His fearless, unorthodox views
on politics, science, Christian
dogma, birth control and euthan-
asia shocked and horrified the
upper hierarchy of the Church.

In recent years, he was increas-

stead that the steamer United
States and the two schooners car-
rying 700 men land at Ogdens-
burg, on the American side of
the river from Prescott. Thus
the element of surprise was lost,
the British were given a chance
to rush forces to Prescott.

The cowardly General Bierge
“fell sick” and abandoned the ex-
pedition. Another “leader,” Bill
Johnson, ran his boat ashore on
a bar in the river. . . Shultz was
left with 170 men to carry out the
expedition. To his dying day, he
bitterly denounced this treachery.

On November 12, Colonel Von
Shultz crossed the river with his
170 volunteers and landed below
Prescott at a windmill. This force
could not take the town by itself,
but it fortified the mill and held
the “beach head,” beating back
British attacks and waited —
vainly! — for reinforcements to
come from the American side.

For four days they held on,

ingly outspoken as a champion of
peace and of progressive causes.

In March of last year he de-
nounced the U.S. napalm bomb-
ing of Korea as a “greater dis-
grace to mankind” than the use
of the atom bomb on Japan.

And in November 1952, he pub:
licly welcomed the holding of the
People’s Congress for Peace in
Vienna, with the remark: “I per-
sonally view with favor every
effort to preserve peace in the
world.”

while the “reinforcements”
crowded the American shore and
cheered them, but — did not
cross.

On November 16, the British
brought up two 18-pound cannon
and a howitzer from Kingston
and pounded the stronghold of
Shultz’s force. The men were
forced to retreat to a near-by
wood, where they were surround-
ed and forced to capitulate.

Shultz and 156 of his men were
taken prisoners, tied to a rope
and driven to Kingston. Among
the prisoners were several other
Poles, Jan Okonski, Ernest Ber-
enc and others.

The prisoners were brought to
trial. Shultz was defended by a
young lawyer, John A. Macdonald,
who in 1867 was to become “the
Father of Confederation” and the
first prime minister of a self-gov-
erning Canada. But he and 10
others were sentenced to death.

On December 5, 1839,
tav Szoltewski was ha
Kingston.

Such is the sketch of th
tribution made to Canadlé
tory by Slavs even befo
mass migrations that in t&

60 years have woven thet
with the building of Canad
Future historians, loo
with penetrating eye and
heart on the road our coum
travelled, will undoubtedly
the name of the Polish
tionary martyr in its proper!
in the list of those who g@
all in the struggle for Ca
freedom.
*
Finally, this story also reveals
the perfidy of the Ame a
higher-ups even in that, perio
While the Americans | hel
fortunes” selflessly sought 0%,
their Canadian neighbors
“men of means” were not
“fishing in the muddied
of rebellion in Canada
never-abandoned aim of
ly annexing the country
withheld all real assis
Canadians fighting for
ernment and democracy.
Writing in the last @
23, 1840) issue of his ri
published in New York, i
Lyon Mackenzie summed we
conclusions after three yea?
exile in the United States
government was to impris®
persecute him too):

“T have beheld the AM@&
people give their dearest
most valued rights in
keeping of the worst em see?
of free institutions. I have”

monopoly and slavery a
at the popular electio
witnessed with pain,
fruits of that speculative presi
of enterprise to which, es ‘
~ dent Van Buren says in ‘tf
excellent message, his qv
men are so liable, an oa 4
whom the lessons of exP®™ :
are so unavailing. \ ea
“And, although the
of parties here may te p
to their followers, yet get |
viction grows daily stron.
my mind that your bre
this Union are rapidly et
ing toward a state of iy
which President, Sen@
House of Representaty
fulfill the duties th
Lords and Commons; ann as
power of the commu “pun
from the democracy ey
bers into the hands ° ,
tocracy, not of nob “a
monied monopolists; ii tici
bers and heartless PO”

ot

couldn’t dismi

_ Dr. Barnes constantly proclaim-
ed his belief in the reconciliation
of religion and science. In his
book Rise of Christianity which
appeared in 1947 the Bishop cast
doubt on the possibility of the
Virgin Birth and the physical re-
surrection of Christ.

After reading the book, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr.
Fisher, denounced it in full Con-
vocation. Looking straight at Dr.
Barnes, he said: :

“If his views were mine, I

. . . Liars should be able to figure

BERLIN

Li scurrilous lie about alleged
Soviet mass rapings in eastern
Europe has been one of the hardy
annuals in the garden of war and
hate propaganda. Now a Cana-
dian financial journalist has pro-

- duced what must be the rape

story to end all rape stories.

The journalist in question, Ron-
ald A. McEachern, editor of the
Financial Post of Toronto, has
been touring West Germany, and
reporting to his readers on his

teur. On October 3 he was able

to report: \

“One young doctor told me
about 85 percent of the East
German women had been vio-
lated by Russians. .. .”

The population of East Ger-
many is roughly 18,000,000—about
9,000,000 women. 85 percent of
this figure is 7,650,000. Western
press reports commonly estimate
the Soviet occupation troops in
East Germany to number about
200,000.

This works out at nearly 40
women per head. Surely some-

one should tell Dr. Kinsey about
this.

Financial journalists are gen-
erally regarded as a hard-bitten
bunch but McEachern appears to
have been remarkably gullible.
His informants could sell him al-
most any story they liked.

For the sake of Canadian fin-
naciers, we hope that McEachern’s
financial information is not as

full of holes as his report from
Germany.

should not feel that I cou
episcopal, office in the jdest

Dr. Barnes was the Or neh
four sons Bi
schoolmaster.
academic career,
fellowship in pure ™
at Trinity College,

Prime Minister
Donald appointed h
Birmingham in 1924,
tained the office until
ed because of ill-health

Here are some 0

War: From the P? ¥
of sexual morality, Ce
is valuable in that
men and women i!
bers. tas

Patriotism: No man re
true follower of cnt
patriotism leads him
war.

Industry: If eaget
stewards regard th _
too conservative, We
Christ should weleott
eagerness to make 4 pike

Sport: It is better to
watch cricket. t |

and

Housing: You
up in

you

cleanliness, ase
from people bro
verminous and insanity

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 11, 1953 —