Almighty Voice killed in shoot-out

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The original one-room jail Almighty Voice was held in after killing a cow till stands at Duck Lake, Ask.

Looking through the tiny window with its iron bars, you can almost see Almighty Voice sitting on a small wooden bed with head bowed - simply not understanding the white man's way.

Almighty Voice, a Cree Indian from One Arrow reserve in Sask., was arrested in 1895 for killing a cow thought to belong to a herd owned by someone else on his reserve.

However it was later proven the cow was a stray that had wandered into the area.

The tiny North West Mounted Police log jail had rings in the walls to which prisoners could be shackled, but for some reason Almighty Voice was not handcuffed to a ring.

One night, after the constable on duty left without locking the door, Almighty Voice escaped.

For a week a Mountie and a guide searched for home. When they finally caught up with him, Almighty Voice, who had a woman with him, grabbed his rifle and told the Mountie to "Go away, soldier!: as he pointed his rifle in the direction of the Mounties.

But the Mountie with one hand on his pistol continued to ride towards Almighty Voice, although his guide told him not to.

Almighty Voice shot him through the heart.

For the next 18 months Almighty Voice managed to elude police, who were combing the area in search of him for the murder of the police officer.

In May 1897 Almighty Voice was spotted near a popular bluff in the Minichinas Hills east of One Arrow reserve.

For days Almighty Voice and two companions held off the police and civilian militia.

During the shoot-out three more of Almighty Voice's pursuers were killed trying to storm the makeshift dugout.

On May 29 Almighty Voice and his companions were killed when police shelled the hill with cannon fire.

The tragic story of Almighty Voice was made into a movie called Alien Thunder. It starred Chief Dan George, Gordon Tootoosis and Donald Sutherland.

The movie was filmed at Duck Lake.