#moosonee

“Eskimo Woman Held for Murder Goes Insane,” Ottawa Journal. May 22, 1941. Page 12. ---- 'Mina' Drove Four Children to Die In Arctic Snow ---- A woman, one of three Eskimos held at Moosonee, Ont., on charges of murder growing from an outbreak of violence which cost at least nine lives on lonely Belcher Islands in James Bay, has become violently insane, it was learned here today. 

Sources here said the woman became violent yesterday and today was to be placed on hoard a train and taken to an institution in Toronto. No Facilities at Moosonee Reason for the woman's removal to Toronto was that at Moosonee, on James Bay, there are no adequate facilities for treatment of such cases.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police brought the Eskimos to Moosonee some time ago and charged them With murder after a patrol that took the policemen to Belcher Islands where they investigated reports of violence that, took at least nine lives. 

Started Over Religion The investigation is not yet completed. But it was understood the outbreak occurred during a controversy over religion. 

Some of the dead were children, believed to have been driven out into the wintry snows where they died of exposure.

The woman, known only as Mina, was alleged to have drive four children, aced from six to 13, out into the snow to die during the height of the violence which raged among the Eskimo encampments on Belcher Islands this year. 

The three Eskimos were held at Moosonee in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police guardroom, while weather conditions prevented continuation of the investigations into the deaths on the lonely, islands in Hudson Bay. 

Men Shot Other Eskimos. The two male prisoners were accused of shooting other Eskimos. When the police investigations are resumed on the islands in the near future three other Eskimos will be sought for questioning, following a controversy over the. interpretation of the New Testament

Mina and the other accused were flown to Moosoonee in a mounted police 'plane which left the Belcher Islands just as break-up of ice about the shores began and the ski-equipped, machine could wait no longer. 

Drift ice about the islands prevents the landing of a seaplane at present and continued investigation must wait.

It was expected that inquests would be held on the islands when the inquiry resumed and there was the possibility that the accused might face at least preliminary trial on the islands.