Wolseley's troops arrived before Archibald, and although they were supposed to restore order and keep the peace, a number of the soldiers wanted to seek out Riel and avenge the death of Scott. Warned of their intentions, Riel, Lépine and William O'Donoghue, an Irish American, had time to flee to sanctuary in the United States.
Riel went to the Métis settlement of St. Joseph, in Dakota Territory, to await news from Red River. A letter arrived shortly thereafter from Bishop Taché which suggested that he remain in hiding, for his life would be in danger if he returned. The situation was serious; disputes between the Métis and Wolseley's men were growing in number.
Riel found it difficult to remain far away in hiding and on September 17, he returned to attend a gathering of the Métis in St. Norbert. At this meeting, it was resolved that a petition be sent to the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, to ask him to intercede with the Queen for an investigation of their demand for amnesty. O'Donoghue wanted annexation of the Settlement to the United States, but Riel opposed the idea. However, O'Donoghue was selected to carry the petition to the President and it was turned over to him. On the way, O'Donoghue inserted a request for annexation which did not convince Grant and he rejected it. O'Donoghue then went to New York where he met with some Irish Fenians who had already made forays into Canada. He managed to convince them to make a raid into Manitoba. When news of this reached Manitoba, Lieutenant Governor Archibald was very concerned. Would the Métis join in the raid?
At this moment Louis Riel intervened. Believing that the Métis' future lay with Canada, not with the United States, he assured the Lieutenant Governor that the Métis would not join the Fenians and he kept his word. For want of local support, the Fenian attack died before it had begun. Grateful for the assistance that Riel had provided, Archibald was prepared to leave him in peace. However, this feeling was not shared by all and Archibald came to believe that peace would be restored more quickly if Riel left the country for a while. Riel and Lépine were each offered the sum of $1,000. They reluctantly accepted this amount, more as a result of threats on their lives than because of the money. Riel and Lépine left Manitoba on February 23, 1872 and travelled to St. Joseph bound for St. Paul, Minnesota.
Bounty hunters pursued them constantly. Nevertheless, Riel and Lépine were soon homesick. Lépine was the first to return to Red River in May 1872. The following month, Riel made his way to St. Joseph where he began to campaign as a candidate in the federal election for the Manitoba constituency of Provencher. He persisted in this, despite the advice of his friends, and only eventually withdrew in favour of George-Etienne Cartier, who had been defeated in his own riding. He believed that Cartier would defend the Métis cause. Cartier, however, died a few months later and Louis was subsequently elected by acclamation in a by-election for Provencher held in October 1873. Arrangements were made for Riel to take his seat in the House of Commons, but fearing for his life, Louis lost his nerve and fled to Montreal and upstate New York. The February 13, 1874, general election saw Riel re-elected member of parliament for Provencher. On March 30th, he entered the parliament building, took the required oath of allegiance, signed the member’s roll and hurriedly left the building again in the direction of Montreal. On April 9, Riel was expelled from the House of Commons. He returned to St. Paul and then to Keeseville, New York, where he lived with Father Fabien Barnabé. In September 1874, a by-election was called to fill the vacant seat in Provencher. Riel was again re-elected ‘in-absentia’ but this time he did not attempt to take his seat. In 1875, the new prime minister, Alexander Mackenzie, granted Riel amnesty for the troubles in 1869-70, on condition that he not return to Canada for five years. Exile was a time of anguish for Louis.
He was often depressed and claimed that he had visions of a mission to fulfill. His cries and lamentations so frightened Father Barnabé that he sent for Riel's uncle, John Lee. The latter took him back to Montréal and he was confined to an asylum in the Province of Quebec, under the name of Louis R. David. Shortly thereafter, he was transferred to the asylum at Beauport where he gradually recovered his health. He was discharged from the asylum in January 1878, with the recommendation that he avoid excitement.
From Beauport, Riel returned to Keeseville where he remained for a while. During this time, he fell in love with Evelina Barnabé, Father Barnabé's sister. Less interested in politics now, Riel tried to find work so that he might have something to offer Evelina. Finally he decided to return to the West. Evelina did not think she would be able to adapt to prairie life and after several months, Riel stopped writing to her and the relationship came to an end.
In the fall of 1878, Riel returned once again to St. Joseph, near Pembina where in April 1879, he was visited by his mother and his friends.
Life in Manitoba had changed a great deal. The influx of immigrants was driving the Métis away. Stripped of their land and their way of life, they were moving farther and farther west to settle along the Saskatchewan River at places such as Lac la Biche, Qu'Appelle, Edmonton, Prince Albert, Duck Lake and Batoche.
While these changes were taking place, Riel was living in the United States, for he was still banished from Manitoba. Since 1879, he had followed the buffalo hunt and worked as an agent, trader and woodcutter near Carroll, in Montana Territory. Here he met Marguerite Monet dite Bellehumeur, a Métisse whom he married ‘à la façon du pays’ on April 28, 1881, and solemnly on March 9, 1882.
Riel began to take an interest in American politics and became an American citizen. When his term of exile ended, he paid a brief visit to his mother, then returned to live in the United States where he became a schoolmaster in order to provide for his family which now included two children. Although he was a good teacher, Louis was not happy. He had hoped to instruct the Métis but found that they made little progress, coming to class only sporadically and preferring to follow the hunt.
On June 4, as Mass was ending in St. Peter’s Mission on the Sun River (Montana), Riel received a visit from four Métis, Gabriel Dumont, Moïse Ouellette, Michel Dumas and James Isbister, who had come to ask Louis to lead the Métis once again. They had traveled from northern Saskatchewan where several Métis families had settled after 1869. There the Métis had resumed their traditional way of life, now threatened by the influx of settlers and immigrants. Their borders were again disappearing, their rights were no longer being respected, their lands were being taken and the government was not listening.
Louis made up his mind quickly. The dream he had cherished for so long was coming true: his people needed him. After an absence of fifteen years, he was returning to Canada. These years had strongly marked him, for, exiled from his native land and pursued by bounty hunters, he had suffered a nervous breakdown. Now he saw the opportunity to claim his rights and those of his breathren from the Canadian government.
Louis set out for Batoche with his wife and two children, arriving there around the beginning of July 1884. On July 8, about six days after his arrival, he addressed the Métis. His programme was a moderate one, directed as much towards the Indians and the white settlers as to the Métis.
All three groups responded warmly to his presence. Each group was to retain its independence, but a central committee was to be set up to formulate specific demands to be sent to Ottawa. A decision had been made to send petitions to Ottawa on behalf of the people, in the hope that the government would listen. Several of Riel's supporters would have preferred bolder action, for the Indians and the Métis were dying of hunger and the European settlers were anxious to have the land issue resolved.
