

The Lanark Era
Lanark, Ontario, Canada16 Mar 1898, Wed • Page 4
March 1898 Lanark
Word was brought to the foreman that W.C. Caldwell’s mill had been broken into and a quantity of flour,- cornmeal, oatmeal and had been taken away. On going down to the mill about 8:30 that morning he saw that one of the windows in the store room adjoining the mill had been pried up and an entrance had been made there. The doors into the mill had been pried open.
His miller, Mr. Wm. Richardson, told him that he thought about ten bags of flour, one fifty pound paper sack of flour, one bag of a bag of oatmeal and some cummeal had been taken. During that Monday and the following Tuesday he secured sufficient evidence to warrant him in getting a search warrant to search the premise of the prisoner.
The search was made and a quantity of flour, oatmeal and cornmeal was obtained. He noticed that the bag containing the oatmeal, that was found in the prisoner’s house, bore the stamp of his firm whose meal he sold. Mr. Wm. Legary, the next witness, testified to finding a paper bag containing cornmeal while out on the Playfair road early on Monday morning. The bag was found on what he thought the most direct road to the prisoners farm.
Constable James and Webster testified to the result of the searching of ths prisoners house. Upstairs they found four bags of flour, one paper sack of flour, while downstairs they found a fifth bag of flour and some oatmeal. The latter waa in a barrel, while beside the barrel was an empty hag which bore the name of D. R. Boas, and which they thought had contained oatmeal. Tha floor upstairs bore marks of flour dust as though the bags had been emptied or filled there.
They brought the flour and meal back to Mr. Caldwell’s mill, where it was left in charge of Mr. Richardson. The most interesting evidence wss that given by Mr. Richardson, miller, who swore that the flour seized on the prisoner’s premises and returned to the mill was real ground flour. On counting the flour returned, he found it corresponded exactly with that contained in the pile of bags in which the flour was musing. He also identified the bag which contained the oatmeal.
The evidence submitted seemed to point to the prisoner’s guilt and the magistrate accordingly committed him to the county gaol to submit his trial at the spring assure or to be summarily tried before the county judge according as the prisoner may choose. The prosecution are collecting further evidence against him to he submitted when he comes up for trial.
In the afternoon the younger Frew, a youth of not more than ten or twelve yean, appeared before the magistrates, but he was dismissed as no evidence against him was submitted. The boy is a bright and smart looking youth, and it seems sad indeed that he should be brought up under such an unwholesome circumstance.

The Kingston Whig-Standard
Kingston, Ontario, Canada11 Mar 1898, Fri • Page 4

The Lanark Era
Lanark, Ontario, Canada30 Mar 1898, Wed • Page 1


The Lanark Era
Lanark, Ontario, Canad

James Frew was just trying to feed his family. Not the way to go about it, but he was a few decades older than his wife Susanne who died at an early age leaving him with a very young family. His oldest son had founded a shingles business in his early 20s, died two years before his father was arrested for the robbery at Clyde Mills with his youngest son, Robert. Robert was also stopped in February of 1898 for stealing a ham from John Miller’s butcher shop just before his father came up for trial.
Robert, son was also arrested for the Clyde Flour Mill robbery with his father and then stole a ham from John Miller’s butcher shop just before his father came up for trial.

The Lanark Era
Lanark, Ontario, Canada09 Mar 1898, Wed • Page 1
Oldest son- Andrew Frew passes away from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke.

Lanark, Ontario, Canada
Wed, Dec 16, 1896 · Page 5

The Lanark Era
1891 Census
NAME: | James Frew |
---|---|
GENDER: | Male |
MARITAL STATUS: | Widowed |
AGE: | 61 |
BIRTH YEAR: | 1830 |
BIRTH PLACE: | Ontario |
RESIDENCE DATE: | 1891 |
RESIDENCE PLACE: | Dalhousie and Sherbrooke North, Lanark North, Ontario, Canada |
RELATION TO HEAD: | Head |
RELIGION: | Free Church |
OCCUPATION: | Farmer |
CAN READ: | Yes |
CAN WRITE: | Yes |
FRENCH CANADIAN: | No |
FATHER’S BIRTH PLACE: | Scotland |
MOTHER’S BIRTH PLACE: | Nova Scotia |
NEIGHBOURS: | View others on page |
HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS: | NameAgeJames Frew61Alexander Frew22James Frew14Martha Frew12Robert Frew9 |

The Sad Saga of The Almonte Furniture Factory
The Saga of a James Street Home— Christina McEwen Muirhead
The Continuing Saga of Christena McEwen Muirhead—The McLaren Mill