Jail Break 1929 Lanark County

ail break in Perth,Ont.. In the Manitoba Free Press – June.24th.1929 …I wonder if they were ever found. I’m guessing not. thanks Tammy Marion

Well Tammy, yes they were caught a month later in July, same year 1929.

CLIPPED FROM
The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
08 Jul 1929, Mon  •  Page 4

Men Who Broke Jail At Perth Sentenced for an Indefinite Term in a Ontario Reformatory. –The sentence imposed by Magistrate McNeely on Frank O’Donnell and John Kennedy, two of the prisoners who escaped from Perth Jail on Saturday June 24, 1929. The two men were apprehended at Halifax and were brought back to Perth by Chief of Police Gilhuly. Fred Mitchell and James Smith received the same sentence for escaping at the same time. All four men were taken to Guelph today.

Gypsy’s Tramps and Thieves–Are We Turning Thieves and Jailbirds into Role Models?

“One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” in Lanark County

Jailhouse Rock in Lanark County Part 2

Throw the Whole Family in Jail!

Newsies — Jailed at Nine Years Old

Run Pig Run–Shake it Off! Convictions of 1870

Throwing a Snowball is Going to Cost you $1- Your Convictions of 1898

To Steal a Barge on Ebb’s Bay— Your Convictions of 1897

Step Right Up- Here are Your Family Convictions-September, 1894

Breach of the Town Bylaws and Other Convictions.. Sept. 11 1888

Justice of the Peace Convictions for the County of Lanark–July 17, 1885

Assault Abusive Language and Bridget McNee

The Notorious Bridget McGee of Perth

Down at the Old Perth Gaol

Justice of the Peace Convictions for the County of Lanark–Dec. 13, 1898-Who Do You Know?

Auctionering Without a License and Pigs on the Loose

Going to the Chapel –Drummond Whalen and Johnson of Carleton Place

The Drunken Desperados of Carleton Place

The Young Offenders of Lanark County

Throwing a Snowball is Going to Cost you $1- Your Convictions of 1898

 

 

February 2 1890-Almonte Gazette

The Perth gaol has been pretty foul of tramps and paupers this winter. Several were liberated a few days ago by the order of the Ontario Attorney. We need to accept employment on the doable track- and a contract between Gananoque and Belleville. This shows the necessity of some change in the mode of dealing with paupers or tramps.

The gaol is not the proper place for them, for two reasons : In the first place, some of these men may comr from misfortune, and not from evil habits,  and have been compelled to seek the shelter and food to be found in the gaol. It is scarcely fair, and certainly not wise, to compel them to associate with criminals of all grades and degrees of wickedness.

In the second place if the county provided a poorhouse, many kinds 0f light labour could be supplied for feeble paupers, by which means they could earn at least a part of their support. The Brockville town council lately tried in vain to induce the Leeds and Grenville county council to join with them in erecting such a place for the poor, and the Recorder points out that the county pays out yearly for the relief of its poor. The Ontario Government is likely to deal at an early day, if not this session, with this question.

Return of Convictions for the Period Ending June 14, 1898

Trespass:

Jno. Reid and Jno Denham, Henry Rescroft, Wilmer Fleming, William Wright, Robert Hornebrook, Andrew Armour, Fred Griffith, George Stewart, Loren Griffith, each fined $1

Drunkenness

Jake Angus and Frank Bennett, each fined $5

Drunk and Disorderly

Jacob Leslie, Dinah Harper and John O’Hare, each fined $2

Selling After Hours:

Michael Dixon and F. Lambert, each fined $20

Sale of Liquor During Prohibited Hours:

Jacob Morris and George A. Jackman, each fined $20

Disorderly:

William Nicholson, fined $5

1. St. James, and Jas. Phillips, each fined $1

Breech of Game Act

Thomas Needham, fined $5

Insane

David Morreau, committed to gaol

Battery

Robert Cowie, complainant was Frank Boothroyd, fined $2

Assault

Robert Cowie, complainant was Archibald Calhoun, fined $1

Mrs. D. Logan, complainant was Duncan Ferguson, fined $1

Alexander Short, fined $5

5. Molin, fined $5.25

Richard Duffy, fined $1 plus costs

Congregating on Street Corners:

George Dixon, Reginald Simpson, James Ennis, George Black, Jas. O’Neil, Thomas Willoughby, W. Willoughby, Charles Thornhill, J. Murphy, H. Easton, each fined $5.25

1. Huddleston, John Davis and Ed. Marquette, each fined $1.50

Vagrancy:

Jacob Thompson, William Henry, Esther Majory, L. Shaw, Susan Bennett, Jno. K. Elliott, each received six months in gaol

Throwing Balls of Snow

Jas. McAllister, fined $1

Practicing Medicine Without a License

Dr. W. McKay, ten days in gaol

Causing a Disturbance on a Public Road

John Salter, fined $9.75

James Nolan, J. Conlin, and George Nolan, each fined $5.25

Refusing to Pay Wages

William Hogg, complainant was Alexander C. Fraser, fine was $40 plus costs

 

 

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read.

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in Hometown News and now in The Townships Sun

Related reading:

Step Right Up- Here are Your Family Convictions-September, 1894

Breach of the Town Bylaws and Other Convictions.. Sept. 11 1888

Justice of the Peace Convictions for the County of Lanark–July 17, 1885

Assault Abusive Language and Bridget McNee

The Notorious Bridget McGee of Perth

Down at the Old Perth Gaol

Justice of the Peace Convictions for the County of Lanark–Dec. 13, 1898-Who Do You Know?

Auctionering Without a License and Pigs on the Loose

Going to the Chapel –Drummond Whalen and Johnson of Carleton Place

“One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” in Lanark County

Jailhouse Rock in Lanark County Part 2

The Drunken Desperados of Carleton Place

The Young Offenders of Lanark County

Step Right Up- Here are Your Family Convictions-September, 1894

 

 

Perth being the seat of Bathurst District the town was given a courthouse and jail. Opening in 1821, The original building was two storeys high with the courtroom on the second floor and five cells on the main floor along with the jailer’s two room apartment. The cells were often filled with brawling Irish loggers from the Ottawa River. The building was rebuilt in 1841 following a fire. A provincial inspection in 1862 counted 27 inmates including 16 women. Charges ranged from murder and assault, to vagrancy and concealing the birth of a child. The most common offence was found to be “breach of indentureship” by leaving one’s master. On may 23, 1851, Francis Beare, who was convicted of killing William Barry was hanged in front of a crowd that was assembled in front of the courthouse. Five executions were carried out here but few inmates in the Perth jail were there for criminal acts. Most were housed there for shelter for vagrancy until the House of Industry or Refuge (Perth Community Care Centre) was built in 1903. –Perth Remembered

A generation later a similar number of Lanark county occupants of the jail at Perth, mostly “tramps sent in from Smiths Falls and Carleton Place”, included such prisoners as a man charged with stealing a horse and buggy, and “a boy twelve years old, a boot-black and a very cunning youngster, awaiting trial for stealing a gold watch and fourteen dollars.” (July 1898).

Perth Courier, October 6, 1876

Death in Goal—Last Wednesday an old woman named Sela Klyne, confined in the Perth Gaol for vagrancy was found dead on the cell floor in a pool of blood.  Her death was caused by the rupture of some kind of abscess in the lungs or throat.

Return of Convictions for the quarter Ending 11^th September, 1894

Nonpayment of Wages:

Patrick Burke, $14.50

Assault on Margaret and George Poole:  David Love, $5

Assault:

William Leclair, $1

John McEwen, $5

Joseph Waler, $1

Larry Byrnes, $2

Beach of the Liquor Act:

John Gemmell, $20

Selling Liquor During Prohibited Hours

David Dowlin, $20.00

Emma Hunter, $25.00

William J. Leach, $25.00

Peter P. Soulter(?), $25.00

James Lee, $25.00

Assault and Battery:

A.R.G. Peden, $5

Intimidation:

Nathaniel Brownlee, $1

Shouting at Insectivorous Birds:

1. J. Scott, $1

Wantonly and Cruelly Beating and Abusing Two Calves

George Easton, Jr., $1

Drunkeness:

David Patton, $2.00

Allowing Sheep to Wander on the Street:

J.Jones, $2

Grossly Insulting Language:

A Shalt, $1

Drunk and Disorderly:

John Black and Patrick Hogan, $3 each

Vagrancy:

James Ayer, six months in gaol

Catharine Kelly, six months in gaol

Rosanna Jamieson, six months in gaol

Grace Martin, six months in gaol

Insane:

Thomas McMahon, Jr., committed to gaol

Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum-Early version of our jail cell window by M.J. Lancaster… which is on the outer back wall of the museum

 

Related Reading

Breach of the Town Bylaws and Other Convictions.. Sept. 11 1888

Justice of the Peace Convictions for the County of Lanark–July 17, 1885

Assault Abusive Language and Bridget McNee

The Notorious Bridget McGee of Perth

Down at the Old Perth Gaol

Justice of the Peace Convictions for the County of Lanark–Dec. 13, 1898-Who Do You Know?

Auctionering Without a License and Pigs on the Loose

Going to the Chapel –Drummond Whalen and Johnson of Carleton Place

“One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” in Lanark County

Jailhouse Rock in Lanark County Part 2

The Drunken Desperados of Carleton Place

The Young Offenders of Lanark County

 

Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read.

Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in Hometown News and now in The Townships Sun

 

The Criminals of Carleton Place

I thought I would give a shout out today to those who led a life of crime in our fair town through the years. Here is what would land you in jail in the late 1800’s in Carleton Place.

Breach of indenture by leaving your master

Theft or larceny

Assault with an axe

Concealing birth of a child

Lack of bail

Vagrancy

Mentally ill

Murder

If they couldn’t handle them in Carleton Place they would send them to Perth– and with that it was mostly “tramps sent in from Smiths Falls and Carleton Place”. The roster included such prisoners as a man charged with stealing a horse and buggy, and “a boy twelve years old, a boot-black and a very cunning youngster, awaiting trial for stealing a gold watch and fourteen dollars.”

Care of Lanark County’s nineteenth century aged indigent residents without family or other private means of support was provided by the available public shelter, the county jail.  There a few respectable elderly citizens without friends or money could be housed and fed and classed as vagrants.

“The Grand Jurors for our Lady the Queen, have examined the jail and they find it in a very satisfactory state.  There are only two persons committed for crimes and these are of a comparatively trifling character.  We are glad to find there was only one insane person confined in the jail.  The rest are aged persons who have been committed under the Vagrancy Act.”

Of course it was noted that  Mr. Kellock who has filled the office of jailer for the last thirty years has resigned. Sometimes the cries of the insane echoed through the halls of the jail in the Carleton Place Town Hall. It was noted 1909 was a banner year with Robert Marten, John A McDonald, Edith Boyle, and Robert Turner charged with insanity and housed in that very jail until they could be transferred to the Brockville Insane Asylum. I imagine some were so troubled they would eye the steep pitched roof of slate and think of suicide. Did some of these lost souls return to their old cells after their deaths?

Brockville insane Asylum