Blaine Cornell dropped off an interesting newspaper clipping from the late 1800’s at the Carleton Place and Heritage Museum this week. I have to admit each time I read something I swear it can’t be topped, and it always is.
It all started with a telegram send to Ottawa’s finest Sergeant Moylan and Police Constable O’Neil one frosty day in January of 1893. That telegram told the story of a criminal on the loose by the name of Joseph Nadon. Everyone was to be on alert as he was headed to the capital city. Seems that Nadon had gotten himself in a heap of trouble that day involving local Carleton Place barber John Carden and railroader David Dunlop.
The fight had begun in one of our Carleton Place restaurants run by Nadon. A bit of a donnybrook broke out and Nadon took it up himself to take a club and strike Carden cutting his head open. According to the language of the newspaper- it appears Dunlop was also badly “damaged”! Carden’s life was listed as “despaired of”. I looked that up and the translation is: “they feared he might die”.
To make things worse it seems Nadon had a devoted girlfriend and she fired 8 revolver shots at the men. The newspaper said her shots were “defective”— but in laymen’s terms I’d say she missed. As Nadon was a rig-man he found himself a rig mighty quickly and drove to Stittsville. Pursued by Carleton Place’s finest-Constable Wilson, the chase stormed down what is close or is Highway 7. When both policeman and criminal found themselves arriving at Stittsville at the same time Nadon quickly jumped on to an east bound train— and so did Wilson!
Nadon was not going to be caught, and kicked the crap out of poor Constable Wilson to such an extent Wilson was bleeding from his lungs. Nadon was finally arrested and taken back to Carleton Place. Of course he immediately claimed self defense, citing the two men had come into his establishment wanting trouble. Instead of leaving as he had requested, the two men took off their coats and it was “game on” Nadon said. However, the police noted that Nadon using a club on Carden didn’t really scream self defense. There was also the factor that Nadon had come to to Carleton Place a few months ago and had begun what was commonly known as a “bean dive”. I guess you are innocent until %^&* happens, and being stupid doesn’t mean you are innocent as Nadon found out.
Buy Linda Secaspina’s Books— Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac– Tilting the Kilt-Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place and 4 others on Amazon or Amazon Canada or Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street in Carleton Place
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