Number 369 headed back to the station to drop the confiscated goods off. I was being either very brave or very foolish– and I didn’t feel very brave. It was apparent I wasn’t going to last long at the corner without an egg-shell shampoo. I snapped off some shots of the fire as quickly as the flash would charge, which wasn’t soon enough. Eggs started landing around my feet. The mattress in the middle street burned brighter, shards of glass could be seen in the flickering light. They were from bottles, however. A window hadn’t been torched. The sidewalks were slick with egg and the calvary, constables Gerry Murphy and Greg Dainschinko in cruiser 10-557 (no cage), pulled up
Big Frank Rose was six foot, 239 pounds, and born on a farm in Ramsay Township on the Clayton Road in 1896. His family moved to a farm in Pakenham Township where he and his brother were still boys and attended Cedar Hill School until the war broke out.
He enlisted and went overseas with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces stationed in England until in 1919 when he returned to farming. In 1924 he became interested in the lumber trade and travelled to Dryden, ONtario and later Hamilton, Ohio where he worked in pulp and paper.
In November of 1926 he returned to Ramsay to marry his sweetheart Kathleen A. Arthur and they journeyed back to the US. In 1927 Frank became Lanark County’s first OPP officer and they returned to Almonte to await is acceptance. He began with a salary of $100 a month and if he made good it would be raised to $1200 a year increasing gradually to the max of $1800 a month.
Here are some of his diary notations:
January 20,1928
Train fare from Almonte to Cornwall- $4.00
meals- 45 cents
January 21, 1928
Raid on Gambling house.
Made an investigation in case of X impersonating an OPP officer
January 28,1928
Observation of bootlegging and gambling house at 12 midnight– all quiet
Brought X (native) from jail to police court as witness against Y for selling liquour to said native,
About 8:30 Pm proceeded to the scree of an accident..struck a horse and cutter.
Mr. X is charged with doing assault with doing bodily harm to wife
Proceeded to serve a summons but due to bad weather, left car and hired a horse and cutter
February 8th, 1928
Took observations of a number of dance halls, but found no evidence of liquor
Proceeded to Smiths Falls Rink and remained on duty there until the visiting team left on the train about 10:40 PM
Had a tip and had to travel a great distance only to seize a half bottle of spirit.
March 2,1928
Proceeded by train to Arnprior to assist Chief Reid of Carleton Place County Police on the cases of foxes from the ranch of X.
Found no clue except a piece of veneer that had broken off cutter as it was turned about. Too late to get a train out but got a freight train about 11:35 Pm
Proceeded to CNR station and found a man drunk in the toilet. Two tramps had lifted his watch and whatever money. Covered all rods leading out of town.
April 19, 1928
Received complaint about Mrs. X from Mr. X about a lady who had been living in their home and been making liquor from wheat. She had put all the wheat down the sewer until it filled up and then moved out.
May 1, 1928
Received call from Chief of Police Peacock from Almonte to insist him in break ins in the shops and theft at H H Coles Gents Furnishings. Found out that a strange car from Ottawa, supposed to be an Essex, had been seen. Proceeded to Ottawa and arrested X from Ireland who had confessed to Ottawa Police and brought him for trial back in Almonte.
May 30th, 1928
Proceeded to Almonte to attend picnic by request.
Received word that a band of gypsies were in Perth
July 16, 1928
Went to inquest of Reverend Father Connolly killed at railway crossing at Snedden
Proceeded to take observation of Dollar Day in Perth.
August 15,1928
Obtained search warrant to also keep tab on all trains
Search Hydro camp at Almonte for stolen goods supposed to be stolen from one Hassan Abdullah, Jewish pedlar ( Almonte and Carleton Place) Found some goods, but cold not make a court case.
Nov 19-Dec. 5th, 1928
ON Hunting Leave
Proceeded to cheese factory to investigate theft of cheese and butter.
He was a one man representative of the force and that meant long hours for him and his family. He often brought work home and sometimes he would be fingerprinting criminals on the kitchen table.
He would rather see a guilty man go free than an innocent man charged.
Thanks to Jean McPhail of Almonte, and daughter Barbara Armstrong of Kingston and Margaret Campbell of Balderson for use of the diaries and photos and Steve Forester for research. With files from Adam Fisher
Well land sakes alive– you don’t get too many stories that catch fire in Lanark County on a normal day unless— someone got lost in the bush or they defiantly parked their pickup and spent the night in the Mississippi River.
Do you know this pig? Can you help “Miss Piggy” find her way home? She was found wandering in Dalhousie Twp, is very friendly & misses her family. 1-888-310-1122
I took one look at that face and knew I had to do something.
Well that swine of a posting caught fire faster than you can say Tim Horton’s Pulled Pork sandwich. Later the OPP had some misgivings about posting her pictures, less one too many farmers put a false claim in on our dear pig. But, the Tweet still remained and people seem to forget that all it takes is 5 seconds to take a screenshot and have that “porker” go viral. I mean, how could you not love that pig? It was Lanark County’s very own BABE.
Pigs are great escape artists. You wouldn’t believe what they can get out of and into. They have been known to chew right through chain link fences, crawl under fences through spaces you wouldn’t think they could fit, and lift wooden poles right off their supports. Yes, they can climb if they want too and some of the smaller pigs can even jump! But this is Lanark County (Dalhousie township) ladies and gentleman– we have pigs jumpin’ all over the place here.
Someone on Facebook wondered if the pig got a ride in the OPP Cruiser. Well, ya gotta figure that poor pig was already in distress, and I hoped to heck the officer lured it with treats and a high voice. Pigs really like high voices, and they also respond well to calm and slow. Best way to catch ’em is to grab ’em, tip ’em, tie their feet with a rope, and put ’em in a wheelbarrow. Then you can cart the pig to where ever you are taking it. Last I looked I didn’t notice if we had an OPP fleet of wheelbarrows.
Anyone?
You can probably understand that the last thing the poor OPP officer wanted was for her to run off. They’re quick, slick and smart–and recovering them is usually a major undertaking. This is especially true in a rural area like Lanark County, where a hog can simply disappear into the woods. I have watched way too many American Horror Storyepisodes to know you don’t want anyone disappearing in the woods-man, woman or beast!
So let’s hope the OPP can find our BABE her family and she can go home soon. Right now she is safe on someone’s farm until her owner can be found. Best comment on over 300 shares I got after it went up? One woman said,
Well all I have to say is— if this was 1869 —you would have been fined $2 for allowing a pig to run at large. Now? Well, there’s too much bacon– said no one ever. However, all of us can give a big sigh of relief that the pig voluntarily surrendered into OPP custody-and anyone who has recently lost a pig is asked to contact Lanark County OPP using the toll-free number 1-888 310-1122.
Update? The pig is being taken care of now until her rightful owner comes forward. In the meantime from all the comments I have been getting.. We would all love to have her..:)
Perth Courier, July 9, 1869
Francis Turner and William Montgomery of Perth were fined $2 each. after they allowed their pigs to run at large
When we had to slaughter a pig, we often took it to my Uncle Stewart Paterson’s farm, since he had a large cast iron pot that was balanced on a rock outcropping in his barnyard. The big caldren (about 4 ½ or 5 feet across) would be filled with water, and then a wood fire was lit under it. When the water was boiling, it was time for the pig’s entrance. The slaughtered pig (I will not expand on the details as to how this was done at this time), was lowered into the pot and essentially scalded. It would then be pulled after a short while, and the pig bristles (hair) would be scrapped off the carcass with long butcher knives.
Growing up on a farm was always interesting and there was something new to be learned or experienced every day.
If you wonder why the helicopters are flying over Mississippi Mills there is a big reason. Here are the details from The Lanark Era.
Uniformed officers and detectives from the Lanark County OPP, supported by members of the emergency response unit, canine unit and aerial support unit, are currently searching for a missing woman in the Town of Mississippi Mills.
Margaret Henry, 58, is believed to have left her residence on Ramsay Con. 4A, Town of Mississippi Mills at around 5 a.m. yesterday (Monday).
Margaret Henry is approximately 5’4″, 140lbs, with light brown hair, blue eyes and is believed to wearing a pink and purple sweater, purple coat and farm work boots.
The OPP is appealing to anyone who may have seen Henry or have any other useful information to contact the Lanark County detachment using the toll-free OPP 1-888-310-1122 number.
Today Margaret has still not been found, and her neighbours are missing her waves as she drives by. A daughter is frantic about the whereabouts of her Mother– thoughts and prayers that she may be found safe and sound!
lindaseccaspina 