Once in 1882, a reporter for the Spectator noticed the name of a watch repair shop on York street. He wondered how the name of the owner of the shop, John Swindell, would be treated in the headlines should that man abscond.
On January 16, 1883, the reporter’s ruminations appeared somewhat prophetic as the watch repair shop made a quick, secret exit from Hamilton taking with him many of his timepieces left in his possession for repair.
The headline read “John Swindells : Yes, Indeed He Does, and Does It Well, Too.”
In the article, the Spec reporter recounted how, when around 9 p.m. on Monday evening, he was passing Swindell’s establishment. He saw a young girl, looking furtively up and down the street, and wrestling with the lock on the watch repair shop door.
Fearing for his own “$500, full-jeweled, double-cased golden chronometer,” 1 the reporter kept his eye on the girl, but he soon found that she was struggling to lock, not unlock, the door.
1 “John Swindells : Yes, Indeed He Does, and He Does It Well, Too” Spectator. January 17, 1883.
The reporter’s investigation led to the suspicion that Mr. Swindell and his daughter had left the country, leaving a trail of creditors.
The morning after Swindells, reported disappearance, there was a crowd besieging the watch and repair shop, demanding to know whether their timepieces had be taken off by the proprietor:
“They thumped the door and shouted; but no Mr. Swindells appeared, and presently they became aware that sundry other swindles had appeared, and that it was a particularly cold day for them.”
Mrs. Swindells was later interviewed at her residence, 154 John street north: “My husband left Saturday night, without telling me where he was going. I have no idea where he is or what he took with him. He left me with six small children, one of which is a cripple, and I have no means of providing for them. I didn’t think he was in the habit of drinking. I’m sure that he was a very good husband and loved his children. If I could get a small cottage, I think I could manage to keep myself and my children respectably. I’ll have to put the oldest of my children at some sort of work.”
The Music and Drama section of the Spectator for Tuesday, January 16, 1883, contained a lengthy article about efforts to organize a new musical society in Hamilton. The Spectator reporter claimed to have been laboring “in a humble way” to have all musicians and lovers of music in the city to join together.
A suggestion had been made that it would be a good thing to have the oratorio Messiah performed in the city on Good Friday. A meeting was called for the following Wednesday at the Wesley Church school to organize both a chorus and an orchestra under the conductorship of Mr. Fred Jenkins.
The Spectator thought that it was time for Hamilton musicians to “bury their differences” and make the performance of the Messiah a grand success:
“Now is the time to put forth a helping hand, and from this Messiah chorus and orchestra will grow a musical society worthy of the reputation of this city as a musical center.:
“It had been a regretful state of affairs for musicians in Hamilton who looked longingly at the success of the philharmonic society in Toronto, but it was hoped that the meeting at the Wesley Church school room would be an auspicious beginning of better things.”
The writer ended his piece on the necessity of a city-wide musical society with some advice for the city’s businessmen:
“A last word to those businessmen who are well known in this city as munificent patrons of art and literature. Those gentlemen have families in which music of the highest order is enjoyed. Their sons and daughters take pride in the reputation of this community as a music-loving people. Should these gentlemen be asked to extend practical aid to the movement to establish a musical society for Hamilton, they will do themselves the justice, as patrons of all that is good in art, to help that movement so far as they think its deserves help.”
An occasional article in the Spectator of early 1883 with the following headline :
“The Rambler : Some of the Things He Has Seen and Heard in His Peregrinations”
The article under that headline which appeared in the January 17, 1883 edition, included the following observation made by The Rambler:
“I heard of an action of the part of a working man which proved him one of nature’s noblemen. Saturday night, a very small girl was going alone along James street, crying bitterly, when a young man walked up and inquired the cause of her distress. She said she had to work all week and made $1.50 and had just lost her week’s wages in the crowd. The young man, who is a shoemaker lately arrived from England, comforted the weeping child as much as he could, and placed $1 in her hand and sent her away with tears of gratitude in her eyes.”
In the early part of 1883, there were widespread rumors that Victoria College was to be removed from the town of Cobourg and relocated to a large city, possibly Hamilton.
The Cobourg World, in an editorial denounced Hamilton. It was an editorial that prompted the editor of the Spectator to call it: “a misstatement, which progresses through a long series of misstatements and ends in bosh.” 1
1 “Victoria University : What a Foolish Cobourg Journal Says About Its Removal” Spectator January 17, 1883.
A portion of the Cobourg World editorial read as follows :
“We said enough about Hamilton when the discussion was up before. It is about the last place in the country where any sane man would select as the location of a great university. Why, you can’t get to it from any important place in the country, outside of the line of the Great Western, without changing cars. When its friends were agitating the removal thither a few years ago, a great fuss was made about where it was going to give – Dundurn Castle, no less, and hundreds of thousands of dollars. But when it came to the pinch, after its leading citizens and others had addressed meetings and set forth as best they could the advantages of the acquirement, not a dollar was forthcoming. And now the talk is about this same Dundurn Castle again – a kind of institution which, very suspiciously, they seem forever to wish somebody to take off their hands. What is the matter with it? Is it tainted with the general unhealthiness of the city itself, that they have to beg somebody to occupy it?”1
On January 18, 1883, Larkin Hall was the scene for the first time in Hamilton of the newest fad in public entertainment, the cake walk. Run under the auspices of the B. M. E. church, the entertainment was presided over by the Rev. Mr. Roberts of that church.
After several musical performances by a group of local singers, the side benches of the hall were removed to make room for the walkers. Two cakes were presented and the judges announced that the cakes would be given to the most graceful walkers.
When the organ struck up the popular tune, “The Girl I Left Behind,” six couples began to walk around the room :
“W. H. Pearman swinging his shoulders and turning out his toes. His idea of graceful walking seemed to catch one of the onlookers who called out, ‘Peraman grabs the buns.’ ” 2
After eight laps around the hall, three couples were asked to sit down while the remaining entrants circled the room a few more times. The winners were James Talbot and his partner Miss Wilson. The cake-walking lasted until 10 o’clock, “after which there was a general bun feed.” 2
2 “Walking for the Cake : Two Cake Walks in Larkin Hall.” Spectator. January 18, 1883.
When a good-looking man with a full red beard came to Hamilton in January, 1883, he introduced himself as Detective Wilson, of Rochester, New York. Claiming to be searching for a criminal wanted in that city, he enlisted the assistance of the local police:
“Detective Wilson was accorded the courtesies of the profession and the chief of police pledged himself to assist in the search. The chief gave Mr. Wilson a note introducing himself to the detectives of Hamilton and others to assist him in the search.” 3
3 “Charley Campbell : He Claims to be a Rochester Detective But Gets Pinched” Spectator. January 18, 1883.
It was later learned that Detective Wilson was actually Charley Campbell, a well-known local thief. Detective Doyle, who had thought that the “detective” was a bone fide officer of the law, arrested Campbell at the corner of James and Rebecca streets.
At first, the arrested man put up quite a struggle, but when he got to the station greatly amusing.
Charley Campbell was raised in Hamilton, “but early in his life, he distinguished himself as a very bad boy, and he did not show much improvement as he grew older.” 3
The Grand Opera House was closed to the public on Thursday, January 19, 1883, and no theatrical performances were given:
“The guests did not air out of pasteboard goblets, and eat imaginary viands from empty plates. There was plenty to eat, in great variety, magnificently prepared and handsomely served, and there was plenty to drink too. It was a supper given to the orchestra and stage hands by the management of the Opera House.” 4
4 “A Real Supper : Served on the Stage of the Grand Opera House” Spectator. January 19, 1883.
A
large table had been set up in the orchestra pit, and when everyone was
comfortably seated and beginning their meals :
“The
curtain was suddenly raised, which brought the festive party in full view of a
small and select party of ladies and gentlemen in the auditorium. The stage
hands had set a handsome drawing room scene for the occasion and when the
curtain went up, the scene was an extremely pleasing one.” 4
The
evening’s entertainment included some songs by Mr. Armstrong, a recital of the
story of Molly Moldoon by Mr. Nelligan, and Messrs. Joe Webber and William
McLeod doing the Happy Hottentot tumbling act :
“Then
everybody sang, and everybody made speeches, fired off villainous puns, and put
in a jolly good time.” 4
At
noon, January 22, 1883, information was sent to the police station that the
body of a dead man had been found in an old, rickety frame house, No. 288 King
street east, near Steven street.
The
body was that of a man about thirty years old :
“The
head, which was leaning towards the left side, was covered with short, curly
brown hair; the eyes were closed and sunken, the lids dark, the mouth was
partly open, revealing an even set of white teeth; a tinge of grey frost hung
on the moustache. Under the head was a black glazed valise, in which were found
an empty bottle, and a bottle of laudanum.” 5
5
“Suicide : A Dead Body Found in an Unoccupied House” Spectator. January 22,
1883.
At
half past one, the body was removed from the house, which the Spectator
reporter called “totally unfit for human habitation.”5
At
the morgue on King William street, there was some difficulty in carrying the
body “down the narrow, rickety stairs, as it was frozen stiff, and had to be
carried down part of the way in an upright position.” 5
At
the morgue, Rev. J. Goodman, of the Primitive Methodist church, identified the
corpse as that of Samuel Bunt, a young carpenter recently arrived from England,
who lived with his aunt at 81 Caroline street north:
“Bunt
was an opium eater, and had fallen a victim to the habit. His relatives were
much concerned at the discovery that he was addicted to the use of opium, and
took several bottles from him while he was a resident of their house, and even
forbade the neighboring druggist to sell him the drug.” 5
Beside
the dead man, a note was found which read : “Blessed are the dead that die in
the Lord; blessed be the name of the Lord; write to Mr. Mickle, Truro,
England.”
On
Monday, January 22, 1883, Mr. Robert Dawson, who drove a bread wagon for
William lees, delivered bread to Grant’s grocery store on Jackson street east,
near the Hamilton and Northwestern railway line.
When
he finished the delivery, he jumped back onto the wagon, just as heard a train
approaching from the south:
“He
intended to wait until the train passed, but the mare through force of habit
started off. He had not time to gather up the reins in time to stop her before
she had reached the track. Becoming terrified by the approaching engine, the
beast stopped on the track, and Dawson, realizing his perilous position, tried
all means to urge her across, but she refused to budge.” 6
6
“A Close Call : Heaved from the Track by the Cowcatcher of a Locomotive” Spectator.
January 23, 1883.
The
train struck the end of the sleigh and the force of the impact hurled Dawson
out of his seat and across the track :
“In
an instant, the cowcatcher struck him and pushed him off the track. Dawson, to
the great relief of the few terrified beholders, picked himself up.” 6
Charley
Campbell, alias Detective Wilson of Rochester, New York, had been arrested by
the Hamilton Police, but he was soon able to make his escape from his
incarceration. Not only did Campbell coolly get away from the clutches of the
Hamilton police, he immediately resumed his criminal ways.
Soon
after walking away from police custody, he entered a confectionery store at the corner of Pearl and Canada streets,
run by Mrs. Edwards. To help identify Mrs. Edwards to the paper’s readers, the
Spectator reporter noted that “her husband is well known in that portion of the
city as the ‘cake man’ because he travels around from house to house peddling
pastry.” 7
7
“Conductor Wilson : Another of Charley Campbell’s Games” Spectator. January 23,
1883
Charley
Campbell entered the store and bargained to have two dozen cakes delivered to an address on Jackson street
west. Campbell then asked Mrs. Edwards for a loan of $1.50. The lady was too
sharp for Campbell who quickly disappeared after his request was turned down.
Campbell
then proceeded to a nearby livery stable, telling the livery man that he was
going to Bullock’s Corners to visit his dying father. The empty rig was found
at Caledonia, where Campbell had left it before embarking on a train for parts
unknown.
On
January 24, 1883, another column by The Rambler appeared :
“I
heard a good one concerning the people who call themselves ‘Believers,’ a great
many of whom were in the city last week. They registered in the Dominion hotel
book in the usual way, except that after the names was the word ‘Saved.’ They
seem to be exceedingly sure of their state. No one would object to them and
their belief were it not that they make nuisances of themselves very often by
stopping people on the street and asking them impertinent questions, such as ‘Are
you saved?’ ‘How do you know you are saved?’ etc. One of them tackled a good
Presbyterian minister who labors in this city while walking along the street
and asked him if he was saved. ‘By the grace of God I am, my friend,’ responded
the clergyman. ‘How do you know you are saved?’ queried the Believer. The
reverend gentleman looked on his questioner in astonishment for a moment and
answered, ‘My dear sir, you should not ask so many questions,’ and passed on.
“Some
of these people created a disturbance in the waiting room at the G.T.R.
station, and were ordered out. There are those who in public on Sunday night
denounced the newspapers, declaring that one and all they were edited by the
devil.” 8
8
“The Rambler : Some of the Things He Has Seen and Heard in his Peregrinations”
Spectator. January 24, 1883.
On
January 24, 1883, Harvey Colter, ferryman at the Burlington canal came to
Hamilton on his first day off the job in over four years:
“Other
people have had holidays, and many of them, in that time, but the ferryman is
like the reporter – the enjoyment of other people makes more work for him. In
all weather, and on everyday, men will come and men will go, and they must be
ferried over. Now they can be ferried no longer, for the canal is frozen
across.” 9
9 “At the Ferry” Spectator. January 25, 1883.
Along
the canal was frozen, the ice was only thick enough to support the weight of a
man, not of a team of horses and sleigh. Sleighs had to go out on the bay and
around the head of the piers in order to cross the canal. The route from the
Beach to the city was considerably shortened because of the frozen bay as teams
could cross the ice:
“There
is a beaten track from the foot of John street to Huckleberry point where the
road branches out, one track leading to John Dynes’ and other striking the
Beach near the bungalow.” 9
“From
the smaller turret of the Canada Life Assurance company’s new building, a
bright flag waved today, proclaiming that the magnificent structure was now
occupied by the company for which it was built. Standing as it does on the corner
of King and James streets, in the very center of our city, it is the most
handsome and magnificent commercial building in the city, and a fitting home
for the head offices of the greatest life assurance company in America.” 10
10
“The Canada Life : the New Head Offices of the Leading Life Association” Spectator. January 25, 1883.
Five
stories high, built of brownstone with a turreted and slated roof, the striking
building was a reflection of the success of the locally-based insurance company
which had risen above all other such companies in North America:
“There
was much in that for a Hamiltonian to be proud of, and every citizen who looks
at the great brownstone palace must feel that the place that has been reached
could only have been attained by surpassing ability.” 10
The
exterior stone work was mainly Connecticut brownstone, with small pillars of
Canadian granulite :
“Brownstone
was chosen in preference to any kind of lighter colored stone, on account of
its retaining its color in the smoky atmosphere of this manufacturing city.” 10
The
architectural style of the building was modern Gothic, the architect being
Richard A. Waite, of Buffalo.
At
the northwest corner of the building, a 125 foot high clock tower was added, to
which an aspect of solidity was added by the architect’s use of projecting
buttresses. The timepiece in the tower was a four-faced illuminated clock made
by the Howard Clock company, of Boston, Massachusetts. The dials of the clock
were seven feet in diameter:
“Away
up 100 feet from the ground, the clock shines out every night, and can be seen
from almost any part of the city, and from the bay.” 10
The
main entrance to the interior of the building was off King street under a
handsome carving, using white Bath stone. The interior arrangements were as
comfortable and convenient as any office building of the day:
“The
rooms in the building were considered so desirable by persons to rent them that
every room in the new building, with one exception, was rented before the
company occupied its new quarters.” 10
One
feature of the new building was the provision, in the ceiling of each room, of
a thermostat or electric fire alarm:
“It
is a stopper of mercury, which melts when the temperature becomes too high; and
the room in which the fire is shown on a numbered dial placed in the janitor’s
room. By means of this contrivance, the room in which the fire is, can be known
by simply looking at the dial.” 10
A
hydraulic Otis elevator, built by the Hale Manufacturing company, of Chicago,
was “a noiseless and rapid means of conveyance to the upper stories, and
renders them as desirable for offices as the ground floor is.” 10
The
interior decorations of the building were equal to its architectural beauty on
the exterior. Rich and handsome carvings predominated. The main office was
finished in carved cherry.
“I
did not think anything so artistic and beautiful could be produced in
Hamilton,” said Mr. A. G. Ramsay, president of the company, “but Messrs.
Addison performed their contract in a manner not to be surpassed.” 10
The
building was planned and the interior decorations designed by architect Richard
A. Waite, of Buffalo:
“The
Canada Life building is a monument to his genius as well as to the ability and
energy of the great company whose home it now is.” 10
January
27, 1883 was the date when another appearance of The Rambler was made in the
Spectator:
“I
hear a good many complaints lately that the mayor is almost too careful of the
city’s money, of which he has the disposal for charitable purposes. As
dispenser of the city’s alms, the mayor has a difficult position to fill, but I
think he should open his heart a little, especially during the very cold weather
when poor people need extra clothes and firing” 11
11 “The Rambler: Some of
the Things He has Seen and Heard in his Peregrinations” Spectator. January 27,
1883. The Spectator, on January 29, 1883, reprinted an article which had originally appeared in War Cry, the Salvation Army magazine. The article concerned the recent rough treatment received by members of the Salvation Army by some unruly Hamiltonians:
“Saturday night the devil tried hard to break up our ranks, but he did not succeed. We are rousing up the people in this city. Praise God!
“We mean to rouse Hamilton for Jesus. Sunday was a glorious day with us. We had a good drill at 7 p.m. I got some good ammunition for the day’s battle. We had some hard fighting, but Hallelujah! We gained the victory. Sunday night we had some very hard fighting. The devil raged. He kicked our door in and broke our windows. But, praise God, nine souls came out for a pardon, and got it. Closing another week of real victory.
Yours in the week of real victory.
Yours in the thick of the fight.
Lieut. Wiseman”
Early on Saturday morning, January 27, 1883, the first vacation that the ferryman at the Burlington Bay Canal had received in four years came to an end.
Between 7 and 8 o’clock that morning, the ice in both the canal and the lake disappeared:
“It is marvelous how sudden the change took place, as a few hours previous one could cross the canal on the ice, it being six inches thick; now it looks like midsummer. People going down to the Beach on the ice should give the canal a wide berth on the bay side.” 12
12 “Burlington Canal” Spectator. January 29, 1883.
On Monday, January 28, 1883, the long-delayed annual report of the Hamilton Police Department was presented to Hamilton City Council by Chief A. D. Stewart. The report covered twenty-eight pages of foolscap and included a dozen tables of statistics.
The report summed up the year’s activities of the police department in considerable detail. The ever-opinionated chief also used his annual report to vent his displeasure at the accommodation for the member of his force the various stations around the city:
“The station at city hall is very dirty; without cell accommodation and lacking in office room. The detectives require a special room for themselves, for reasons which are obvious. The station is situated directly over the furnace, and the heat is at times oppressive.
“No. 2 station consists of a single room so small that the men cannot comfortably so much as muster there. Its cells are so damp and cold that prisoners cannot be detained in them. The walls are rapidly crumbling away, and escape would be an easy matter to any strong man.
“No. 3 station is the best of all, but still is capable of improvement. The cells are not properly ventilated.
“I respectfully recommend that a gas lamp be placed over the door of each station, with the words Police Station painted thereon. Strangers, lodgers and citizens generally would be benefitted by such a step, inasmuch as the police stations could be readily and easily found.
“I have to point out that my office by reason of its location is without the privacy which I absolutely require. Being so small, it is actually unhealthy, and it cannot be reached, except through the police station or office of the police station. For this reason, many persons who desire to see me privately on official business, or impart secret information, refuse to come to my office, and much trouble and annoyance is the result. Besides, every word spoken in my office can be distinctly overheard.” 13
13 “Stewart’s Statistics : The Annual Report of the Chief of Police for 1882” Spectator. January 30, 1883
“Here’s a pointer. Let every man who is about to build a house be compelled to submit his plans to the city board of health, so that the medical officer and inspector may examine them. If this was done, the plumbing of residences would not be so defective as it is now, and there would be less typhoid fever in the city.” 14
14 “The Rambler : Some of the Things He Has Seen and Heard in his Peregrinations” Spectator. January 30, 1883.
On January 31, 1883, a political mass meeting was held at the Academy of Music with its main purpose being the ratification of Mr. Ed. Williams as the Workingman’s candidate in the upcoming provincial election.
On the motion of Allan Studholme, Mr. James O’Brien took the chair. Mr. O’Brien declared that neither of the main political parties truly represented the interests of the workingman. Mr. O’Brien then expressed his hope that the assembled would give the speakers a fair hearing.
Mr. Robert Coulter was the first speaker :
“For years past, his hearers had been accustomed to hear themselves called the horny-handed sons of toil. The press had acknowledged their power. They knew their strength and their rights, and the occasion of their meeting was to send to the governing council a representative of the workingmen of Hamilton.” 15
15 “The Workingman’s Candidate : Political Mass Meeting at the Academy of Music” Spectator. February 1, 1883.
Mr. Coulter then proposed the following resolution to the meeting : “Resolved that labor and its interests should be represented in the Local Legislature by a practical workingman.” 15
The resolution was carried unanimously in a standing vote, with much enthusiasm.
Mr. W. P. Wilcox was the next speaker. He proposed that Edward Williams, chief engineer of the Hamilton division of the Locomotive Engineers was “a fit and proper person to be elected to the provincial legislature. Mr. Wilcox further proposed that the meeting pledge itself to use every lawful means to have Williams elected.
Fred Walter seconded the motion of Wilcox and expressed his firm conviction in the success of the workingmen’s movement :
“It was time they had a voice in the making of the laws by which they were governed, and he was glad to be on the platform to say that the men of his trade, the molders, were heart in hand in the movement to place one of themselves in the Legislature. Then they would have a voice in public affairs in reality and not as they had formerly been seeking a little from each party.”15
“Fellow workingmen,” Walters went on to say, “we read in the Good Book that the heaven is the Lord’s, but the earth he gave to the children of men, and we believe it. Men are driven off the soil they would cultivate, and driven into cities. The supply and demand are corresponding, and the monopolist likes to have a large supply of labor at hand so that he can control the wages.”
Walters went on to discuss the need of workingmen to have their welfare taken care of :
“In my trade, you hear men talk of others being worn out, and what have they after all their years of labor? Who has the profits of all the years of the workingman’s labor? He hasn’t it. He has not squandered it, for he never had it. We want to remedy this condition of affairs and give everyman a share in the profits arising from his labor. We are getting in the thin edge of the wedge, and the agitation will spread to every city in the country. This is the great manufacturing city, and we want a man who knows our difficulties and our troubles, a man who is with us everyday, to represent us. I trust we will have such a representative, not only in the Local House, but in the Dominion House, and also in the municipal o9ffices. (Applause) Therefore, I have great pleasure in seconding the resolution.” 15
Mr. Williams, described in the Spectator as “a pleasant and clever-looking man,” stepped on the platform amid repeated cheers:
“Mr. Chairman, fellow workingmen and electors of the city of Hamilton : To address such a magnificent audience as I see before me tonight would seem more befitting the leaders of the two great political parties that control our fair Dominion. When it was represented to me that the workingmen of Hamilton desired me to be their candidate at the coming election, I communed with myself and asked if they really desired that I should represent them. I was not satisfied. I asked the workingmen themselves. They replied that my honesty, character and ability in the years I had spent in this great industrial center had commended me to them. I was not yet satisfied and I consulted my family, and sought the source of all good thoughts. I have been some twenty-five years in public life, and I am not yet tainted with the ruinous principles that their success is certain to overturn society. I asked my friends : ‘Are you representatives of any socialistic order?’ They replied that they were not. “Are you in favor of communism?’ No. I asked if they represented all the trade unions of the city. They said they did not, but that if I stood for election, they hoped every workingman would take off his coat and put me in”
After then outlining his platform, Candidate Williams finished his speech to warm applause” 15
