He Did What?

by Gary McWilliams
aka "The Festival Nomad"

The first article (dated January 9th, 1880) that I read started off … “As the old year was drawing near it’s end, Dr. Turner, a physician well known to the Township, and at one time very highly respected, put $1,000 in his pocket, folded his ??? lovingly around himself and Mrs. Halligan and silently stole away. He leaves behind a large number of anxious enquiring mourners behind, the principal of who are his co-school trustees”. "What!", I exclaimed under my breath (I was still in the library), "this can’t be true!" My great grandfather a thief? An adulterer? It couldn’t be true! I had to find out the truth! As soon as I could, I visited my mother in Toronto (my father had passed away a few years earlier), I showed her the copies of the newspaper articles. “Can this be true?” I asked. Her eyes became very still and dark. She looked at me and nodded and said “Yes”. I couldn’t believe my ears! I looked at her and said “Did Dad know?” Mother nodded again and then quietly said, “They NEVER talked about it!” That, my friends, was the end of my dreams of having a wonderful, care giving County Doctor to look up to. As it turns out, Dr. Turner (notice, I don’t say “my grandfather”) was not only a thief and adulterer, he was also a drunk! I couldn’t find anything more, except one lone newspaper article, dated February 6th, 1880, that ended, “they (the fellow trustees) would be quite willing to make up with their old “chum”, if he would only make some slight advance (in cash) towards a reconciliation”.

Remember, if you have a family story (Good or bad) that you would like to share with our Ontario Tales reader, please send details to me at gary@ontariovisited.ca.

Next week learn about William Leonard Hunt or, as he is better known, The Great Farini!