Some Prominent Old-Timers
Among the many outstanding figures of those days was W. F. Luxton, founder of the Free Press. There were three other newspapers published in the village of Winnipeg when Kenney & Luxton issued the Manitoba Free Press, a weekly, in 1872. The Free Press embodied and expressed Mr. Luxton’s views on public questions and also his ideas as to what newspaper service to the public should be. The paper grew from weekly to daily in due course and secured a hold upon the respect and confidence of the people of Manitoba which, under many changes of management and policy, it keeps in a large measure to this day.
Among the clergy of the day, the Rev. George Young, pastor of the Grace Church, may well be mentioned. He had arrived at Fort Garry as Missionary of the Methodist Church, shortly before the transfer to Canada. He was outspoken on behalf of Canadian connection. When Riel assumed control, Mr. Young, because of his office, was not arrested, but he was kept under threat and surveillance. He administered the sacrament to Thomas Scott before his execution by Riel’s partisans. He was not a pulpit orator, but he was always leading in the right direction. Whether preaching to immigrant congregations or Indian bands, administering the last rites to the condemned Scott or helping to organize and cheer on the handful of volunteers hastily gathered to resist the Fenian raid of 1870 at Pembina (his own son, George, in the ranks), or again preaching for honesty and good government to peaceful Grace Church congregations, Rev. Mr. Young was a strong force for right and for Canada at the moment when the future course of events was being set.
During the troublous times both before and after the transfer of 1869, St. John’s Mission Cathedral of the Church of England with its boys’ college in connection held a quiet course and did its allotted work. The fact that the Rev. Dr. Machray of St. John’s during the ’70’s was afterwards elected Metropolitan of Canada is sufficient evidence that in that field also was large ability successfully applied. Rev. Mr. Clarke was the pastor of Holy Trinity Church, succeeded by Rev. Mr. Fortin, who did yeoman service, and Rev. Sam P. Matheson, of St. John’s, became Primate of all Canada, an honor which he deservedly gained. Dean Grisdale, Rev. Mr. Pinkham, afterwards Bishop of Alberta, and Bishop Maclean, universally known as Saskatchewan Jack, were prominent in church work. Canon McKay was an early missionary of the Anglican Church. Rev. Mr. Ewing was the first Congregational minister, and Rev. J. B. Silcox and Rev. Hugh Pedley followed, and I think Rev. Mr. Macdonald was the first Baptist—all earnest workers. Rev. John Semmens, who recently died, was long a missionary amongst the Crees. Rev. Mr. Black, Rev. Dr. Robertson, Rev. Prof. Hart, Rev. Dr. Duval, Rev. C. B. Pitblado, Rev. Alex. Grant and Rev. John McNeil were pioneer Presbyterians of great distinction, and across the river His Grace Archbishop Tache with Fathers Cherrier and Cloutier aided in the great Christianizing work, and were beloved by both Protestant and Catholic; while on the plains the lamented Father Lacombe and others of the black robe carried the Cross and taught the Word with beneficial results.
Speaking of present day industries, the Brown & Rutherford planing mill and sash factory was an institution in 1873, and the Vulcan Iron works were established by Mr. John McKechnie of Dundas, Ont., shortly after. Following these there were the lumber firms of Macauley & Jarvis, Dick Banning, D. E. Sprague, Smith & Melville, and the business firms of A. G. B. Bannatyne, W. H. Lyons, Kew & Stobart, afterwards Stobart & Eden, Andrew and Robert Strang, Alex. McIntyre, Blair & Larmour, Alexander & Bryce, Higgins, Young & Jackson, George Andrews, J. R. Cameron, Noel Chevrier, Kenny Murchison, J. H. Brock, who inaugurated the Great Western Life Assurance Co., the Blue Store, Snyder & Anderson, Scott & Carson, Thomas Ryan, McLennagan & Mallock, J. F. Caldwell, D. McArthur, banker, F. H. Brydges, Geo. R. Crowe, Willie Whitehead, Charlie Enderton, Capt. Donaldson, Bishop & Shelton, Mulholland & Taylor, Fred Ossenbrugge, Fred Brydges, Richard Waugh, and his sons J. C., and Richard D., who became mayor of the city, and is now settling affairs in Europe, Capt. Wm. Robinson, who did effective service in the South African campaign, the Stovels, George Clements, Robert Wyatt, Thos. W. Taylor, Charlie Radiger, who started the first distillery in Winnipeg, and offered five-year-old on the opening day, Trott & Melville, James Stewart, Conklin & Fortune, Hugh and James Sutherland, William Dodd, Alloway & Champion, bankers, Jos. Penrose, John Haffner, Alfred Pearson, W. D. Russell, Dan Campbell, Parsons & Richardson, Geo. Murray, E. L. and Fred Drewry, G. F. & J. Galt, George Wishart, J. W. Winnett, Alex. Calder, W. D. Blackford, Joe Wolf, W. Dufour, Jim Coolican, Doc W. J. Hinman, Stewart Mulvey, E. Brokovski, William Bryden, Geo. Muttlebury, Geo. F. Carruthers, William Wellband, A. H. Bertrand, Benson & Taylor, Scott & Leslie, Gold Seal Jones, Laney Hibbard and his big dog, E. Boyce, who was a partner of Jimmy Steen, and made a fortune publishing a weekly paper in Chicago, and goodness knows how many more, but few of them are now in existence.
Tom Verner and Tom Persse were amongst the singers—saw Tom in the movies recently—and Louis de Plainville, known as Louis Nathal on the stage, was a fine artist. Harry Prince, Charlie Armstrong, Jack McGinn, Bob Halloway, Frank I. Clarke, Graham Boston, Jim Phillips, Goodwin Ford, Charlie Sharpe and many others, were amongst the good fellows of those days.
There were also some real characters in town, notably Ginger Snooks, Dick Burden, and Dublin Dan. Ed. McKeown was a pugilist of more than local repute but he soon retired from the ring.
Amongst the press boys were, besides those already mentioned, Jack Cameron, afterwards with the Hamilton Spectator, Charlie Tuttle, Ned Farrer, Amos Rowe, T. H. Preston, now of Brantford, Billy Dennis (Senator before his untimely passing away), Donald Beaton and his two sons, Fred. C. Wade, Charlie Keeling, Billy Moss, Frank McGuire, later of the San Francisco and New York press, Jimmy Poole, now of Chicago, Col. Scoble, Charlie Handscombe, Walter Payne, W. E. MacLellan, now in Halifax, R. L. Richardson, John Moncrieff, Jim Hooper, Billy Perkins, Thos. E. Morden, Wm. Coldwell, who with William Buckingham, started the first paper in the city, George Brooks of Siftings, Bill Nagle, who started the Sun, The Khan, still alive at his Ontario country house, enlivening the press of Canada with his canticles, A. J. Magurn, Alex McQueen, Acton Burrows, Molyneux St. John, Jim Fahey, who died in Toronto, John Conklin, Robert Houston, W. S. Thompson, Ernie Blow, now publicity agent of the C. N. R. in the West, Walter Nursey and John Lewis, now press agent of the Liberal party. Papers were born and papers were buried, and resurrections were frequent.
And the city hall and court house officials—well, amongst them were A. M. Brown, the veteran city clerk, who was succeeded by his son Charlie, who is still on the job; J. W. Harris, the assessor, and his successor, E. Ward Smith, of Yukon fame, D. S. Curry, comptroller, Tax Collector George Hadskis, T. H. Parr and H. H. Ruttan, city engineers, Dave Marshall of the market, W. G. Scott, the treasurer, and Harry Kirk, the janitor.
At the court house were W. E. Macara, Geoff. Walker, P. A. Macdonald, L. Betourney, county court clerk, Ed. Marston and next door, Pat Lawlor, the jailor, was a faithful official.
And Darby Taylor, too, dear old Darby, and Dr. Kerr gave us another item. Coming in from Stoney Mountain one night, they were overtaken by a blinding blizzard. There was nothing to do but unhitch the horse, wrap themselves up in a buffalo robe as best they could, and as uncomfortably as possible, and await the early dawn, which isn’t very early during the winter months in northern latitudes. Then they discovered that they were only a few yards away from a farmhouse whose occupants would gladly have furnished them shelter.