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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1954-07-28, Page 40♦ Page Forty The Wingham Advance-Times, Wednesday, July 28, 1954 Agnew Reid Headed Canadian Academy By Dr, Fred Landon came in the autumn of 1878 when he became a student in the Ontario. School of Art in Toronto. There he entered night classes, since he had to work to suport himself, being em­ ployed for a time in a machine shop. Returning to Wingham he-did crayon and oil portraits. When the Wingham market became exhausted he went to Kincardine and did the same work. He also painted pictures for sale and gave lessons in art. By this means he saved money, and having decided that he needed more advanced training, he went to Philadelphia where he worked under the great Thomas Eakins. By 1889 he had progressed to the point where he had pictures shown in the salon of the Royal Canadian Academy. One of these, “Dreaming”, was, purchased by the National Gal­ lery, Other important pictures follow­ ed. One of these “Mortgaging the Homestead” was the diploma picture of the National Gallery in 1890, while an even bigger success came in 1893 with his picture “The Foreclosure of the Mortgage”, which won the medal of the Chicago World’s Fair and the San Fransisco Winter Fair and was exhibited in the leading centres of the United States and Canada. From that time on his name was-made and honors of all kinds followed. Mr. Reid was a leader in the found­ ing of the Art Gallery of Toronto and while president of the Royal Canadian Academy initiated the movement for a permanent art advisory council and the National Art Gallery. In mature years he became famous as a mura- list and his work may be seen in vari- ’ ous public buildings throughout Canada. He died in Toronto, August ' 23rd, 1947. : The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada has authorized the placing in Wingham of a bronze tablet honoring this great Hurop County artist. The tablet will be unveiled with a public ceremony some time in the ‘ autumn. It is to be placed at the en- , . , . L trance to the town hall. which a complete history of the com-, munity should contain. - _ i Realizing from the outset that time] would be all too short for the com­ pletion of this work, we have been forced to limit stories of persons and ■places strictly to those who lived in George Agnew Reid, Canadian painter, who rose to be president of the Ontario Society of Artists (1897- 1902) and president of the Royal Cana­ dian Academy of Art (1906-09), the highest honors in the field of art in Canada, was born near Wingham, on July 25th, 1860, the son of Adam Reid and Eliza. Agnew, the latter a daugh­ ter of Thomas Agnew who had come to Huron County about 1840 from Scotland. His flair for drawing mani­ fested itself at an early age, even as a child-in the old log school house where successive teachers gave him such assistance as they could. No one at that time took his talent very seri­ ously, least of all his father, who for a long time discouraged him in his early determination to be a painter. He was, for a time, indentured to an architect, a work which he disliked but which actually gave him training in symmetry. In the first ten years of his life three characteristics became visible; first, his passion for draw­ ing and for the study of art; second, a great curiosity about distant places; and lastly, his propensity for pains­ taking, patient labor. His first serious training in art MANY CD OPERATED TO PROVIDE MATERIAL FOR HISTORICAL EDITION It is with regret that the publishers of The Advance-Times acknowledge the fact that many names which will be fondly remembered here, have not been mentioned in this special histori­ cal edition. Perhaps few readers are aware of the tremendous amount of -time that is required to gather and ■verify the information contained on even one page of this type. Although ’work was commenced on this edition in the spring, we have found it im­ possible to include all the information The Secret of the Trees The following poem wag written “by the late P. S, Fisher, whQse writings are familiar tp readers of this news­ paper. • Why have you chosen a cold, dead ap­ pearance? How can you live through the wild Winters' roar? Will the slow Maitland flow onward forever? Will the fair wild-flowers again deck her shore? Do the same songbirds return here in summer That yesterdays mellowed the soft air for me? Where do the butterflies seek their still slumber? Which of blithe the logs domiciles the bee? When, does the chipmunk close tight the chill entrance That leaves him in darkness till birth of the spring? Why must we lose Nature's scenes of rare beauty ? Why must a sore heart with keen anguish: wring? hundred years; from this, bright brown November Who like myself ’neath these dumb trees shall walk ? Back, years one hundred,, stalwart and limber Breathed here’ a man with a cruel tomahawk?’ One Stood there beside him plethoric in beauty,, Darksome1 in comeliness, vibrant with, life Daughter beloved, of enemy? Toold he Love’s story? his., wife? an Indian Became she 4» Indian war- St. Andrew’s Missionary Society and Mission Band Officers 1916 Top row—Isabel Reid, Mrs. McKibbon, Miss Lockhart, Miss Lewis. 2nd row—Christie Robertson, Mrs. Rintoul, Mrs. Perrie, Mrs. Geddes. Bottom row—Maggie Robertson, Eva Rintoul, Mrs. McLean. 1 William Henry Jackson Was Secretary to Rebel Leader diyf Chtrt,cfc Wsc wit to 1874, Wfiefl Father Jackson was made treasurer and trustee. The mother played the organ in the church) and’ Sunday school. She appears to have had talent and energy. Money was not plenti^J in those days and Mrs. Jackson sup*? plemented her husband’s income by being church organist, teaching music and operating what I am told was a large millinery shop. She had the first piano in 'Wingham and, more notable, had the first liveried servant in the tovyn, an honor that ip Goderich went to Mrs. Thomas Mercer Jones. Business reverse induced T. G. Jack- son to pack up his family and worldly goods and set out for the prairies. They reached Prince Albert by ox carts. That was the introduction of the Jacksons to the Riel trouble. T. G. himself was early named as likely to occupy a prominent place in Riel’s government. Young Thomas Eastwood Jackson, eldest son, seems to have, been tarred with the same stick as smeared his brother Willie and hjs father, though he took a somewhfct equivocal place in the uprising. Father and sons were vicious haters of John A. Macdonald, of the Conser­ vative Party and all that sprang from it, The father was for a time a cor- , respondent of the Toronto Globe and the Winnipeg Free Press. Willie lean­ ed more toward Frank Oliver’s Ed­ monton Bulletin which had then no more than embarked on its life mis­ sion. S Willie, the second son, is reported to have, carried a bowie knife "and a pistol in Wingham. Once in Mr. Mar­ tin’s. Bible Class in Sherbourne Street Methodist Church, in Toronto, he shocked everyone by interrupting a serious discussion by asking the sedate leader what he thought of'infant sprinkling. “Do you believe in it?” he wanted to know. A story in the old Toronto World says he became per­ fectly savage whenever the name JoW a A. Macdonald was mentioned. At a meeting at Red Deer on May 11^ 1884, the first public meeting for the cause, William Henry Jackson • followed Riel on the speaking plat-’’• form but went far beyond him in im­ moderation. 2 The Jackson home at Prince Albert was sthe scene of a Riel meeting later that month at which v were assembled ten'Indian chiefs, in­ cluding the notorious Cree, Big Bear. .< The basic plea was better treatment for the Indians. How picturesque are the Indian nam.es that crop out of the stories of these disturbances. For instance: Lucky Man, Big Bear, Poundmaker, Oka Doka, Lean Man, Curly Head, Breaking-through-the-ice, Wolverine; Miserable Being, Yellow Mud, Wan­ dering Spirit, Ermine Skin, Ringing; Sky, Grizzly Bear’s Head. To come down, to date, I note that Evelyn Eaglespeaker, Bloodi India®, was made Queen of the Calgary Stam­ pede of 1954. Jackson wanted to get closer- to> the Indians and half-breeds as,- ho em­ braced Roman Catholicism and! was received into the Church. He was baptized by Rev. Father- Fourmond • with the. name of Henrij Jaxon. Riel stood as his godfather-.. To the new name he held but in later life in his New York years he called himself Honore Joseph Jackson. Apparently he was fond of names. ' On April 7, 1885, brother Thomas came from Prince Albert to Batoche to enquire after Willie. He found him separated from the others and in a sort of custody. Asking Riel why this was so the rebel leader answered r “He is insane”. When Jackson was" arrested and finally tried in the courts on a charge of treason-felony (which is a degree less than a charge of treason, where guilt carries the deatji penalty) he was acquitted because of insanity ordered confined to a mental insfeL. tution. The trial at Regina lasted less than half an hour 'and occupied only three lines in Nicholas Flood Davin’s paper, the Regina Leader. Hanging Day Arising out of the Riel troubles, ■ eight Indians were sentenced to be executed and they were executed a few days after Riel. That was the largest mass execution Canada had known since the war of 1812-14. On ° the same day was hanged one Sim­ mons, of London, and on the same day one Easterbee' of Welland was sentenced to be hanged, so that was rather a colossal hanging day for this ' country. Jackson was sent to the asylum at Selkirk, Manitoba, on August 14, and escaped on November 2, two weeks before Riel’s execution. He got safely into the United States and at once began a lecture tour. He had lots to say but injured his effectiveness by long-^windedness. He carried with him to the very end the title of Major, a. distinction he claimed arose out' of his fighting career for the''Indians. His end came on January 12, 1952, in New York City. Message to Macdonald (From the Wingham Times of** November 20; 1885) “On Monday; the 9th Inst., a sister * of William H. Jackson, Riel’s private secretary, received a letter dated at St, Vincent, Minn., conveying the In­ telligence that he had escaped from the asylum at Selkirk, and enclosing .a message to be sent to Sir John Mac­ donald. The message Was as follows: f “If you hang Riel you will provoke a more dangerous and atrocious out­ break. He is the sole mouthpiece Of the aborigines and must be. heard. Let hinx go free, and I am Willing to be shot in his place. William H. Jackson” “Jackson adds that he had gone five days without food, with the exception of a few huts and berries. He is still at large”. ' By Louis Blake Duff In the closing days of 1924 my mo­ ther lay dying at the old family home in Bluevale, a tiny hamlet on the Maitland River, near’ Wingham, in North Huron. I was at her bedside through the pain and misery of her last hours. Came a moment of peace and calm in her suffering. Turning to me quite unexpectedly, she said; •“Jf you should ever be writing of the Riel Rebellion I want you to see Willie Jackson. He was Riel’s secretary. He could tell you; more about it than anyone else.’’ And: that is how this biography began. What my mother' said was probably I true enough, though I doubt if she ’■knew the full! significance of Jack- son’s record. , ' ’ In 1951, when Willie Jacksqn was 90 years old, he was forcibly- moved out- of. his cellar quarters in New York, City, under fire protection and sanitary ordinances. His documents, books, papers, records and -lecture memoranda made a pile on the side­ walk 35 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 6 feet high. On his death this chaos, was dissipated to the four winds- “I want you to see Willie. Jackson”, my mother had said. I had seen him once when I was a very small boy. I never saw him again. That encounter long years before was an exceedingly Slender’ one.. It was nearly dusk on a cold, Feb­ ruary day when I waded out through the snow to investigate a team stand­ ing unattended in front of the, Walter Rutherford "house, across the street. The sleigh wa^ nearly filled with wood ashes and on the 'driver’s seat was a great box containing large cakes of soap, each about a foot long and two inches in its other dimentions. It was the custom for- the soapmaker on his rounds to exchange these cakes in payment for the ashes he gathered. Down the street came a tall youth dressed in-tolack. I thought his ap­ pearance not unprepossessing. He seemed, to be about 18 or 20 years old. How I knew he was Willie Jackson I cannot tell you now. Perhaps I learned, bis identity after I got home. He paid no attention to one so young as I, and busied himself at the sleigh. The driver was getting, the Rutherford ashes so the coast was clear: One by one he begran "lifting out the soap cakes and burying them deep in the ashes in the box. of the sleigh. With the moral sense sb early developed in me'l realized that I was to a rather precarious position, so I hurried home. That was my first and last glimpse of him. Thirty years have been: consumed in a study of Willie Ja.cks.on. By that name Wingham knew him, though-he was to bear at least two others in later life. The effort is" now as com­ plete in its fruits as I can make it. In his, memoirs Jackson says that- he went with his, family to Saskat­ chewan in 18.81, SO the soap . episode must have antedated that. He was, however a gifted liar and notoriously inaccurate in much of what he said and wrote, So the year 1881 may very well be slightly incorrect. If it is cor­ rect, then -the Jacksons went west prior to ■ the general and very large and noted migration from Huron and Bruce in the budding years of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Be that as it may, Willie Jackson got a .govern­ ment grant of farm land near Prince Albert, though there is no evidence that he paid any attention to it for •his restless and uncertain mind' was much preoccupied with what seemed to him weightier matters. „ When Riel, then a United States citizen, was brought back from Mon­ tana to head the insurgents in the early spring of 1884, Jackson sprang at once to his support and was made Riel’s secretary. " , He was in proper tune for he was secretary of the radical Agrarian Set­ tler’s Union, through which came the first winds of revolt from Manitoba Spake he of prowess in fare? Told he. of hunting with arrow and. bow? Mentioned he wigwam, where they would be happy ?’ Happy as long as. the Maitland would, flow.. Tied he his, mustang, to theee when a ■ sapling? By trail through the forest, strode they ’neath the moon? Did. high from her hail- point his best eagle feathers? Did he kiss her goodnight? Ask he when? Said, she soon? — have also co-operated admirably. Last, but certainly not least, we pay­ tribute to the keen intellect and friendly interest of W. J. “Bill” | i Do^tagham. W, do realize that in the Fleuty. Not only h^ nearby townships*, settlement was c- -— ------- ---- ** opened before there was. such a place Pages but ^as s“ppl*ed yp w e•nearby townships, settlement was of the stories which appear on these as the town plot, and that many of ‘the early pioneers of these munici­ palities are recalled with deep respect .‘by those who have followed after. It is our hope that at some time ‘in the future we may have the privi­ lege of including the stories of their exploits in an edition which will cover the histories of some Of the townships. - •- > McLean Edition We have been fortunate in having a copy of the Historical Review compil­ ed by the late T. J. McLean, with the assistance of his daughter, Eleanor, -now Mrs. Elmer Walker. The Review 'was published by The Advance-Times in 1935. Letters from Mrs. Plaxton, the for­ mer Cicily Jackson, were also help­ ful where facts in connection with early times were concerned. Also, we would acknowledge with sincere grati­ tude the assistance of many. of the town’s residents who have stirred up their recollections of early days to provide us with needed information. The acquaintanceships we have formed in this way have not only proved helpful in the task at hand, but have been pleasant in the ex­ treme. We would like to mention par­ ticularly the help given by Miss A. Reynolds, J. A. McDonald, Alex Coutts, Jim Murray, Art Wilson, Leon Cantelon, Rev. and Mrs. Pollock, Mrs. N, L. Fry, Miss Norma Dinsley, Miss Pringle, Thomas Graham, Miss Irene .Davis of Toronto, Mrs. McMillan, Mrs. Stranford, Mrs. Crandall, Robert Bur­ gess, and many others. Officials of the various organizations and societies details in hundreds of other places,, which made possible th’e completion of interesting items. At of age Mr. Fleuty has a which we envy. , .We know, too, that after tion has been published we will re­ ceive many letters and telephone calls to inform us of errors in our stories— and we would not have it otherwise, for this type of interest, is the soft of response we appreciate. However, we would say in advance that the information we have printed is as ac­ curate as the reference material at our disposal makes possible. It will be noted that a few names are spelled in two ways. That of Dr. Tamlyn or Tamblyn, Shrigley or Srig- ley, are examples and we have not been able to determine which is correct, for newspapers of the day in which these people resided here, were not consistent in their spelling. j If, however, we have achieved our main purpose, that of providing in­ teresting reading, and of recalling the history of this place to our readers, we will be well rewarded. We have purposely included some stories of a humorous nature, for no true history can be written without consciousness of the human characteristics of those who brought the life of the community into being. Knowledge that our fore­ bearers were as live and human as out-selves, seems somehow, to bring them into closer relationship with this present town which is. their heritage to us. 89 years momory this edi- Zn love, did they marry, live happy, grow feeble? Alas! are they sleeping ’neath this rugged beech? the roots, deep in darkness, with their bones co-mingle? take off my hat, as my tears my speech. Tell me, oh, Trees, alone in our tude Yield me your secrets of love of pain, Answer the mysteries preceding my interlude Prophesy, what here shah happen again, I join soli- and Tell me of none, frost-gripped, heavy laden, Lost in a storm, here, sank dead, in snow, Tell me instead of the frolics of chil­ dren In picnicing days when the butter­ cups blow. Tell me of moonlight, and mild even­ ing zephyrs, The slow stroll of lovers, the aged man’s walk, Tell me, loved Trees, of this idyllic woodland, Reveal your full st.ory, your heart's core unlock. honour Toron- quoted repeat- Wm. Elliott Family Orchestra Toured Western Communities A new book, copies of which are in both Wingham and Bluevale Public Libraries, was written by William A. Elliott, now of Vancouver. It is en­ titled, “No Drum Went Dead’* and records the story of adventurous journeys undertaken by himself and his family. and south to California, riding by train or by their own motor bus, and fighting the mud, the blizzards, the heavy rains, experiencing many dis­ comforts, but enduring and enjoying it all in truly pioneer spirit. When the children grew up and married, the orchestra disbanded, Sf. Andrew's Ladies' Circle 1916 Top row—-Elizabeth Gilchrist, May Fryfogle, Frances Wilson, Annie Cummings, Mrs. Geddes. 2hd row—Minnie Halliday, Jean McKinley, Miss Farquharson, Margaret Perrie. .Bottomrow—Grace Greet, Edita Gannett, Annie McLean, Margaret Steel Mr, Elliott was born in “East Wa- wanosh eighty-seven years ago, the son of the,late John Elliott and Annie Irwin. He trained as an architect and spent his early years in and around Wingham, while engaged in the building trade; Mrs, Elliott died in 1946. Mr. El­ liott lives with some of his family in Vancouver and is thankful that, late in life, he was able to remember and record the story of those musical years. The following tribute is from the Vancouver Daily Province, written in 1947: , In 1896 Mr. Elliott, Sam French and William J. Duff, of Bluevale, de­ cided to try their fortunes further afield, and left for the boom mining town of Arfaconda, Montana. There Mr. Elliott married Hester Eldridge musician, and Organist in one of the churches. > *• Later Mr. and Mrs. Elliott moved to Brandon, Manitoba, where they lived for some years. They had a family of eight, all gifted in music, and each child had his Instrument, the fhther still playing the violin as he had in the old Wingham days. When they moved tok Winnipeg the children had a fine opportunity for musical educa­ tion. In 1920 they Returned to Bran­ don, after Mr. Elliott had served in the First Great War, tn 1921’the Elliott Family Orchestra, after months of practising, started on a grand tour, their object being to bring # muSic to the music-hungry hearts of the people scattered over the prairies, *they made these trips for several years, visiting usually the smaller centres where people came for miles to hear them, All through the West to Vancouver they travelled They Played Sweet Music “Twenty or more years age*; the El­ liott Family Orchestra visited Varf- couver and held concerts in the vari­ ous small’parks adjacent to the city, Being a family of large proportions, all instruments were represented. They played fine music. Mother El­ liott was pianist, father ‘played the bull fiddle; Stan the violin, and so on through reeds qnd brasses. I don’t think I ever missed a.concert because for some reason or other the music Seemed to lift me up from tpe boot­ straps, After a rendition of “Sylvia”, I went out and bought flowers for my mother?* Mr. Elliott is an uncle of Mrs. Colin Finglahd of Wingham, And Mr. Earl Elliott, of Turnberry. Mr. T. A. Mills had the misfortune to’ break his leg while wrestling with a friend on Monday afternoon. —News item 1896, Accdrdifig to the Assessor’s returns there ate fourteen steam boilers in use In the town.—News item 1892. to Saskatchewan. His-aim at the Riel meetings was to unite the whites with Riel’s own people for presentation of a united front to the Canadian Gov­ ernment. The Jackson files show how well he succeeded in this. He enlisted whites who hoped, on land being dis­ tributed among the Metis, to buy it up cheaply and start a land boom. He was able to throw behind his movement the support of the Settlers’ Union. A list of Hudson Bay Company prices came into Jackson’s hands. He treated that as- a valuable document, as it was, for the Metis resented: he low prices paid trappers. That was, one of the greatest of the grievances back of the Saskatchewan uprising, The goods the Metis bought from the company were always rising in price but 25 cents for a skunk skin or three muskrats was constant. A new petition to Ottawa was draft­ ed by Louis in December, and it was sent on its mission accompanied by a 'letter from Jackson. On the whole the appeal was reasonable. The Hud­ son Bay Company cropped’up showing itself for the first time as one of’ the problems of the West. Ottawa acknowledged receipt of the petition but said nothing about, what it intended to> do. Willie Jackson proved himself adept, though prolix, at writing the letters, documents, petitions to the capital, posters, notices and news for the press. He was on all the platforms urging enlistment in the cause, though he had the defect of speaking at very great length. Soon he was made a member of Riel’s famous Council. of Twelve, the arch and authoritive de­ fenders of the Riel programme. A little earlier he had blossomed out as publisher and editor of a paper he called “Voice of the People”, in which he expressed radical sentiments of provincial operation. But it" was,, only the voice of William Henry Jackson, and the echo faded away after three issues. That was in March, 1883. He gave himself out. as an graduate. of the University of to and that achievement was as fact by many early writers, ed even in the notices of his death in the U.S. press two years ago. Toronto University claims to be unable to find • his name in any of its records. Nor . is it to be found in the archives of either Victoria or Trinity.’’This fades somewhat the boast of honours in the classics, prizes and scholarships won. . He was, however, an educated man, proficient in speaking English, French and Cre© Indian. That council of Riel’g did • exactly what Louis told it to do. When the ’ Catholic priests gave warning of ex- 1 communication to those who took up ! arms against law and order, the coun- 1 cil passed a bylaw abolishing eternal punishment, probably the only fully effective means of doing away with the penalties of excommunication. In the end Jackson lost his place on the council, where he Was the only Anglo- Saxon, because of the growing belief that he was mentally unbalanced. But . this did not diminish his loyalty, his , effort or his enthusiasm. Old memo- . ries in Wingham have it that he was , off balance in his youth. In the seven­ ty years that followed 1885 he continu- , ously and abundantly bore this out. So he wore the banner of mental in- i stability faithfully from the'beginning of his life to the end. ■ In May, 1885, Major-General Fred 1 Middleton made his report to the Hon. ; A. P. CarOn, Minister of Militia, on the ' episode at Batoche. The prisoners, he said, were all in safe Custody, among them “Jackson, a white man, who was Riel’s secretary, but who is mad and rather dangerous”, Another writer of ■ the truce said “Crank” Jackson was in - confinement. Lived in Lower Wingham The Jacksons lived in Lower Wing- , ham where the father, T. Getting Jackson, operated a general store. , Lower Wingham, an .adjunct of the town, was shrinking and remained to ’ be noted only for the big spring floods of the Maitland River, The family came there In 1863 and engaged rather strenuously’ in the Lord’s work. Ser- 1 vices Were held in a room Over the «= Jackson kitchen until the first Methb-