The Rural Voice, 2001-06, Page 35hand spike to the left temple. For
almost a year James Donnelly hid
until he turned himself in.
Donnelly was taken to the
Goderich Gaol where he was
convicted to be hung. His wife,
Johannah, put forth a petition calling
for a Tess severe sentence. The death
sentence was softened to a lighter
penalty of seven years in the
Kingston Penitentiary.
This story is very controversial. For
years it was said that outsiders
couldn't mention the name Donnelly
in Lucan. According to outsiders
who have written books or filmed
movies, said Sally Hodgins of the
Lucan Area Heritage Museum, most
people in Lucan don't want to talk
about the incident. The residents of
Lucan, some who have lived in the
town for generations, want to put the
past behind them and want the whole
thing to disappear into history.
People may not like to talk about it
because it involved their ancestors,
they don't want people to judge them
on their ancestors' actions, guesses
Hodgins, who moved into Lucan
after she married.
"I think everybody should be left to
rest in peace," Hodgins said.
But actor Eric Coates, who has
binders full of research on the
Donnellys for The Outdoor
Donnellys, understands why residents
may be leery to talk about the story.
"Historical ambulance chasers, I
guess you could call them," said
Coates who will play Will Donnelly
in The Outdoor Donnellys. "They
just want to come and see the place
where someone got killed."
Coates said he has a legitimate
interest in the entire era. Coates
seems not only to know the Donnelly
story inside out, he speaks at great
length about people who lived in
Lucan at the time.
"I read 725 pages of a PhD thesis
on the Donnellys. It's not something
I usually sit down and read," Coates
said.
Coates knows that many people are
interested in the blood and guts. He
blames people with a morbid
fascination for the desecration of the
original Donnelly tombstone which
had the word "murdered" under each
name. Eventually, the tombstone had
to be removed
Patti Miller, who is the founder of
i
and other Lucan area companies
Stage coaches were smashed and
burned, horses savagely beaten and
°, killed and stables burned to the
ground. The violence from the feud
was, for the most part. blamed on the
Donnellys which gave them a bad
-. reputation. From that time on. even
so' crime committed and every fire in the
area was blamed on the Donnellys.
Hodgins, volunteer with. and
president of, the heritage museum
meets a couple hundred of people
every year interested in the
Donnellys' tale. People come into
the museum, Hodgins said. who act
like they were alive at the time of the
Donnellys as they curse about how
bad they were. The opposite also
rings true: there are people who come
who think they were absolute saints
and innocent victims, Hodgins added.
Thompson refuses to believe the
Donnellys were pure evil. He says
people, like the then upcoming
Attorney -General of Ontario,
wouldn't have associated with the
Donnellys if they were just
hooligans.
"A lot of the vilification comes up
in rewriting of it after the murders,"
Thompson said.
Coates, a man in his late 30s.
agrees there is a middle ground, but
says the Donnellys were no angels
either. In a sense. Coates said, when
looking at the character he will play
in the show, William Donnelly dug a
grave for his family.
"He was very provocative. There
were many times during the troubles
where he could have stepped back
and not pursued things," Coates said.
On February 4, 1880 the vigilantes,
led by a police officer. decided to
march to the Donnelly homestead in
the middle of the night. While the
Donnellys slept, the group of about
30 men broke into the house. The
police officer went to James
Donnelly and told. him to come
downstairs as there were more
charges against him.
Details are not exact but the 35
men beat and killed James Donnelly,
his wife Johannah, their youngest
son, Tom and their niece. Bridget,
who just happened to be visiting
from Ireland. A young farm hand.
Johnny O'Connor was also in the
house, but he hid and escaped to the
neighbours when the mob left.
A Blyth
Festival
seamstress
recreates
Donnelly -era
clothing for
The Outdoor
Donnellys
produ tion.
the on-line Donnelly fan club and
author of a Donnelly novel, said the
tale of the Donnellys is just
entertainment to many people.
Miller owns every Donnelly book
she could get her hands on. Her
novel is based on the life of Johannah
Donnelly. She can't seem to get
enough of the Donnellys.
Salts is well aware of the over-
zealous Donnelly fanatics. Much of
the spiritual activity of the ghosts has
occurred to visitors in the barn, he
says. In the middle of the night,
people have tried to sneak into the
The residents of Lucan,
some who have lived
there for generations,
want to put the past
behind them and want
the whole thing to
disappear in history.
barn. He now keeps it locked.
In 1873 William Donnelly, the
oldest son, launched the Donnelly
Stagecoach which was very
prosperous. Four of the Donnelly
brothers ran the stagecoach which
created tierce rivalry with other local
stage coaches. The competition
became a feud between Donnellys
JUNE 2001 31