HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1979-09-27, Page 104
ThE NAOS 'EXPOSITORt SEPTEMBER 274
Sere dip
micte 00A,
The..., of Shanty ioht4 'a character' who
*ed. outside Egmondville* the 100QS4
.(she of those stories that is IWO'
'legend as fact., hut since ifs a stoty with
happy ending., it hearS rpeating-
Now arity actually. John
Fletcher was a rather eccentric bachelor
who lived outside Ellinottdvilte, Since -he
dressed rather diatinetiVelY in, a ceaturne
blue, demin pants, long top boots and a.
-tightly buttoned smock, he was someone
most villagers knew on sight.
While Mr, 'Fletcher was a handyman Of
sorts, his profession- was listed as "killer of
beasts" whichl meant he was the man
farmers contacted whenever they had a
cattle beast or sheep ready for slaughter,
*Cording to legend, Shanty John had such
a. careful nature he would shoot the animal
with a longharrel rifle and then watch
where the shot landed so he could retrieve
it and moltid ix again for use the nest time
mond.
Althellgit Mr, —Fletcher Was a well-known
figure around the community, he had a
speech impediment which made it difficult
for Others to understand hint. He was aIs
kTi0V4110 be quick-tempered and a man it
was best to avoid when thing weren't
going his way.
One of the only perm anent reminders of
Shanty John's existence is a portrait of the
Man painted by Egmondville area artist
William Cresswelt, the man who lived in,
the brick cottage which is now the hi:me of
the Martene farnily.
• Mr. Cresswell. who was a charter
member of the Ontario Society of Artists;
and a member of the Ft.C.A., immortalized.
Shanty John in a sketch and portrait and
many years later, the painting was donated
to the Stratford and. Perth County
Historical Society by its ewner.
FENIAN RAIDERS
. h,
; .
,
.
Now the story 0014 the Ipaipting's
subject takes place .at the liMe of the
Fenian raids in 1866. The Fenians. who
were Or8artize4after the Arnerion qjj
War. w ere reported to be- organizing bands
all along the Great Lakes, with the stile
Intent of "taking Canada. The alarm was
sounded all along the border and a,
voltniteer militia Was soon organized in
Uuron County The Solider* were mostly
settlers and-farmera. armed with scythes,
oes.and guns if they had ;hem, who
Met at Ootierich for regular drill Sessions
and praCties
On a het day in July 1866, an alartn
spread that the Fenians had finally landed
in Rayfield an were marching on 20
Seaforth by Way of Erncefield. SchoOl
children were immediately sent hothe4 the
volunteers Were quick -1Y organized and
towns in this part of Huron waited in
suspense ler the dreaded attack.
While John ;Fletcher censidered joining
the parade of carts, wagons and others on
horseback which were malting their way to
Bayfield to fendoff the attack, but he was
worried what would happen if the Fenians
managed to reach Eginondville.
Over the years the bachelpr, who lived
On 50 acrs of land be'd purchased from the
Canada Company, changed any surplus
cash he had into gold coins. Like many
settlers of this dine, he didn't trust
institutions like banks. so the coins were
safely hidden snmewhere inhis shanty that
WaS on the edge of the woods,
. The gold was supposed to be a safeguard
for his old age, and John Fletcher wasn't
.,about to sacrifice it to anyone, particularly
the traitorous-Fenians who wanted to steal
Canada away 'from the British Empire.
• Now according to, the legend, Mr.
FletcKr took a pair of brand new, cowhide
boots, the kind which reached to his knees.
.the co-operato$
BRUCE :.SMITH
34.111•Ohelm St., MItch•11
PHONE: OFFICE 3441-9975
RES. 3411-0,973
Issutascl AND IntAIKuit StiVIC1$
LIFE • HOME • AUTO • 'BUSINESS
Ciderfest
sunday,
September 30th.
12:0a a.m. - 5 p.m,
at the historic
VAN EGMOND HOUSE
• .Egmondville
SPECIAL.ATTRACTIONS
• Cider Making • Crafts
SanSage stuffing • Flea Market
• Flower Festival & Art Show • Country Jamboree
• Home and Wagon rides • Antique exhibits
• Nail driving eomPellitiona • Log Sawing &
• Muth, muell more
A.dtnissiort $1.00
CHILDREN, UNDER 12 ACCOMPANIED
BY PARENTS FREE
Beat the spring
price increase
on fertilizer and
apply fall plow down,
Still have A goodsupply of'
fail bulbstulip & daffo.:
dil tlyacintito narcissus,
croctisl .
*=rhowtowthowo-o
$4.FoRTH 'FARMERS
colmoP
• $.2.14770
10
Then he located 'an awl and! Pate Waxed
thread. Not about to reveaf WIS carefullyi
guarded secret after so many years, Shanty
John pulled the heavy oak door shut and;
drew the bot. Then he fulled Some kind Of
makteshift blinds 'aerOSS the winden,va,,
After the chanty was completely private,,
be [raised- several boards in the floor and
,drew Ont a "well-filled leather hag",
according tO the poplar version of the
story,
Carefully John. •transferred the coins,
whift included English sovereigns, -from
the bag and filled the toes and legs of both,
boots. Then he doubled over the top part of
the boot and sewed them up firmly with the -
awl and, thread.
• fiVRIED TREASURE
With his domestic die $ fittiShett.
Shanty John released the bolt and peered:
outside into the darkness, ,checking that he
was entirely alone, 'Then choosing a. knoll
at the foot of a large oak tree, he buried the
treausre: Whatever else happened to the
residents of the Egmondville area when the
• Fenians descended, .1,ohrt Fletcher wasn't
about to let them discever the bounty he'd
put aside for his "golden years."
New the one "version of the Shanty John,
story ends 'here, with the man digging up
his treasure again when all danger of
attack had passed (a danger which
actually never existed to begin with,)
But my favorite version of the story,
" published in the I„930's, takes the story on
• from here.
En this version, the scene shifts to a
drowsy Indian Summer afternoon in the fall
of 1896, A young man named Bud Ryan is
lounging against an old Talman Sweet
apple tree at the foot of the orchard;
whistleirtg every now and then,
From the . upstairs. window'of the
farmhouse at the end of the orchardo a
•
Seaforth Centenaires
TRAINING CAMP
• Oct. 1 2 3 4
f
8:30 - 10:30 p.m.
ALL INTERESTED PLAYERS WELCOME
Bring your own sticksand eqUipment
EXHIBITION GAME.
OCT.5
at 8:30 p.m.
Centenaires
vs.
Tavistock
e
head Soddenly appears and the a hand
waves, Within a few minutes, tt, pretty
young girl of about 20, named Nellie
McGowan, saunters down past the apple
orchardas if she just happened to he out
for a .casual Sunday strell.
When she reaches Mr. 'Ryan, Sh•e
Athispets quickly that they'd better be off
awn, the lane, since her parents are
sleeping in their chairs on the verandah
and she hopes they won't Inok for her until
it's time to do the evening chores,
The couple's walk takes them across to
011trkt
now -being helO, In
St. Patrick's School,
Gym
•Via &NV
the old Fletcher place, by now vaeant and - -
justa little dilapidated looking. USE
Mr. Kyan tells his sweetheart that he can
josEXPOSITOR
t barely remember Shanty John, •
"roaMiag constantly through his hush. aa
if seeking something. They do say he WA„ NT !ADS
buried his money somewhere time of the
Fenian raid, and never could find the spot
again. Neither could anyone else, though Phone 527-0240'
many's the hint there has been after it, -
guess it was just a fairy tale."
PROPOSAL
But the couple's thoughts soon tlirn froth
an old man that has been .dead for several
years. It seems the main matter of concern
is .that Bud wants to marry the girl, but
bleillie's parents feel the young man, who
works 'as hired man on an adjoining farm,
just isn't quite a suitable financial prospect
for their daughter.
Nellie and Budare leaning up against an
old, gnarled oak stump, and pondering
their fate when Nellie's parasol catches on
something in the ground at herfeet.
Bud gets down on his hands and knees
and gives the object a few hefty tugs. Out
come something, slightly rotten and a little
• foul.stnelling. Of courseyou've guessed
(cbntinued on Page 24)
•
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s Hotel
Seaforth
This Week:
Entertainment
Next Week
Monday to Saturday
C C Connection
Re
egiori
Meeting,
Thursday,:September 27th
"Dealing with Outside renovations to Br. 156"
ALL MEMBERS ARE URGEDTO ATTEND
Early Bird Campaign now under way
for 1980 Legion Dues
DUES MAY BE PAID TO
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