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i PAGE, 12, WHITY FRE PESWEDNESDAY. .ýJANUARtY. 2,1M9 Many iteresting hracters from Whitby's past By Marlo Boucher Whitbiy's p ast is not only inter- esting but bizarrea t tumes, as Town archiviat- Brian' Winter melated recontly at a meeting of the local branch of the Ontario Geneal gical Society.' A "national dreaine? and an exeffwieldor are among the fas- cinating and notaious personiali. ties, and a sitran&e tambsitone on. of tho more unique artifacta froni tho past. The wnting on a tombatane i Hubbell's Cometory in Myrtle: "This tamb once contained the body of the unfortunate John Hunter -who departed this life Dec. 28, 1852 in the 36th yoar of bis ago, but was robbed of its contents by an unrelenting hand." In 1913, a commuter mailroad called The Toronto and Eastern Railway begani -construction aud was expected ta cover the area fron Bowmauville ta Toronto, but nover imade it pust Whitby. Construction stopped due ta the Firat World War and thon by the fat aesjle was an ainbitious man who droanit of a national railway systeni froni Whitby ta the west coast. Managingz director of tbe Port Whitby andl Port Porry Railway in 1873, Holdon thought ho could use the systeni te bring the grain and lumbor trade ta the tawn. Begun in 1871, the railway made it ta Lindsay when Holden obtained a charter ta construct a railway systeni anywhere in the country., Ho was seeking financial assis- tance at Dominion City Mani- tabaat the time ofbhie eath in late 1881. Holdëe'. dreain of a transcontinental railway starting froni Whitby, died with buin chan~g te uture of. the tw Butinu 1856,9-year-old George H. Haam and anoher boy socretly got on a train to Toronta from. Whitby and were thrown off the train twice because- they had no tickets. Aftor passengers couviuced ti. JAMES Holden tried to lmtblsha transcontinen- tal railway that would have started from Whitby. whJtb7 Arebu photo GiEOR<GE H. Hamls fascination wlth trains lead to an adventuro on a trip to Toronto when ho was a boy. Above, ho le shown years later with ife Martba. ,l WhtIy Archlws photo conductor ta lot the boY-s stay on the train, they arrived in Toronto with no mouey. The boys finally âo t some crackers and cheese oam a man wbile .tbey were waiting for the train ta rotumn ta Whitby. Thiey amrived back ta, Whitby at 4 a.m. and became boroos at achool the next . day for their adventure. George H. Ham nover got thrown off a train again. and onded up working. as a public relations director lor the Cana- dian Pacifie Railwa. Emily McKay aiso bad ambi- tiîons, and aucceeded in leading the way for women iu the womk-, force. The Whitby native -bocaux. the first woman troasurer of a county iu Outario,'as ah. held the poet in Ontario County from 1914 ta 1947. She learned the couuty accounts wbile workiug as an assistant and secrotary for hon father, the previous county trea- aurer. Other people liko sheniff Nel- son Gilbert Reynolds wanted ta entertain British royalty in Whitby Hoefoght in a robe Ilion war in bis native Kingston in 1838 before fleeing *ta the United States for a few montha. Ho returned only ta be hnprisoued at Fort Henry but was even- tually acquitted. Reynolds thon got involved in every love! of mnunicipal office in Belleville. Iu 1854, ho was appointed the Ontario County Sheniff because hoe had the right «confection» witbin the' govoru- ment. SHe fiually made bis way ta WVhitby where hoe bulît, by 1862 Trafalgar Castle, at a coat ý $70 000. In comparison a bouse at tle tue coat about $ý,000-. Iu 1869, Reynolds recoived visita from manyfamous pop~le including- Prince Arthur, tlurd son of Queeu Victoria, the Gover- nor- 'Genomal Baron Liagar, Ontario Iàeutenant-Governor Sir William Howland and Primo Miniater Sir John A. Macdonald. Ho lived at'bis castle for 12 yearsand then.,sold it te the Methdlist. Church for ,a1 ladies' college iu 1874. Reynolds' greateat achiove- ment may have been bis father- ing 24 cbildren by two wives, 12 each. Ho died in Whitby in 1881 at age 67. Another membor* of royalty visited Whitby in 1860 when the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, was iuvolved- in a tawn scaudal of sorts. When ho arrived at the train station to a cmowd of 10,000, the prince wu tao bm bougbt by caraeta the harbour, where ho ol talc. a boat to Toronto. John Hamn Perny aud' tawn council woro at odds witb each other bocause both offéred the th ric carnage and'two horses othjourney to the harbour. The town carage was last in Uine and waaexpectd to take the pnce. Then mayor Hg James Macdonnell asked the prince, to. get inside erys, car age ,a soon as ho arrived iity But before any had chance ta- meet tre. prince, bis carnage was. already on its way ta, the harbour.' 1 1 1.-Th irony is many ladies sat in the tawn's carniage believing the pirince had sat in it. When the fruth was discovered, they wore rather annoyed. 1 h Despite nover bein& sd h carriage cost the Town over $100. Almost 100 years ago, in.1897. a losing politician by the namne Ernie Gross stabbed future Whitby ina yor Albert Wilson Jackson in the face following the latter 's brother Tom's victory ta town council. Jackson went on te a political career lasting from . 190 1 ta 1939, including two terms- as Whitby ~ingoby probably doean't have a night watchman like it did back ni the 1920's. John Thomas kept -an oye out for any trouble in Whitby from 1921 ta 1949 and was paid b the downtown merchants through a special tax. His firat night on the job ended with Thomas fining six point- blank shots at a burgiar --but hoe missed. In 1861-62, *a 'Mri. Glass' apparontly had a houa. of,«fil faine,» from which many mon wone seen leaving throughout the WVhen Whitby's chief jonstùble Alexander Cameron, confronted hem, Mis. Glass warned himi she would use a loadod revolver if nocossary. Later, Mms. Glass picked up a p * a-enniles14-yea-od iin Toronto ta, «work7 in ber houa. The young girl had run away from homo but when she wont missing for a few days, bier father called police ta findhis daughter. Cameron found the girl at Mrs. Glass' homeand contacted the father. Under the, naine of Mmr* . Brown, the notorlous Mra.-'Glas wrote the girl's father a letter ta' inform hini that she did not have his daughter. Tho girl, evenitually was mes- cued by Cameron ami her fatheré. NELSON Gilbert Reynolds buit Trafalgar Castie where ho entertained royalty. Ho also.- fathored 24 childron. whtbyàreblws photo who'refused ta prou charges againat Mrs. Glassi. Thon Wbitby Chroniclo editor William Henry Higgmgs deman- ded action from ton council, desrbi e as a «villainous wickd woan (wbho) escapos uuigmn for one Of the most ainnable crfimes that a debased aud depraved wretcb could ibô guly of committing." When Mra. Glass was charged witb selling liquor' without . a licence a week later, a3h. assaul- ted Cameron with an axe,-., Mma. Glass was charird witb assanît but no, record0f h or trial can b. found in the newpapera and a h. was nover heardfrom again -ni Whitby. WuHrtBY'S nmght watchman from 1926 to 1949, John. Thomas onco firod --point blank - six builets-unsuc- cossfully at a thief. whtwAmubvm.photo <CNIB Durhamn Region Service in facilitatinc accosa .to, Centre will hold an open bouse on infemation for 9undreds of blind TuesdY, Feb. 4, 2 to 5 p.m., at and visalý imaord rosideto the centre, 81 King St. E., unit 2, C N B h o d p e Ps ' or fncn.c ,Oshawa, as part o ainlMraSitoinain n WVhite Cane Week, Feb. 2 to 8. Mari Saint oittio Tins ~~~~~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ M -st NB adiatamn rie n mbl ntutror Rosina Tlsyear's theme 's«Acces o NI ndj cdctives o mnsrieBn preventing businosses or individuals on Feb. Coloelle, .rehabffitation teacheri Information,' and is designod ta improve the condition of the blindness. Certificates of merit 4 at 2:30 p.m., inrecognition of at the CNIB York-Dùrrbýim raise public awareneas about the> blind,.increasing ight enhance - will be pesntdto apocal an outstanding contribution made Service Centre at (416) 43617732. p