Hidden Ontario (30 page)

By 1848 the harbor had become so busy that a plank road was constructed to Port Perry to facilitate the movement of grain and lumber from the northern part of the region. Conflict arose over the name of the harbour, since “Windsor,” a name favoured by many residents, already existed elsewhere in the province. The name Whitby, from a seaside town in Yorkshire, England, was then assigned to the area. At least they got to keep the initial. Whitby was incorporated as a town in 1855.

Whitby circa 1880s. Looking closely at the picture, Whitby might have resembled Dodge City in the American southwest.

Courtesy of Whitby Historical Society

Sheriff Nelson Reynolds may not have been a Wyatt Earp, but he was an adventuresome fellow. A God-fearing man, he always mixed a taste for personal glory with his somewhat righteous goals. Few citizens of Whitby knew that in his youth he had been treasonous, part of the failed Rebellion of Upper Canada against the Family Compact. He was the man who would one day build the castle of his dreams, right in Whitby.

Born in Kingston in 1814, Reynolds rose to lead his own cavalry regiment there during the Rebellion of 1837. Government officials kept a watchful eye on him, since he never hid his criticism of the Family Compact. They were suspicious of Reynolds; they worried that instead of leading his troops in defence of Kingston against attack, he might join the opposing forces.

On the eve of February, 1837, an alarm was sounded, warning of the invasion by rebel forces. Thinking this could be the night that Reynolds would turn, patriotic officials ordered government troops to surround Reynolds and his men and to charge Reynolds with high treason. It had been a false alarm, and before Reynolds could lead a charge, he and his men were captured. Of course he refused arrest and stood his ground, until a musket cracked and a lead ball found its mark in his leg. Fearing for his life, he broke free and escaped across the American border with the help of his men.

In July 1838 he returned and surrendered to government officials. Led under guard to Fort Henry, he was imprisoned and charged with high treason. He conducted his own defence and set out to prove his innocence. He managed to do this because of the lack of evidence necessary to convict him.

With the news of his release, the soldiers of his former regiment rushed to meet their old friend. To rejoice in his freedom, they picked him up and carried him through the streets of Kingston.

Fourteen years later, in 1854, he was appointed sheriff of Ontario County. His duties included land arrangements, the signing of legal documents, and the foreclosure of mortgages.

It wasn't until 1859 that the sheriff began construction of Tralfager Castle at the east end of Dunlop Street in Whitby. This was his dream house, and because he hoped to gain the attention of royalty, should they visit, he spared no cost in its construction.

When it was finished, his elegant castle was built of stone, a monument to fine craftsmanship. Visitors could imagine they were in the English countryside when they gazed upon this dwelling.

His dream came true when, in 1864, Prince Arthur, third son of Queen Victoria and later the governor-general of Canada, visited the sheriff's castle. And, of course, Sir John A. MacDonald, fond of a dining invitation, also visited en route.

In 1872 the purse strings drew to a close. Sadly, elegance and extravagance cost Reynolds his castle. Although forced to sell his dream, Sheriff Reynolds never lost sight of his vision. The moment Trafalger sold, Reynolds built again. This time his castle was a miniature replica of the former. At the age of 67, the sheriff slept his last night. In the meantime Trafalger Castle was taken over and converted to the Ontario Ladies College.

A mysterious murder occurred years later in Whitby. It happened in the early hours of December 11, 1914. Twenty-one-year-old telegraph operator William Stone Jr. would sit quietly at his desk in the Whitby Train Station recording the trains that passed and noting any telegraph messages. This night seemed like any other. Nothing really exciting ever happened as the townspeople slept in their beds. Something was brewing that night, however, and it was about to explode. At 12:37 a.m., a shot was fired from the darkness. Billy Stone toppled out of his chair and landed with a thud on the floor. By some miracle he managed to crawl to a phone and call for help. Leslie Cormack, the operator for the local Bell Telephone switchboard, answered his call.

“Get the chief, quick; I've been shot,” gasped Stone.

“Who did it?” responded Cormack, while she dialed Police Chief Charles F. MacGrotty.

Stone answered, “I don't know, but get the chief quick”.

As Chief MacGrotty picked up the phone, there was silence.

Was William dead?

The chief rushed out and headed downtown to fetch the night watchman, John Patterson. Together they travelled to the train station. It was an eerie sight. The shade on William's desk light had been turned to cast its rays of lights on the tracks. Peering in the window they saw Stone lying on the office floor. The telephone receiver was under his lifeless body.

The chief forced the door open and quickly rushed to Stone. He was dead. The chief peered around the room but saw no indication of a struggle. Was robbery a motive? He checked the cash drawer but nothing had been taken. He turned to William's entry book. The last recorded train was a freight train going east at 12:15 a.m., approximately 20 minutes prior to the alarming phone call. Who killed Stone?

The chief then discovered the bloody imprint of a hand on one of the cabinets. Stone's hands were clean of blood. Could this be the handprint of the killer?

News of the murder spread and speculation abounded — a passing tramp, perhaps. The call went out to Ontario Provincial Police Inspector William Greer.

Two leads led to dead ends. The mystery seemed to deepen when Stone's sister reported having had a dream the week before her brother's death in which she had seen him shot at work in the same manner as the actual crime.

An inquest into the murder began in January 1915, and continued intermittently until June when another event shed some light on the crime. Apparently, William Stone Sr., the murder victim's father, had arrived home late on the evening of June 18 after consuming some spirits in a nearby hotel. He thought he had become a suspect.

Stone Sr. went to pieces when he was called as a witness at the inquest. Somehow he had assumed that he was now the target of the investigation. He was sure that the authorities were linking him to his son's murder. Unable to bear up, Billy's Father set out that night to end his life. At the Grand Trunk Railway, not too far from the scene of the crime, he lay down on the tracks and waited. William Stone Sr. was killed instantly. Was he the murderer?

It was plausible. William Stone Sr. did have a reputation as a heavy drinker and had appeared in court relatively recently on charges of assaulting his daughter while under the influence. He had even threatened to kill her. Had he killed his own son for insurance money?

Harry Birmingham, a close friend of William Stone Jr., had been the last person to see him before his death. Birmingham claimed he had left the station at 11:30 p.m. on the night of the murder. Birmingham had apparently said that he and Stone had been fired at in a field by Corbett's Crossing (Thickson and the CNR). However, Birmingham denied this story at the inquest.

Two bus drivers who had often chatted with the victim when they arrived at the station to pick up passengers testified that one, and sometimes two, revolvers were kept in the drawer of Stone's desk. Were the revolvers in the desk drawer on the night of the murder? The police found no revolvers in the drawer. Birmingham owned an old revolver, but the .38 calibre bullet that killed Stone did not fit his gun. Birmingham was cleared.

Brian Winters, Whitby's historical archivist, first reported this story in the local paper and adds, “One Whitby resident recalls that many years later, in the 1920s or 30s a man was executed in the United States. As the trap door dropped, he confessed to a murder in Whitby. But it was too late to find out what murder it was, for he was dead before he could complete what he was saying.”

The murder of Billy Stone remains unsolved. Who really left their bloody handprint at the scene of the crime? Does Billy still haunt the old Train Station?

A famous sheriff and a famous murder — just a glimpse of the colourful history of this portside town.

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The index that appeared in the print version of this title was intentionally removed from the eBook. Please use the search function on your eReading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.

 

Acton

Adams

Ezra

Rufus

Zenas

Adams, Thomas

Adamsville

Agawa Rock

Agawa Valley

Ajax

Alexander, W.W.

Algonquin Logging Museum

Algonquin Provincial Park

Amherst

Annwood

Ansnorveldt

Ash, Samuel

Ashbridge, Sarah

Ashburnham

Bach, Wilhelm

Baddeley, Lieutenant

Badgley, Reverend C.H.

Bailey, Alexander

Bala

Baldoon

Bancroft

Barker, Alfred

Barrie

Batchawana Bay

Bates, August

Bay of Quinte

Bayfield, Captain

Beal, John

Beardmore, George L.

Beardmore Sons

Beatty, J.W.

Beatty, Jim

Beatty, William

Beaverton

Begg, Alexander

Belleville

Bennett, Captain Lewis

Bethune, Rev. Charles J.S.