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HOME  DARKER SIDE

Who knew? Documenting historic Mississauga often brings to mind hardworking settlers carving the rural landscape from the untamed wilderness, of living harmoniously with each other as they attempt to survive and establish roots for their families. Every once in awhile, research uncovers a glimpse of a darker side, throwing a dim light into the historic shadows of our past, and reminding us that the landscape was not the only thing that had a touch of untamed wildness to it. This ongoing article series, dubbed “The Darker Side”, will uncover and share true tales of crime and punishment from historic Mississauga, circa 1820 to 1970. This is an ongoing project, and we will add new chapters to this story over time.

A Dandie Mystery

by Matthew Wilkinson

Thomas Dandie was born in County Flare, Ireland, in 1837. Together with his wife Sarah, he immigrated to Canada in 1861, settling in Streetsville. Thomas was a painter by trade, and his skills were in demand in his new home. Thomas is said to have been a “Dandie by name and Dandy by nature”, and always carried himself straight and proud.
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A Dubious Distinction – the Train Robbery of 1874

by Suzanna Elmazi

Nothing like this had ever happened in Canada before. On the evening of Friday, November 13th, 1874, the American Express Special, a train travelling along the Great Western Railway, left the Hamilton Railway Station at 5 o’clock in the evening, and arrived, on time, at Port Credit. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until the train arrived at Union Station missing some $150,000 worth of money and valuables, and with two employees gagged and bound.
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Strange Disappearance of George Silverthorn

by Matthew Wilkinson

A strange romance was woven into the fabric of the family history, when one of the sons wedded to a Miss (Leonard), daughter of another pioneer family of the district, disappeared on his wedding day. The wedding over, and while the guests yet thronged the house, there came a summons for the bridegroom. He answered the door, went outside and closed it behind him and was never heard of again, though search parties scoured the woods for days.
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A Streetsville Scoundrel

by Andrea Kennedy

Frank Rutledge, born in Streetsville in 1869, is far from the typical citizen of the area. Being the middle child of Sgt. Joseph Jabez Rutledge’s five sons, and with his youngest brother being a Constable, one might think Frank to be a law abiding resident in the Village of Streetsville … but this could not be further from the truth.
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An “Epidemic of Thefts” Unsolved

Matthew Wilkinson

The October 22nd, 1927 issue of the Toronto Daily Star carried the front page news of a series of thefts in the Port Credit vicinity. Targeted by the thieves in one night (the Star referred to them as “marauders”) were Hooper’s Drug Store, Kane and Culver’s Garage, the Red Bus Station, Imperial Oil gas station, and Cohen’s furnishing store
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Christmas Day Shooting

by Jenny Walker

The season of goodwill was found to be sadly lacking as John Davis Terrace shot a well-known farmer to death on Christmas day 1907, yet why he did so is a mystery to this day.
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The Jekyll and Hyde Chicken Farmer

by Matthew Wilkinson

Morris Gershon, a well-known Toronto poultry buyer, and his assistant, Murray Baker, went missing on June 19th, 1939. They have never been found, although police suspected that the pair met with foul play and were murdered. And they had their suspicions of who was responsible.
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Justice Undecided – Execution of Stefan Swyryda

by Deanna Natalizio

On April 12th 1908, Oleck Loutick was a hopeful 17 year-old, newly landed in Canada. Loutick’s plans of joining the track gangs on the Grand Truck Pacific took an inestimable turn. A mere four days after his arrival, he was found beaten to death in the woods of Erindale village. His alleged perpetrator, Stefan Swyryda, was a Polish immigrant living in York County. Swyryda disavowed his involvement in the murder throughout the entire period leading up to his hanging. His execution is historic in that it marked the first to take place in Peel County.
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The Murder of Noah Eaton

by Deanna Natalizio

On the night of February 20th, 1847, Noah Eaton was murdered in his cabin in Toronto Township (now Mississauga) at the age of 65. Surviving literature of the crime has implicated James Hamilton as the merciless wielder of the axe that took Eaton’s life.
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Liberty for the Bank Robber

by Sue Brettell

One December night, in a noisy tavern in downtown Toronto, three men discussed the idea of robbing a bank. At the time they had no particular bank in mind. The next morning, Friday December 9th, 1938, John Shea reportedly drove Alex McDonald, aged 21 and Leo Gauthier, aged 33, to the Canadian Bank of Commerce at Port Credit in a truck stolen from Damon Stannach’s radio store, where Shea was a manager. Just before noon, Shea parked the truck opposite the bank and the three men entered dressed in blue caps and overalls.
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The Streetsville Laundry Murder

by Nicole Mair

On the evening of June 9th, 1910, Miss Mabel Graydon left her home in Streetsville to walk Max, the family’s setter dog. As she passed by the laundry shop recently acquired by Joe Cong (alt. Chong, Gong), a Chinese man who moved to Streetsville from Toronto three months prior, she was unsettled. Lounging there outside the shop she saw two unfamiliar men.
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The Middle Road Tragedy

by Matthew Wilkinson

In Late 1893 and early 1894, fear gripped the residents of Port Credit, captivated local residents, and made headlines in newspapers, for it appeared that a murderer was on the loose.
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A Dubious Distinction – The Train Robbery of 1874

by Suzanna Elmazi

Nothing like this had ever happened in Canada before. On the evening of Friday, November 13th, 1874, the American Express Special, a train travelling along the Great Western Railway, left the Hamilton Railway Station at 5 o’clock in the evening, and arrived, on time, at Port Credit. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until the train arrived at Union Station missing some $150,000 worth of money and valuables, and with two employees gagged and bound.
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Trio of Murders

by Rachel Schleihauf

For several years, historic Mississauga was seemingly quiet rural home. In short, a lovely place where citizens enjoyed the comforts of a safe community and a growing economy. This vision experienced a drastic transformation in 1967-1968 when Mississauga was witness to three successive murders.
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