DOCSLIB.ORG

Paul/Markham Gang Document

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Paul/Markham Gang Document Mayhem to Murder The History of The Markham Gang Organized Crime in Canada West during the 1840s. by Paul Arculus The Markham Gang Murder & Mayhem Contents Mayhem to Murder Acknowledgements The History of the Markham Gang List of Illustrations. Organized Crime in Canada in the 1840’s. Introduction. By Paul Arculus Chapter 1. The Morrow Attack. Chapter 2. Burglary to Horse Stealing. Chapter 3. Setting. Copyright 2003: Paul Arculus Chapter 4. Members of the Markham Gang. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, Chapter 5. Origins of the Markham Gang. stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise Chapter 6. The Arrests and Early Trials. (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of the author. Chapter 7. Later Arrests and Trials, 1846. Chapter 8. The Morrow Trials. Canadian Cataloguing Information Chapter 9. The Markham Murder. Arculus, Paul, 1935- Chapter 10. The Aftermath. From Mayhem to Murder: The History of the Markham Gang. Organized crime in Canada in the 1840’s. Chapter 11. Conclusion. Includes bibliographical references. Appendix 1. Members of the Markham Gang. ISBN 0-9684932 – 5 - 4 Appendix 2. Jails of Canada West. Published by: Appendix 3. Jury Members for Home District Trials, Spring 1846. Observer Publishing of Port Perry Port Perry Star Building Appendix 4. Major Reported Crimes of 1845. 188 Mary Street Port Perry ON L9L 1B7 Appendix 5. John Strachan and his Students. Printed in Canada by: Bibliography. PP Print and Digital Services Inc. 201 North Street Index. Port Perry ON L9L 1B7 2 3 The Markham Gang Murder & Mayhem Doug Willson, Markham, Ontario Acknowledgements The following have helped me in a variety of tasks, not the least of which has been the proof reading and editing: The work involved in researching and writing this book has given Bruce Arculus, CBC Newsworld, Toronto, Ontario. me much pleasure. One of the many rewards has been the joy of Peter Hvidsten, Port Perry Star, Port Perry Ontario. working with a large number of people. All of the following have Diane Lackie, Port Perry, Ontario. given freely of their time and talents to enable me to complete the Bill Lishman, Blackstock, Ontario. work. Bill Minors, Books Galore and More, Port Perry, Ontario. For guidance and assistance in the research, I am indebted to the Dr. Ralph Price, Port Perry, Ontario. following: John Barton, Archives of Ontario, Toronto. Jane Anne McGill of Seagrave, Ontario, is a lawyer in Toronto and Craig Belfry and staff at the Scugog Shores Museum and Archives, has carefully scanned the text from her professional perspective and Port Perry. corrected information and added many helpful suggestions. Tom Bonano and staff at the Memorial Library, Port Perry. Heather Home, Queen’s University Archives. In addition to contributing a considerable amount of research from Elizabeth Hunter, Markham District Historical Museum. his files of the Pickering connections in the affairs of the Markham Paul D. McIlroy, Justice Portfolio Archivist, Archives of Ontario, Gang, Dr. John Sabean has been constantly pushing me to complete Toronto. the study and to get it into print. He has aided me in his frequent Allan McGillivray, Curator/Director, Uxbridge Scott Museum, editings and revisions and has provided numerous suggestions for Uxbridge, Ontario. many improvements in the presentation of the text. Tom Mohr, Pickering Township Historical Society, Pickering, Ontario. Peter Hvidsten and I have worked together for a number of years Dr. John Sabean, Pickering Township Historical Society. on many historical projects, including a book that we co-authored in Dave St.Onge, Curator, Correctional Service of Canada, Kingston, 2002, Historical Homes and Estates of Port Perry. Peter has spent Ontario. untold hours in laying out the text of this work on the Markham Brian Winter, Archivist, Whitby Archives, Whitby, Ontario. Gang, scanning and reproducing the illustrations and presenting the The staff, particularly those in the Baldwin Room, at the Toronto final work on disc to the printer. His technical expertise, his Reference Library on Yonge Street, Toronto. encouragement and support in this project has been invaluable. A number of descendants of people involved in the affairs of the My heartfelt thanks go out to all of the above and to my wife Isabel Markham Gang have been generous in their help: (Liz) for her phenomenal patience and tolerance of my ten-year Judith Barr, Meaford, Ontario. obsession with the affairs of the Markham Gang. The late Fred Christie, Prince Albert, Ontario. Wanda Cocco, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. William Gottschalk, Fullerton, California. Paul Arculus Bev Hopkins, Oshawa, Ontario. Seagrave, Ontario. Diane Kaczor, Rochester Hills, Michigan. May 2003, one hundred and fifty years after the release of the last of Diane McGregor, Thornbury, Ontario. the Markham Gang members from Kingston Penitentiary. Gordon Rea Pennock, Palmyra, Maine, U.S.A. Lane Prentice, Little Britain, Ontario 4 5 The Markham Gang Murder & Mayhem among the pioneer families, including many United Empire Loyalists, and the early businesses in the communities of south- central Ontario. Indeed many of those convicted went on to become Introduction prominent citizens themselves; their criminal past somehow kept quiet. In the early 1840’s robberies, burglaries and similar crimes appear Information on the Markham Gang is rare and falls into two to have been just as commonplace as they are today. By 1845 a few general categories: factual and fictional. people began to think that there was a link in some of the crimes Factual; being committed. In June that year, Hugh Scobie, owner and (1) Newspaper articles of 1845-46, publisher of the British Colonist, a popular Toronto newspaper, (2) A 24 page pamphlet on the Markham Gang, which went on sale a revealed that an organized gang of robbers was in operation across month after the trials were completed in 1846. This pamphlet was the province. Scobie identified the outlaws as the "Markham Gang." merely a reprint of the articles that had appeared in the issues of As the year progressed the activities of the gang were slowly British Colonist of June and July 1846. revealed. The range of crimes was extensive - from petty theft to an (3) Five pages in Attitudes Toward Crime and Punishment in Upper elaborate system of horse stealing and from forgery to murder. Their Canada, 1830-1850, by J.M. Beattie published in 1977. This crimes extended throughout the province and beyond. consists of reprints of two articles; one from the Toronto Examiner From evidence provided in court and other information provided, and the other from the Brockville Recorder, both of 1846. it was obvious that the crimes were carefully planned and executed. (4) A 6-page essay written by noted historian Edwin Guillet in 1947. Relatively intimate details of the victims were carefully gathered so (5) Extremely rare and brief references to the gang in a few local that the offences could be committed with an optimum chance of histories such as Burrs and Blackberries from Goodwood, a History success. Goods and merchandise were disposed of, not in the of Uxbridge Township, printed in 1980 by the author, Eleanor Todd. community in which they were stolen, and not by those who had (6) A few remaining administrative documents such as Judges’ stolen them, but by other members of the gang in locations well away Bench notes and jail records. from the scenes of the crimes. Gang members took an oath of secrecy. They vowed to support Fictional; each other in any way possible. They pledged to provide alibis in case (7) A novel, entitled The Four Canadian Highwaymen or, The they were arrested, and to back each other in court. This was a Robbers of the Markham Swamp written by Edmund Collins. This homegrown, nineteenth century Canadian "Mafia," a "mob," one of was a work of fiction, a highly romanticized work with only vague the earliest known cases of organized crime in British North references to the actual activities of the gang. It appeared in print America. in 1886. No records of the actual oaths are known to exist; certainly none (8) A chapter entitled "The Swamp Raiders," in Canada’s Greatest were presented at the time of the trials. No members’ lists were ever Crimes by Thomas P. Kelly. The account of the Markham gang’s found. Indeed, no written records are known to have emerged from activities is given, again, a romanticized and largely fictional their activities. All the information of their activities is derived from treatment. the few remaining court records and from the press. One of the disturbing aspects of the Markham Gang is that its Why has nothing further been written about this gang and the members were not idle, unemployed ne’er-do-wells or vagrants; they tyranny perpetrated by its members? Why is there so little reference were successful merchants and businessmen, and errant sons and to the Markham Gang in the local histories of the communities daughters of respectable families. They came mainly from the affected, particularly in Markham and the communities of Ontario regions east and north east of Toronto, but some came from County, now the Region of Durham, immediately east of Toronto? communities beyond. Their surnames were readily recognized Another set of intriguing questions also arises. Why were the 6 7 The Markham Gang Murder & Mayhem death sentences of certain gang members commuted to life and colourful, but it only assumes validity and accuracy when we imprisonment and why were these men eventually released after view the whole spectrum of the behaviour of its characters and the serving extremely short sentences? Why are the names of certain events that they precipitated.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace
    TIlE COURT OF GENERAL QUARTER SESSIONS OF TIlE PEACE: LOCAL ADMINISTRATION IN PRE-MUNICIPAL UPPER CANADA THE COURT OF GENERAL QUARTER SESSIONS OF THE PEACE: LOCAL ADMINISTRATION IN PRE-MUNICIPAL UPPER CANADA THE COURT OF GENERAL QUARTER SESSIONS OF THE PEACE: LOCAL ADMINISTRATION IN PRE-MUNICIPAL UPPER CANADA by JAMES K.. V/ILSON, B.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts McMaster University September, 1991 MASTER OF ARTS (1991) McMASTER UNIVERSITY (History) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: THE COURT OF GENERAL QUARTER SESSIONS OF THE PEACE: LOCAL ADMINISTRATION IN PRE-MUNICIPAL UPPER CANADA AUTHOR: James K. Wilson, B.A. (University of Western Ontario) SUPERVISOR: Professor John c.. Weaver NUMBER OF PAGES: vi, 120 ii ABSTRACT Between 1800 and 1832 virtually all aspects of local administration in Upper Canada were overseen by those men appointed to the office of Justice of the Peace. During this era the Justices of the Peace sitting in the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace accumulated. the vast majoI1ty of administrative and judicial powers granted by the Colonial Government to oversee local settlement. In the District of Johnstown, prior to its spectacular growth between 1:816 and 1820, the monopoly of power which the Magistrates were granted allowed them to effectively administer to the administrative and judicial needs of the settlers in the District. However, as the population of the colony grew and administration became more time-consuming and complex, an unwieldy number administrative tasks were placed upon the shoulders of the Justices of the Peace.
    [Show full text]
  • Canadian Biography
    CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY: A.ttorney-Gereral, came one day to our sub- Though achieving many brilliant successes, 15. He was the second son of Mr. once he found disaster, when in 1873 the lacdonald, who lived originally in ieet and said, " Tour turn has come at last, Macdonald." He became Receiver-General, Legislature declared him guilty of cor- sh of Dornoch, Sutherlandshire, but rupt collusion with Sir Hugh Allan in a ly in life removed to Canada. When but after a brief period assumed the man- o-ement of Crown Lands, where, in a short transaction relating to the construction of igration movement began in 1820, a the Canadian Pacific llailway; but whether gh Macdonald and his family (John time he reduced much confusion to har- mony. But in 1849 the reformers under Mr. this most successful and able statesman ier being then in his fifth year) took was guilty of the charge laid at his door for British North America. Me. Baldwin and M. Lafontaine were triumph- ant- and during the riot and incendiarism of or not, the people forgave him, and in laid settled near Kingston, then the 1878, with loud acclamation, took him bank iportant town in Upper Canada ; and that year we see Mr. Macdonald's figure and hear some of his impassioned utter- again to power. Sir John has always ssiding here for upwards of four years, stood in high regard in the mother coun- lily moved to Quinte Bay, leaving ances. On the downfall of the Hincks-Morin Cabinet, he became Attorney-General- try, and in 1879 was sworn in a member Alexander, then in his tenth year, at of Her Majesty's Privy Council.
    [Show full text]
  • Ontario: the Centre of Confederation?
    University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository University of Calgary Press University of Calgary Press Open Access Books 2018-10 Reconsidering Confederation: Canada's Founding Debates, 1864-1999 University of Calgary Press Heidt, D. (Ed.). (2018). "Reconsidering Confederation: Canada's Founding Debates, 1864-1999". Calgary, AB: University of Calgary Press. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/108896 book https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca RECONSIDERING CONFEDERATION: Canada’s Founding Debates, 1864–1999 Edited by Daniel Heidt ISBN 978-1-77385-016-0 THIS BOOK IS AN OPEN ACCESS E-BOOK. It is an electronic version of a book that can be purchased in physical form through any bookseller or on-line retailer, or from our distributors. Please support this open access publication by requesting that your university purchase a print copy of this book, or by purchasing a copy yourself. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] Cover Art: The artwork on the cover of this book is not open access and falls under traditional copyright provisions; it cannot be reproduced in any way without written permission of the artists and their agents. The cover can be displayed as a complete cover image for the purposes of publicizing this work, but the artwork cannot be extracted from the context of the cover of this specific work without breaching the artist’s copyright. COPYRIGHT NOTICE: This open-access work is published under a Creative Commons licence.
    [Show full text]
  • History 3231F
    THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY Autumn 2012 HISTORY 3231F “Yours to Discover”: A History of Ontario Roger Hall Time: Wed” 1:30-3:30 Lawson Hall 2228 Place: STVH 2166 [email protected] The course is a survey of Ontario’s rich and varied past commencing with its founding as the colony of Upper Canada in the aftermath of the American Revolution and stretching to the modern day. Conducted in the form of a workshop with instructor and students both participating, a chronological frame is followed although individual sessions will pursue separate themes revealing the changing politics, society and economy. Each session, of which there will be two per weekly meeting, will include a brief introduction to the topic by the instructor, and then a verbal report prepared by a student, followed by questions and discussion. Assigned readings should make the discussion informative. Readings will be from prescribed texts, internet and library sources and handouts. There will be no mid-terms in this course. Reports will be made by students throughout the course; the essay themes can be the same as the reports—needless to say a superior performance will be expected in written work. There will be ONE essay and a final examination. GRADE BREAKDOWN Reports: 30% General Class Participation: 20% Essay 25% Final Exam 25% TEXTS: Randall White, Ontario, 1610-1985 (Toronto, Dundurn Press). Edgar-Andre Montigny and Lori Chambers, Ontario since Confederation, A Reader (Toronto, University of Toronto Press) R. Hall, W. Westfall and L. Sefton MacDowell, Patterns of the Past: Interpreting Ontario’s History (Toronto, Dundurn Press).
    [Show full text]
  • The Dynamics of Local Government in Six Upper Canadian Towns During the Era of Commercial Capitalism, 1832-1860
    LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SIX UPPER CANADIAN TOWNS, 1832-1860 BY AND FOR THE LARGE PROPERTIED INTERESTS: THE DYNAMICS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SIX UPPER CANADIAN TOWNS DURING THE ERA OF COMMERCIAL CAPITALISM, 1832-1860 By WILLIAM THOMAS MATTHEWS, B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University February, 1985 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (1985} McMASTER UNIVERSITY (Hi story} Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: By and For the Large Propertied Interests: The Dynamics of Local Government in Six Upper Canadian Towns During the Era of Commercial Capitalism, 1832-1860 AUTHOR: William Thomas Matthews, B.A. (University of Western Ontario) M.A. (McMaster University) SUPERVISOR: Doctor John C. Weaver NUMBER OF PAGES: vi, 407 i i HiES IS ABSTRACT THESIS ABSTRACT: 11 By and For the Large Propertied Interests: The Dynamics of Local Government in Six Upper Canadian Towns During the Era of Commercial Capitalism, 1832-1860." This dissertation analyzes the dynamics of local government in six communities Brockville, Hamilton, Kingston, Ottawa, St. Catharines and Toronto. Traditional politico-constitutional histories were obsessed with tracing the steady growth of participatory democracy at the local level. In contrast, this study adopts a more critical perspective, documenting the manner in which local elites utilized municipal government to shape the development of the province's urban communities. Among the relevant issues examined are the incorporation of towns and cities, the regulation of the public market, the expansion of municipal services, the subsidization of i nterna1 improvement projects, and the struggle to preserve public order and morality.
    [Show full text]
  • Criminal Law in Upper Canada a Century Ago William Renwick Riddell
    Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume 10 | Issue 4 Article 5 1920 Criminal Law in Upper Canada a Century Ago William Renwick Riddell Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons Recommended Citation William Renwick Riddell, Criminal Law in Upper Canada a Century Ago, 10 J. Am. Inst. Crim. L. & Criminology 516 (May 1919 to February 1920) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. CRIMINAL LAW IN UPPER CANADA A CENTURY AGO WILLIAm RENWICK RI7DDELL" When examining for another purpose the original manuscripts in the Archives at Ottawa of the dates shortly before and at the time of the War of 1812-14, I perused many original reports from assize judges2 and other documents of an interesting character from the point of view of criminal law. 'LL.D., F.R.S. Can., etc., Justice of the Supreme Court of Ontario. 2While after the formation of the province there seems to have been no statutory or other obligation of a legal nature upon them so to do, it was the custom from the beginning of the separate provincial life of Upper Canada in 1792, as before, for the trial judges to make a report to the lieutenant governor upon every capital case in which a conviction was made and the prisoner sentenced to death.
    [Show full text]
  • York Region Heritage Directory Resources and Contacts 2011 Edition
    York Region Heritage Directory Resources and Contacts 2011 edition The Regional Municipality of York 17250 Yonge Street Newmarket, ON L3Y 6Z1 Tel: (905)830-4444 Fax: (905)895-3031 Internet: http://www.york.ca Disclaimer This directory was compiled using information provided by the contacted organization, and is provided for reference and convenience. The Region makes no guarantees or warranties as to the accuracy of the information. Additions and Corrections If you would like to correct or add information to future editions of this document, please contact the Supervisor, Corporate Records & Information, Office of the Regional Clerk, Regional Municipality of York or by phone at (905)830-4444 or toll- free 1-877-464-9675. A great debt of thanks is owed for this edition to Lindsay Moffatt, Research Assistant. 2 Table of Contents Page No. RESOURCES BY TYPE Archives ……………………………………………………………..… 5 Historical/Heritage Societies ……………………………… 10 Libraries ……………………………………………………………… 17 Museums ………………………………………………………………21 RESOURCES BY LOCATION Aurora …………………………………………………………………. 26 East Gwillimbury ………………………………………………… 28 Georgina …………………………………………………………….. 30 King …………………………………………………………………….. 31 Markham …………………………………………………………….. 34 Newmarket …………………………………………………………. 37 Richmond Hill ……………………………………………………… 40 Vaughan …………………………………………………………….. 42 Whitchurch-Stouffville ……………………………………….. 46 PIONEER CEMETERIES ………..…………..………………….. 47 Listed alphabetically by Local Municipality. RESOURCES OUTSIDE YORK REGION …………….…… 62 HELPFUL WEBSITES ……………………………………………… 64 INDEX…………………………………………………………………….. 66 3 4 ARCHIVES Canadian Quaker Archives at Pickering College Website: http://www.pickeringcollege.on.ca Email: [email protected] Phone: 905-895-1700 Address: 16945 Bayview Ave., Newmarket, ON, L3Y 4X2 Description: The Canadian Quaker Archives of the Canadian Yearly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) is housed at Pickering College in Newmarket. The records of Friends’ Monthly and Yearly Meetings in Canada are housed here.
    [Show full text]
  • Organizovaný Zločin V První Polovině 20. Století
    Západo česká univerzita v Plzni Fakulta filozofická Diplomová práce Organizovaný zlo čin v první polovin ě 20. století Kokaislová Lucie Plze ň 2014 Západo česká univerzita v Plzni Fakulta filozofická Katedra historických v ěd Studijní program Historické v ědy Studijní obor Moderní d ějiny Diplomová práce Organizovaný zlo čin v první polovin ě 20. století Kokaislová Lucie Vedoucí práce: PhDr. Roman Kodet, Ph.D. Katedra historických v ěd Fakulta filozofická Západo české univerzity v Plzni Plze ň 2014 Prohlašuji, že jsem práci vypracoval(a) samostatn ě a použil(a) jen uvedených pramen ů a literatury. Plze ň, duben 2014 ......................................... Obsah Úvod .................................................................................................................. 5 1 Italská mafie................................................................................................ 11 1.1. Sicilská mafie ........................................................................................................... 13 1.1.1. Pojem, struktura a inicia ční rituál ..................................................................... 14 1.1.2. Otázka vzniku a p ůvodu, a dokumenty popisující uskupení podobná mafii ...... 17 1.1.3. Vývoj .................................................................................................................. 20 1.2. Camorra ................................................................................................................... 25 1.2.1. P ůvod, pojem, inicia ční rituál a struktura
    [Show full text]
  • Conflict & Challenges
    Conflict & Challenges Grade 7 Written by Eleanor M. Summers & Ruth Solski This history series was developed to make history curriculum accessible to students at multiple skill levels and with various learning styles. The content covers key topics required for seventh grade history and supports the updated 2013 Ontario Curriculum: History Grade 7. Each topic is presented in a clear, concise manner, which makes the information accessible to struggling learners, but is also appropriate for students performing at or above grade level. Illustrations, maps, and diagrams visually enhance each topic covered and provide support for visual learners. The reading passages focus on the significant people, historic events, and changes in the government that were important to Canadian history between 1800 and 1850, giving students a good overall understanding of this time period. Eleanor Summers is a retired Ruth Solski was an educator for elementary teacher who 30 years, and has created many continues to be involved in teaching resources. As a writer, various levels of education. Her her goal is to provide teachers goal is to write creative and with a useful tool that they can practical resources for teachers use in their classrooms to bring to use in their literacy programs. the joy of learning to children. Copyright © On The Mark Press 2014 This publication may be reproduced under licence from Access Copyright, or with the express written permission of On The Mark Press, or as permitted by law. All rights are otherwise reserved, and no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning, recording or otherwise, except as specifically authorized.
    [Show full text]
  • The Perilous Escape of William Lyon Mackenzie December 7 to 11, 1837 Christopher Raible
    Document generated on 09/26/2021 7:53 a.m. Ontario History “A journey undertaken under peculiar circumstances” The Perilous Escape of William Lyon Mackenzie December 7 to 11, 1837 Christopher Raible Volume 108, Number 2, Fall 2016 Article abstract When his 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion came to a sudden end with the routing URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1050592ar of rebels at Montgomery’s Tavern on 7 December, William Lyon Mackenzie DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1050592ar was forced to run for his life. With a price on his head, travelling mostly by night—west toward the Niagara Escarpment, south around the end of Lake See table of contents Ontario and then east across the Niagara peninsula—the rebel leader made his way from a village north of Toronto to safety across the Niagara River in the United States. His journey of more than 150 miles took five days ( four nights) Publisher(s) on foot, on horseback, and on wagon or sleigh, was aided by more than thirty different individuals and families. At great personal risk, they fed him, nursed The Ontario Historical Society him, hid him, advised him, accompanied him. This article maps Mackenzie’s exact route, identifies those who helped him, and reflects on the natural ISSN hazards and human perils he encountered. 0030-2953 (print) 2371-4654 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Raible, C. (2016). “A journey undertaken under peculiar circumstances”: The Perilous Escape of William Lyon Mackenzie December 7 to 11, 1837. Ontario History, 108(2), 131–155. https://doi.org/10.7202/1050592ar Copyright © The Ontario Historical Society, 2016 This document is protected by copyright law.
    [Show full text]
  • Community and Politics in Antebellum New York City Irish Gang Subculture James
    The Communal Legitimacy of Collective Violence: Community and Politics in Antebellum New York City Irish Gang Subculture by James Peter Phelan A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Department of History and Classics University of Alberta ©James Phelan, 2014 ii Abstract This thesis examines the influences that New York City‘s Irish-Americans had on the violence, politics, and underground subcultures of the antebellum era. During the Great Famine era of the Irish Diaspora, Irish-Americans in Five Points, New York City, formed strong community bonds, traditions, and a spirit of resistance as an amalgamation of rural Irish and urban American influences. By the middle of the nineteenth century, Irish immigrants and their descendants combined community traditions with concepts of American individualism and upward mobility to become an important part of the antebellum era‘s ―Shirtless Democracy‖ movement. The proto-gang political clubs formed during this era became so powerful that by the late 1850s, clashes with Know Nothing and Republican forces, particularly over New York‘s Police force, resulted in extreme outbursts of violence in June and July, 1857. By tracking the Five Points Irish from famine to riot, this thesis as whole illuminates how communal violence and the riots of 1857 may be understood, moralised, and even legitimised given the community and culture unique to Five Points in the antebellum era. iii Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • "The Laws Are Like Cobwebs": Popular Resistance to Authority in Mid-Nineteenth Century British North America
    Dalhousie Law Journal Volume 8 Issue 3 Article 6 10-1-1984 "The Laws Are Like Cobwebs": Popular Resistance to Authority in Mid-Nineteenth Century British North America Michael S. Cross Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.schulichlaw.dal.ca/dlj Part of the Criminal Law Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Michael S. Cross, “"The Laws Are Like Cobwebs": Popular Resistance to Authority in Mid-Nineteenth Century British North America” (1984) 8:3 DLJ 103. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Schulich Law Scholars. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dalhousie Law Journal by an authorized editor of Schulich Law Scholars. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "The Laws Are Like Cobwebs": Popular Resistance to Authority in Mid-Nineteenth Century British North America Michael S. Cross* The three men began their work on the morning of 26 January 1850. They were in the snowy street of the village of St.-Grrgoire le Grand, on the St. Lawrence south shore, to assess the population for school taxes. Hardly had they begun when they were confronted by a mob of three hundred angry men who ordered them to stop, tore up and burned their assessment books, and warned them not to attempt to carry out the government's work. A week later, on 2 February, the assessors went to the grand jury of the Court of Queen's Bench at Trois Rivi~res, seeking an accusation for rioting against the ringleaders of the St.- Grgoire resistance.
    [Show full text]