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garryspolicememories · 5 years

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Policing Memories of

Garry Crawford Circa 1962

Part VI

I have attached a photo of members of our 1963 Recruit Class No. 6 at the Aylmer Police College. The class consisted of members of Municipal and OPP forces from all over Ontario. It was amazing how the class members bonded over the term of the class. One of the humorous stories I remember happened on a day when we were taking PT training outside. Someone spotted a Jackrabbit. We decided as a group we would try to catch it. It was a big jackrabbit. We formed a big circle and slowly started to make it smaller. The rabbit ignored us at first but as we got closer it froze. The circle was down to about 10 feet in diameter, when he decided to move. I did not think he could move that fast. He took two bounces, one on the ground and one on one of the fellows back and he was gone. We had quite a discussion later. We were thinking what would have happened if one of us had caught the rabbit. The have exceptionally long legs and sharp claws. I think it would have been something like grabbing a wild cat by the tail.

It was around mid June that we had our graduation ceremony and all headed back to our respective postings. I was especially excited as I was returning with all of this new knowledge. My wife had presented us with another boy, and we had a new house. It was a busy weekend, packing up our family and moving back to Warren. I had not mentioned that the new house had no water in it. The facilities consisted of an outhouse that was attached to a woodshed fastened to the back of the house. There was a raised walkway from the back door through the woodshed to the outhouse, but that was as modern as it got. The previous owners did not have a well, but had a cistern in the basement that they had collected rainwater in. It was then pumped to the kitchen sink. There was no water now. The town of Warren had just recently installed a water system from a drilled well. There was a water line that crossed the front of our property. We did not have money for a backhoe. So I had to work with what I had. I think it was my first day in the house and I got out my shovel and started digging a trench for the water line from the house to the water line. I remember I had just started when my boss Dick Wood appeared on the scene. He asked if I had a second shovel and the two of us went to work. It was starting to get dark when we finished and I still have to smile when I remember the look on Dick’s face as I reached down and gave him a pull out of the ditch.

Within a couple of days we had hot and cold running water in the house. I made a septic system for the sink and a new automatic washing machine with two well tile and about five feet of perforated pipe. Not quite by todays standards, but it worked. We bought the washing machine and had the installation done by Chuck Drimmie a tradesman who lived down the street and sold and installed appliances. I believe at that time he also looked after the town water system.

I served a total of nine years at Warren Detchment as a Constable and had many an interesting adventure. One that comes to mind concerned another citizen who lived north of Hwy 17 in the Markstay area. We will call him Ziggy for the purposes of this story. He lived alone on a small farm. He was of Scandinavian decent. He only had one arm, the other was off between the shoulder and the elbow. I had met him on one of my patrols in the back country. I found out later that he had lost the arm as the result of a suicide attempt. He had attempted to shoot himself in the chest, had instead shot himself in the arm. His best friend and neighbour, Joe who lived across the road had heard the shot and gone to investigate. Ziggy was attempting to drink fly tox when he found him. Ziggy survived but lost his arm. Some people will read this and think that I am kind of a callus person and perhaps I am, but I have learned to not be too judgmental of these things. It is human nature to be depressed at times, how you are able to handle it depends on what you can do to prevent that feeling of loneness. I believe that anyone is susceptible to depression and if the circumstances are right we could take the easy way out, or should I say the perceived easy way out. To get on with the story I have attached a second photograph that shows the actual two chairs that Ziggy and Joe were sitting in one day having a little party. Joe was actually Ziggy’s brother-in-law from the old country. The marriage had not lasted. The two men are drunk and Joe starts teasing Ziggy about not being able to handle his sister. Ziggy suddenly grabs a paring knife off of the table and plunges it into Joes chest. He then pulls the knife back out and hands the knife to Joe, saying I stabbed you, now you stab me.

A long story short, I am dispatched, the ambulance is dispatched. Upon our arrival there are bubbles coming out the hole in Joe’s chest, we apply a battle dressing with vaselene applied to stop the air leakage. Joe goes to hospital and survives. I charge Ziggy with attempted murder. Ziggy pleads guilty to the charge and elects to be tried by Prov. Judge alone. The Judge hears all of the evidence then finds Ziggy guilty as charged. He fines him $500.00 and has him sign a bond to keep the peace be of good behavior and stay away from Joe. About a month later I am in the area and stop in to see how Ziggy is doing.

Joe and Ziggy are sitting in the same chairs polishing off a bottle of wine. I could have charged Ziggy and taken him back to court, but I thought it was a waste of everyones time. I ask them if they had made peace with each other and they laughed and said they had. I spent a little more time with them then left. Years later I was stationed at Wawa, Ontario and had occasion to run into one of the old Constables from Warren. He advised me that things had remained calm between the two friends. However Ziggy had suffered a brain aneurysm while out in a field near his house. When he was found they discovered that he had cleared an area approximately 50 feet in diameter trying to pull himself along with his one arm. He know doubt wanted to survive.

I Could Not Help But Laugh

During the 1960,s Bootleggers were still in demand. Warren Detachment like most others had their share of them. One of ours was Joe B. in Hagar. With Bootleggers the main thing was control. Joe B. got out of control when he started selling to the teenagers. We had to take action. The local dance hall was not too far away and I think old Joe thought he had too handy of a market to miss out. I had warned him a couple times about selling to minors. When he continued we started a surveillance on his residence; checking and finding the result of his sales following their contact. He was raided, liquor was seized and I charged him accordingly. Joe was 84 yrs. old. He had pretty good health and he attributed it to his medicine. The medicine consisted of a set of beaver castor in a mason jar sitting in a sunny window. He had poured a little whisky over the castors and just let it sit. He told me he took a teaspoon full every day.

Joe was not too pleased with me for charging him, but when the court day arrived he did appear in the Sudbury Court before His Honour Judge Tony Falzetta. Judge Falzetta was one of the best judges in my opinion I ever testified before. The proceedings were into full swing and those involved were testifying as to their observations and involvement. I had completed my testimony but Joe B. had interrupted me on several occasions. The Judge had admonished him each time. It was obvious he was not going to stop. The Judge was being as lenient as he could but wanted the interruptions to stop. He instructed me to stand behind Mr. B and when I seen he was going to interrupt, I was to just tap Joe on the shoulder. I did as instructed and when the officer on the stand made a statement Joe did not want to hear he jumped to his feet and objected. I tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and yelled at me: GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME I AM FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE!

I bit my lip the judge pounded his gavel and we had a ten minute recess. Poor old Joe B. was convicted when we resumed. If I remember correctly he obtained a $50.00 fine. I am not sure but I may have given him a ride back to Hagar. Such was justice in those days.

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