#leamington

"Construction Work Started," Border Cities Star. May 9, 1934. Page 7. ---- ON NO. 3 HIGHWAY ---- Eliminating Ditches And Widening Shoulders ---- The elimination of ditches and the widening of shoulders on King's Highway No. 3 between Leamington and Windsor started this morning, according to Col. C. K. S. Macdonell, resident engineer of the Ontario Department of Highways, located at Chatham.

The first gang in the construction work to be undertaken in this part of the province began working out of Leamington this morning, as Col. Macdonell stated last night at the meeting of the Essex County Automobile Club in Essex.

Next Monday, the colonel stated, a similar gang will start from Windsor and work toward Essex, the terminus for the construction gang working west from Leamington. Similar construction work, to eliminate ditches and widen the shoulders of King's highways is being undertaken by the department throughout Ontario.

Col. Macdonell stated that the construction work on the unpaved portion of Highway No. 2 in the Township of Maidstone is to be rushed through immediately. Work is to be commenced without delay, the contract having been awarded to the Keystone Construction Company.

Asked whether the Department of Highways considered diverting Highway No. 2 to the north side of the Michigan Central Railway tracks at Tilbury and thus avoid two level crossings, Col. Macdonell was unable to state definitely.

"STOLE FOR GIRL WIFE DESERTED WHEN FOUND GUILTY OF CHARGES," Windsor Record. October 3, 1912. Page 1. --- Charles H. Doss Sentenced to Kingston Penitentiary for Theft of Horse and $100. --- Calls for Wife to Give Evidence to Save Him From Prison, But She Could Not be Found. ---- After making himself an outcast from society in order to win the girl he loved, Charles H. Doss, aged 22, was yesterday afternoon deserted by his girl-wife at the time when she was wanted to give evidence which he expected would clear himself of two charges of theft on which he was arraigned before Justice Britton at Sandwich assizes.

Evidence was given by the prosecution against the man, following which Doss asked for his wife to be called to the stand. The court room and building was searched but no trace of her was found, and the young man found guilty on the charges Was

This morning he was sentenced to spend two years on each charge, the sentences to run concurrently. He will serve his sentence at Kingston penitentiary.

The thefts on which the man was sentenced occurred in July last. He stole $100 from Jas. Wagner Cottam, blacksmith, and two days later rented a horse and carriage from a Kingsville livery stable, selling the outfit to Indian farmers in Leamington. He then fitted himself out with the proceeds of his thefts and obtained the consent of Grace Dodge, a 19- year-old Leamington girl, to elope and marry.

The couple then went to Detroit, where they lived until Detective Fred Campeau, after a month's search. found the man in Detroit. The arrest followed, and the young wife came to Windsor and was present in police court at the preliminary hearing. She evinced very little interest in her husband's predicament and maintained a smiling countenance even when the man who stole for her was committed to trial. ///

"MARRIED ON STOLEN COIN," Ottawa Journal. October 5, 1912. Page 24. --- Bridegroom is now Spending Honeymoon in Kingston Penitentiary. Canadian Press Despatch. ---- Windsor, Ont, Oct. 3 - A month ago Charles H. Doss, aged 22, of Leamington, stole $80 from his former employer in order to marry Miss Grace Dodge, of Leamington. The wedding took place and the young couple went to Detroit to live. A week after the ceremony Doss was arrested for theft, brought back to Windsor and committed for trial.

He was arrainged before Mr. Justice Britton at the Sandwich assizes, found guilty, and sentenced to two years in Kingston. Doss was without counsel.

His bride, who is but 18-years-old, was not In court, and her parents say she will have nothing more to do with her husband after his release.

"BANKER AND WIFE HELD ALL NIGHT LOOT IS $34,000," Toronto Star. September 10, 1943. Page 1. --- Five Men Rob Wheatley Bank After Long Vigil - Tie Staff Members ---- Wheatley, Sept. 10 - Holding W. P. Forshee, manager of the Royal Bank, and his wife prisoners in their apartment all night, five armed men with their faces painted and scarves tied around their mouths escaped today with between $34,000 and $35,000.

Provincial police headquarters said it was the biggest bank hold-up in Ontario's history.

The robbers entered the Forshee apartment in this town, 45 miles east of Windsor, drew pistols and forced the couple to sit quietly in their home from 9 p.m. until 4.30 a.m. Then they were taken to the bank, forced to unlock the door and kept there until the bank staff reported for duty shortly before 9 a.m.

In the apartment, the bandits are said to have appeared unconcerned. Their leader is described as a big man, 35 to 40 years old and about six feet, one inch tall. He wore a knitted helmet and a green smock and carried two valises into which the money from the bank vault was dumped. The others were described as younger men and much smaller. varying in height from five feet eight to nine inches.

The younger men addressed each other as Casanova, Beau, Buck and Pat. No name was given the leader. All wore gloves, never removing them, even when lighting cigarettes. The manager's wife was ordered to make tea and sandwiches in her kitchen for the robbers. Two of the men stood over her with their guns drawn as she did so.

The staff. Mrs. K. McLean, Miss Jean Tait, Miss Alta McClellan and Yates White, were tied up. When the time clock on the vault went off at 9 o'clock, the robbers forced Mr. Forshee to open the door and scooped up all the money. While waiting, they had discussed escape to Detroit, and warned their pris- oners not to leave the bank or to tell anyone of the robbery until a half hour after their departure.

After taking the money, the five ran from the bank, jumped into a car and headed west on No. 3 highway toward Windsor.

"BANK MANAGER DESCRIBES HIS NIGHT OF CAPTIVITY," Toronto Star. September 10, 1943. Page 2. ---- Brought at Gunpoint to Office to Await Arrival of Staff in Morning --- HAD FACES PAINTED --- Special to The Star Wheatley, Sept. 10 - Manager of the Royal Bank at Wheatley, which was robbed of between $34,000 and $35.000 today. W. P. Forshee told how he and his wife were held prisoners in their apartments by five robbers.

"I was in my apartment, which is about 20 feet from the bank, at about 9.15 last night, when there was a knock on the door, he said. "It is not unusual that I get a customer at my home at that time of night.

"I usually keep the nightlatch on. I opened the he door with the latch on and saw no one. I opened it to look outside and the five men, all wearing masks and with revolvers in their hands, shoved me back in the apartment and ordered my wife and me to sit in the living-room. We sat all night with the guns trained on us. The men stood back in the darkness so so we couldn't get a good look at their faces. They told us to sit still and that no harm would come to us. Faces Disguised "One of the men had a woollen headgear right down ever his chin and it was only posible to see his eyes. The others had their faces painted and wore silk scarves or handkerchiefs over their faces.

"They sat and smoked, never taking the guns off us until 4.30 a.m., when they marched us out and along the street about 20 feet and made me open the bank.

"We sat in the bank until the staff arrived. One of the men removed a window from the rear to make their getaway. The janitor, Yates White, arrived about 1 a.m., was ordered to meet each member of the staff at the bank door and tell them to offer no resistance and they would not get hurt.

"Miss Etta McClelan was the first member of the staff to arrive. I told her not to make a fuss. We were led to a room where three of the men kept the guns on all of us. Miss Jean Tait, teller, arrived next, followed by Mrs. K. M. McLean.

"They made us open everything. The time clock released the vault and they cleaned it out. We don't know yet the exact amount, but it is between $34.000 and $35,000.

Put Money in Bags "They carried jute bags with them and filled the bags with the money. When they finished this they tied us up. Our thumbs were put together and tied, and our legs bandaged. When they left they told us they would wait for 15 minutes and warned us we weren't to move until we had given them 15 minutes.

"The door to the room where they kept us wasn't locked. They put chairs and tables against it but after the time limit they gave us was up we broke out and spread the alarm to the police.

"It was a well planned job and done by experts. I have no doubt about that," continued Mr. Forsbee. "There were only five men in the apartment but they spoke of and led us to believe there was a sixth man in a car parked on a street at the back of the bank.

Used Sten Gun? "I don't know much about guns, but I think four of them had .38 calibre revolvers. The other man had a gun with a long barrel. (A gun with a long barrel, believed to be a Sten gun was used in the machine-gun robbery of a Toronto bank last week.)

They did not harm us in any way and kept saying nothing would happen if we did as they told us."

Mr. Forshee described the man who seemed to be the leader of the gang as about six feet one inch, about 199 pounds, very big and fat with ruddy complexion.

Order Wife From Bed Mrs. Forshee, wife of the manager, said she was in bed recovering from an attack of influenza when the robbers entered, she said, about 9.20 p.m.

"All five of the men with the guns came into my bedroom with my husband," she said "They stood there for a while and then ordered me to get out of bed and go to the living-room. We didn't say very much. Just sat there and looked ta each other. They boasted at various times about ether bank jobs they had carried out and one of them dropped a remark about coming from Michigan.

"They never took the guns off us. Once I wanted to get a drink of water. They allowed me to get up and two of them walked behind me to the tap.

Demanded Sandwiches. "Early in the morning one of the fellows said he was hungry. The others all agreed that they should have tea and sandwiches. They ordered me at gunpoint into the kitchen and stood by as I made the tra and served the sandwiches to the other fellows who stayed in the living-room with the guns on my husband." Mrs. Forshee said she was still suffering from shock and the excitement, and couldn't remember clearly everything that happened. She recalled that there wasn't much conversation between either herself or husband. but that the robbers kept up a chatter, reminiscing on past "jobs."