Postcard Memories is a bi-weekly series of historic views and photos of Bradford West Gwillimbury and the area, a trip down memory lane every other Saturday morning.
Arrest of a young man named Ney.
Much excitement was occasioned in town Friday night last [18 November 1881] by the arrival of Government detective Murray, having in custody a man suspected of being the perpetrator of the foul murder of the old man Thomas Slight.
Account of this affair:
It will be remembered that on the evening of November 16, 1881 Slight was cruelly murdered when about to go to the house of his son-in-law, George Reynolds which was distant from his own about eight miles on the third line of Innisfil.
The particulars of the tragedy, which have already appeared, are now supplemented by the following account.
On Wednesday the 15th, farmer Thomas Slight drove from his home in the Township of West Gwillimbury for the purpose of selling several jars of cider and some apples and potatoes. Driving first to his son-in-law’s, about eight miles distant in the Township of Innisfil, he slept there that night, starting on Thursday morning for Barrie. En route he sold a bag of apples to Mrs. Mehl [Malle or Mail? Who was Foreman of the Hamilton & NorthWestern railway] at the 8th line and at Allandale two bags to Mrs. Grower, one to Mr. Quarry the blacksmith, and a keg of cider to Mr. Tockers, the grocer. From here he went to Barrie where he disposed of the remainder of his produce and getting cashed at the bank two cheques, one for $42.50 and one for $3.50. On his way home he stopped at Allandale to collect money due and the empty cider keg.
It was getting dark when he left Tocker’s store where he got the keg for Quarry’s blacksmith shop. At this time he was alone in the wagon. He got his money from Mr. Grower and while there took out his money and counted it. Mr. Grower, going to the wagon in the meantime, saw sitting in it, a young man who replied to some jocular remarks in a low tone. On being asked by Grower if Slight knew the young man, he replied he did not know him.
Slight came out and started off in company with this young man for home about twenty miles distant. At Mehl’s where he had sold the apples, Slight stopped to get the bag. He appeared frightened of something and asked if he could spend the night. The Mehls told him they had no accommodation and directed him to some house close by. Mehls say before and after Slight knocked on their door they had seen someone in the wagon. He did not appear to go where directed but continued to the third line of Innisfil. He was in the act of turning off to his son-in-law’s house where he stopped the previous night and had proceeded a few yards when whoever was in the wagon struck the old man four distinct blows to the head, breaking the skull and sprinkling the ground with his blood.
At the turning, the old man’s cap seems to have fallen off. The horses in turning the corner pulled over a stump and the tongue of the wagon falling out, they stopped. An axe handle bespattered with blood and hair was found in the wagon where the old man lay. The following morning the body was discovered by a passer-by named Pendley, who gave the alarm. The body was taken to Cookstown and on Saturday the 18th, an inquest was held by coroner Norris, and a post-mortem examination made. The inquest was then adjourned. Acting under instructions from the Attorney General’s Department Detective Murray proceeded to Cookstown, and after an interview with Mr.Cotter, the County Attorney started out to try and detect the criminal.
Suspicion fell on a man who was seen talking to Slight on Thursday in Barrie, but an investigation cleared him of any complicity in the dark deed.
Upon going to Barrie on Thursday night Murray got a clue. A young man named William Ney, a near neighbour of Slight’s, he learned, was seen talking to Slight in Allandale. He has for some time been employed at the livery stable of Mr. Alexander Fraser, who credits him with being a quiet, sober, steady, hardworking man, not given as far as he could judge to any bad habits. He left Mr. Fraser’s employ a few weeks ago, complaining of being ill, since which time he has been in Barrie up to Thursday the 17th, when he left suddenly, neglecting to settle his bill. Hackett, an Allandale man, told a constable that he had seen Ney in that village on the day mentioned, on the night of which the murder was committed. Mr. Fraser, his late employer, says he gave Ney 40 cents on this day and believes that was all the money the young man had.
On Friday morning the 28th, Detective Murray left Cookstown, taking with him Constable Roliston and drove to Mr. Ney’s house. He is the youngest son of a widow living in West Gwillimbury Township at a place called “The Hollows” some five minutes from Cookstown, eight miles from Bradford, and about two miles from the Slight homestead or to more particularly describe it, the Ney’s live on lot 5, in the 13th Concession, and the Slights live on lot 5 in the 11th , south of the other. “The Hollows” is a rough barren spot, sandy, swampy, and mostly unfit for profitable cultivation. The neighbourhood too is given rather unenviable repute. Here the detective saw Ney’s mother alone. When enquiry was made for William, she became very much excited and asked for what reason he was wanted. The detective replied that he was supposed to know something connected with the murder, and was wanted as a witness at the inquest. She said William knew nothing about it, and that he had no hand in killing the old man.
After some further fencing, she denied all knowledge of her son’s whereabouts. The rest of the family she said were at her son-in-law’s and volunteered to go over for them.
Murray sent the constable with her and in the meantime searched the premises for any trace of concealment of the son, however finding none. Upon arriving at the son-in-law’s, Mrs. Ney claimed: “Here’s an officer come to arrest William for killing old man Slight. Finding no trace of young Ney in the neighbourhood, the officer started for Bond Head about eight miles away. Leaving the constable here with instructions, the detective went to Bradford and found out that Ney had been there a few days before and had changed a bill for some silver. After some further searching, Murray drove back to Cookstown where he found the constable with Ney, in custody who had come into Bond Head about two hours after the detective’s departure. On being searched, the sum of $3.20 was found on him. By reply to Detective Murray’s question, Ney denied having seen Slight on the day of the murder. He walked home, he said from Allandale by way of Thornton, meeting no one and getting home at 10 o’clock Thursday night.
Ney who normally wears a moustache and side-whiskers was clean-shaven and had also changed his clothing, donning among other articles, a new shirt, cap, and mittens.
The detective took the prisoner to Barrie Gaol. Talking to the turnkey the next morning after his incarceration, he said in answer to enquiry from that officer who did not happen to be about when he was admitted “I came from Bond Head” and then added, “I suppose you would like to know what I’m in for, well it’s because they think I killed old Slight.”
The turnkey did not question him further and the prisoner volunteered no more information. One circumstance that does not speak in his favour is the fact two or three years ago he was tried at the assize here on the charge of rape. He was acquitted for want of evidence to sustain the indictment. The Crown Attorney has given the gaoler strict injunction, no one, not even a relative visited the prisoner prior to his presentation before the Coroner at Cookstown, now going on. The members and connection of the Ney family live in various parts of the township, some of them being respectable and well-to-do.
The coroner’s inquest on the body of Mr. Thomas Slight, the Innisfil farmer who was mysteriously murdered a few weeks ago, was concluded last week and resulted in the jury finding the prisoner, William Ney, not guilty of murder due to one unreliable witness. The jury wanted more time to bring forth evidence but the judge demanded an immediate result. The inquest was held in the Temperance Hall, in the village of Cookstown, the owner of which charged an admission fee of five cents.
Some of the jurymen were called to give evidence, and some of them also applauded the sallies of one or two of the witnesses.
William was released never to be seen again.
-Written by Bill Warnica from Our Stories Innisfil
