#halton county

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Gloucester Subway Car

The interior of a Gloucester subway car at the Halton County Railway Museum near Rockwood, Ontario. The Gloucester cars were the first to service the Toronto subway system when it opened in 1954. October, 2025. Photo by the green buck.

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CLRV (Canadian Light Rail Vehicle)

Halton County Railway Museum. October, 2025. Photo by the green buck.

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"ESCAPING PRISONERS OVERCOME GOVERNOR AND STEAL REVOLVER," Toronto Globe. August 19, 1929. Page 1. ---- Posse Seeks Two Who Broke From Halton County Jail ---- STARTING PRISON TERM ---- One Awaiting Removal to Penitentiary; Other Not Yet Tried --- (Special Despatch to The Globe.) Milton, Aug. 18. - With the turnkey absent after presumably leaving the cell doors Insecurely locked, two prisoners in the Milton Jail at 8.30 o'clock tonight used an overlooked knife to open the doors, lured the 76-year-old governor into the corridor and overpowered him, and at midnight were playing hare-and-hounds with a posse over the countryside.

The fugitives are two 23-year-old men, Joseph McGann of 676 Wellington Street West, Toronto, and William King of Bowmanville. The victim of their attack was Governor McGibbon, for 23 years employed at the jail. He was not seriously injured, and was able to give The Globe an account of the affair.

In Separate Cells. "Early in the evening, before going to church, Turnkey Leonard Maud, taking the place of my usual jailer, who is on vacation, locked McGann and King in separate cells. McGann was to have left for Portsmouth Penitentiary early tomorrow morning, as he was convicted of a serious offense against a girl, and King was awaiting trial on a similar charge.

"As the men were being locked up, the turnkey seemed to be having some trouble with the catch lock, which had been out of order. But we thought that everything would be all right.

"A little after 8 o'clock, as I was sitting in my office, a bell from the cells rang, and going close to the corridor door I asked what was wanted. Some one replied that a man was sick.

"Before going into the corridor I switched on the light, then unlocked the corridor door and stepped in. The men must have got their cell doors open and been crouching behind the corridor door, because as I entered the corridor they threw a blanket over my head and tossed me on to the floor.

Took Keys and Revolver. "Then they took my keys, went out of the corridor, stole a 48-calibre revolver from the office, and ran out of the building. I was a bit shaken up, but they did not use me very roughly, and I was able to give the alarm, Later we found a knife in one of the cells."

Provincial Constable Cookman, Constable Chapman, and a posse of citizens at once set out to search the town and countryside, assisted by P.C. Clifford Maud of the Toronto police, who was visiting in town. At midnight the fugitives were still at liberty.

McGann was sentenced to serve two years in the penitentiary for a serious offense against a Georgetown girl. He was to have left for prison on the 5.43 train from here tomorrow morning. King was to come to trial at the Fall Assizes.

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"WAR ON ROBBERS OF ROOSTS WILL BE WAGED IN HALTON," Toronto Star. January 17, 1934. Page 29. --- Poultry Raisers Propose New Organization to Put Stop to Thefts --- PLAN JOINT ACTION --- A case of chicken-thieving within the ranks of its own membership was brought before the annual meeting of the Halton Protective Association at Milton yesterday after- noon. The meeting went on record as favoring establishment of an organization to apprehend and convict the marauders of roosts, whose visits have become so frequent, and to recover the stolen property.

The proposed organization would, whenever any such thefts occurred within its ranks, pay the expenses of the member robbed, to permit prosecution of the perpetrators in the most vigorous manner with a view to stamping out this class of crime in the county. The organization would co-operate with police, and also pay a percentage of the loss sustained by any member whose chicken-house had been despoiled.

The original object of the Halton Protective Association, now in its 30th year, was recalled by the secretary and a parallel drawn with the present situation. "The society was formed for the protection of horses," he said. "At that time horses were much more plentiful and horse-stealing was less hazardous and more profitable than it would be now. This practice was prevalent in the county, and the association was formed after three different farmers had lost horses. Since its inception we have only had one horse stolen from a member.

"We broadened out to include sheep, pigs and cattle. We have found our organization to be successful and practical. There is a surplus on hand. The theft of animals was effectually checked by the concentrated vigor with which any theft from our ranks was pursued. The thing became, in fact, not so much a matter of the individual loss incurred as it was a principle to let no crime go unanswered for."

Owing to the frequency of chicken thefts, a separate organization to deal with them was favored, as it was regarded as being unfair to use the association's surplus for prosecuting chicken thieves when it had been accumulated for another purpose.

The matter was left open for discussion among poultry raisers before definite action is taken and according to the interest manifested at the meeting the proposed organization will be formed at an early date.

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"INQUIRY IS DEMANDED BY HALTON MINISTERS," Toronto Star. September 16, 1933. Page 23. ---- Think Time Has Come for Complete Clean-Up at Kingston Penitentiary ---- Oakville, Sept. 16. Following the lead of Toronto presbyteries of the United church in demanding an investigation into conditions in Kingston penitentiary, Halton presbytery of the United church, meeting in Lowville United church, passed a resolution which will be forwarded to the federal authorities asking that prisons be made more redemptive rather than being used only as a means of punishment. They also asked that a thorough investigation be made. There was much discussion on the subject, with many ministers expressing strong opinions that the time had come when complete clean-up was imperative.

There was a good deal of discussion on the housing of transients in the jails. It was deplored that unemployment was the cause of this condition. A committee was appointed to see if the condition could be remedied.

The following officers were elected for the year: Rev. C. L. Poole of Acton, chairman; Rev. S. L. Carpenter, Trafalgar, treasurer; Rev. S. W. L. Brailey, Millgrove, secretary.

Hear W. S. Savage A feature of the program was the interesting address given by W. S. Savage, Oakville, on his recent trip to the Holy Land. Mr. Savage, who will celebrate his 87th birthday on October 5th, has been an official member of the former Methodist church, now St. John's United church, continuously since he was 21 years of age. At present he is trustee and clerk of the session. Rev. J. Kenneth Beaton. Toronto, representing the home mission board of the United church and Mr. Alexander McLaren, chairman of the missionary and maintenance committee of the Halton presbytery, made an appeal for aid for the destitute settlers in southern Saskatchewan.

Arrange for Anniversary In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the erection of St. Jude's Anglican church, Rev. Canon D. Russell Smith has arranged a program of services when the following prominent clergy of the church will be heard: The Most Reverend C. L. Worrell, M.A., D.C.L., D.D., Archbishop of Nova Scotia and primate of all Canada, will preach on Sept. 24th. On October 1st the Right Rev. L. W. B. Broughall, M.A., D.D.; Oct. 8th, Rev. Canon D. Russell Smith, at the morning service and Rev. Canon T. G. Wallace, M.A., in the evening. On Oct. 15th at 11 a.m., the Very Rev. C. E. Riley. M.A., D.D.; at 7 p.m.. Rev. H. F. D. Woodcock. M.A. The celebration will conclude with a mission conducted by Rev. R. F. Palmer and Rev. C. M. Serson beginning Oct. 22nd and continuing through the week.

Leave for Guernsey Mr. and Mrs. P. Vaudin, Palmer Ave., who have resided in Oakville for some years, sailed yesterday for the Gurnsey Islands, their native place, where they will take up their residence. Their daughter, Mrs. McMillan, and her husband preceded them last spring.

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"ROAD WORK IS BRIBE BLAKELOCK CHARGES," Toronto Star. May 31, 1934. Page 28. --- 'Mental Hospitals Filled With Men Driven There by Unemployment,' He Says ---- Oakville, May 31. Promising to support the working class and to alleviate the difficulties of the farming communities, which he claimed were being "run to desperation" by the present government, Thomas Blakelock, M.P.P., Liberal candidate for Halton county, emphasized "the need for change" at a well-attended meeting of the Blakelock-Halton Liberal Association last night.

The extensive road building operations of the present government, together with the reduction in the county road maintenance levy, were bribes to gain votes near election time and then were to be discarded, he declared.

There were only 11 miles of highway under construction at this time last year, the candidate asserted, while now there are 126 miles.

The time has arrived when the county levy on highways should be dropped entirely. Last year the revenue from our highways amounted to 21 million dollars, ten millions of this was expended and there was surplus of 11 millions left.

That an industrial commission ought control to the be established activities of to the farmer, the laborer and the capitalist, and to determine the intrinsic value of all produce, was the suggestion of James Wallbrook.

Polo Teams Train The polo branch of the Oakville Polo and Riding Club are beginning their early season training activities at Glencairn Farm, and two practice teams have been formed to give the ponies a preliminary conditioning before serious training commences.

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“291 Prisoners Jailed, 39 Broke Liquor Law,” Toronto Star. October 7, 1931. Page 22. ---- Halton County Prison Records Show Seven Sent to Penitentiary ---- Milton, Oct. 7. - Thirty-nine persons were committed to Halton county jail for breaches of the Liquor Control Act during the past year inclusive, records released yesterday show. Prisoners for the year totaled 292 of which four were women. Seven went to Portsmouth penitentiary and 29 to the Ontario Reformatory institutions. There were 86 married men prisoners and 265 single, while the average cost per prisoner per day amounted to 25 cents.

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“Boy’s Mysterious Death,” Toronto World. August 4, 1911. Page 01. ---- Circumstances of Gordon Haggerty’s Passing Will Be Investigated ---- Mysterious circumstances still surround the death of Gordon Haggerty, the boy who was found dead in the kitchen of John Thomas’ farm house near Lowville, Halton County, where he was employed. According to the autopsy, death was due to strangulation, and the strangulation is believed to have been caused by strychnine, some of which was found near the body.

Provincial Detective Greer of the Ontario department of criminal investigation, is making every effort to clear up the mystery.