Friday, October 19, 1894:  The Murder

On Friday forenoon October 19, 1884 Jessie, daughter of William Keith, was sent by her mother to Listowel, about two miles distant, for the mail and a pound or two of pot barley. The Stratford and Pt. Dover railway ran alongside of Mr. Keith’s lot into Listowel, and Jessie followed the track into town.

She was met by the section men as they were going to dinner, and upon-returning they observed several papers and a lot of pot barley scattered over the track opposite John Shanks’ farm, and upon further search saw evidences of’ a scuffle and lots of blood on the ground. They then surmised that the little Keith girl whom they had seen on their way to dinner had met foul play, and they hastened to inform Mr. Keith, whose residence is about half a mile distant. Together with Mr. Keith they traced the blood and tracks over the rail fence, across a plowed field into Shanks’ bush, and after diligent search one the section men, Samuel Strain, accidently stepped upon the body. which was covered over with moss and dead leaves. The sight that presented itself will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it.  The boy was found nude and her throat was cut and the rest of the body mutilated.

A white petticoat was tied tightly around her throat which must have been furnished by the murderer, for it was much too large for the dead girl.

The body was left in the bush where it was discovered  and a 8:30 the train from Stratford stopped there , County Crown Attorney John Idington, Sheriff Hossie and coroner Rankin from Stratford and viewed the body then came to the house and and opened an inquest.The gathered evidence and ajourned until next Friday at Listowel.

Saturday: The Man Hunt

A Crown Attorney John Idington from Stratford, (see William Street),  issued a public bulletin . On Friday 19th October, Jessie Keith 13 was found foully murdered by a supposed tramp. He described the suspect " as stout, five foot nine inches tall, 190 pounds, a heavy body with a short neck, full chest and a  dark complexion. He was seen carrying a "black valise". Idington  oversaw the collection of physical evidence. The man hunt began.

Sunday: The Funeral and the Search

The remains of Jessie Keith were interred in the new Listowel cemetery Sunday afternoon, the funeral being one of the largest ever witnessed it these parts. Several hundred vehicles, and the funeral procession was almost two miles long. When it passed through the main street. of Listowel a great crowd assembled . At the cemetery the throng was equally dense, and ‘it was with difficulty that the hearse could be forced through to the open grave.

On this day, search parties resumed their work in the wood where the tragedy took pIace. About 9.30 o’clock this morning they were carefully searching the north side of the wood near where the tramp was seen to come out on Friday, and found a black valise that formed a damaging track in the evidence. It was lying under an overhanging rock, covered up with leaves and piles of rotten wood. The valise was half opened, and after carefully tying it together, the searchers brought it in to Mr. John  Idinglon. The first thing that was taken from the black valise when opened was a pair of blood-stained overalls of cotton The pants were greasy looking, and ‘bore the signs of those worn by ‘the tramp in every particular. The pants were handed over to Dr. Rutherford for a report as to the blood stains. Other items were women’s clothes.

A pair of girl’s laced boots were also found and inside them a pair of girl’s black stockings. The stockings and shoes were identified as Jessie Keith’s.

Monday: The Capture

During the three days after the murder, the  police manhunt combed Perth County and questioned several tramps but none were identified by witnesses.

Three days after the murder,  William Travis, a railway hand at Erin Station seventy kilometers from Lisowel, saw  suspicious man approaching along the tracks . He said to his boss, "That is pretty hard looking seed. I'll bet you a quarter that's the murderer of Jessie Keith. " He apprended the man and escorted him to the Cataract Station about 2 kilometers away. Travis telegraphed for help. The prisoner gave his name as   "Amédée Chattelle". Constable Wilson arrived  and the party returned to Erin where Wilson locked up Chattelle for the night.  The next day Charles Walker and Travis loaded Chattelle on to the train to Listowel. Stratford police chief John McCarthy took charge when they arrived. McCarthy ordered Chattelle detained for vagrancy and took him back to the train  bound for Stratford 's jail.

Wednesday: Detective Arrives

John Wilson Murray , the renowned Ontario detective came to Stratford by early morning train. Murry began  to look for witnesses in the area.  He found a man who had seen with a black valise. He traced Chattelle’s movements that placed him near the place were Jesse was killed. He to was able show that  the tramp had been responsible for the Ailsa Craig break-in because of two of the items recovered from the crime scene and from his person.

Thursday October 26  Inquest Lisowel

Chief of Police McCarthy went to the jail in Stratford to get him to bring him to Listowel. Sheriff  John Hossie and Crown Attorney Idlington were on board. Crown Attorney Idlington produced the evidence, handling the great crowd of witnesses with marked skill and dispatch.

A the end of a long day of witness statement and coroner reports, the verdict was that Chattelle should stand trial for murder in the first degree. Chattelle was escorted back to Stratford along with Stratford Detective John Murray, with two witnesses, plus the  the black valise and its contents. They went to County Crown Attorney ldlington’s office. Three important witnesses from Atisa Craig, Mrs. McLeod, Gordon McEwatt and Angus McLean, were already there, having arrived at half-past 5 o’clock. The whole party went over to the jail, and air inspection of the various articles connected with the case was made.

Idington and Murray interrogated the prisoner and interviewed several witnesses. One key witness was Isabell McLeod whose  house had been broken into at Ailsa Craig. Murray showed her the recovered articles from the robbery. The black valise was hers.

Murray showed her two matching white petticoats. One had been found in the valise and one around Jessie's neck .  "Yes that is mine," said McLeod picking up the bloodied one. "It was too short for me so I lengthened it."  McLeod's testimony and McEwan's ( the witness who saw Chattelle carrying the  black valise) linked Chattelle to the house break-in. McLeod's valise, white petticoat and other belongings linked him to both the break-in and the killing. After hearing the testimonies. the jury  met and after 5 minutes and annouced the verdict   that chattelle had killed Jessie Keith thus the defendent could be sent to trial for murder. Chief Constable John Mccarthy  escorted him back to Stratford.

March 28,1895.  The Trial.

The prison guards walked the prisoner from the Stratford jail on St. Andrew Street ( see St. Andrew Street)  to the Perth County Court House (see Huron Street) . By eight o'clock two thousand people were swarming the grounds. 

John Douglas Armour, Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Queen's Bench, read the charge of murder in the first degree. Chattelle pleaded not guilty and defended himself. Crown prosecutor John Idington opened by reviewing the evidence and a number of witnesses were called to give evidence.  At 4:30 p.m. the jury retired and ten minutes later delivered their verdict. "Guilty".  Judge John Armour sentenced Chattelle to death by hanging.

Later Chattelle confessed to the murder describing it in detail. 

May 30 1895. The Execution.

John Radclive, the first professional executioner in the country, was appointed Ontario's hangman in 1892. He was sent to Stratford to oversee the Chattelle's hanging.  

Radclive's  had two posts put  into the ground joined by a crossbeam with one end beyond the post. The rope ran through pulleys to a heavy counterweight hanging from the end of the crossbeam.  When the counterweight was dropped it yanked the rope and flung the prisoner into the air, breaking his neck.

The execution took place in the west jail yard, at the Stratford Jail (Gaol) on St. Andrew Street in the presence of about 40 spectators. At 7:00 o’clock, Father Downey engaged in prayer with the condemned man for an hour.

In the cell, the prisoner's arms were pinioned and then Chattelle was led to the scaffold by Sheriff Hossie along with  a procession of jail officials.  Father Downey followed the jail surgeon Dr. Dunsmore and Turnkey (Jailer) Hugh Nichol.