SMALL TOWN HISTORY

 

 
“THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL INCIDENT”

  

(Based on a true story and written with selective embellishments)

In a community with a population of just two hundred and fifty, it’s not unreasonable to expect gossip to spread with lightening speed. Mr. Murphy, the innkeeper of the Commercial Hotel, had spoken to a reliable source who provided details that had been revealed by an eyewitness to the event. Murphy himself had been away from the hotel as the occurrence took place. His sister, Eliza McHenry and her husband Dan, Murphy’s business partner, were informed of the disturbance shortly after it occurred. Hotel chambermaid and the 'reliable source' of information, Mary Exley, as well as being involved in the events after the fact, heard all the details as she listened through the door while the investigating constable questioned the hotel guest who was first to arrive at the scene. The guest, who preferred not to be named, for the purpose of this genuine tale, will  be referred to as “Mr. I. Witness”. 

The story began when  Mr. Blackwell of Toronto checked in, on or about the tenth of February 1905. He was alone, on business he said, as a travelling optician and would be staying for several weeks. Blackwell’s business was proving to be very successful as locals and out-of-towners availed themselves of his service. He remained alone at the hotel until his wife arrived on Sunday, February 19. They appeared to be a happy young couple, chatting with the staff of the hotel as well as the two other paying guests, Dr. Wilfred Hardey and Mr. I. Witness. But something shocking happened the following evening.

On Monday, at about eight o’clock, two gunshots rang out in the hotel. Mr. I. Witness was the first to the scene, his room being directly across the hall from the Blackwells. There, Mr. I. Witness found Mrs. Blackwell motionless with a bullet to her head. The hotel chambermaid, being next to arrive at the commotion, was dispatched to locate Dr. Hardey. But Hardey could not be found so Mary rushed to  the home of Dr. Lapp, who lived just a few doors away.  As fate would have it, Dr. Hardey and Mr. McMillan—the local undertaker, happened to be dining with the Lapps. When Mary arrived in a state of panic, both doctor’s immediately dashed to the Commercial Hotel. Mr. McMillan joined them—on standby. Mary then ran to the home of the postmaster requesting that he send an urgent telegraph to the police. He relayed the following message;

DOUBLE SHOOTING THIS EVENING COMMERCIAL HOTEL 

TWO IN CRITICAL CONDITION MAY NOT LAST THE NIGHT 

LOCAL PHYSICIANS ON SCENE POLICE AND SURGEONS REQUIRED ACKNOWLEDGE PLEASE

JJ Muirhead Postmaster Roseneath

The response came quickly;

MESSAGE RECEIVED POLICE AND SURGEONS DISPATCHED

Cobourg Telegraph Office

The twenty mile or so journey to the small snowbound community would take about one hour. Meanwhile, the two local physicians did all within their ability to keep the victims alive.

Upon their arrival, the surgeons immediately took control.  They determined the injuries were not so serious. A bullet had entered Mrs. Blackwell’s throat and lodged in her shoulder. The bullet was successfully removed. Mr. Blackwell took a bullet to his right cheek which came out just below the right ear. Surgeons proclaimed that both would recover, unless blood poisoning should set in.

Meanwhile, the constable took Mr. I. Witness to a private room for questioning. Based on what she heard through the closed door, Mary Exley provided Mr. Murphy and his sister and brother-in-law with all the details. And this became the story that quickly spread throughout the community;

At about eight o’clock, Mr. I. Witness heard a gunshot followed quickly by the sound of a door opening and footsteps in the hallway. He immediately ran from his room to investigate and found Mr. Blackwell in a drunken frenzy running down the hallway with a smoking revolver. Mr. I. Witness reported that he was confronted by the shooter, and almost didn’t live to tell about it.  In a threatening tone Blackwell shouted at him, “I’ll blow your brains out too”. Blackwell then shot himself in the neck inflicting a serious wound. Mr. I. Witness found Mrs. Blackwell on the verge of death in her room.

Murphy’s sister confided the details to her neighbour, Bella Montgomery, who then passed them on to Mr. Hartson, the proprietor of the general store. Mrs. Hartson stayed in the shop all day, chatting about the gossip with the steady stream of curious customers who happened to stop by. The story soon had additional details added.

Mrs. Blackwell had given her husband some trouble. She had been unfaithful. She wanted a divorce. She had enough of her husband’s drinking. He wasn’t really an optician. He was on the run from the Toronto police. 

Morning newspapers reported the story as Mary told it. Toronto reporters had tracked down Mr. Blackwell’s brother who lived on Scollard Street and was  an optician—a real optician. He reported that he could not imagine what might have led up to the tragedy as his brother and sister-in-law were on good terms. It was also revealed that Mr. Blackwell had relatives among the higher circles in the city. In fact, it was Mrs. Blackwell with relatives in higher  circles, namely  her  father Joseph Heighington—senior member of the law firm 'Heighington & Heighington'.  

By the time the evening edition of the newspaper was printed the story had changed. It was reported that Mr. Blackwell was handling the revolver when it ‘accidentally’ discharged, shooting him in the face. Mrs. Blackwell then grabbed the revolver from him as the weapon again ‘accidentally’ discharged entering her throat and lodging in her shoulder. 

The Blackwells were quickly removed from Roseneath with the result of the investigation being reported almost immediately: 

Investigation of the double shooting of Mr. H. H. Blackwell, and 

his wife at Roseneath, shows that it was accidental.

The Blackwells were never again seen in Roseneath. As a matter of fact, no further records of the Blackwells exist until it was reported that Harry Blackwell died suddenly in Kingston, Jamaica in November 1913.
Soon afterwards, Mrs. Blackwell returned from Jamaica and married a prominent Toronto Architect.