Page 25 - Bill Fraser, Superintendent R.C.M.P., Rtd.

ISSUE : Issue 34

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1983/8/1

came that I couldn't keep them any longer, and to try to get to Baddeck with them. So, I had them all lined up, and I went and I hired three teams of horses. And I put two prisoners in the first horse and team, and one in the next horse and team, and anoth? er team behind with myself and a prisoner. So the middle team had one prisoner, but they'd change back and forth so they'd ease off on those two horses. And we started from Ingonish early in the morn? ing- -it was way long before 7 we got out of there. And that's a long drive to Bad- deck. Came down over Smokey, up the North Shore, stopped at D. B. MacLeod's and had lunch, fed the horses, and then came on from there, crossed the ferry, and came up to Rocky Side. Came to St. Ann's, and stopped at MacLeods' at St. Ann's, put the horses in the barn--I can remember it so well. I wired ahead that I'd be there, and asked them to have lunch for these prisoners. Put the horses in the barn, rubbed them down, took the harness off, put the blan? kets on them, and I gave each horse a pail of lukewarm water, sprinkled with a good share of oatmeal in it, and then a feed of hay, and a little bit of oats after that. Stayed there till about half past 8. Let the horses have a rest particularly, not so much us. Hitched them up again and came to Baddeck and put the prisoners in jail. I don't know of any other time, really, you could take horses 60 miles and come o- ver Smokey, a hill like Smokey. But it was necessity, and the horses had a good rest at noon, and they had a good rest in the evening. And they were none the worse for it. I let them stay in the barn for two days while I stayed in Baddeck, till they rested up, and then I went back home with the three teams. That was just two expedi? tions out of Ingonish. You know, in those times, the only enjoy? ment or sociability I had was going over to Fr. Day's, or seeing the schoolteachers. I was very close to Fr. Day. To me, he was a great man. He was a great man, a great human being, he was a great priest--no question about it. And his sermons were marvellous. I had an unusual experience with him, and he laughed about this years later. I was sitting at the hotel in North Ingonish where I stayed, at The Spruces, and there was a bunch of fellows came in this evening. They had dinner. I- was there in civilian clothing, and they were talk? ing. One fellow hauled out a bottle of riom, and they had a drink at the table there. I couldn't do very much about it then. I thought, "Well, I'll fix-you fellows lat? er." So they were talking about where they got it, and they were going to go back to get some more. So I finished my dinner, and I went out and got in the car. And I said, "I'm going to catch that fellow to? night. This is the end of it." So I drove past the church. I was pretty religious then, I suppose maybe I am yet; and I had great faith, and I still have. But when I was driving past the church, I stopped-- this is true--I stopped and made the sign of the cross, and I said a little prayer that I'd get some help in catching this j rumrunner, because he'd been in existence ' so long. j But anyway, I caught the rumrunner. And , the first person I saw the next day was Fr. I Day. He was over in North Ingonish, and he I called me up. He said, "They tell me you I caught some fellow. How'd you do that?" I j said, "Now, I'm glad you asked me, Father. I'll tell you." I said, "I was so annoyed | about these men, bragging about getting that liquor from that man, that I said to myself, 'Well, I'm going to catch them to? night.'" And I said, "I started over there, and I stopped in front of your church. I stopped and said a prayer or two, and then I drove on." And Fr. Day, he said, "Bill, you shouldn't be praying for things like that!" Fr. Day, he was a great big man; he weighed over 300 pounds. And there's a great story about him. He came to Ingonish shortly before I did. And like I did, he came down on the boat and landed at Dun? phy 's wharf at South Ingonish. 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