Page 56 - "George Alfred Beckett": Story & Song

ISSUE : Issue 42

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1986/6/1

closed them up by means of sutures. He ex? pired about 11:30 that same evening." After the murder, Beckett did not leave Cape Breton. He went on a party, picking up "friends" in Whitney Pier and New Water? ford. He showed his money. He treated peo? ple to a Chinese dinner, and took out $19.00 in silver, wanting to change it to bills. A Mr. Howard said Beckett took them to a dance at 14 Ward, New Waterford. He never got Beckett's name, never saw him be? fore. He said Beckett told people, "Just call me plain Fred." Beckett visited at the house of Mrs. Brown, and each day asked her to read to him news accounts of the murder. She told him that she knew Nick Marthos, he often drove her to New Waterford. "He (Beckett) never said anything." A Ms. Dupe was visiting Mrs. Brown. This was September 23. She came in while Mrs. Brown was reading to Beckett. She saw the big gold watch Beckett carried. He asked Ms. Dupe for a lock of her hair. Then he opened the back and put the hair on the clockworks and tried to close it. She told him, "That was a foolish stunt." At this point he was calling himself George Alfred Vaughn. When the money was about gone, he left Cape Breton. He stowed away on the Kyle, the ferry to Newfoundland. Then he may have taken the train as far as his money would carry him. He held onto the watch as long as he could. It was the last thing he had to trade when he was found walking a- long the Re id-Newfound land tracks . This was "28th of September, about 3:30 Sunday afternoon... 20 poles west of 525 miles west of St. John's" (about 22 miles from Port-aux-Basques). He was spotted by Thom? as Wall, Section Foreman, who later told the court that Beckett said, "'I have a watch here I will sell you for little or nothing.'... I said it was an old watch and he said when it was new it was worth $40 or $50. And I said, 'Where do you be? long to?' And he said, 'Shandy Bay, Old Perlican, ' and I said, 'Go on to the house and I will see you again.. • . Tell them the boss said you could get a feed!'" When Wall got home Beckett had eaten, and Wall took up the subject of the watch. Beckett wanted $15 and Wall offered him $10 and his old watch--and Beckett took it. Then Wall said to his son, "Mike, here is a good watch for you"--meaning the old watch he had just given Beckett. And Mike bought that watch for $5 and gave Beckett another old watch he had. And Wall said, "It's too late to go anywhere tonight. I will put you up for the night and take you about three miles on your way in the morn? ing." Wall told the court, "I put him up? stairs, and when he went in the room I Serving Industrial Cape Breton and North Victoria Real Estate & Insurance "If you're thinking of selling your home, give us a call." p.'0. Box gsTl'orth Sydney B2A 3MT RHickey&Co.; Gerald Brennan, Mgr. Residence: 794-4564 "And remember: No sale, no charge." 794-3119

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