Some people may think of violent crime as a recent phenomenon in the peaceful rural countryside and small towns north of the Toronto, but, in 1964, there was a brutal assault and robbery in Bond Head.
It was a Friday night, late in August, and Bond Head Garage owner Duncan McArthur was working alone. A stranger walked in around 10 p.m., later described as a man in his late 20s or early 30s. It was a stormy night, and McArthur decided to close up. When he turned his back on the stranger, he was suddenly struck on the head and knocked to the ground by the man, then struck on the head again and kicked repeatedly, losing consciousness. The robber took his wallet, and the weapon, and fled the scene. McArthur, battered and bleeding, regained consciousness and drove himself home. Taken to hospital, he suffered bruises, broken ribs, and required 60 stitches. There is no report that his attacker was ever caught.
One of the biggest crime stories in Bradford West Gwillimbury was the 1951 armed robbery of the Imperial Bank of Canada, located on the northwest corner of Barrie and Holland streets (the current location of Coffee Culture). It was a warm day in July. Only a handful of customers were inside the branch. Outside on the sidewalk, Provincial Const. Reg Wilson was off duty, and returning to his apartment above the bank, when he spotted two men loitering near the door. They turned away as he approached, and he noticed that their bulky jackets looked as if they might be hiding something. As Wilson looked back, he saw a black four-door Ford pull up and a man get out and enter the bank. The other two also entered. It was suspicious enough to send Wilson running upstairs to get his gun. By the time he returned, the bandits were already making their getaway. The robbery had taken less than a minute. The robbers drew their guns as they entered, two of the three pulling handkerchiefs over their faces, and forced customers and staff to the ground. Two of the bandits vaulted the counter and scooped cash from the till, even snatching cash from a customer’s hands, and then fled. As they piled into the getaway car, Wilson opened fire from a doorway. The robbers sent a hail of return fire toward the bank and the officer, before fleeing west on Holland Street, north on Church Street, then coming around the block to drive off eastward on Holland. The thieves got away with about $4,094, but they missed the bigger prize: $55,000 in damaged and mutilated bills, bagged to be sent back to the Bank of Canada.
Although it’s often called a Boyd Gang robbery, the theft predates formation of the infamous gang, led by Edwin Alonzo Boyd. Two of the Bradford robbers, caught and sent to trial, were Lennie Jackson and Frank Watson; a third is believed to have been Valent Lesso, alias Steve Suchan. Jackson was incarcerated in the Don Jail, where he met Boyd. In November 1951, Boyd, Jackson, and Willie Jackson (no relation) escaped from the Don, using hacksaw blades hidden in Lennie Jackson’s wooden foot to saw through the bars. They were joined by Suchan, and for the next 10 months, the four men, now the Boyd Gang, carried out a string of bank robberies in southern Ontario. Then in 1952, Suchan and Lennie Jackson shot and killed Det. Sgt. Edmund Tong, sparking a huge manhunt and the capture of the gang. Suchan and Jackson were convicted of murder and hanged; Boyd, although not involved, received eight life sentences and was sent to Kingston Penitentiary. He was paroled in 1966 and lived the rest of his life under an assumed name in British Columbia.
There’s one last Bradford connection with the Boyd Gang. Boyd was captured in a Toronto residence owned by Mr. and Mrs. George W. Stoddart, of Toronto and Bradford. The couple, leaving on vacation, rented their home to a Mr. and Mrs. Hall, described as missionary writers. The couple were actually Boyd’s wife and his brother, who were under surveillance by police.
Not all crime in Bradford was as serious. On Sept. 6, 1964, a thief broke into Bradford Custom Cleaners and “cleaned” them out. Owner Franklin “Bud” Gardner arrived on Monday morning to discover the front door partly open, and the business ransacked. Investigation showed that, although an attempt was made to pry open the front door, entry was actually gained through a smashed side window. The thief or thieves then unlocked the front door to remove the loot — taking the best clothing and cash, leaving behind older, worn items.
From the Archives of the BWG Public Library, and other online sources.
