Good evening listers. Hope you're having a pleasant autumn - everybody must be busy with their winter preparations as the list is quiet of late.......so, for your reading pleasure. Once again, I was poking about in town/ village papers housed in the archives at Penetanguishene Centennial Museum. In a box of town letters dated January 1st 1918 to December 31st 1921 I found many items of interest and have copied, transcribed and placed references in the appropriate family files in our research room. One such paper I would like to share with you, it may provide a chuckle or two. Mr. J.T. PAYETTE was a local businessman - his stables located in the eastern end of town, on what was then pretty wide open land. It now houses many sub-divisions; with names such as "Sulky Drive" in honour of the stable. In this letter dated June 13 1919, our friend Mr. Payette was being warned by the local authority (as it's unsigned, I am not sure if it was from Mr. Hewson the clerk - I suspect it was - or from the local magistrate - at any rate, it represented the law). I suspect that motorized vehicles were not that abundant in 1919 in Penetanguishene; obviously our pal Mr. Payette was in possession of one or more. And from the contents of this letter, I gather Mr. Payette enjoyed the "freedom of the road, and the wind in his hair". Letter as follows - J.T. Payette, Esq., Town - Dear J.T. I wish to let you know that complaints have been made as to rate of speed at which the big grey car frequently comes up the hill - sometimes in charge of J.T. himself, and at other time in charge of his driver, or one of his drivers. Now, of course, when you are driving yourself, you are taking your own chances - and some of these days, boy, you are going to be "pinched" if you don't slow down a bit when coming up Main Street. But, if you are willing to take a chance yourself, there is no reason why your drivers should be getting you into trouble, so I wish that you would warn young Moreau, and any other chaps that you permit to drive your cars, to be a little careful. There is no big hurry as a rule, and a little time taken along the street is not going to have them "docked" at the box-office on pay-day. There is another reason, J.T., why I write to you. It is this. When we check anybody else for hitting the clip too lively at the foot of the hill, there is the "come-back" - Well, why do you let J.T. speed up as fast as he likes, and then get after us fellows. Comprennez Vous? Yours truly, Mr. Payette's chauffers did indeed receive tickets in the coming years, I recall bumping into them a few times while transcribing constables' reports. Now Mr. Payette was no stranger to the local respresentatives of the law. Earlier that year, in April of 1919, our pal Mr. Payette was part of a group of local movers and shakers who were arrested at his stables while running a "male rooster" fighting ring; I won't insert the real word for male rooster lest I get caught in someone's spam filter, confused with an ad for .......well, you know. Anyway - Mr. Payette, Mr. Manley Chew of Midland, Abraham Moses (who several years later would also be arrested for running slot machines in the basement of The Georgian Hotel); all together 22 men from Midland, Penetanguishene, Orillia and Lindsay were arrested at the rooster ring. They were issued fines ranging from $5 and costs up to $25 and costs. So - enjoy this brief glimpse back in time - 91 years ago. Deborah Crawford

Very interesting, and enjoyable reading. Anytime you have spare time to transcribe such as the message you sent, please do so for our entertainment. Georgiana ----- Original Message ----- From: "Deborah Crawford" <deborahc8@gmail.com> To: <can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 7:40 PM Subject: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] The long arm of the law - by mail re PAYETTE > Good evening listers. Hope you're having a pleasant autumn - everybody > must > be busy with their winter preparations as the list is quiet of > late.......so, for your reading pleasure. Once again, I was poking about > in > town/ village papers housed in the archives at Penetanguishene Centennial > Museum. In a box of town letters dated January 1st 1918 to December 31st > 1921 I found many items of interest and have copied, transcribed and > placed > references in the appropriate family files in our research room. One such > paper I would like to share with you, it may provide a chuckle or two. > Mr. > J.T. PAYETTE was a local businessman - his stables located in the eastern > end of town, on what was then pretty wide open land. It now houses many > sub-divisions; with names such as "Sulky Drive" in honour of the stable. > In > this letter dated June 13 1919, our friend Mr. Payette was being warned by > the local authority (as it's unsigned, I am not sure if it was from Mr. > Hewson the clerk - I suspect it was - or from the local magistrate - at > any > rate, it represented the law). I suspect that motorized vehicles were not > that abundant in 1919 in Penetanguishene; obviously our pal Mr. Payette > was > in possession of one or more. And from the contents of this letter, I > gather Mr. Payette enjoyed the "freedom of the road, and the wind in his > hair". Letter as follows - J.T. Payette, Esq., Town - Dear J.T. I wish > to > let you know that complaints have been made as to rate of speed at which > the > big grey car frequently comes up the hill - sometimes in charge of J.T. > himself, and at other time in charge of his driver, or one of his drivers. > Now, of course, when you are driving yourself, you are taking your own > chances - and some of these days, boy, you are going to be "pinched" if > you > don't slow down a bit when coming up Main Street. But, if you are willing > to take a chance yourself, there is no reason why your drivers should be > getting you into trouble, so I wish that you would warn young Moreau, and > any other chaps that you permit to drive your cars, to be a little > careful. > There is no big hurry as a rule, and a little time taken along the street > is > not going to have them "docked" at the box-office on pay-day. There is > another reason, J.T., why I write to you. It is this. When we check > anybody else for hitting the clip too lively at the foot of the hill, > there > is the "come-back" - Well, why do you let J.T. speed up as fast as he > likes, > and then get after us fellows. Comprennez Vous? Yours truly, > > Mr. Payette's chauffers did indeed receive tickets in the coming years, I > recall bumping into them a few times while transcribing constables' > reports. Now Mr. Payette was no stranger to the local respresentatives of > the law. Earlier that year, in April of 1919, our pal Mr. Payette was > part > of a group of local movers and shakers who were arrested at his stables > while running a "male rooster" fighting ring; I won't insert the real word > for male rooster lest I get caught in someone's spam filter, confused with > an ad for .......well, you know. Anyway - Mr. Payette, Mr. Manley Chew of > Midland, Abraham Moses (who several years later would also be arrested for > running slot machines in the basement of The Georgian Hotel); all together > 22 men from Midland, Penetanguishene, Orillia and Lindsay were arrested at > the rooster ring. They were issued fines ranging from $5 and costs up to > $25 and costs. > > So - enjoy this brief glimpse back in time - 91 years ago. > > Deborah Crawford > ***************** > Ten People All Genealogists Should Follow On Twitter: http://tr.im/hBAy > > Simcoe Co. GenWeb at http://www.waynecook.com/simcoe.shtml > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CAN-ONT-SIMCOE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >