A Giant Stick for England

In 1867, Gassy Jack Deighton unfurled the Union Jack as he stood on the roof of Gastown's first tiny building. He growled in his whisky-bass voice "The blood and guts of Old England..."

In many ways, Vancouver is the most Canadian of cities and also the most American in British Columbia. However, there has never been any doubt on where the city's allegiance lay. Through the city's troubled years, the blood of old England - keep a stiff upper lip and carry on - was evident. In times of trouble, we've had the guts of England too. Vancouver's patriotism has stood the test of time even if it isn't as ceremonious and suave as many other provinces. 

A piece of Vancouver historical trivia concerns two of the city's founders and two diversely different people - Gassy Jack and Captain Edward Stamp. Their goal was to keep the old flag flying at opposite ends of the British Empire. Gassy Jack's flag fluttered over the saloon in the middle of the forest until B.C. joined the confederation in 1871. Then Gassy Jack exchanged the Union Jack for its newer version. It was the first Canadian ensign to be flown on the mainland of British Columbia.

The distance between the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the heart of London, England is half the span of the world and Captain Stamp was carrying out his part of the flag duty. In 1859, Stamp cut a giant spar while logging on Alberni Canal. In the name of lumbermen on Vancouver Island, he shipped it to London as a gift to Kew Gardens. The pole fell and broke as it was being erected but Stamp was not deterred. He cut and shipped an even larger stick in 1861, before he moved to the inlets. 

The giant stick was placed and for many years remained one of the minor wonders of Europe. IT was the largest single piece of timber ever seen by millions of Londoners and visitors. Sadly, by 1912, the piece of wood became rotten to be safe any longer. The curator of the gardens sent an appeal "to the gentlemen of the timber trade of Vancouver and British Columbia" to find a replacement.

This is the Union Jack, the first flag flown atop Gassy Jack's saloon.

After British Columbia entered the Confederation of Canada, the Royal Union Flag was flown.

In 1965, Canada got her own flag.

(These three flags are from the site the Chatham Daily News)

Since we are talking flags, here is the one British Columbia used from 1870 to 1906. Compliments of Wikipedia

Vancouver's lumbermen rose to the challenge. Just as Stamp did in '61, the loggers set forth to do in 1912. Actually, they wanted to outdo Stamp! For two years, the timbermen combed the forests of B.C., looking for the right tree. It had to be taller than the tallest tree, slimmer than the slimmest, true, straight and sound. Eleven trees were felled but discarded for imperfections.

The twelve tree was six feet at the butt, 220 feet long and 18 inches inside the bark at the top. It filled every specification.

The tree was brought to Vancouver and shaped by expert broadaxe men. A 33-inch cylinder was used for the first 15 feet, from there a tapered octagon, 31 3/4 inches at 25 feet, 30 1/2 inches at 41 feet, 29 3/8 inches at 52 feet, 24 inches at 102 feet and 19 inches at 152 feet. At the 157 foot it became round again, at 190 feet, 15 inches in diameter, at 215 feet, 12 inches.

The current flag of British Columbia. From Wikipedia

Thanks to the book Vancouver, From Milltown to Metropolis by Alan Morley for the above information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Non-Capital Murder

The police now felt Kathy McKenzie was killed the night of the party and her body was kept at the Adanac apartment until the 26-27 January.

On February 16, the R.C.M.P. returned to the suite to further investigate. The logical place for the body to be kept was the cold-storage room, or wine cellar, and the search started there. Particles of a white substance, similar to lime, was found in the room and in the passage outside. More of this substance was discovered by the back gate leading to the lane. On a shelf in the room, one small lump was found and it what appeared to a fingerprint. Later, it was identified as belonging to Dorothy Irish.

That same night, the police found out that Horvat recently purchased a Vauxhall station wagon from a man he met in a beer parlour on January 25. A general pick-up was issued for the vehicle. On the 17th, Horvat and Irish were arrested by the Victoria Police due to a complaint of a purse snatching in the city. The R.C.M.P. were notified and travelled to Victoria to question the couple on the morning of the 18th.

Dorothy was interviewed first. She denied having any knowledge of how McKenzie was killed. She said Kathy left for Toronto as planned on the morning after the party and Irish hadn't seen her since.

Irish was returned to her cell and there she told her cellmate a different story. The cellmate told the police and they re-interviewed Dorothy. This time, Irish stated she thought McKenzie had left for Toronto but three days later Horvat told her he had found the girl's body in the storage room. Since they were involved with drugs, the couple were afraid to go to the police. Dorothy went to the store and bought some garden lime. She put the lime on Kathy's face and hands in the hopes of destroying the girl's identity so it wouldn't lead back to Horvat and Irish. Ivan Horvat then bought a car, drove out to Mission and dumped the body.

Next, the police questioned Ivan Horvat. Initially, he claimed he found the girl's body in the storage room but once faced with Irish's statement; he changed his story and admitted to killing Kathleen McKenzie.

"We were all using mescaline, and Kathy started freaking out. She said that she was going to see the man I owed money to for the drugs and then said that she was going to the police. I was scared because she knew a lot about a lot of people. Someone hit her, I don't remember who, and we took her into the bedroom and tied her hands and feet together with nylons. She started to scream, and I was scared because of all the drugs I had in the house. I stuffed toilet paper in her mouth. She was quiet after that. We finished the party and, after everyone had left, Dorothy and I checked on her and found that she was dead.

We decided on the lime so that she could not be linked to us, then we took her to Mission and dumped her."

Horvat went on to further explain to the police that 'Mommy Sonny' was there when he tied Kathy up. He claimed people were looking for him because he owed $8,000 for heroin to his supplier.

Irish and Horvat were taken to Vancouver and charged with the murder of Kathleen McKenzie and with interfering with a dead body. Irish was also charged with being an accessory after the factr of non-capital murder.

Horvat was convicted of Non-Capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Irish was found not guilty of murder and the other charges against her were not proceeded with. She was released.

Thanks to the book Policebeat: 24 Vancouver Murders by Joe Swan for the above information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Loose Lips

The apartment on Adanac Street was photographed and dusted by the R.C.M.P. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and a part roll of toilet tissue was seized so it could be compared with tissue found on the body.

Kathleen McKenzie, the victim if you remember from Monday's post, worked as a topless dancer at the Gulf Club. The Gulf Club was a seedy night-spot on Hastings Street, which was involved in prostitution and narcotics. Kathleen herself was arrested three times in 1972 for possession of marijuana and police suspected the young woman of trafficking drugs on a street level.

Police located an ex-boyfriend of McKenzie's, Douglas Stewart, on February 8. Stewart told them he last saw Kathy on the evening of January 18. He, Kathy, Horvat and Irish drank beer together at the Dominion Hotel beer parlour. Another girl, known as "Momma Sonny" was also there. They were having a party in Kathy's honour because she was leaving for Toronto the next day.

When the bar closed, the group continued the party at the Adanac apartment. There, they drank beer, did some marijuana and mescaline and played cards. Stewart left around 4:30 am but the party was still going strong.

Stewart informed the police that Horvat was heavily involved with heroin dealing, had recently obtained three ounces of the narcotic from a man known as "Screwie Louie" at the Penthouse Cabaret on Seymour Street. Horvat was dealing the stuff with a man named Jake.

According to Kathy's ex, Douglas last saw Horvat and Irish on January 31. They were driving to Calgary.

A week later, on February 15, the police brought Douglas Stewart in for further questioning. They had received information that Stewart knew more about the murder than he was saying.

Stewart cracked. He told the police that two days after the party, Horvat told him that he and Irish dumped Kathy's body in Mission. When Douglas asked why she was killed, Horvat answered the young woman had been talking too much about the drug business. The couple also weren't in Calgary. Their car broke down so they went to Victoria instead.

Thanks to the book, Policebeat: 24 Vancouver Murders by Joe Swan for the above information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.