September 4, 1867

TWO KILLED AT KAMOURASKA NOMINATION MEETING

Two men are dead in Kamouraska, Québec, following a riot in the Parish of St. Louis De Kamouraska, according to a report contained in the Globe.

A report from the riding returning officer describes in detail the riot but does not mention any deaths.

The riot occurred on August 31 as the returning officer for the riding of Kamouraska, Henri Garon, attempted to hold a nomination meeting in accordance with Her Majesty’s writ.

Trouble had been brewing in the riding ever since Mr. Garon issued his election proclamation because of his decision to exclude the Parish of St. Pacóme, the Municipality of the Parish of St. Paschal and the Township of Woodbridge, the Parish of St. André, and the Parish of Notre Dame du Portage, on the grounds that such exclusions were necessary to comply with the Election Law.

The exclusions raised the ire of residents of the affected parishes and they protested in both by way of a petition and by resolutions adopted at a public meeting.

Upon receiving the protests, Mr. Garon restored the polls for all parishes except that of St. Pachóme because no duplicate voters’ list existed for the parish.

On the morning of August 31, Mr. Garon, received a written statement from a number of individuals demanding that Mr. C. A. P. Pelletier be nominated as a candidate for the riding. At the same time, Mr. Pelletier’s supporters were tearing down the hustings that had been erected in the gallery of the sacristy of the Church in the the Parish of St. Louis De Kamouraska, where the nomination meeting was to occur.

At 10 am, a mob gathered outside of the Returning Officer’s house and had grown so violent that Mr. Garon was urged by his friends and advisers not to leave his house, believing that his life would be in danger if he attempted to conduct the nomination meeting.

Undeterred, Mr. Garon travelled to the Church at 11 am, the time set for the beginning of the nomination meeting. Mr. Garon was followed by the mobs and as he neared the Church they began throwing rocks at him.

When Mr. Garon climbed atop the re-erected hustings, he was interrupted by Michel LeBel who said announced to the crowd, “Electors, if the Returning Officer does not grant a poll everywhere, there shall be none at all, and there shall be no election.”

At this point, Mr. Garon was grabbed by the legs by Thomas LeBel and a scuffle ensued as the brothers LeBel attempted to throw Mr. Garon from the hustings. Garon was then dragged through the crowd but somehow managed to escape and return to his house.

The mob followed, hurling rocks and stones through the windows and threatening to advance on the house. Some time between 3 and 4 pm, remaining under siege and being advised that the mob was planning to destroy his house, Mr. Garon surrendered the Writs of Election to Joseph Anctil, a farmer from Ste. Anne and Louis Alphonse Miller, of Kamouraska.

The election is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10 but cannot be held unless the Writ’s are returned. There is currently no word as to their safety.

We anxiously await more news from the riding.

VIOLENCE IN WEST PETERBOROUGH

Reform voters in the riding were kicked and beaten by supporters of Conservative Charles Perry as they attempted to cast their votes. Tory supporters surrounded the polling centres preventing Reformers from entering the polling locations and no Reform votes were recorded after 11 am.

Despite the violence, the election continued as planned and Mr. Perry was declared elected having polled 681 votes to Mr. Gordon’s 652.

DAILY ELECTION REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 3, 1867

Final Results

Dundas

Ontario Legislature

• Simon Cook (Liberal) 1162 ELECTED
• John Doran (Conservative) 1007

West Hastings

House of Commons

• Dr. H. Holden 313
• James Brown (Conservative) 733 ELECTED

Ontario Legislature

• Ketchan Graham (Conservative) 940 ELECTED
• J. D. Farley (Liberal) 349

North Norfolk

House of Commons

• Aquila Walsh (Conservative) 1026 ELECTED
• Dr. Duncombe (Liberal) 990

Ontario Legislature

• James Wilson (Conservative) 987 ELECTED
• M. H. Foley (Liberal) 985

North Oxford

Ontario Legislature

• George Clark (Conservative) 957
• George Perry (Liberal) 1187 ELECTED

Brockville

House of Commons

• F. W. H. Chambers 521
• James Crawford (Conservative) 690 ELECTED

Ontario Legislature

• William Fitzsimmons (Mayor of Brockville) (Conservative) 630 ELECTED
• Christopher Fraser (Liberal) 604

Niagara

House of Commons

• Angus Morrison (Conservative) 300 ELECTED
• W. A. Thompson 250

Ontario Legislature

• James Currie (Liberal) 254
• Mr. Geale 2
• Donald Robertson (Conservative) 302 ELECTED

West Peterborough

House of Commons

• Mr. J. Gordon 652
• Charles Perry (Conservative) 681 ELECTED

Ontario Legislature

• John Carnegie (Conservative) 670 ELECTED
• J. Walton (Liberal) 652

North Brant

House of Commons

• Dr. John Brown (Liberal-Conservative) 672 ELECTED
• Joseph Clement 670

Ontario Legislature

• William Turnbull (Conservative) 622
• Hugh Finlayson (Liberal) 706 ELECTED

Hamilton

Ontario Legislature

• J. M. Williams (Liberal) 1293 ELECTED
• Major J. E. O’Reilly (Conservative) 1021

Partial Results

North Wentworth

House of Commons

• Alexander Brown 50 VOTE MAJORITY
• James McMonies (Liberal)

Ontario Legislature

• Robert Christie (Liberal)
• Dr. Miller (Conservative) 54 VOTE MAJORITY

Halton

House of Commons

• G. K. Chisholm
• John White (Liberal) 54 VOTE MAJORITY

Ontario Legislature

• William Barber (Liberal) 151 VOTE MAJORITY
• W. J. S. Kerr (Conservative)

South Lanark

Ontario Legislature

• J. Laurie — withdrew
• William Shaw (Conservative) 898 DECLARED ELECTED
• Abraham Code (Liberal) 534
• Col. Andrew William Playfair — withdrew

Monck - NO RESULTS REPORTED

House of Commons

• Mr. Fraser
• Lachlin McCallum (Liberal-Conservative)

Ontario Legislature

• A. Morse (Liberal)
• George Secord (Conservative)

Québec

Châteauguay

House of Commons

Luther Holton (Liberal) 734 VOTES
Mr. Ramsay 452 VOTES

Québec Legislature

Édouard Laberge (Liberal) +/- 200 VOTE MAJORITY
Joseph Taillefer (Conservative)