WILD GOOSE BILL MET AN UNTIMELY END
History of an Okanagan pioneer
This week’s article, the third in this series, concludes the chronology of the life of Wild Goose Bill McLaughlin, pioneer resident, musician, and felon. He settled in the Central Okanagan prior to 1890 and remained here for the rest of his life, leaving behind a trail of charges and convictions for a myriad of offences, many of a very violent nature.
Wild Goose Bill had difficulties with the law, and his violent temper and fondness for alcohol further impacted on his inability to live a peaceful and law-abiding life.
The following article, Wild Goose Bill’s obituary, is on page one of the Thursday, Jan. 6, 1916, edition of the “Kelowna Record.” It provides a good description of Wild Goose Bill’s character, including his addiction to alcohol, often with unfortunate consequences:
Noted Old Timer Found Dying on Trail Wild Goose Bill Passes Out With Old
Year
Last Friday night as the closing hours of 1915 were passing out, a pathetic human tragedy, of a kind of which the story of the west holds many, was taking place across the lake opposite Kelowna. All unknown to the merry revellers in town who each in his own way was celebrating the passing of another milestone on life’s journey, old Bill McLaughlin, of Westbank was lying unconscious on the snow-covered trail leading to his cabin, his life slowly ebbing away with the dying year.
“Wild Goose Bill,” for by that sobriquet he was far better known than by his real name, had been in town during the afternoon and returned on the ferry in the evening. He called on Mr. [Oswald?]
Pease’s place to deliver a parcel which had been entrusted to him, and then took to the trail for his own cabin. He failed to reach it, however, and later was found by two men who lived in a shack near by, lying unconscious on the trail, face down in the snow. No signs of violence were to be seen, and apparently the unfortunate man had fallen in some kind of a fit. The two men ran down to Mr. Pease’s place and from there a man was sent to summon a doctor from Kelowna.
In the meantime Bill was carried up to his shack and every effort was made with warm blankets to revive him, but without avail. When Dr. Campbell arrived at the ferry wharf he sent up word to have Bill brought down and taken across to the [Kelowna] hospital.
The unconscious form was accordingly placed in a sleigh and brought down to the wharf.
Upon arrival there, however, one glance
under the covering blanket, sufficed to show that Bill had breathed his last.
An enquiry was held Tuesday evening before Magistrate Weddell, when in accordance with medical evidence it was decided that the cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage, following an apoplectic fit. Deceased was stated to have been about 80 years of age.
With the death of Wild Goose Bill is severed another link with the past, he having been around the district for close on 30 years.
Those who knew Bill, and he had many friends, speak highly of his kind-hearted nature. When under the influence of whiskey, however, Bill had a wild and reckless temper, and many are the stories of his exploits, and the troubles into which they led him. Bill’s reputation as tough was due to this characteristic, but normally he was good natured enough. Very little is known of his history or family connections, beyond the fact that he originally came from Ontario, where it is supposed he has still one or more sons living.
Of late years deceased has been living on his pre-emption on the west side, and has undertaken logging contracts for the sawmills.
An effort is being made by the provincial authorities to get into touch with any relatives who may be living.
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Wild Goose Bill was well-known beyond the Central Okanagan. His death was reported in other British Columbia newspapers, including the “Phoenix Pioneer and Boundary Mining Journal” and Greenwood’s “The Ledger”.
The final word about Wild Goose Bill are on page 30 of “Captain Len’s Ferry Tales of
the Okanagan,” memoirs of long-time Okanagan Lake boat captain, Len Hayman (1880-1978), who came to the Okanagan in 1901: Wild Goose Bill lived across the lake.
He owed me eight dollars. In the Lakeview [Hotel, Kelowna] I had seen that he had a big roll of bills, so when he arrived at the ferry wharf, I refused to cross him unless he paid his bill.
He said, “You son-of-a-bitch, I’ll kill you.” I had grave doubts about his ability to do so; anyway, I stepped on the bow of the ferry and pushed it out so that if he came any closer he would fall in [Okanagan Lake]. He was pretty drunk.
Ian Weddell, a little boy, overheard the threat and told a policeman. He came down and told me to come to the police office and swear out a warrant against Bill, which I refused to do so.
“Well,” he said, “If you won’t have him up [on charges], all I can do is have him up for drunk and disorderly.” Which he did.
As I was going home to lunch, I heard a whistle from the jail.
“Have you got any tobacco?” asked Bill through the bars.
“Yes,” I replied, “Have you got pipe and matches?”
“Yes.”
So I cut off a corner of my T & B plug [of tobacco] and shoved it through the bars to him. That ended that.
When he got out of jail he paid his debt. He never thanked anyone for anything, but he gave my wife some radishes.
Wild Goose Bill McLaughlin was much more than a “character.”