Otonabee-South Monaghan libraries are open again

Yippee! All three Otonabee-South Monaghan libraries are open again, but the hours have been tweaked.

> Keene branch: Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

> Bailieboro branch: Tuesday and Thursday, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to to 3 p.m.

> Stewart Hall branch: Wednesday, 1 to 6 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

And don’t forget your mask!

Diaries of an Otonabee farmer

The journals of John Graham Weir were donated to Trent Valley Archives by the Mitchell family of Stoney Creek.

1894 Feb. 22, Thurs.

E.E. Bowie and team has been helping us at wood in Laundrigan’s swamp. Pretty cold weather.

1894 Feb. 23

This morning when we were going for our loads to Laundrigan’s swamp we found Tom Gray’s house mostly burned down and Mr. Scully’s body in the burning building. After about an hour’s work I with some help from John Hunter succeeded in getting the body out, all but the head and by the general appearance I think the head was cut off before the fire took place. Awfully cold this morning.

1895 Sept. 24, Tues.

I was in town all day waiting for Grays murder trial to be heard. Percy was working all day with the gang ploughing and he did a good deal better than Ralph Frost who got double the wages. Fine cool weather all day.

1895 Sept. 25

I was in town all day attending to Gray’s trial for murder. Percy Wilson was running the gang plough in field No. 6. Fine cool weather all day.

R.I.P.

Speaking of missing heads, my book “Rest In Pieces — True Tales of Justice and Injustice in 1890s Ontario — Part One” is done.

It takes place mostly between 1894 and 1897, in various parts of Ontario and the United States. It starts in Otonabee Township when the aforementioned David Scully died in a fire in the house he shared with the Gray family. Scully’s headless body was still wrapped tightly in his quilts on top of his mattress when it was recovered two floors below his bedroom, but there was no blood on the victim’s shirt collar, on his mattress or the floorboards. The Grays had an agreement to take care of Scully until he died, when the property became theirs.

I tracked down heaps of information including a 250-page transcript of testimony at the preliminary hearing, newspaper articles, the biography of the detective, the journals of John Graham Weir and family genealogies, and I had fun doing it.

I’ve taken self-publishing to a new low. Although the pages are professionally printed, I assemble them with hand stitching and loving care in homemade covers (booklet version) or in a set of autumn-coloured report covers (master version). The latter comes with roughly 200 footnotes in a separate booklet and a jackdaw with copies of court documents, map, pictures, land registry pages and other items. The booklet version is $32.50 and the master version is $65.

Email restinpieces@nexicom.net if you are interested in purchasing a copy. “Rest In Pieces” is not available on Amazon.