A Final Chapter With Redmond Thomas, Babs Simmons Was Holding Dinner

A FINAL CHAPTER WITH REDMOND THOMAS, FOLKLORIST, STORY TELLER, HISTORIAN

A BOOK OF "REMINISCENCES" PUBLISHED BY THE HERALD-GAZETTE PRESS, CIRCA 1969

     HERE IT IS. LABOUR DAY. THE KIDS WILL BE BACK TO SCHOOL TUESDAY, AND WE WILL BE EXPERIENCING A WELL DESERVED SLOW DOWN AT OUR ANTIQUE SHOP. DON'T GET ME WRONG. THE SUMMER SEASON HAS TO BE A GOOD ONE, OR WE WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE REST OF THE YEAR. THE STRENGTH OF SUMMER COMMERCE HAS BEEN A BIG DEAL FOR US MUSKOKANS, GOING BACK TO THE 1870'S, WHEN THE TOURIST INDUSTRY WAS BECOMING A SERIOUS INCOME PRODUCER. BUT FOR A FAMILY BUSINESS LIKE OURS, JUST LIKE WHEN SUZANNE'S FAMILY, OWNED THE WINDERMERE MARINA, AND OPERATED THE SNACKBAR, "THE SKIPPER,' LABOUR DAY IS AS JOYOUS AS IT IS A LITTLE SAD AND NOSTALGIC. I CAN REMEMBER SITTING OUT ON THE END OF THE DOCK, WITH SUZANNE AND THE BOYS, ANDREW AND ROBERT, AT THE FAMILY COTTAGE, ON LAKE ROSSEAU, AND WATCHING THE SUNSET ON A BEAUTIFUL SEASON; BUT FEELING A LITTLE LONELY, WHEN NONE OF THE FAMILIAR LIGHTS CAME ON, AROUND THE SHORELINE. THOSE COTTAGE LIGHTS, FROM EVERY PROPERTY THAT SUZANNE KNEW INTIMATELY, SOME OF THE OWNERS AND FAMILIES, GOING BACK TO HER OWN YOUTH, SERVING THEM ICE CREAM CONES AND MILKSHAKES AT THE SKIPPER; WHICH DATES TO THE LATE 1960'S TO MID 1970'S. IT'S A NOSTALGIC TIME OF YEAR, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S A RELIEF IN MANY WAYS, THAT THE LONG, HOT DAYS OF WORK, ARE GOING TO RELAX A LITTLE BIT IN THE COMING MONTH, AND THEN MUCH MORE SO, ONCE INTO LATE OCTOBER. FOR US, IT WAS A GOOD AND PROSPEROUS SUMMER, BUT AS SUZANNE POINTS OUT, ALL THE WORK WAS DEDICATED TO THE ANTIQUE SHOP, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, FROM THE 24TH OF MAY; MEANING THE HOUSE AND PROPERTY NEED A LOT OF UPGRADING DUE TO THE SEASONALLY TRADITIONAL NEGLECT. IT'S NOT SO BAD. BUT YOU JUST DON'T GET TO LABOUR DAY, IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY, WITHOUT FEELING BOTH EXHAUSTED, AND A TAD REGRETFUL IT'S ALL OVER FOR NOW. IN OUR PROFESSION, IT IS THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE TRUE ANTIQUING SEASON, WHICH IS SEPTEMBER THROUGH UNTIL NEW YEARS. COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE ALWAYS BETTER FOR ANTIQUE-SHOP HOPPING. IT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE PIONEERING, HARVEST, THANKSGIVING, CHRISTMAS-SEASON NOSTALGIA, AND IT'S THE TIME IN THE SHOP, WE REALLY ENJOY, BECAUSE YOU GET A CHANCE TO VISIT WITH COLLECTORS, AND SHOPPERS GENERALLY. IN THE SUMMER SEASON, THERE ISN'T A LOT OF DOWN-TIME FOR CHATTING. SO WHILE WE HAVE SAID GOODBYE TO OUR MANY SUMMER FRIENDS, SOME WHO WE HAVE BEEN MEETING UP WITH, SINCE OUR FORMER STORE IN BRACEBRIDGE, BACK IN THE EARLY 1990'S, AND WELCOMING OUR AUTUMN SEASON FRIENDS, WHO STAY AT AREA RESORTS IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ADORE THE AUTUMN COLORS THAT MANIFEST IN OUR REGION. THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO, IN OUR LINE OF WORK, AND ALWAYS SOMETHING TO GET INSPIRED ABOUT, LIVING AND WORKING IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PART OF THE CANADIAN HINTERLAND.

NOTE: SUZANNE AND I WENT FOR A LITTLE HERITAGE DRIVE ON LABOUR DAY AFTERNOON, VISITING TWO BRACEBRIDGE AREA CEMETERIES, INCLUDING THE BRACEBRIDGE UNION CEMETERY, IN FALKENBURG, (NORTH OF THE URBAN AREA OF BRACEBRIDGE) AND THE ANGLICAN CEMETERY, ON UPPER MANITOBA STREET. IN THE UNION CEMETERY I STOOD ON THE GRAVES OF THE HOLDITCH FAMILY, WELL KNOWN IN THE EARLY DAYS OF TOWN, AND I VISITED WITH WILLIAM "BILL" ANDERSON, BRACEBRIDGE'S FAMOUS BARBER-ARTIST, WHO WITH HIS WIFE, AT HIS SIDE, RESTS BENEATH A GIANT PINE; BILL WAS A MAN ABUNDANTLY AWARE OF THE FORESTS OF MUSKOKA, BOTH AS A WOODSMAN, IN HIS DAY, AND AN ARTIST. I STILL HAVE TWO WONDERFUL BILL ANDERSON PAINTINGS HANGING IN OUR SHOP. IN THE ANGLICAN CEMETERY, I HAD SO MANY STOPS TO MAKE; BUT I HAD TO SEE THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF THE GOOD R.M. BROWNING, JUST INSIDE THE GATES OF THE CEMETERY, AS DESCRIBED BY REDMOND THOMAS. YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THAT IT WAS MR. BROWNING WHO EXITED THE HEARSE, WHEN THE HORSES REARED-UP, AND THE CASKET CRASHED THROUGH THE GLASS DOORS INTO THE ARMS OF THE PALLBEARERS, WHO WERE STILL STANDING AT THE BACK. I ALSO VISITED WITH ROBERT BOYER, MY OLD EDITOR-ASSOCIATE, G.H.O THOMAS, FATHER OF REDMOND, AND OF COURSE, I OFFERED THANKS TO REDMOND, ON HIS PLOT, FOR HAVING WRITTEN SUCH A TREMENDOUS BOOK BACK IN 1969. I WILL WRITE SOME MORE ABOUT THESE CEMETERY VISITS IN A FUTURE BLOG. WHAT SPIRITED PLACES THESE ARE...AND SO CALMING. WELL, WHAT ELSE COULD THEY BE? HAUNTING. ONLY IN A GOOD WAY! THEY CERTAINLY INSPIRE MEMORIES AND OH, SO MANY RECOLLECTIONS OF OLD FRIENDSHIPS.

"THEY WANTED BACK IN THE CLINK," PUBLISHED IN THE HERALD-GAZETTE, OCTOBER 12, 1967, AS WRITTEN BY REDMOND THOMAS

     Note: Here's a story for my old newspaper friend, Chris Thompson, related to the Simmons family of Bracebridge, referred to by Redmond Thomas, in this 1967 column, published in The Herald-Gazette.
     "One thought often leads to a train of them. After writing of the powder house explosion of 1906 (you can archive back this week to read this column). there came to me the idea of writing about the historic British Lion Hotel, nearly all of whose windows were broken by it. And after writing up the good old British Lion, there came to mind a story told me, quite a few years ago, by the late Lindley Simmons, who was a member of a fine old pioneer family, of Bracebridge, and himself had been a councillor of this town. It deals with an experience of one of his brothers, the late Gerrard J. Simmons, who was commonly known by his nickname, 'Bab', and whose son Gerrard and daughter Bessie reside here now," wrote Redmond Thomas.
     "In the mid 1880's, while the pioneer Northern and Pacific Junction Railway, was being built through Bracebridge, young Bab Simmons was an apprentice in Robert White's grocery and bakery business, located in the old McMurray Building, commonly known as the Brick Block, which stood at the south corner of Manitoba and Mary Streets, where the Anglican Church now is. Mr. White was the keeper of the old log jail which stood on what are now Court House grounds. Sometimes he sent young Bab Simmons to take meals to prisoners. On one occasion, when Bab went to the clink to take food to two inmates, he found the door locked, the windows secure, but no prisoners inside the edifice. It seemed like something from the Arabian Nights. Just as he was turning away, to take the food back, he heard the loud yells of 'Wait, Wait' and two men ran from the British Lion Hotel, which was just across the street. They were the prisoners," reported Mr. Thomas, of the return of the jailhouse guests.
     "They had been working on the construction of the railroad. The previous day, had been pay day, and in the evening, they had invested freely in alcoholic beverages, and become so riotously drunk, that they had been run in. Next morning in the bastille, they had an awful thirst and still had some cash left. Right across the street, they could see an oasis; the bar room of the British Lion Hotel. The more they gazed at the British Lion, the thirstier they got. The door of the prison was strong. The windows were securely barred. But the floor! Ah, the floor! It was only earth. If a little chipmunk can dig a hole in the earth, surely two husky men could dig one too. They did! They burrowed out of the jail and adjourned to the British Lion to slake their thirst," writes the Herald-Gazette columnist.
     "But the hard working construction men need food too. Why buy a meal at a hotel when the public purse furnishes one free at the jail? Why, indeed? So while they imbibed in the bar room, they kept an eye on the jail to make sure they did not miss a meal. When they saw young Bab Simmons arrive, with the meals, they gulped the last of their drinks, and hied them back to the jail for victuals! 'Them was the days'."

"TRUSTWORTHY MAN WHERE LIFE'S AT STAKE"

     In the October 19th, 1967 issue, of The Herald-Gazette, Redmond Thomas noted that, "My previous article recounted that in the railroad construction days, of the mid 1880's, two prisoners burrowed out of the old log jail, in order to slake their thirst at the British Lion Hotel (on Dominion and Ontario Streets), across the street, but hurried back to the clink when they saw their meals arrive there. But no mention was made of the pioneer peace officer who had run them in for being drunk and disorderly, though his merits have been extolled in deathless verse. He was Robert Howard. By night he hoofed it around the village. By day he rang the village bell. He had to sleep sometime, though when that could be is certainly not clear. And, so there was another citizen holding an appointment as constable, to act in emergencies, namely Gustavus Adolphus Binyon, proprietor of Her Majesty's Old Reliable Shaving Saloon, of whom I have already written."
     Redmond Thomas records of policing, that "Constable Howard was probably the most learned policeman in the British Empire, on the subject of astronomy. This education derived from his acquaintanceship with J.B. Browning, a lawyer, who dwelt on the west side of Manitoba Street, just north of the Queen's Hill (where the post office building now stands), and of whose quaint habits I have heard, from my father who was among his friends. Being an enthusiastic amateur astronomer, and having no family ties (as he was a childless widower), Mr. Browning used to stay up most of every clear night, pursuing his hobby of star-gazing; he would accompany the village constable on his star-gazing; he would accompany the village constable on his rounds, and expound on astronomy as they walked along. Each was welcome company for the other.
     "In those days, Asa Gildersleeve Churchill, an Irishman, who lived in a cabin in the part of Chaffey Township, which is now the 'West End,' section of the Town of Huntsville, and who used the pen name 'Paddy Prodpen,' was a noted Muskoka poet. Though the poet was gone before my time, I have heard of him from two friends, themselves now gone, who had personally known him, namely Joshua L. Yeoman, funeral director, a pioneer of Bracebridge, and the late William G. Gerhart, a pioneer of North Muskoka, who became a resident of Bracebridge when appointed Crown Lands Agent. Writing in rhyme, the poet used to prepare directories of places in Muskoka and Parry Sound district, and these were printed in booklet form by the Huntsville Forester. In the Bracebridge Directory, one of the epics deals with the village constable. In reading it, there should be borne in mind, that in those days, any hanging for a capital crime, committed in Bracebridge, would be at Barrie and also that Penetang was the location of the Reform School, and further that references to the village as the 'town' are poetic licence. Here (complete and unabridged, as the publishes would say) is the reprint of the poem."
     "Robert Howard, Nightwatch, Constable and Rings Town Bell"
     "Trustworthy man where life's at stake, while thousands sleep, he's wide awake' Hear! Midnight villains all in vogue, the thief, the robber, and the rogue, On expeditions be aware! The people's hope is watchman there! At his command, the town will list, and put the shackles on your wrist, The magistrate will say 'Give bail, or else we'll send you to jail.' Adults he takes on down to hang, and rude young rakes to Penetang. For breach of peace he will expel, at our town hall he rings the bell, at seven o'clock, at twelve and one, and six o'clock when the day's work is done; like a grand timepiece that repeats, and clears the ruffians from our streets."

MORE OF PADDY PRODPEN'S GEMS - A REDMOND THOMAS COLUMN, DATED OCTOBER 26TH, 1967, THE HERALD-GAZETTE

     Redmond Thomas noted, in a later column, that "In my last article there was quoted a poem by Asa Gildersleeve Churchill (pen name, 'Paddy Prodpen') of Chaffey Township, which appeared in his poetical Bracebridge Directory, of the mid 1880's. The issue of The Herald-Gazette, in which that article appeared, contained an advertisement for the Fire Fighters Annual Dance in Bracebridge Town Hall, which made me think that maybe it would be of interest to quote another poem from that quaint Bracebridge Directory. So here is another of Paddy Prodpen's gems:"
     "In Bracebridge centre, near town hall, I saw a shower of water fall; The sky was clear, without a cloud, and men assembled in a crowd. By water power forced from the falls, the gutta-percha serpent crawls, as trunks of elephants do spout, the liquid element about."
     "I asked the chieftan of the train, why art mocks natural showers of rain? And why the town in raptures run, to see the grand phenomenon? He said 'Our Councilmen and Reeve, in their great wisdom do believe, in self defence against a foe, that has laid towns and cities low, though useful in the cooking line. The seaman's aid who cross the brine, goes with the lightning of the air, commands the engine and the car, saves people's lives in frigid zone, made fearful havoc at the throne."
     "This fearful foe has governed fate, hath flamed in war and shown in state; this foe and friend to Adam's race, has no regard for love or grace. No conscience sting or generous smile, no grasp for grain, of pomp and style, no monster equal in degree, in terra firma, and the sea. Read Moscow's fate and then enquire, how martial pomp must yield to fire. Fires in Chichago stole a march, from a convent to the royal arch."
     "Reduced to ashes, all forlorn, European and this country's born. In wealth and grandeur asking alms, as true as Proverbs, Job, or Psalms, sent embassies through Christendom, to seek the penny and the crumb, for the savage, saint and sage. And in this town this present age, destroyed a mother and her child, and boarding house as it ran wild, are reasons why these men invest, and my reply to your request."
     "The town will build a firemen's block; hose shafts, with hames to fall and lock. In twelve seconds from the alarm, can shower the town and save from harm. Auspicious in the list below, invincible against the foe, as guardian angel for relief, Squire William Piper is the chief."
     "In martial form leads the brigade, James Hillman is captain, on parade. Squire F.J. Oaten, with his pen, is secretary for these men. James Olden also in the band, assistant at the desk and stand. First lieutenant H.H. Job, does honor to the crown and robe. Joseph Cooper, valient shield, lieutenant second in the field. Joshua Yeoman will assist, he is first branchman on the list. Third branchman is to face the fire, is Mr. George R. Frith, Esquire. Captain Pelkey does command, the hook and ladder's useful band."
     "Muskoka's rapids plainly heard, to order of Squire Henry Bird, divides and channels up the hill, as forty horsepower turns the mill, joins art with nature in that branch, against the flaming avalanche." (Henry Bird had the first power generation in local industry, at his Woollen Mill, above the cataract of the Bracebridge Falls.)
     Redmond Thomas offers a brief explanation at the end of the poem. "The reference to fire, 'in this town,' destroying a mother and child, is to a fire in which Mrs. Pawson and one of her children perished, when their home on Ontario Street burnt. Her son Richard, then apprenticed in harness making, to Mr. W.W. Kinsey (undertaker), was not home at the time. Mr. Richard Pawson, after having for many years been a harnessmaker for Mr. Kinsey, established his own shop in the old Crystal Theatre Building, on the north side of Thomas Street, which stood where the bowling alley now is. Captain Pelkey's name, spelt according to a pioneer mispronunciation of it. The name was really Pelletier."
     Thanks so much for joining me on this Labour Day weekend. It's always a pleasure to have you drop by for a visit. Welcome to the harvest season. I've got some special seasonal fare, coming up in the next couple of months. Hope you can join me.