Somber Sunday - 3 May 1883, Yale, British Columbia, Canada

For Sombre Sunday, I post deaths from British Columbia, Canada from the first Sunday of each month as published in a selected newspaper or other source.

The items today are from the Inland Sentinel, a newspaper from Yale, BC, issue dated 3 May 1883. At this time, much of the news is about the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the area and the 'opening up' of land thereabouts to settlement.

Advertisement, p. 2

Public Notice
$1,000 REWARD!

Whereas one AENEAS DEWAR 1 was, about the month of July 1882, murdered at or near Cherry Creek, by some person or persons unknown.
Notice is hereby given that a Reward of One Thousand Dollars will be paid by the Government for such information as shall lead to the apprehension and conviction of the offender or offenders.
By Command
John Robson
Provincial Secretary,
Provincial Secretary's Office,
15 March 1883

From p. 3

KILLED-A middle-aged man named John CARR 2 was killed last Sunday morning at Camp 14, by the falling of some rock. He was badly mashed up; the remains were brought to Yale and buried Tuesday. We have not been able to learn particulars as to where deceased came from, or the length of time employed.

Also p. 3

There are at present seven patients in the Accident Hospital 3 here and they are recovering as speedily as could be expected.

1 Aeneas DEWAR, a Scotchman, was a tax collector for the provincial government. Apparently his body was found in a cabin at Cherry Creek. See, for instance, a report in the British Colonist of 22 October, 1882 and a letter to the Editor written by 'Prairie' calling for a reward to be offered, dated 7 January 1883 from the Okanagan, published in the British Colonist, 25 January 1883. This reward ad appeared in several newspapers and many times in 1883.

2 John CARR's death was registered as 29 April, 1883. BC Death Registration #1883-09-236630. His age was given as 27 and his religion as Roman Catholic. The cause of death was given as 'Fracture of skull and various other bones. Immediate." There was an additional note --"This man was killed by a slide of rock above No 14 Quesnel. Particulars to be given by the District Superintendent."

3 The Accident Hospital at Yale was for white, male railway construction workers.

This post was written for Somber Sunday, or, as we spell it here in Canada, Sombre Sunday, which is a day to post obituaries or sad stories - the idea of Brenda Kay Wolfgram Moore who writes at Day-ly Genealogy Blogposts.