Front matter

GEORGE H. HAM. (From a recent photograph)

REMINISCENCES

OF A

RACONTEUR

Between the ’40s and the ’20s

BY

GEORGE H. HAM

Author of “The New West” and “The Flitting of the Gods”

TORONTO

THE MUSSON BOOK COMPANY

LIMITED

Copyright, Canada, 1921

THE MUSSON BOOK CO., LIMITED

PUBLISHERS TORONTO

MUSSON

ALL CANADIAN PRODUCTION

To

RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD SHAUGHNESSY, K.C.V.O.,

of Montreal, Canada, and of Ashford, County

Limerick, Ireland,

This book is respectfully dedicated

in grateful remembrance of many

kindnesses in the vanishing past.

CONTENTS

I.Seventy Years Ago—My Early Days in Kingston and Whitby—Boyhood Friends—Unspared Rods—Better Spellers Then than Now—A Cub Reporter—Other Jobs I Didn’t Fill—Failure to Become a Merchant Prince—Put Off a First Train

II.A Momentous Election—Meeting Archie McKellar—Go on the Turf—A Sailor Bold—A Close Shave—Stories of Pets—An Exaggerated Report—Following Horace Greeley’s Advice—And Grow Up with the Country

III.Winnipeg a City of Live Wires—Three Outstanding Figures—Rivalry Between Donald A. and Dr. Schultz— Early Political Leaders—When Winnipeg was Putting on its First Pants—Pioneer Hotels—The Trials of a Reporter—Not Exactly an Angelic City—The First Iron Horse—Opening of the Pembina Branch—Profanity by Proxy—The Republic of Manitoba—The Plot to Secede

IV.The Big Winnipeg Boom—Winnipeg the Wicked—A Few Celebrated Cases—Some Prominent Old-Timers—The Inside Story of a Telegraph Deal—When Trouble Arose and Other Incidents

V.The Boys are Marching—The Trent Affair—The Fenian Raid—The Riel Rebellion—A Dangerous Mission—Lost on the Trail—The First and Last Naval Engagement on the Saskatchewan—Rescue of the Maclean Family—A Church Parade in the Wilderness—Indian Signals

VI.Governors-General I Have Met—Dufferins and the Icelanders—The Marquis of Lorne and Wee Jock McGregor—Unpleasantness at Rat Portage—Kindness of Princess Louise—Lord Landsdowne at the Opening of the Galt Railway “My” Excellent Newspaper Report—Talking to Aberdeen—Minto, the Great Horseman—Earl Grey a Great Social Entertainer—The Grand Old Duke and Princess Pat—The Duke of Devonshire

VII.The Hudson’s Bay Company—A Tribute to its Officers—Intrepid Scotch Voyageurs—Daily Papers a Year Old—Royal Hospitality of the Factors—Lord Strathcona’s Foundation for His Immense Fortune—The First Cat in the Rockies—Indian Humor and Imagery

VIII.Around the Banqueting Board—My First Speech—At the Ottawa Press Gallery Dinners—A Race With Hon. Frank Oliver—A Homelike Family Gathering—A Scotch Banquet—Banquets in Winnipeg—Bouquets and Brickbats—The Mayor of New York and the Queen of Belgium

IX.In the Land of Mystery—Planchette and Ouija—Necromancers and Hypnotists and Fortune Tellers—Adventures in the Occult—A Spirit Medium—Mental Telepathy—Fortune Telling by Tea Cups and Cards—Living in a Haunted House

X.Mark Twain, the Great Humorist—A Delightful Speaker—A Chicago Cub Reporter’s Experience—The Celebrated Cronin Case—W. T. Stead and Hinky Dink—When the Former Wrote “If Christ Came to Chicago”

XI.The Canadian Women’s Press Club—How It Originated—With “Kit” of the Toronto Mail at St. Louis and Elsewhere—The Lamented “Francoise” Barry—Successful Triennial Gatherings—The Girls Visit Different Paris of Canada—Threatened Invasion of the Pacific Coast

XII.When Toronto Was Young—The Local Newspapers—The Markham Gang—Some Chief Magistrates of the City—Ned Farrer, the Great Journalist—Theatrical Recollections—Old-Time Bonifaces—And Old-Time Friends.—Toronto’s Pride

XIII.Scarlet and Gold—The Rough Riders of the Plains—The Fourth Semi-Military Force in the World—Its Wonderful Work in the Park—Why the Scarlet Tunic Was Chosen—Some Curious Indian Names—Primitive Western Justice

XIV.In the Hospital—Averting a Shock—A Substantial Breakfast—A Gloomy Afternoon—Down in Washington—The Gridiron Dinners—A Spanish-American War Panic—A Few Stories—Canadian Club

XV.Christmas and Its Cheer—Will Sell Anything for Gin But Children’s Christmas Stockings—Santa Claus No Myth—Dreary Christmas—Mr. Perkins’ Cutter—A Lively Christmas Gathering—Tiny Tim’s Blessing

XVI.The Miracle Man of Montreal—Brother Andre Whose Great Work Has Done Great Good—A Youth With a Strange Power—Authentic Accounts of Some of the Miracles—All Faiths Benefited by Him

XVII.Political Life in Canada—Its Tragedies and Its Pleasantries—The Great Outstanding Figures of the Past—The Social Side of Parliament—Mixed Metaphors and People Who Were Not Good Mixers—A Second Warwick—The Wrong Hat—And Other Incidents

XVIII.The Great Northern Giant—The Early Days of the C.P.R. and its Big Promoters—Where the Aristocracy of Brains Ruled—A Huge Undertaking and a Broad Policy—A Conspicuously Canadian Enterprise—Something About the Men Who Ruled—My Fidus Achates—Captains Courageous—The Active Men of To-Day—And Interesting Facts About the C.P.R.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

George H. Ham (From a recent photograph)

Some Early Photographs of George H. Ham

The New and the Old C.P.R. Stations in Winnipeg

How Our Early Settlers Arrived in Winnipeg

Main Street, Winnipeg

Portage Avenue, Winnipeg

The Duke and Duchess of Connaught with Princess Patricia

The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and Daughters the Ladies Cavendish

Lord Minto at His Lodge, Kootenay

Some Early Trading Posts of the Hudson’s Bay Company

At the San Francisco Fair

Waterfront, Toronto, Eighty Years Ago

Fish-Market, Toronto, Eighty Years Ago

Toronto To-Day

Rough Riders of the Plains

Winter Uniforms of R.N.W.M.P.

An Indian Policeman

Indian Camp

Brother Andre

The Oratory of St. Joseph

Lord Strathcona

Lord Mount Stephen

Sir William Van Horne

Baron Shaughnessy, K.C.V.O.

B. W. Beatty, K.C.

I. G. Ogden

D. McNichol

R.B. Angus

A Map Showing Position of Passenger and Freight Trains on the Canadian Pacific Main Lines at 6 P.M. November 1, 1920

Souvenir of the Driving of the Last Spike on the C.P.R.

First C.P.R. Locomotive

The First Locomotive in Toronto