Joe's Third And Lasi Tour: Criminals Against The RCMP

The halcyon days of summer were almost over on beautiful Prince Edward Island. The tourist season had nearly ended. The de- ciduous foliage which festoons the roadside: and farm line-fences was imperceptibly turning to the "seer gnd yellow" which later changes in c n and vermillion produc- ing the riot of color which beaut- ifies the "Garden of the Gulf”. Brackley Beach Hotel and several other resorts on the North Shore had closed their doors for the sea- son of 1945.

Such a peaceful rural scene and almost deserted hotels and cabins would seem like an ideal haven for fugitives from the law. A car with n Quebec license plate, carry- ing two young men and a woman approached Brackley Beach Hotel on Friday, September 7. 1945, and its ts applied for admiss- ion. The car was orientated by a placard on the frost with the le- gend, "JOB ON THIRD TOUR”. The hotel was closed for the sea- son, and they were advised that there was a tourist home open at Cavendish, a few miles away, op- erated by Mrs. A.

In a comparatively short time the trio was looking for a cabin at Cavendish. They greeted Mrs. A. with smiles and announced with gusto. "We're going to be your Star Boarders". Mrs. A. could give them rooms in her house, but they preferred to await the return from the city of Reverend Mr. C. who had cabins nearby. The three trav- ellers must have breathed easier as they lclled on the Minister's lawn until he returned late in the afternoon. From him they rented a double cabin and registered as l'Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Jenson, Hal- ifax, 51.5.. and John Charles Kerr of Hamilton, Ontario" Mrs. A. agreed to serve them meals in her dining room.

PHONEY U!tBANl'!Y

Their nhoney urbanity and ap- parent friendliness charmed all with whom they came in contact, excepting Mrs. A. Perhaps they sensed that Mrs. suspected them. and Kerr was detailed to watch her. He continually dogged her footsteps. He even found an excuse to pany her when she went to her brother-': nearby farm to milk her cow morning and eve- tiing. Monday evening she had oc- casion to go to nearby Rustico vil- lage for groceries. Kerr was there almost as soon as she on the ex cure of buying a package of en- velopes. They tried to borrow Mrs. A's radio to take to their cabin, but she had a plausible reason for not acceding to their request.

Kerr appeared puerile, unsophis- ticated, while Jenson, though youn- er. and no doubt more steeped in the ways of iniquity and crime appeared older. Kerr was manif- estly a ”cat's paw" for the young- er but more case hardened crim- inal Jenson. Eileen Jenson was a genuine blond-scintillating but the extremely dark colored glasses made her general appearance as one of the dime-s-dozen run-of-the mill variety. Her alternate moods of despondency and near hysteria aroused suspicion. She was report ed to be a short time pregnant. and she seemed utterly confused in mind, so much so that she had to leave the table four times dur- ing one meal. On several occasions he sound of a woman weeping was heard in their cabin. They played golf with Rev. Mr. C. and became so chu.-nmy with him that they presented him with an- ex- pensive cigarette lighter. They as- sociated quite freely with neigh- boring farmers and villagers, but Mrs. A. noticed that they took pains to air their car behind A long 3!! w tch effectually hid it from the view of passersby on the main highway.

SOUGET !t.EC!!!AT!ON They made friends too with the waitress Jennie K. who was vlvac Sous and comely. They soon tired of the quiet life of a near-deserted summer recon, and on Saturday night invited Jennie to accompany them to a Town twenty miles dis- tant. Here they bought her a beaut- tul dress and .2 cost which was an in the store for alterations. They visited a dance ball but did not stay long. Mrs. A. was becom- ing more suspicious of her charm- ing guests, and would not allow Jennie to accompany them any more. It is surmised that they planned to gab: Jenr'e's c ..ftd- ence and take her wit. them when they started another tour, thinking that she would be a fitting dis- guise for the hunted party of three. Kerr eemed to be lonely and restless. and spent much time at Mrs. A's. One night he forgot mom- entarilly that he was "Jack", and when someoaeaddressed him as Mr. Kerr he said, call me "Walt- er". and henceforth he was called "Walter" by the members of the household. Time hung. heavily on our visitors hands, and when "Wal- ter" asked. "What: to do around here?" he was told about the forth- coming harness horse race: to be held at nearby Covebead. and Mrs. A. was able to give them some tips on the horses to bet on in tho Dari-inutuel. as her husband was a trainer in one of the stables. They made plans to o to the races and invited Mrs. . to come along. She declined this invitation.

GROWING SUBPICION

Mrs. A. was always particularly interacted in news reports on robbciea as her brother was man-

. ft?

aper itemlu

read Iuch no i eagerly to Oil

and hate

ca , subh radio announcements.

Tuesday forarloon Jannia tuned on the radio and lo and behold al- most instantly came the when a- meat about the two escaped robber deaparadoas, seen it Stic- bocytravelling east towa d W Brunswick. Like as nice c chock Mrs. A. was struck by the aim- ilarity between bar guests and the wanted criminals, notwithstanding the fact that the place where they were last sun was over five hund- Nd miles horn Cavendish. Prince .2dward Inland. ” no radio news did not register at all nithlthe light-hearted care-

koa Jahnda. Elia was totally ob-

-lMoua.af.aoy connection with bar

'...".....”l' ".!::.':”."...”i.'; '.t...i'i::'.5 O. C

the has aroma-cad unlit-

of a larga Montreal Bank. ed 9,

By James Pendergast

icatcd would be sure to "spill the beans”.

Mrs. A. bad to talk to someone so she confided in Arthur Brown. an officer of the R.C.A.F. Station. Summerslde. P.E.I. who was also one of her guests. She entertained the idea after her "star boarders" had been there two days, that in the interests of law protection their activities should be investigated. Now she was quite positive, but who to trust? She decided to go to Rev. Mr. C., but before she reached his home she met him in the act of taking a radio to his friendly tenants. She got in his car and told her story. He was horrified at the suggestion that such nice young people could do anything but on the level. He thought it would be an awful faux- pas to inform on innocent people. and would spoil their own prestige in the tourist business. After con- siderable talking Mrs. A. prevail- ed on him to take Arthur Brown to the R.C.M.P. Headquarters at Charlottetown to inform them of her suspicions and also of the sus- pecis' intention to attend the races at Covehead-one of the many rac- irgi ovals of the "Kentucky of Can- a a".

NABBED BY R.C.M.P.

B..C.M.P. Constables Warner and Kecfe were dispatched to question the mysterious trio. They had no trouble spotting their quarry in the large gathering and accosted them as they were going through the exit before the last ”heat” was called. As their answers and res- isteration cards were not satisfact- ory they were told that they were to accompany the officers to the Charlottetown barracks (R.C.M.P. Headquarters) for further question- ing. Constable Warner got into the Quebec car with Jenson (Lauzon) and the Blonde Eileen. Constable Keefe followed with Kerr (Ker-esky) in the police car. After going a couple of miles on the clay road Lauzon was doing ninety miles an hour.

The car went into the ditch on a slight curve and ran about sev- enty-five yards before striking something solid, and the woman struck her head so hard against the windshield that she was temp- orally knocked out. Warner tried to bring her back to consciousness. She "came to" quickly. Warner then backed out of the car, and turning towards Lauzon looked into the muzzle of a 38 revolver.

Constable Keefe and Keresky were with them in a moment. Ker- esky instantly drew his revolver, and the Mounties, it seemed were powerless) Both Mounties were ord- ered to lie flat on their faces. but both ignored the order and started their own hr of talk.

DRAMATIC MOMENT

It was a dramatic battle of wit and nerve. Warner rushed Lauzon, who pulled the trigger four times. Four useless clicks was all the sat- isfaction he got. The gun was a rim fire affair and the cartridges were the centre fire kind. Warner quickly put a hard left hook and a right cross on Lauzon and knock- ed the gun from his hand. When he came to properly he howled for mercy. He was a conquering hero while he had a gun, but without it is crawling craven.

Ker-esiry had his gun aimed. but for an instant hesitated to shoot. He was so surprised and startled at I.-euzons defeat that his nerve began to fall. In the moment of hesitation Warner had grabbed the Mmp and beaten Lauzon and held him up between himself and Ker- esky as d meld.

The officers kept talking to Ker- csky,- telling him among other things that he might be able to kill one policeman, but he would never be able to get of! this !s- land, and would most certainly hang by the neck "until dead". Keefe was edging closer to him all the while and Warner shouted to Keefe to rush him saying, this gun isn't loaded". "lsn't.lt?” aaid Flieresky. and a revolver slug whiz- zed between the two constables. Lauzon shouted to Keresky, "Shoot the B-through the head". Warner told him that if he opened his "It'll!!! again that he would ”beat him to death with his nits". This thredt had the desired effect.

Keefe was edging closer to Ker- 9!kY who began to quake. His bravado fading away his hand got so shaky that he could not hold the kun and it dropped to the ground.

GRIM STIUGGLES

Warner had taken instant ad- vantage of the chance to retrieve Lanzon's gun which had rolled or had been thrown out of his reach. Keefe grabbed Kereskyts gun. The life and death struggle was over. It was a miraculous victory of two young Mounties, armed with

Whine but their great physical ab-

h y and superb courage, over two G6!Perata thugs armed with lethal weapons. On the way to Police headquart- ers in Charlottetown Lauzon "sang" what was to him a sweet refrain. lie took i-eat pledaure in I nut. in! hi ank holdup: and other dllile do exploits. At Police Head- Iluarten it was positively establish- dt Mr. and Mn. Jansen of 'Hlli!.1I -were ll reality Uiyugg Lantern and his wife Eileen (Cor- nell) klulon. of Windlor. Ontario. and t at Walter Kerr vm Walter Keraoky. dlao of Windsor. Ontario 9 I90?! was that Lauooata wife was the only person who mid pos- mveiy identify him .. in. --3.,--v man in a Bank robbery at Moni- real, that be cultivated bar ac- quaintance and threw such a may mertc spell over her that she was persuaded to marry him and a partner in Illa intended en- act of crime. expecting easy liv- ing. glamorous clofboa. aad all that Rea with the life of a dilettaata. air national registration certific- ates were forged, their names and addreases were fictitious." Wbal searched Lauzoa and

possession. Lauzozrs avowed intent- ion waa to shoot both constables, put their bodies in the stolen car, and head for the mainland. He planned to throw their bodies over- board while the Ferry crossed Nortbumberland Strait. In their cabin at Cavendish eight 3500 bonds were found and subsequently identified as loot from a bank rob- bery in Ontario. The woman in the case sauclly objected with abund- ant profanlty'when the ”search her person" order was given, but a Red Cross Nurse was put on the job and quite an amount of cash was salvaged from her shoes and Hidden resources of her lingerie. More money was retrieved from the borrowed radio and under a mattress. The car in which they had been travelling had been stol- en in Quebec City on August filst, and they, had substituted New Brun- swick license plates, also stolen, while Michigan and Quebec plates were found in the car.

Keresky, Lauzon and Eileen were taken to Quebec before Judge A. Geron and charged with theft of a motor car. They pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to one year in gaol with hard labor

Lauzon apparently tool-: pride in voluntarilly explaining how he and Peltier, a former partner, had made their getaway from the Wat- erloo County Jail, which up to that time had been considered escape- proof. He had secreted four small aaws on his person which the guards failed to find when they "frisked" him. With a pal singing in the adjoining cell to drown the noise he sawed through the bars, filling the slits with soap as he progressed. He fasloned a thirty foot rope from torn blankets, and made a hook from a spring of his cot, to scale an eighteen foot wall. He has cased the wall when he was taken to do his time.

STAFF SENTENCE5

But the trail in Quebec was only 2 starter. On Nov. 19, l945, Lanz- on, Peltier, and Keresky came be- fore County Magistrate J.B. Gar- vin. with Deputy-Attorney General of Ontario, C.L. Snyder as pro- secuting attorney. Lauzon and Pel- tler were charged jointly with on three separate charges of "robbery while armed" vlz.; (1) Canadian Bank of Commerce at Syr, Ontario, May 9th., 1945. Total haul was 353,700. in bonds and 319.800. cash- up to that time the biggest Bank robbery in Canadian Banking His- tory, i2) Canadian Bank of Com- merce, Port Perry, Ontario. The "swag" in this case was a picay- unish 32,832.. (3) Royal Bank of Canada in Bath, Ontario. The "take home" in this exploit was 5300.000 in bonds and securities and 31!,- 000. in cash, thereby beating their previously established record in Canadian criminal history.

They were also charged with es-

caping lawful custody at Kitchener on July 19, 1945. Both pleaded guil- ty to all charges, and each was sentenced to twelve years on the first charge, eight years on the second charge, and twelve years on the third and three years on the fourth,-a total of thirty five years. Meanwhile Peltier was at large. He had made another venture in his chosen profession and was shot in the back by a fighting Montreal bank teller. His spinal cord was almost severed, making him is par- aplegic for the rest of his life. The way of the Lransgressor is hard. He had to be wheeled into court on a stretcher. His sentence tot- alled forty five years. Keresl-:y's total amounted to fifteen years.

I.AUl0N'B FATE

All terms were to have been ser- ved in Kingston Penitentiary. Lauzon escaped again and enjoy- ed a "Hell-on-earth" state of free- do:x His body was found some time afterwards floating on the Mississippi river and was positiv-

OTTAWA (CP) -- Lawyers and chartered accountants today asked the federal government to allow income tax exemptlws '0 5" Canadians for pension fund con- tributions. .

In a brief asking more than 30

ely identified. Some of his gunn- dam partners had evidently done him in". The master strategist had created a Frankenstein which liq- uidated him.

Mrs. Lauzon, the sadly disillus- ioned blonde. was released from custody on November 5. 1945- The holding charges against ll" Wt?” withdrawn. The law 8U"10l'm95 considered that she had suffered sufficient mental agony and vexe- tlon- of spirit, and turned her loose

Seek Exemptions For All Pension Fund Contributions

changes in tax statutes, they asked

that exemptions now granted em- Ployees of firms with approved P9951011 plans be extended to the

self-employed and those working

for firms without such plans. The ioint submission of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Canadian Bar Association was directed to Ft- nance Minister Harris and Rev- ENUE Minister McCann. It is no of many being received as r. Hams prepares his 1956-57 budget. The brief asked that income .tax deducllhlmy be allowed all legiti- mate business expenses. These are confined now to expenses directly incurred in producing income.

and me inclusion of legal and o&er expenses of successful tax- ation appeals; the costs of obtain- ing capital loans (on which only interest now is deductible), and expenses incurred in reducing the cost of sales.

It proposed the establishment of a special board of appeal to deal with taxation matters involving inter - corporate transactions and mergers. It said the ta.-: law now prevents abuses in the withdrawal of surpluses through tax-free divi- dends but goes so far as to impose a tax penalty on normal business transactions.

Authority should be given in the corporate tax structure, the brief said. to permit the establishment of employee profit-sharing plans covering workers of all Lun ponies associated in a single enterprise. Such companies should be allowed to pool their contributions from

Snow Snarls Up N.S. Traffic

HALIFA:-Z (CF)-The stormiest winter in a decade dealt I new blow at Nova Scotia Tuesday. More than a foot of snow stopped an traffic and snarled highway travel.

The storm sldeawiped the Atlan- tic coast as it moved eastward from the central United States. Snow driven by high winds fell in Nova Scotia all day and into the night, an inch an hour along the south 'shore.

The Halifax weather office fore- cast up to 20 inches before the storm ends.

Halifax streets and suburban roads were dotted with stalled cars. Thousands of commuters

Thur., March 1, 1956

June 30 Target Date For Ferry

HALIFAX (CF)-Trade Minister D-upiiinee told the Nova Scofla legislature Tuesday he expects the CNR fen-y Blucnose to begin daily round-trip service between Yar- rnouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor, Me., about June 30.

Mr. Duphinee, replying to a

traffic jams.

The provincial highways depart- ment reported main roads pass- able but badly drifted. Flows worked continuously trying to pre- vent a complete tie-up.

Train: ran behind schedule. The CNRls Ocean Limited was two

The lawyer - accountant group

profits.

were late for dinner because of

The Guardian. Page 15

action from E. J. S c 1PC'-- guunenburg), said thepgaht data for daily service has not been Th: f:rr'ry at perledaant make:

roun s w . mouth bronday,

ar- ednudav Old

ing days.

Canadian Ship Visits Cuba

OTTAWA

month Caribbean c r ill I a. rived Tuesday at Guan ' ' bay. Cuba. naval headquarters re- ported. She came from Ciudad T uilllo, D o m i n i c a a Republic, where her five-day visit coincided

hour: late from Montreal.

with "Canada Day" at the repub- l.ic's international fair.

to work out her salvation. Mt 1" fear and trembling, but in (01165 fuiness of the dramatic nightmare through which she had passed.

But what of our "Mounty her- oes? It was a tough asslgmnent for these officers who, were com- parative "rookies" In the Heat ramifications of the famous 901'” who have a reputation of always getting their man. They were be": New Brunswickers with few Years experience in police work. but they

disdain of life". which puts devol- ion to duty first and foremost re- gardless of conscqlIeHCe5- warn"- who is a native of St. John was dcmobilized from the VlCi0Tl0"5 Canadian Army in Europe Only about two months.

lie inherited his heavy lutttns, ahility from his grandfather Whn had fought the great John L. Sui-, iivan when he was chamfllnn Of the world. Keefe was born in the St. John River Valley.

MERITED AWARDS The recognition of their heroism, came on January 22nd., 1946, ml the Confederation Chambef of the Provincial Building at Charlotte- town, when each received from the hands of Lieutent Governor J. A. Bernard the Kings Police and fire Service Medal for bravery. The Governor made the following address to the recipients: ”Actions such as you have per- formed while in your line of duty

displayed the iron nerve and "calm,

Moore & McLeod Lid. . . .

as guardians of the law, have been regarded by your superiors as hell ing worthy of special, meritorious, consideration, and this investiturc, therefore gives me much pleasure. That the action occurred in our: Province, brought to it as well as; to you Constables, unexpected and- iavourabie publicity. It is to the, credit of the R.C.M.P. that tht-J training you have received has. been utilized in bringing you this- honourahle recognition. Your cour- age and bravery in the face of what might have been tragedy, are examples of heroism which cannot be refuted. In presenting these medals, I wish to add my congrat- ulations and best wishes for a suc- cessful future in your chosen pro fession-the upholding of the law under all conditions".

ff .

-...'..........z...B

Even at Teething Tim