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Archiver > CAN-ORANGE > 2006-06 > 1150807186


From: "canada orangeroots" <>
Subject: Re: [Canada-Orange] Johnston - Hackett Tie?
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 07:39:46 -0500


This might be of interest -


www.hackett.ca

This Lodge was named after Hackett and they have some info on this on their lodge history page.

Brian


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: CJMax <>
> To:
> Subject: [Canada-Orange] Johnston - Hackett Tie?
> Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 10:26:39 -0500
>
>
> Last year I had perhaps the greatest surprise in researching my
> Johnston/e family in Prescott Co., Ontario, since my start in 1979.
>
> Several fires back in the 1800's had taken the family Bible,
> letters, legal documents and photographs from us. We had very
> little to go on. In 25 years I had found only a handful of photos
> of the first Canadian generation, and those were of aging men -
> still treasured though. 2 years ago a lady in Michigan inherited
> her great grandmother's estate. She had planned on going through
> everything in January of 2005; however, a severe storm at
> Christmas, 2004, tore part of the roof off so she went over and
> emptied the affected area immediately. Among the items that she
> recovered was a box containing an old family album. She looked at
> all of the photos (mostly tintypes which are a reversed image) and
> discovered on the back of one a name, date and location in Ontario.
> She searched the internet and came up with my name. I'm in
> Texas. Over the next several weeks we were able to determine that
> the photo album had belonged to one of my great uncles. He and his
> wife had died c!
> hildless so their neighbor took possession of their family album
> just in case some relative should come by. None did, and the album
> remained in a closet for the next 80 some odd years.
>
> In the Johnston Family Album was a photograph of a picture from the
> Canadian Illustrated News:
> http://www.pbase.com/cjmax/image/42825844 We couldn't read the
> name of the person, and he didn't look like kin. 2 weeks ago I got
> some microfilm containing the Canadian Illustrated News. I did a
> search and found the man in question. The following is a word for
> word transcription from the News. I tried to copy the pictures of
> the funeral procession, but the machine didn't cooperate.
>
>
>
> CANADIAN ILLUSTRATED NEWS
>
>
>
> July 21, 1877, Page 37
>
>
>
>
>
> THE MURDER OF THOS. LETT HACKETT.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Thos. Lett Hackett was the son of the late John J. Hackett of the
> Inspector General's Department of the Old Province of Canada. On
> his mother's side he was connected with the family of the late Lord
> Lieutenant of Ireland. He was nephew of Mr. Edward Hackett,
> well-known here as a founder, and also of Mr. John McClellan, one
> of our most respected citizens. The deceased has at present a
> brother residing at Ottawa, Mr. James Hackett, and he was a cousin
> of Mr. W. P. Lett, city clerk, Ottawa. During his stay in the
> capital he was employed by the Montreal Telegraph Company as
> superintending clerk, having charge of the Russell House branch.
> He was highly esteemed by all who came in contact with him, being
> of a most harmless and inoffensive disposition and very gentlemanly
> in his manners and conduct. He was at one time, Secretary of the
> Sons of Temperance society, and was known as a sober, industrious
> young fellow.
>
>
>
> The above statement from Ottawa fully corroborates all that has
> been said of the career of the late Mr. Hackett in this city. Mr.
> Murray, manager of the firm of John McKillop & Co., testifies that
> by the death of Mr. Hackett he has lost the best clerk in his
> office. The deceased was an Orangeman and a member of Boyne Lodge
> 401.
>
>
>
> Andre Lemux, a youthful draughtsman in the employ of the CANADIAN
> ILLUSTRATED NEWS, was told by a brother draughtsman, about a
> quarter past one, that there appeared to be a possibility of a
> disturbance in Victoria Square, and was requested to go there and
> obtain the materials for a sketch, should events prove worthy of
> it. When he arrived opposite Mr. Dunn's door, the crowd came up
> from the corner of Fortification Lane, headed by a stout built man
> in light brown clothes, and a small man in dark clothes, who took
> refuge in the doorway. The stout man commenced the firing, and
> discharged two or three shots. Then the small man turned round and
> fired. About eight men in front of the crowd followed suit by
> pulling out their revolvers and firing. A young man who stood on
> the right hand side of the doorway, and who seemed to have no
> pistol, caught hold of the small man in the dark clothes, threw him
> down, wrenched his pistol from him, and deliberately fired two
> shots into his f!
> ace with it. Another man also ran up the steps and fired two
> shots, and came down again. In the meantime the big man in the
> brown clothes entered the building and shut the door after him.
> Another wounded man fell into Leroux's arms and his blood spattered
> all over Leroux's shirt.
>
>
>
> A young gentleman who was a spectator of the whole tragic scene
> states that as he was returning from Beaver Hall about 1:30 p.m.,
> on Thursday, he saw a very large assembly of persons crowd up in
> front of Messrs. R. Dunn & Co.'s building. He hurried across the
> square to ascertain the cause of the disturbance, and on his
> arrival opposite Clendinneng's block he saw Mr. F. C. Henshaw
> fighting his way in the direction of Craig street. He then saw Mr.
> Henshaw struggle up the steps, and immediately afterwards the
> deceased youth, Hackett, whom he knows personally. Both of them
> were very severely beaten by their assailants. Hackett was very
> badly beaten indeed, and appeared to have lost the proper use of
> his senses from the severity of the blows. Looking wildly around,
> he drew a revolver and fired into the crowd. That was the first
> shot our informant heard. Hackett then went higher up the steps,
> and his assailants followed. A regular scuffle then ensued, and
> nothing could be !
> seen distinctly for a few moments. He then saw a slim young man
> in a velvet coat with a revolver in his hand grasping Hackett by
> the neck. Hackett seemed to clutch him with his left hand and held
> a revolver in his right. Both of them fired three or four shots at
> each other. Hackett seemed to be at a disadvantage, as the other
> man held his arm so that the shots from his revolver seemed to
> strike the stone steps. In a few moments Hackett seemed to faint
> away, and the young man in the velvet coat jumped to the sidewalk
> still holding the body of Hackett, which he dragged some three or
> four yards and then threw to the sidewalk, exclaiming, "That serves
> the G _ d d _ _ _ _ d b _ _ _ _ r right." He then hurried away
> around the corner into Craig street, and was lost in the crowd
> which then commenced to disperse. Shots were fired from the crowd
> indiscriminately during the whole time. Every one appeared to have
> a revolver, and seemed anxious to use it. Soon afterwards two p!
> olicemen arrived and took charge of the body. When the main body of p
> olicemen arrived a general dispersion took place. The whole of the
> occurrence did not seem to occupy more than two or three minutes.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> July 28, 1877, Page 51
>
>
>
> Our Illustrations
>
>
>
> The Funeral of Hackett. - We present our readers today with two
> pictures illustrative of the sad event. The view of the march
> along St. James street gives, better than any written description,
> an idea of the extent and character of the demonstration. There
> were fully four thousand persons in the procession of whom nearly
> one-half were Orangemen. The picture is after a photograph by F.
> R. Turner, St. Peter street, corner of Craig at Sawyer's old stand.
> The other sketch represents the body of the murdered man lying in
> state at the Orange Hall. The engraving has been so done as to
> present nothing hideous or repulsive. Hackett seems to be asleep
> with floral offerings of his friends and sympathysers lying on his
> breast. The sketch is from a photograph by Field, Blenty street,
> near corner of Craig.
>
>
>
> Mr. William Porter. In connection with the funeral of the late T.
> L. Hackett, which we illustrated today, so as to complete our
> record of this melancholy affair, we give the portrait of Mr.
> William Porter, who was appointed to lead the deputation of Ottawa
> Orangemen that attended the obsequities. Mr. Porter is a
> successful contractor who has been identified with the capital
> since 1845, and is a representative member of his Order, being W.
> M. of Lodge 119 (? - last number is difficult to read) and director
> of ceremonies in R. W. Grand Lodge of Ontario. Among the several
> visiting lodges at the funeral, none bore themselves with more
> moderation and decorum than the Ottawa delegation.
>
>
> Unfortunately I was not able to find any follow-up articles so I
> don't know why he was murdered, nor do I know if his assailant was
> caught. Interestingly, Thomas Lett Hackett was an Orangeman as
> were all our Johnston/e men. I don't know if there was a
> connection between the two families or not, but both had come from
> Ireland. If anyone has information on Thomas Hackett I'd
> appreciated hearing from you.
>
> Our entire Johnston Family Album can be seen at:
> http://www.pbase.com/cjmax/photo_restoration&page=all
>
> Cliff. Johnston
> "May the best you've ever seen,
> Be the worst you'll ever see;"
> from A Scots Toast by Allan Ramsay

>



Canada's Orange Roots
http://orangeroots.tripod.com/ca.html
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