On the morning of May 24, 1914, things were tense in the Ireland household. The couple was not a happy one. John was quick-tempered and violent, with his wife, Jessie, often on the receiving end of his rages. He’d lost his left arm some time back and Jessie had taken a teaching job at a school near their farm a few miles northeast of Naseby, Saskatchewan, to support them. They were almost entirely dependent on her income, as John could no longer do most of the work on their farm.
On this particular day, John was in a foul mood. He’d lost a yoke of oxen the day before and been unable to find them. In addition, the couple had guests. Jessie Ireland’s sister, Margaret Clay, as well as her husband and six-year-old son, had been living with them for six weeks. The previous night had been described by Margaret Clay as one of considerable unpleasantness, with John staying up until after midnight, well after the two women went to bed.
Jessie was terrified of John. She told her sister several times on May 23rd that she feared he’d become violent with her. On the morning of May 24th, trouble started again, and at this point Margaret described her sister as “a nervous wreck.”
After breakfast, John became angry and agitated and raised his arm to strike Jessie, but Margaret interfered. He threw her out of the house, but after a few minutes she returned, telling him she would take her things and go. Jessie implored her to stay, telling her sister that her life was in danger and she was afraid to be alone with John. Margaret said that after this conversation she went out to feed the pigs, then returned to the kitchen where Jessie was washing the breakfast dishes and sat down. As Margaret stood and moved to help her, John entered the kitchen with a shotgun in his hand. He raised it, braced it against his shoulder and shot Jessie in the back of the head, all within the space of a few seconds.
“She fell without a word. Stone dead.”
John followed the murder of his wife with an attempt to end his own, drinking carbolic acid.
The doctor and coroner of the area, Dr. Phoenix, was sent for and he managed to save John Ireland’s life. He led the Coroner’s Inquest the following day and on May 26, 1914, the jury found that “Jessie Ireland met her death by gunshot wounds at the hand of John Ireland.”
Horribly, Margaret’s son had also been in the house and been witness to the crime, alongside his mother.
On June 8, 1914, John Ireland arrived in Prince Albert, where he awaited his murder trial, still recovering from the effects of the carbolic acid.
His trial began on October 21, 1914 at the town of Scott, with Judge Lamont presiding. The prosecution was led by P. E. MacKenzie of Saskatoon and Ernest Laycock of Wilkie. Ireland was defended by R. E. Ney of Scott.
Margaret Clay was the main witness, recounting the days and minutes leading up to the violent end of her sister’s life. She described John’s violent temper and told the court that he’d frequently assaulted his wife and threatened to kill her. (They’d lived with her in Washington previous to her coming to stay with them.) In fact, during her stay, he’d struck both his wife and her.
The defense entered a plea of not guilty due to insanity. There was not much else to be done, as there were two eye witnesses to the murder, but there also wasn’t any evidence to indicate that Ireland wasn’t in control of his mental faculties. He was found guilty on the same day and sentenced to hang at Prince Albert jail on January 22, 1915, which he did, at 8:00 a.m.
Jessie Ireland was laid to rest in a cemetery in Biggar, Saskatchewan, with the touching epitaph: “In loving memory of Jessie Scott Ireland, aunt of Robert L. Clay of the Landis district, was killed by husband Jack on May 28, 1914.” The date of her death may be incorrect, but I think the spirit of the message remains. She was loved and remembered, and her family wanted to ensure that people knew how she died; that her life had been stolen from her in a moment of brutal violence from the man who was supposed to be her partner.
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Information for this post came from the following editions of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, the Saskatoon Daily Star, the Regina Leader-Post and the Calgary Herald: May 25, 1914, May 27, 1914, June 9, 1914, Oct 23, 1914, Oct 24, 1914, Oct 27, 1914, Jan 23, 1915
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Melanie Cole 
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