Thursday, January 7, 1932 It was still dark at 7:00AM when Peter Jeanotte got up and went out to the barn to do his chores. He was a farm hand on the Fitch farmstead in Dunkirk, Saskatchewan and had been working for his friend of seven years, Robert Walter Fitch, since October. Fitch, who wentContinue reading “Manhunt in Dunkirk”
Tag Archives: mystery
The Yorkton Hammer Murder
June 4, 1933 It was a typical Sunday on the Steberl farm, just 12 miles northeast of Yorkton near Rhein, Saskatchewan. Gustav Steberl and his wife Rosie had gone into Rhein that day with their hired man, Henry Suppes, before returning to the farm around supper time. Earlier that day Henry and Gustav had gottenContinue reading “The Yorkton Hammer Murder”
The Haunted Skull of the Kerrobert Courthouse
As those of you who’ve been reading along already know, my fall down the rabbit hole of Saskatchewan murder started with the Kerrobert Courthouse. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, take a moment and read this. Don’t worry, we’ll wait for you. Done? Okay, great. As I was saying, it was nearlyContinue reading “The Haunted Skull of the Kerrobert Courthouse”
Shootin’ Rabbits by Moonlight: The Murder of Hans Pederson
Murder Most Foul On the morning of December 29, 1931, the Tilks brothers, Albert and Kenneth, were driving to Ardath when they saw something in the snow near the main road into town. It was the frozen body of Hans Pederson, a twenty-two year old Danish immigrant who worked as a farmhand on the farmContinue reading “Shootin’ Rabbits by Moonlight: The Murder of Hans Pederson”
The Murder of Eileen Bailey
In March of 1934, just four miles north of Estevan stood the Bailey Farm, where Percy Bailey and his wife lived with their two daughters, Eileen, who was seventeen, and Ruby, who was nineteen. On March 24, the couple went into town to do some shopping, leaving Eileen and Ruby home alone. The two girlsContinue reading “The Murder of Eileen Bailey”
Murder in Redberry, Saskatchewan
June 12, 1933 At around 3:15 in the afternoon, a few customers gathered at the door of the small general store in Redberry, Saskatchewan to buy stamps. The door was locked, but they weren’t alarmed, assuming the owner and postmaster, Peter Pommereul, would return soon. Someone went to his daughter’s house nearby and she returnedContinue reading “Murder in Redberry, Saskatchewan”
The Unsolved Murder of James Eli Johnson
The time has come to talk about the Saskatoon Bungalow Axe Murder. It was a case with an enormous amount of coverage at the time, not surprising, given the various mysterious and troubling aspects of the crime, and it remains unsolved to this day. I have my own theories, but before we get into those,Continue reading “The Unsolved Murder of James Eli Johnson”
Working on Something Good
Writing this blog has taught me a lot about myself, mostly about how much I relish investigating old murders. And when I sat down to learn about this week’s case, it became immediately apparent that I need more time. Because it is good. It is so good. And by good, I mean strange, complicated andContinue reading “Working on Something Good”
The Murder of Herbert Schill
It was a routine Sunday for Herbert Schill on October 16, 1938 in Lebret, Saskatchewan. First church, then lunch with a friend before returning home to his farm where his wife and family waited. In the evening, he changed out of his church clothes and went out to the barn with their farmhand, Stanley Illerbrun,Continue reading “The Murder of Herbert Schill”
The Straw Stack Murders
On April 16, 1933, Mike Swyck, a farmer in the Whitkow district of Saskatchewan, noticed his dog digging around in the ashes of his straw stack, which he had seen go up in flames from his farmhouse several days previous and decided to investigate. Peering into the ashes, he made a gruesome discovery. There, inContinue reading “The Straw Stack Murders”
Melanie Cole 