Coroner’s Inquest Was No Laughing Matter

Last week, when Charles Taylor reminisced about some of the colourful characters of Alberni Valley history, he mentioned the tragic shooting death of a man stealing potatoes from the Anderson sawmill’s vegetable garden.

It was an accident, swore Henry, the farm overseer. He’d loaded his musket with peas not shot. He’d just meant to scare the man and his companions.

Accident or no, mill manager Gilbert Malcolm Sproat, who doubled as justice of the peace, had no choice but to hold an inquest. The problem was, the only men who qualified to serve as jurors were Henry’s workmates and friends.

The result, as could almost be expected, was anything but justice!

That’s next week in the Chronicles.

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PHOTO: Pioneer lumberman and author Gilbert Malcolm Sproat for whom Vancouver Island’s Sproat Lake is named. —Wikipedia