Simon Wood
05-05-2009, 05:56 PM
Hi All,
This is from "Recollections of a Police Magistrate" by Colonel George T Denison [1920]—
DR. TUMBLETY
In June, 1859, 1 was at the Carlton Racecourse, [Toronto] then situated on Keele Street, and was riding home after the races along Dundas Street, when a man rode up behind me, and opened up a conversation I turned to look at him, and he was certainly a man to attract attention He was flashily dressed in a black velvet coat with side pockets, a showy waistcoat and a black velvet cap. He wore a large gaily-colored silk necktie. He had a fine horse and his saddle and equipments were good. His seat, however, was remarkable. His stirrups were too long, and his legs which were also long were stretched straight out in front. Hs toes were pointed outwards at an angle of forty-five degrees from the horse's sides, reminding one of the remark of a cavalry riding master, in one of Punch's cartoons, yelling to a raw recruit : "There ye go agin, a sticking yer toes hout like a hinfantry hajutant".
He was very communicative, making complimentary references to my horse. He told me he was Dr. Tumblety, the celebrated Indian Herb Doctor, and said that the day before, he had driven his horse and buggy to Becket's, on King Street, then the principal drug shop in the city, and had gone in to order some medicine, leaving his horse untied. The horse ran away down east on King Street, ran into other vehicles, and smashed the buggy. The Doctor was summoned before the Police Court, and was fined for leaving his
horse untied. From his demeanour as he told the story, I was satisfied he had planned the incident purposely in order to attract attention, and to advertise himself. I looked up the report in the newspapers, and found he had stated accurately what had happened.
I was at first surprised at his addressing me, and accompanying me, but I was young, not yet twenty, and I was riding my father 's charger, which was one of the finest saddle horses I have ever seen. It had taken a prize at the Exhibition, and the late T. C. Patteson, one of the best judges of horses in the country, often told me years after, that the horse I used to ride in my youth, was the finest he had seen in Canada.
Dr. Tumblety was desirous of advertising himself, and was willing to speak to any one, and made use of my horse, as a subject on which to open the conversation.
Not long afterwards I heard that Dr. Tumblety had been tried for practising medicine without being qualified. He was tried at the Assizes, and sentenced to pay a fine of two hundred dollars. He walked up to the Clerk's seat in front of the Judge, and taking out a great roll of bills from his pocket, he flung it in front of the Clerk saying: 'There! Take your change out of that.'
He went to Montreal after a time and played another of his pranks to get talked about. He went into the principal drug shop, on the main business street in Montreal, and bought some article, and then, putting his hand into his pocket to get money to pay for it, he pulled out a handful of coins, gold coins, and half dollars, and quarters and small silver. Looking at his hand full of this mixed money, he said loudly, so that all the people in the shop might hear him. 'How did I ever get that trash in my pocket?' He picked the gold out in one hand and walked to the door and threw the handful of silver out the door, and across the sidewalk onto the roadway, where there was soon a scramble for it.
I always afterwards took an interest in news of him, as he was occasionally referred to in the Press. The Civil War in the States broke out shortly afterwards, and during the tremendous struggle I saw Dr. Tumblety 's name mentioned in the newspapers, showing that he was doing something on the Northern side in Washington.
The greatest triumph in his special line occurred in 1865. On the 14th of April of that year, the whole world was shocked at the news of the assassination of President Lincoln, and for some days the confusion and excitement was intense. The next day the authorities discovered that Dr. Tumblety had suddenly disappeared with great secrecy from Washington, carefully covering his tracks. For a couple of days, the wires in every direction were buzzing. Humours came from various places that he had been seen, but after two or three days he was captured in some place in Missouri, while he was still apparently struggling to escape. He was brought under guard to Washington, and held in custody for a time. Within a week it was announced that Dr. Tumblety was discharged, because it was discovered that his pretended flight was just another scheme to advertise himself.
Regards,
Simon
This is from "Recollections of a Police Magistrate" by Colonel George T Denison [1920]—
DR. TUMBLETY
In June, 1859, 1 was at the Carlton Racecourse, [Toronto] then situated on Keele Street, and was riding home after the races along Dundas Street, when a man rode up behind me, and opened up a conversation I turned to look at him, and he was certainly a man to attract attention He was flashily dressed in a black velvet coat with side pockets, a showy waistcoat and a black velvet cap. He wore a large gaily-colored silk necktie. He had a fine horse and his saddle and equipments were good. His seat, however, was remarkable. His stirrups were too long, and his legs which were also long were stretched straight out in front. Hs toes were pointed outwards at an angle of forty-five degrees from the horse's sides, reminding one of the remark of a cavalry riding master, in one of Punch's cartoons, yelling to a raw recruit : "There ye go agin, a sticking yer toes hout like a hinfantry hajutant".
He was very communicative, making complimentary references to my horse. He told me he was Dr. Tumblety, the celebrated Indian Herb Doctor, and said that the day before, he had driven his horse and buggy to Becket's, on King Street, then the principal drug shop in the city, and had gone in to order some medicine, leaving his horse untied. The horse ran away down east on King Street, ran into other vehicles, and smashed the buggy. The Doctor was summoned before the Police Court, and was fined for leaving his
horse untied. From his demeanour as he told the story, I was satisfied he had planned the incident purposely in order to attract attention, and to advertise himself. I looked up the report in the newspapers, and found he had stated accurately what had happened.
I was at first surprised at his addressing me, and accompanying me, but I was young, not yet twenty, and I was riding my father 's charger, which was one of the finest saddle horses I have ever seen. It had taken a prize at the Exhibition, and the late T. C. Patteson, one of the best judges of horses in the country, often told me years after, that the horse I used to ride in my youth, was the finest he had seen in Canada.
Dr. Tumblety was desirous of advertising himself, and was willing to speak to any one, and made use of my horse, as a subject on which to open the conversation.
Not long afterwards I heard that Dr. Tumblety had been tried for practising medicine without being qualified. He was tried at the Assizes, and sentenced to pay a fine of two hundred dollars. He walked up to the Clerk's seat in front of the Judge, and taking out a great roll of bills from his pocket, he flung it in front of the Clerk saying: 'There! Take your change out of that.'
He went to Montreal after a time and played another of his pranks to get talked about. He went into the principal drug shop, on the main business street in Montreal, and bought some article, and then, putting his hand into his pocket to get money to pay for it, he pulled out a handful of coins, gold coins, and half dollars, and quarters and small silver. Looking at his hand full of this mixed money, he said loudly, so that all the people in the shop might hear him. 'How did I ever get that trash in my pocket?' He picked the gold out in one hand and walked to the door and threw the handful of silver out the door, and across the sidewalk onto the roadway, where there was soon a scramble for it.
I always afterwards took an interest in news of him, as he was occasionally referred to in the Press. The Civil War in the States broke out shortly afterwards, and during the tremendous struggle I saw Dr. Tumblety 's name mentioned in the newspapers, showing that he was doing something on the Northern side in Washington.
The greatest triumph in his special line occurred in 1865. On the 14th of April of that year, the whole world was shocked at the news of the assassination of President Lincoln, and for some days the confusion and excitement was intense. The next day the authorities discovered that Dr. Tumblety had suddenly disappeared with great secrecy from Washington, carefully covering his tracks. For a couple of days, the wires in every direction were buzzing. Humours came from various places that he had been seen, but after two or three days he was captured in some place in Missouri, while he was still apparently struggling to escape. He was brought under guard to Washington, and held in custody for a time. Within a week it was announced that Dr. Tumblety was discharged, because it was discovered that his pretended flight was just another scheme to advertise himself.
Regards,
Simon