Canadian Transport Sourcebook

X

THE TRAGIC END OF A WORTHY CITIZEN

THE REST of the story of Anthony Van Egmond is easily told. He was taken in a farm house a few miles up Yonge Street from the scene of the skirmish that afternoon, thrown into Toronto jail, and died exhausted one day before the year was out.

When Van Egmond had endured a trying fortnight in cheerless winter jail, he was granted permission to write a letter to the commissioners of enquiry, begging that his case be soon investigated. Here is his plea, in his own words:

The Honourable the Commissioners of the Court of Inquiery

Honorable Sirs:

I humbly beg leave to be permitted to observe to Your Honours that, were I in the least guilty of any infraction of the laws of this country, I would manly bear all provisory & final punishment deservedly inflicted upon me; but feeling myself quite clear of any such infraction whatever; and also to make such appear to Your Honours, I supplicate for a hearing soon—as a man rapidly advancing to the age of seventy years, with the use of but one arm, one leg and one eye any more, and by a consumption of eighteen months since reduced to nearly a mere skeleton, and now quite innocently incarcerated in this city jail, without even a rag of my own to rest or lay on at night time, and untill this morning without any other bodily nourishment but prison bread, and the little that was given to me by other prisoners.

To say more, in order to move pity with my most deplorable situation, would show a doubt in the noble sentiments in the hearts of Your Honours—this I abstain to do—only repeating my prayer soon to be called and investigated; & begging the honor to subscribe:

Honourable Sirs

Your

most humble & most obedient servant

Anthony J. W. G. Van Egmond   

City jail 21st December 1837

Sir John Colborne

William Lyon Mackenzie

The above is an exact reproduction of Van Egmond's letter; the few departures from strictly grammatical accuracy are understandable. The original is a remarkable example of beautiful penmanship, especially when we remember the conditions under which it was written,—nine days before the death of the writer.

When an official was presently delegated to hear his case, he presented his apology in the following terms:

Rec'd a letter from T. M. Jones eight days before the battle & proceeded to Toronto & had a parcel of bank bills (Agricultural) which he desired to exchange & Dr Verral wished him to execute a commission for him. He set out on Saturday morn'g (2'd Dec'r), went to Seebach's—in Ellis—twenty miles, the next day to Andrew Helmers in North Easthope (20 miles further). Next day to Preston's—Waterloo—Tuesday to Toons (?) on the mountain—did not call at Hobson's tavern at the township of Wilmot. Between the 16 and the Credit on Wednesday heard the news of the insurrection, does not know a person named Van Caperfs (?). Called but at one house between Toons (?) & where he was taken about two or three miles above the Humber. The House he called at is a tavern on the South side the road about half way between Toons (?) and the Humber & then stopped and. wrote a letter there to Thos. M. Jones. Did not see one Scott a tavern keeper nor was he in his house. Was taken prisoner about an hour after dark. Was taken by four men on the open road—was taken by them to a house, on the north side of the house there were stairs—there was a kitchen on the right side & he was taken into the room on the left side the entry—found about a dozen people in the house. Two prisoners were brought in afterwards, did not hear either their names. Did not hear the names of any person by whom he was taken. Fifteen or sixteen more persons came on horseback—believes they were all armed. There was a person who seemed to have the command But Ex't did not hear his name nor has he ever seen him since or before. He was kept there till about one o'clock.

I was then taken down the road to a tavern on the north side the road, a new house on the east side the Humber. I tried there to make my escape. I was then taken to Yonge Street to Montgomery's tavern. I arrived there but little before day. Then I was brought up & David Gibson came up—he reproached the people for having taken me but s'd I should not be used as other prisoners but should have a separate room which I had. Gibson s'd McKenzie is raving mad—that he Gibson repented he had anything to do with it. This was after daylight. Gibson asked me to suggest a plan for him (Gibson) to get out of the affair. I told him to send in a flag of truce, offer to lay down their arms & swear new allegiance. Gibson s'd he tho't it would be a good thing & spoke to Lount who he brought in & who looked as wretched as Gibson. They both agreed to this but expressed their fear of McKenzie and of proposed it to them. I advised each to go to his best friend & get him to agree & and go from friend to friend & call a council. They said they would do so, and a council was called half an hour afterwards.

Gibson & Lount asked you to join this council & afterwards McKenzie (?).

I did not go till the council was over—and then they called me to the door. McKenzie wished to attack the city at two points but they had opposed him. McKenzie was raving about the streets, he was so angry. At last he got 50 or 60 men in a body who moved off obliquely towards the South East. Saw McKenzie take Anderson (he thinks) by the collar & drive him off with them to shew the way—they were all unwilling. There were not 270 men altogether. This party moved off about nine o'clock. McKenzie wished me to take the command of the party under him—but I refused. McKenzie made the people believe I was under him & threatened me if I undeceived them. This was ½ or ¾ of an hour before the loyalists attacked them. They did not expect the attack. Lount was one of the first of the rebels to fly to arms.

Acknowledges paper marked Van E.1. to be in his handwriting. Did not write Van E.2 but was a party to its composition. Acknowledges Van E.3. to be in his handwriting, also Van E.4, 5. Does not know if the letter to the Editor of the Constitution, Van E.3. was enclosed or not in the letter marked Van E.4. Was not at Elliott's tavern on the 6 Dec'r at all. Van E.6. is in his handwriting.

Endorsed. Van Egmond, His Statement.   

The original of this document is preserved in the Public Archives of Canada at Ottawa. Those who wish to struggle with the difficulties of interpretation which it presents are referred to the Ontario Historical Society's Papers and Records, Vol. XXXIII (1939), where it is printed with comment and criticism by Professor Kerr.

This is the statement of a man who has pined for over a fortnight in jail with a charge of treason hanging over him, and who is within a week of his death from physical exhaustion. In the main true, yet it is in part deliberately false. Even though our knowledge of such a worthy past record might tend to stretch our compassion for the hapless victim of final adverse circumstances, how near can we come to sifting out correctly the cold facts of his case?

On the face of it there is something weirdly strange in the indisputable fact that Van Egmond, having accepted Mackenzie's invitation some weeks before and knowing the date fixed for the intended attack on the city, did not arrive at headquarters until eight o'clock in the morning of the very day,—and that by riding all through the night to get there. He should logically have been on the ground long ago giving help of the military kind for which he had been chosen. In reality he took part in the operations of the decisive day from 8 a.m. until about 2 p.m.,—six hours in all. It was too late for any man, military genius though he might be, to save Mackenzie from disaster. And yet, when Mackenzie persuaded Van Egmond, some time in November, to take this post, it must have been agreed from the first that he was to take it over on the 7th of December. Otherwise Mackenzie could not have so definitely expected him as to send men out in the night to meet him and escort him safely in. It argues a naive confidence in the clock-like precision with which plans were going to be carried out.

The desperate story of the kidnapping will not stand examination. Van Egmond had made a trip to Toronto in the latter part of November. On this short business trip he was in contact with Mackenzie or his associates, and confirmed his intention to be with them on the 7th of December. We wonder why he could not have stayed and begun to study with them the role he was to play. But he made the long journey home,—over a hundred miles on horseback; and he must set out again almost immediately on the return. Was he hesitating at the last minute, haunted with the suspicion the venture was in vain?

However, he kept his word and did return. His account of leaving home on the morning of Saturday, December 2nd, the places at which he stopped, and the stages of his journey until he was on the road to the Humber on Wednesday the 6th,—all this is doubtless true. His statements could easily be checked up, and there was no occasion for indulging in fiction. (The place called "Toons" and the person named "Van Caperfs" have not been identified. The abbreviation "Ex't" applied to Van Egmond is probably short for the legal term "Exponent", a person making a statement.)

The rest of the story must be taken as Van Egmond's forlorn hope of exculpating himself. He was not taken prisoner by four men on the open road; these were evidently men sent to meet him and escort him safely to Mackenzie's headquarters at Montgomery's Tavern.

Arrived there, he found the insurgents in a desperate case, few in number and dispirited. After breakfast a council was held, at which Mackenzie proposed an immediate attack on the city. But Van Egmond declared that to be stark, madness as they had only about 270 men at all equipped. At this Mackenzie exploded with wrath and threatened to shoot Van Egmond. When he was calmed down by the others, Van Egmond proposed that, while they waited for the expected reinforcements, a diversion should be planned to distract the attention of the government troops. Accordingly Peter Matthews of Pickering was ordered to go with about 60 men to cut communications with the east by burning the Don bridge. (This is the party who, according to Van Egmond, were all unwilling to go.)

We know already what happened that day: By one o'clock Colonel FitzGibbon and the loyalist force from the city were upon them.

Van Egmond's son Constant fetched his father's remains from Toronto for burial at his home farm. On the way, the coffin was twice opened for examination by government officials suspecting smuggling of arms. It is reported that the son was so disappointed at his father having joined Mackenzie at the last moment in active rebellion that he refused to allow the customary military salute of three volleys to be fired over the grave. Van Egmond's body was later transferred to the cemetery at Egmondville, the little place near Seaforth in Huron county named after the family.

In his Story of the Upper Canadian Rebellion J. C. Dent has naturally much to say of Van Egmond in the closing stage when he came openly into touch with William Lyon Mackenzie. For a general estimate, too, Bent could glean some information from reliable people who knew Van Egmond personally. Dent says: "Colonel Van Egmond inherited considerable wealth, which he brought with him to America. His enterprise and business ability enabled him to add to his means, and at the time of his venturing his fortunes upon the Upper Canadian Rebellion he was, for those times, a rich and prosperous man. He was actuated by no sordid or selfish motive, and must have been largely impelled by an enthusiasm for the cause of freedom." Dent quotes a local authority as saying: "Colonel Van Egmond was a gallant soldier, an enterprising pioneer, and an educated gentleman. He was a personal friend and companion of Sir John Colborne when both were officers in the Allied Armies at and preceding Waterloo; and although he died in prison with a charge of treason hanging over him, he gave his life for what he firmly believed the sacred rights and liberties of the people."

Although, in the five years preceding 1837, the feeling against the Canada Company (and the Family Compact behind it) had reached such a pitch among the settlers in Huron county generally, and so many were willing to listen to Van Egmond when he told them, as Mackenzie was telling the people of York, that if they wanted anything they would have to fight for it, when at last the decision had to be made between loyalty and treason, there was no open rebellion; men of widely divergent views in local affairs united in repressing active disloyalty. Nevertheless, when the flurry of rebellion was over, there were those who, as Miss Lizars puts it, remembered their call to arms with a regretful thought of Van Egmond. A quoted sentiment was: "Blame Van Egmond! I blamed the Family Compact a devilish sight more than I blamed him."

A further tribute comes from a member of a notable Scots family whose roots 'are deep in the pioneer life of Huron country. The late Professor W. B. Kerr, to whose trained research we owe most of what has been written of Colonel Anthony Van Egmond, closes his story thus: "This is the tragedy of Anthony Van Egmond. But now the men and women of Huron may well continue to honor the memory of the man who gave his heart, soul and purse to the infant settlement of the county, and who deserves the title 'father of the Huron Tract.'"