October of 1922 began with a murder. Paul Matoff was killed at the CPR depot in Bienfait, and $6,000 was taken from his body.
Matoff was the brother-in-law of Harry Bronfman. According to the Yorkton Enterprise, he had “disposed of a cargo of liquor” at the CPR depot in Bienfait and was on his way to wire the money to Regina. Bootleggers followed him, “shot him in cold blood through the station window,” and entered the station to take the money off of the body, “holding the operator with their guns at bay until they secured the booty.” They escaped the scene in a “high powered Cadillac car, passing the police patrol car at the next town while travelling at a rate of over 60 miles per hour.”
The Enterprise speculated as to the reason behind the murder.
“The murder of Matoff, when he might have been held up and robbed without violence, is attributed to motives of revenge. A couple of years ago the warehouse of which he was in charge was robbed. The criminals were traced to the U.S., captured and convicted, largely on Matoff’s evidence. They swore they would “get” him, and it is thought that Wednesday morning’s murder is the result of the carrying out of this threat.”
The Enterprise also demanded the reinstatement of the Mounted Police in the southern part of the province in order to deal with the bootleggers.
“Bank robberies, hold-ups, murder and many other crimes are laid at the door of these international bootleggers whose daring and resourcefulness has never been equalled in the annals of western crime.”
But let’s not think that it was just crime back in 1922; there was also cause for celebration. Baron Byng, then Governor-General, was in the Yorkton area meeting people, talking to area farmers, and greeting people. Byng was recognized for his efforts in the first World War, and reflected on this in a speech.
“For myself, I thank you most sincerely. I look back with pleasure to the period when I had the honor to command the Canadian Corps. The difficulties and anxieties of those times seem insignificant in comparison to the memories of good fellowship that were born of them; and I count myself singularly fortunate that my present appointment has brought me back among my old comrades once more.”
One person not at the event was Milton N. Campbell, Progressive MP for the riding of Mackenzie. Campbell defended his absence in a letter to the Enterprise, arguing that the visit was short, and he had been visiting a district that was stricken with a smallpox epidemic and did not want to run the risk of infecting either Lord or Lady Byng.
There were also some amazing bargains at D. Natonson’s selling out sale. How about some boys’ gun metal dress shoes for $2.85? You could also get a men’s black silk tie for a mere 25 cents.
