In Cochrane history this week, we go back to 1943, when hanging was still used as a form of punishment for a serious crime.
From the Cochrane Northland Post issue of Thursday, December 2nd, here are details of what led to the ultimate conclusion of a murder trial against Wilfred Desroches.
“The tragedy began in the early morning hours of Dominion Day, when Mrs. J.B. April was brutally shot to death in the barn of the isolated farm at Driftwood, and her husband escaped death only by a fraction of an inch.”
Desroches was hanged on Tuesday, November 30th, at the Haileybury Jail.
Also from the Northland Post coverage: “The condemned man’s parents went down to Haileybury, but were not allowed to see him on Monday. The body was released to them for burial in a local cemetery.”
As always, we thank the Cochrane Public Library for access to its archives.