Post by Rick (Admin) on Apr 6, 2013 7:31:21 GMT -5
HISTORY: Daring robbery in downtown Timmins 1933
Halperin’s Jewelry Store was the sight of a daring late night robbery in September 1933.
The culprit made off with more than $8,000 worth of merchandise.
TIMMINS - Just a little look at the year 1933, something to read with your morning coffee.
Before I jump in with local stories, let’s set the stage a bit. 1933 is considered the worst year of the Great Depression. Unemployment figures rose to over 25% (one in four people were out of work).
Adolph Hitler was elected Chancellor in Germany in January of that year, while Franklin Delano Roosevelt started his first term as President of the United States.
In Canada, Conservative R.B. Bennett was Prime Minister and would continue to be until 1935.
On a practical front, wages averaged out at $1,500 a year and a home cost $5,000. Two pounds of butter cost 49 cents, apples were 39 cents for a 10-pound bag, five pounds of macaroni could be had for 25 cents and sirloin roasts went for 16 cents a pound. A four-piece bedroom suite cost $89.50 at Helperin Furniture (82 Third Avenue, at the corner of Maple and Third), while a 12-tube C.G.E. radio sold for $125 at George Taylor Hardware.
On the pop culture front, five-year-old Shirley Temple signs a seven-year contract with Fox Studios ($1,250 a week — gasp!). King Kong (the original movie) is released and Mae West is Hollywood’s most popular star.
The top books for the year were “Tender is the Night” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Down and Out in Paris and London” by George Orwell and “The Red Pony” by John Steinbeck.
So, against this backdrop, Timmins was doing pretty well.
The population for the town of Timmins was pegged at 17,061 by September of that year.
Economically, the gold camps of the Porcupine enjoyed comparative prosperity during the Depression. The mines were in full operation mode and there were jobs for those who wanted them.
The Hollinger Mine instituted a group savings plan for its employees. Group life insurance was soon offered as well.
While there were no soup kitchens, for those who did find themselves unemployed (i.e. many people who headed North with the hope of finding a job), relief efforts through the town and local charities were available.
The Kiwanis Club asked working men to contribute “one day’s pay” to a central relief fund that was administered by the club and town councilors.
At a meeting of the group in January, it was reported that a local restaurant owner preferred to donate meals (in lieu of a day’s wages) to those in need (and recommended to him by the Relief Committee). A local shoemaker offered to repair shoes for free for those again who would be proposed by the group.
Unfortunately, many transients grew desperate and despaired.
A young man, unable to find work in town, resorted to a daring late night robbery at Halperin’s Jewelry Store. He confessed to breaking into the prominent Pine Street shop at 11 p.m. It was quite amazing that no witnesses could be found, considering the street was busy and the culprit had to enter via the front of the building.
He climbed up the front of the shop using window ledges and tore off the screen from the transit.
He made away with close to $8,000 in inventory — including 34 watches (eight very expensive ones!), 114 wedding rings, 80 signet rings, 66 ladies rings, a few pendants and tie pins.
All of this was supposedly stuffed into his pockets.
He had time to clear out the display cases and the vault (which apparently had been left open).
The thief escaped with his haul. However, a month later, a group of men were arrested in Toronto. The youngest of them was brought back to Timmins for trial.
Judge Atkinson sentenced the youth to two years in Portsmouth Penitentiary. The judge noted that the young man had had a very hard life but that his co-operation with the police in helping to solve the crime and recover the stolen goods spoke well of him.
Atkinson recommended that the prisoner use his time to learn a trade and to better himself. After his incarceration, he would be deported back to England.
Not everything was all gloom and doom.
The athletic fields at the McIntyre were to open on July 14 with much fanfare. However, in true form, the opening had to be postponed to the 21st because of a huge downpour that drenched the field (isn’t that always the way of things?).
Not to worry though, a double header on the 21st was almost enjoyed by all.
The first game was won by the McIntyre men in extra innings, but the second game was called because of rain.
R.J. Ennis did get to throw out the first pitch. More than 1,500 people gathered to watch the game.
The athletic filed included a modern baseball diamond, a huge grandstand, separate football and softball fields and a large scoreboard.
A separate change room with showers and washrooms added to the claim that the McIntyre Athletic Fields were the best in the Northland.
— Karen Bachmann is the director/curator of the Timmins Museum and a local author.
www.timminspress.com/2013/04/05/history-daring-robbery-downtown-in-1933