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The Mysterious Death of Tom Thomson:
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Theory #3: Murder with a Paddle

Harry Ebbs was a counsellor at Ahmek Camp, a Taylor Statten camp for boys on the east shore of Canoe Lake, in 1924, then later became a medical doctor. Harry Ebbs was also part of a small team of amateur forensics, under the direction of William Little, who exhumed a body at Mowat Cemetery in 1956. Rory MacKay was a historian, primarily interested in nineteenth-century logging (p 147, 149). Martin Blecher Sr had been a successful furniture dealer in Buffalo, New York who retired to a cottage in Algonquin Park in 1909. The Blechers had a son, Martin Jr, and a daughter, Bessie. Martin Jr was later suspected of being a German spy though there is not a lot of persuasive evidence to support the theory. Martin Jr was, however, not well liked by the locals at Canoe Lake.

Two engravings of Thomson in canoe with paddle, demonstrating zoom effect

The ‘zoom’ is one of the common visual effects that appears frequently in silent films of the 1920s as well as wordless novels that were first developed about the same time.

Dr Harry Ebbs, at Ahmek Camp, inter viewed Nov. 26, 1975 by Rory MacKay:

‘I was there in 1924, that’s seven years after the event—and the person who was suspected or whose name was whispered most often was Martin Blecher [...] I had 75 workmen up there and I had to bring all my food in from the train and I had to get my order out every day [...]. I could see the smoke from the train and I was late [...] I could see Martin Blecher coming down the creek in his little boat, there was quite a big curve and I knew that if I didn’t get there first, that I would have to go way out around him and I would lose quite a lot of valuable time. Well I did beat him [...] and as I went by, he picked up a paddle and swung it, and if I hadn’t ducked he would have crowned me right there on the spot.’

Dr Goldwin Howland did notice, at the time of his examination (July 17) that Tom’s face was swollen, and also that there was a bruise over the left temple. Both the swelling, and the bruise, could be consistent with a quick shot to the head with a paddle, and could also be consistent with a loss of consciousness, particularly if the paddle hit Tom’s head forcefully in the vicinity of his temple.

Harry Ebbs’ commentary is perhaps all the more credible because he was not part of Canoe Lake ‘community’ in 1917, so he would not necessarily have been swayed by any common prejudice against the Blechers, or Martin Jr in particular. On the other hand, the incident described by Harry Ebbs took place in 1924, seven years after the fact, though it could (maybe) substantiate a supposition that Martin Blecher may have been predisposed to wield a paddle in anger, and may have done so more than once.

Engraving of Thomson's body

And we have motive ... not simply that Martin Blecher was unpopular, but also that Martin may have been involved with Winnifred Trainor (and Tom may not have appreciated the competition?). Then there was the War, already in its third year by the spring of 1917. Tom had, apparently, tried to enlist at the outbreak of hostilities, and was refused (apparently on medical grounds; possibly because James MacCallum, unbeknownst to Tom, had pulled strings in Ottawa). Blecher was American, of German descent. There is some suggestion that Tom may have sided with the Allies in an argument with Blecher over which side would likely prevail in the end. There is another suggestion that Tom may have accused Blecher of being a deserter from the US military. Possibly true, but Tom would have been on thin ice, making any such accusation, particularly given that his own service had been declined on somewhat flimsy medical grounds.

Ranger Mark Robinson journal entry, July 10, 1917:

‘Tuesday, July 10. Morning wet and cool. Mr Shannon Fraser came to house about 9:15 am and reported that Martin Bletcher had found Tom Thompson’s canoe floating upside down in Canoe Lake and wanted us to drag for Mr Thomson’s body. We went to Canoe Lake and interviewed Miss Bletcher who was with her brother on Sunday in his little motor boat. Going to Tea Lake dam they had passed a canoe floating upside down between Statton’s Point and the Bertram Island. They didn’t stop to examine the canoe as they had heard there was a canoe that had drifted away from its moorings and had not been found, but they intended to pick up the same as they returned. They passed the canoe at 3pm on Sunday the 8th.’

This journal entry sounds as if Ranger Mark Robinson may have been suspicious ... in the first instance because Martin Blecher apparently noticed the overturned canoe on Sunday ( July 8) but didn’t bother to report the discovery or to recover the canoe until the next day. Mark Robinson also had some concerns about the inquest, and we’ll get to those as well.

Mark Robinson to Blodwen Davies, 1930:

‘J. Shannon Fraser was at the lake as Tom left and was the last man (as far as the Public know) to see Tom alive. He left at about 12:50 pm and at the inquest it came out that Martin and Bessie Blecher, American-German tourists with a cottage at Canoe Lake had found Tom’s canoe floating not three-quarters of a mile from where he started out from the Trainor cottage at about 3 p.m. An east wind was blowing and this canoe could not have been there under ordinary conditions. They [the Blechers] did not report finding the canoe until the following morning when the canoe was brought in from behind Little Wapomeo Island.’

This account is highly circumstantial, and tainted by the fact that the interview was conducted thirteen years after Tom died, but it does suggest that Ranger Mark Robinson, even as late as 1930, was still suspicious of Martin Blecher.

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This Study Guide is available as a free download in Pdf format to anyone interested in using it as an aid to teaching George A. Walker's The Mysterious Death of Tom Thomson (2012). The Guide may not be copied and offered for sale by any third party. This Study Guide is produced with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation and the Ontario Ministry of Education.

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The Porcupine's Quill would like to acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. The financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) is also gratefully acknowledged.

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