Keeping The Law In Vermilion

In December 1910, Vermilion was only a few years old but when you start to get people together in one place, things are going to happen. While most people keep the law and do not try to break the law, there were some bad apples who came to the community and decided to live by their own rules.

At the beginning of December, Judge Taylor presided over several cases in the community for two days, dealing with one criminal case and three civil actions. I thought it would be interesting to look at those cases.

Who knows, maybe one of them was an ancestor to someone who currently lives in the community.

John Bendixon was charged with shooting a cow. He pleaded guilty to the charge, stating he had no intention of injuring the cow but simply wanted to use his gun to scare them away. A respected member of the community, several local residents signed a petition on his behalf and presented it to the judge. In light of this, he was allowed to go free on a suspended sentence.

The next case was Rex vs CNR an appeal from a conviction for failing to maintain proper fireguards was not entertained. This was because it was owing to the fine having not been paid within the time allowed. I was unable to find out what the original conviction related to.

In the case of Anna Hominuik vs Mike Laniuk, an action for slander judgement was given to the plaintiff, Hominuik, for $25 without cost. Today, that $25 would be worth about $750 today.

Lastly, the third civil case was Mose East vs Joseph Robinson on the action of lost wages and damages for wrongful dismissal. There was a counterclaim for the conversion of goods. The judgment was given to the plaintiff for $38.40 and costs. That money in 2024 would be worth about $1,200 today. On the counterclaim, $1.40 was allowed without costs, amounting to about $45 today.

That was just a brief look at some of the court cases going on in the community as the Christmas season of 1910 began.

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