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Deposition of Witnesses in the Emma J. Stripp trial
A of M, A 0088, GR 0363, Q. vs. Emma J. Stripp, No. 5
Depositions of Witnesses
Canada
Province of Manitoba
Western Judicial District
The depositions of R.J. [Norton] of Brandon and James Kirkcaldy of Brandon taken on this eleventh of December in the year of our Lord 1899, at the City of Brandon in the Western Judicial District aforesaid, before the undersigned, one of Her Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the said Province in the presence and hearing of Emma Jane Stripp who stands charged that she the said Emma Jane Stripp at Brandon in this province aforesaid did with intent to facilitate the escape from the prison known as the Jail of the Western Judicial District of said province of Emily Hilda Blake who was there lawfully confined in said Jail caused to her [conveying] to the said Emily Hilda Blake a file.
The Deponent R. J [Norton] upon his oath saith as follows:
I am a gailor of the W.J. District Gaol. I have been such since 1888. Emily Hilda Blake is a prisoner in the gaol confined for murder. She was committed on the 10th of July last. She was held there on the 1st of Sept. last on a charge of murder. I know the accused. She was employed as a special night guard in the gaol by me under special instructions from the Attorney General’s Department. She was a guard on the 1st of Sept. last. Everything did not go well while she was acting as guard.
I discovered one of the iron bars filed, in one of the windows of the ward occupied by Hilda Blake. I did not do it. The guards say they did not do it. I don’t know of my own knowledge who did it. The accused told me that Hilda Blake had filed the bar. The question was put to the accused “did she know who filed the bar”. She replied “Hilda did it with a three cornered file. The file produced is the one that prisoner said she brought into the gaol and gave to Emily Hilda Blake. I got the file from the Chief of Police. There is no file around the corridors or cells of the gaol that prisoner could get. The file was brought to Hilda Blake by the accused according to her own word. The only persons who had access to the prisoner Hilda Blake were the officials of the gaol and Chief Kirkcaldy and other officials. I presume the file was brought into the gaol to file the bar, because the bar was filed. I showed accused the file and she said she knew it. I said “Where did you get it”. She said she got it among Freddy’s tools and she gave it to Hilda Blake. She said she did so purely out of sympathy and to gain the confidence of Hilda Blake but she did not intent to allow her to escape through the bars and that she was sure that Chief Kirkcaldy and Hilda Blake was cognizant of the fact.
Esc by Mr. Cameron.
I saw the bar filed when putting on the storm sash. It was sometime towards the latter part of September. That was the first I knew of the file and before I got it. Mr. Potter was putting on the storm sash. No one showed me a letter that came from Winnipeg I heard about it. I can’t say whether it was before the storm sash was put on or not I think it was before. I can’t cay where the letter is. I can’t say exactly where the bar was filed I cannot give you the date the file was brought into the gaol. It was previous to the appearance of the piece in the paper about Hilda Blake shooting a man at Virden. It was sometime in September.
R. J [Norton]
James Kircaldy sworn:
I am Chief of Police of Brandon. I had something to do with the Hilda Blake case also with the accused. I believe the accused acted as night guard over Hilda Blake. I frequently saw Hilda Blake then in the jail. Hilda Blake gave me a note, on the evening of the first of November. I am not sure of the date to be mailed to Mr. Stripp. Mrs. Stripp had been discharged as this time and another woman put in her place, and should say that both Hilda Blake and Mrs. Stripp knew that Mrs. Stripp was no longer connected with the jail. I read the note and did not deliver it to Mrs. Stripp. Hilda Blake thought I would post the note. Mrs. Stripp [assumed] the taking things into the jail. I didn’t bring Mrs. Stripp to my office for the purposes of [unknown] that allusion. I had a suspicion that Mrs. Stripp was taking files and other things to Hilda Blake. I went in company with the gaoler to Mrs. Stripps house and the question was put if she was carrying messages or anything else to Hilda Blake which she desires. In reference to the note Mrs. Stripp admitted having taken in thi files one of which was no use. I got two files from Hilda Blake, one of the files was given Mr.[unknown] in September. Mrs. Stripp told me who she got the files from and that she brought them in to the jail in a book.
I asked Mrs. Stripp in my office if she had carried any letters from Hilda Blake, she said no. I said I did carry one to some person I don’t remember the name now. I asked if she had taken in files she said no that she had not taken anything in. I produced a bottle of laudanum from my desk and asked her if she had taken that in and she said she had also admitted taking the files in. She said that she did not intend that Hilda should escape that she took the things in to pacify her. She left the office and came back in a few minutes and said this letter I wrote may keep to myself because I was afraid of Hilda. This refers to the letter mentioned in the jailer’s evidence. I hadn’t any knowledge whatever as to who was bringing in the files any more than that. I knew they were there.
Mr. Cameron:
I saw the letter that came from Winnipeg about the end of September. Hilda Blake showed me the letter. I was up in the jail at the request of J.W. F. I don’t know why she showed it to me. I asked her to give it to me which she refused because Mrs. Stripp did not wish to part with it. I have a copy of the letter which was given me by the jailer. I think this copy was written by Hilda Blake. I first knew about the files about the last of September. Hilda Blake gave me the first [unknown] of the files. She hands me one saying she had no use for it. I asked her if she had used it she said no. I first heard about the bars having been filed from the jailer. I went to Mrs. Stripps house because the jailer asked me to go. I did suspect that Mrs. Stripp was carrying notes from Hilda Blake at that time but did not suspect that she was carrying files. The following is a copy of a part of the letter given to me. Now I feel ashamed of myself to be obliged to confess that, even that little note has confirmed this.
I don’t remember the date on which I [got] this copy of a letter. I [unknown] then to first and who the parties were that was writing these letters. It was in the second week in November that Mrs. Stripp was in my office. She first denied taking anything onto the jail. I don’t remember that she made any remark after I read the note numbered ex. A. it was after the laudanum was produced that she confessed. I think she mentions that there was water mixed with the laudanum. She said that she wanted to assist me all she could. I don’t remember saying that it would be better for her to tell the whole thing. I had the laudanum before Mrs. Stripp left the jail. Hilda Blake wrote the note marked ex. A in order to satisfy Mrs. Stripp that this was nothing to fear at the time it produced the laudanum. I think Mrs. Stripp said she knew I had it. I may have said if you tell me the truth you will greatly assist me and her and she said she would do so.
At the conclusion of the evidence for this prosecution the witness Emma J Stripp is hereby committed to stand for trial at the next court of competent criminal jurisdiction.
K. Campbell
Police Magistrate
J. Kircaldy
Brandon
11 December 1899
The depositions of R. J [Norton] and James Kirkcaldy written on several sheets of paper, to the last of which my signature is annexed, were taken before me on the day and year first above mentioned in the presence and hearing of Emma J. Stripp and signed by R. J [Norton] and James Kirkcaldy respectively in her presence.
In Witness whereof I have in the presence of the said [Emma J. Stripp] signed my name,
K. Campbell
Police Magistrate
