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Hrian Wijiter's Hlistorie ai us>. Whitby THE CHARIVARI Anyone wno had a little too much to drink on New Year's Eve should take warning from what happened to intemperate persons in Whitby about 130 years ago. They were often subjected to a brutal form of retribution by the citizens of the community, known as a "Charivari," (pronounced "shivaree"). The Charivari was a common practice in the mid 19th century, which often resulted in the death of the intended victim. In June 1846 the Examiner, a Toronto newspaper, carried an account of a Charivari in Whitby that had so outraged certain citizens that thev sent an account of the event to the Downtown Whitby By John Roberts Welcome to 1979. I wonder what sort of year that it will be? I think that you'll notice a lot of changes in downtown Whitby by this time next year, and if the Christmas season this year was any indication, business in the downtown area should be good. By the way, thus far I've had but two responses to the Board of Management survey which was in this paper two weeks ago. The first reply was positive, the second negative. The negative response felt that we should be concentrating on improving parking facilities iii the downtown area. You may be assured that parking is one of our priorities, and this year should go a long way towards solving one of our most pressing problems. I have written a great deal about parking in the last little while, and have always said that we have enough and adequate parking, but most people don't agree with me, so I think that I'd better revisemy opinion here. More about this in the future, after concrete plans have been formulated. I'm going to have to make some New Year's resolutions in regard to this column. For one thing, I'm going to have to stop writing the morning that the column is due at the newspaper, which I'm doing now. This might give me the opportunity to think things out a bit more carefully, and hopefully talk to some people around the town and get more ideas than just mine iii this column. I also want to do just that--get more opinions on what we need in the downtown. A survey doesn't seem to be the best bet, as I've stated above. I suppose that the best way to go about hearing from people is to go out and talk to them. Possibly the timing of the survey was wrong. Most people in the downtown have a lot more to do at Christmas time than answer surveys. Another thing that I'd like to do is to write profiles of some people who are active and successful in the downtown. In this way we might discover not only something about thçse people, but we might also gain some insight into what makes people successful in Whitby, especially as it applies to the small business. One thing that I'd like to see is a bargain hunter's guide to downtown Whitby. There are quite a number of little shops that offer goods and services at quite a good value to the customer. The problem is that many people are unaware of what DEATHS MARK DTRICK Suddenly at Apsley on Tuesday Dec. 26, 1978, Mark Dittrick, of Whitby, loved son of Frank and Mabel Dittrick (of Whitby); dear brother of Fran and Darlene, at home; dear grandson of Mrs. Rose Dittrick of Melville, Sask. and the late John Dittrick, Mr. Jeroine Campbell of Apsley, and the late Mrs. Mabel Campbell; dear great-grandson of Mrs. Viola Campbell of Whitby; in his 19th year. Rested at the W. C. Town Funeral 1Cahpel, Whitby, then at St. John's Anglican Church, Port Whitby, for service on Friday, Dec. 29. Temporary interient Union Cemetery, Oshawa. Interment later at St. John's Ceinetery, Port Whitby. Minister the Rev. R. Carder. If dèsired contribu- tions to ICUF, Camp Pioneer or Ducks Unlimited inay be made at the chapel. Montreal Gazette. The following is the Examiner's description of what happened to a man named Rooke: "On the occasion referred to while Rooke was peacefully seated at his own fireside, his house was rudely entered, he forced out, placed on a pole, the ends of which being raised shoulder high by the ringleaders and thus carried amid the shouts of the rabble, through the village. "The carriers of the pole in their career of cruel folly occasionally gave the ends a hitch up which had the effect, much to the merriment of the hardened spectators, of causing Rooke to lose his balance and fall heavily to the ground. "On sustaining one of those falls he was heard to say--and they were his last words--"They have done for me now." "Being eventually tired of the brutal game of carrying him on a pole they then tore off his clothes and dragged his naked body on the ground, and as a last move carried him back to his house where-in the absence of his wife, they put him into a bed where he was found stiff and cold next morning. Now the belief generally sustained is that poor Rooke was dead before he was put to bed." The Examiner described the victim of this foul deed as an iritemperate man who got into occasional domestic quarrels, but was not known to be a vicious type of person. As if the murder of this poor man was not enough, the authorities were not very skilled in dealing with the matter. This is the Examiner's description of what happened after the products and services are offered. Hopefully we can do something about that. And I don't mean here that I want to write exclusively about second hand shops and the like. There are quite a few stores that offer sales time and again throughout the year, and many of the things they offer are quite a bargain. So these are but a few of the directions which I wish to take this column iin the new year. Any other suggestions? A column of this sort cainot develop into a sounding board for only negative things or for complaints about what is wrong with downtown. There are many things and people that are right with downtown. And it is only because of these things that are right that we are going to develop. CNIB opens office to serve Durham The Canadian Natioinal Institute for the Blind, a member agency of United Way, has opened a new office in Markham, Ontario, to provide moré comprehen- sive service to visually impaired residents of the Regions of York and Durham. This newest of the CNIE District Offices in the Ontario Division will coor- dinate the many rehabilita- tive and support services available to visually impaired persons of all ages, including counselling services, job placement, and adjust.ment to blindness training, as well as Library service and social and recreational activities. The Ajax-Pickering United Way helps provide financial assistance to support these programmes and services, channeled through this new CNID District Office. For further infornation, WHITRY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1979, PAGE 7 death of Mr. Rooke. "Early next morning information was sent to the coroner, but it did not suit the convenience of that official to attend until three o'clock in the afternoon and thereby allowed additional time for the guilty parties to scamper off. "The medical gentleman who officially inspected the body before the inquest stated that he had not the least doubt that death had been caused by the injuries inflicted the preceeding night. "Other evidence having been adduced, the Jury returned the following ridiculous verdict--'Accidental murder by a Charivari." "This verdict dissatisfied the people who were impa*ient to hear the return of the Jury, among whom was a turner, a veteran politician, and deeply skilled in laws and customs, ancient and modern, who addressed the Jury from without in a stentorian voice denouncing their verdict as absurd and concluded by asserting that at home he had an old lame goose which would have done the business much better.. "After this display of oratory by the self-constituted coroner out of doors, the bona fide coroner within, perhaps believing he had enough of geese on hand without the turner's, deducted a super-humanary jury man and after additional evidence being heard, the jury brought in a second verdict, simply "murder against parties named." The Examiner declared that the proceedings required the most rigid investigation and the brutality of. the act ranked among the very worst of attrocities. The newspaýer took the coroner to task for not attending to the matter immediately, thus allowing the murderers of Mr. Rooke to get away. "It is quite time that these Charivaries should be put an end to," the editor declared. "In some cases the design of them has been to shame the guilty into a sense of duty; it is notorious that they are frequently got up against innocent persons for the purpose of extorting from them the means of drunkenness. And two of them having within a short time, in the Upper Profince (Ontario), resulted in the death of the victims, it is high time means were taken to put them down entirely." So the next time, you get stopped by a police officer for a spot check, be thankful that if you have been drinking, you only get a fine instead of being subjected to a Charivari by your fellow citizens. SALT FOR ICE & SNOW $1" per bag WATERSOFTENER $5 per bag MITOILL U M ceCbtuÀj 11càdstie centre 1