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A chilling glimpse into a peaceful park's past Hanging was a public spectacle By STEVE LeBLANO Special ta The Champion Victoria Park is beautiful, scenic and peaceful. Children use it for sumrmertime activity. Couples pass through it on evening strolîs. Faniilies frequent it for weekend pic- nica and holiday concerts. It has a playground, gorgeous fiowers and a lush green lawn ideal for community events. Nestled in the heart of downtown Milton, next to Town Hall, Victoria Park holds as much splen- dour and appeal as any site in any small town. Lt also holda a somewhat macabre past - not completely erased by 1 00-plus years of social change and moral evolution. If neighboring walls could talk, they'd have some bone-chilling stories to tell that are every bit as frightening, yet fascinating as a Stephen King novel or John Carpenter flick. They're the stories of three men from different walks of life, who were each put to death on the Town Hall's front lawn. Like moat small communities in the late 1 800s, Milton carried out capital punishment in the form of public hanginga. And much like their ancestors from that century, who could not stay away from these public spectacles, current Miltonians find these stories as interesting as they do troubling. No one knows thîs better than local historian Jim Dilîs. A founding member of the Milton Historical Society, he included details of these hangings on a recent walking tour at Victoria Park during the group's 2Oth anniversary. 'These events are defrnitely a window to the past and speak of the kind of justice we had in thoge days," Mr. Dilîs explained. "It (Victoria Park) is a scene of contrast. Lt bas elements of memory both benign and macabre." Mr. Dilîs bas documented two of the three known hanginga in bis book Moments in History, Reflections of Halton's County Town 1833 - 1864. Hangings documented While bis passages are descriptive and highly interesting, he said they're simply the tip of the iceberg in termis of detail - with just enough "ta wet one's appetite. 1I fouind these events one of the moat interesting areas of the town's history when researching the book. They're one of the most popular parts of walking tours as well." Milton's first two public hanginga - covered in The Canadian Champion and Hamilton Spectator respectively - occurred four years apart in 1858 and 1862. Both took place in the middle of Victoria Park, attracted huge crowds and were punishment for murder. Alcohol played a significant role in the cases as well. The first condemnned man had reportedly lived on whisky for many years while the second committed bis terrible crime while intoxicated. That however, is where the simnilanities end. "I got into more of itthan 1 expected. These are pretty stark stoies and the three men corne to lite in the rnlnd's eye widen you read enough about thern." The first man was 63 years old. 'Me second was flot yet 19. nhe flrst shot his wife and niece with a demrnger-type pistol. The second beat hîs mother to death while the two were drunk. The older man -of strong upbringing and good breeding- made a bold journey to the scaffold and proclaimed his innocence to the bitter end. The teenager -who had an alcoholic mother and abusive father -required medication to maintain even a faint trace of calmness and bis last words were ones of remorse. TMe third - and perhaps final - known hanging took place in 1883. kt occurred behind the jail wall, and although not as public as the other two was far from private. The condemned man was convictcd of murdering an old man and his daughter. Stark stories 'I got into more of it than 1 expected. These are pretty stark sto- ries and the three men corne to life in the mind's eye when you read enough about them," said Mr. Dilîs. These hangings, he recounted, would draw hundreda of specta- tors including women and children. Wbile designed to act as a deterrent, the mood was often upbeat, with many area residents using the event as an opportunity for socializing. Mr. Dilîs explained that the executions - carried out with much more expediency than is seen in the United States today- were usually done by black men for as little as a few dollars. Racial prejudice played a big part in that. "It was not a white man's occupation in those days," he said. "I' ve researched other Canadian hangings, and some of them weoe carried out with very little concemt for the accused. Ropes were often flot tied properly, the condemned person's neck wouldn't break and they would suifer for several minutes before dying." Modern mayor bears witness Another Miltonian whose had a direct link with the town's dark past is longtime Mayor Gord Krantz. He witnessed an "archeological dig" in the early 80's, before Town Hall renovations could be started. "We wanted to make Photo by Graham Pains Jlm Dilis, noted local historlan and author ai Moments in History, Refiections on Haltons Caunty Town, 1833 ta 1864, saya he and moat Miltonians get hung up onl execu- tions at Town Hall once they find out about them. sure there were no bodies buried there. Under federal law, these men would have to have a proper burial so we had to go through the procesa. "We brought in a university professor for several digs, but no bodies were found," Mr. Krantz recalled. He still finda it bard to believe - as most do today - that these public hanginga took place only 100 years ago and that peo- pie came from far away to witness them. "It's a little barbaric to say the least, but that was the order of the day. 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