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Well known personalities from Stoufiville. Markham and Uxbridge were members of a notori- ous gang of thieves during rhe 18405, whidn has been documented in a soon to be released book called Mayhem to Murder, The History Of The Markham Gang. written by Paul Arculus 18 - 'WHITCHURCHSIOUEFVILLE THIS MONTH" â€" See us on 'www.stnuflvifleonlin¢.wm' m 731 Davis Dr. sat Hmon Heights DI.) APOLLO DRIVER TRAIIIIIIG 9059541098 Upstanding Stouffville citizens part of 19th century ‘Mafia’ From evidence provided in court it was obvious that the crimes were carefully planned and executed. Details of the vic- tims were gathered so that the offences could be committed with an optimum chance of success. Stolen goods and mer- chandise were disposed of. not in the community in which they were stolen, and not by those who had stolen them, but by other members of the gang in locations well away from the scenes of the crimes. They came mainly from the regions sur- rounding Toronto. including Stouffvifle. The press named them the Markham Gang. The Markham Gang is the subiect of the latest book by Port Perry historian Paul Arculusr The book is entitled Mayhem to Murder and is to be released Oct. 18th at a book launch in Port Perry. The range of crimes perpetrated by the gang was extensive, from petty theft, burglary. forgery and an elaborate system of horse stealing to murder. Their crimes extended throughout the province and beyond. Markham Gang members were not idle, unemployed ne‘er-do-wells or vagrants; they were successful merchants and busi- nessmen. and errant sons and daughters of respectable families. their sumames readily recognized among the pioneer families and the early businesses in the communities of southâ€"central Ontario. Stouffville area readers will recognize In lune 1845, the British Colonist, a popular Toronto newspaper, revealed that an organized gang of outlaws was in oper- ation across the province. Open Monday - Friday 10:00 â€" 5:30 mum. Ffi; evening for bottling Gang members took oathsef secrecy. They vowed to support each other in any way possible. They pledged to provide alibis in case they were arrested, and to back each other in court. It was alleged that constables and judges were threat- ened or bribed. This was a homegrown Canadian Mafia, a mob, one of the earliest known cases of organized crime in British North America. After the trials, one gang member was executed. Four others were also sen- tenced to be executed. Then, quietly, their sentences were reduced to life in prison, but within five years they were mysteriously released. Most court and prison records have disappeared. Indeed. many of those convicted went on to become prominent citizens themselves; their criminal past somehow kept quiet. Paul Arculus came across the story of the Markham Gang by chance. He was reading the Toronto newspapers of the I8405 in search of material for a biography of reformer Peter Perry when he came across the article in the British Colonist Mayhem to Murder is the result of almost ten years of research. We like to make our wine with Gord because of the variety of choices and because Gord and his staff are knowledgeable. and cointeous. «i They make wme making names such as Badgerow, Eurr. Green. Johnson, McLean, Morden, Pennock, Stoutenburg, Udell and Vaniant. T.P White, after whom Whitevale is named. was among the wanted gang members. Mr. Arculus is a former high school his- tory teacher who has spent his retirement years researching and writing about the history of mral Ontario. Mayhem to Murder will be available in bookstores in October. OCTOBER 2003