Researching for my historical novel, "Soldier of the Horse"

Newspapers are a great resource for historical novelists, even when they get things wrong. While researching for “Soldier of the Horse”, I was fortunate that Manitoba Free Press  archives are available via microfiche at Simon Fraser University. Two stories were relevant to me: the case of Jack Krafchenko (Bloody Jack Kravenko in “Soldier”) and the much larger, ongoing, pulsating thump of the Great War.

It was with great interest that I reviewed the coverage of the Krafchenko story, very much part of my novel: a bank robbery, a murder, a prominent lawyer defending and visiting the prisoner—and five hours later the prisoner escaping, apparently by means of a rope and a gun provided by the lawyer. The Free Press devoted a lot of ink to the matter, including coverage of a royal commission into the escape. Watching in particular for any mention of my father, I was both relieved that he was not listed as a conspirator, but also disappointed because according to family legend he was questioned intensively by the police. I was looking for confirmation—and found it. In a small paragraph, the Free Press reported:

“(Buxton, a crown witness) had gone to his office, and from there had gone downtown, about midday. He immediately visited Percy Hagel’s office, and found Mackie, the clerk, Wallace, Griffin and O’Donnell there. Buxton asked the “boys” if they had seen Hagel...”

With that passing reference the Free Press not only confirmed my dad’s story that had passed into family legend, but the misspelling of his name (Mackay, which we have always pronounced like Mackie), was no doubt a huge relief to the family at the time!

Bloody Jack and the Soldier of the Horse (part 2 of 2)

At some point during the hunt for the escaped Bloody Jack and its aftermath, the police saw fit to question my father, even putting it to him that he had attempted to file the serial number off the Colt pistol used by Jack in his escape. Reflecting on this many years after Dad told me the story, it occurred to me that he never actually said whether he had or had not done so. But, knowing him, I am sure he assumed nobody would seriously think he would do any such thing.
The newspapers of the day had a field day, what with the trial of Krafchenko and his eventual execution, as well as the just as sensational trials of the conspirators to the jailbreak, including lawyer Percy Hagel. I did some research in the archives of the Free Press, in order to check out my father’s story. It was with considerable satisfaction that I came across an item saying something like “...and the conspirators returned to Hagel’s office, where the clerk Mackie was...”. I have no doubt it was with great relief that Dad and his family saw the error—his name of course was Tom Mackay, but we in the family have always pronounced it like “Mackie”. So the family was spared some embarrassment, and I was able to corroborate my dad’s story.