STORY OF STEVENSVILLE: HOLD-UP A FAKE

Roberts Confesses that he Shot Himself Accidently and Invented Story of Highwaymen

Special to the People’s Press

[People’s Press, 3 December 1907]

Ever since the reported hold-up of John Leslie Roberts at Stevensville on Sunday of last week, the inhabitants of this village and vicinity have been in a great state of excitement. The more timid have been in fear of their lives, and not a few of the bravest have thought twice before venturing upon the public highway after dark.

The reported hold-up, following as it did upon the robbery of the G.T.R operator, Wm. Hodgsons, was certainly sufficient to alarm even the most fearless. But now the inhabitants are able to rest in peace and with a feeling of security they have not experienced since the affair took place. The mystery has been cleared up. Roberts has confessed that the story was a fake, and that the bullet wound in his arm was accidently self-inflicted.

HISTORY OF ROBERTS AND THE HOLD-UP

The police investigations of the affair have brought to light the following history of Roberts since he came to the village and it is romantic in the extreme.

He first appears upon the scene in August of this year, posing as a public school teacher and coming with a permit from Inspector Ball.

The school section at this time was in need of a teacher and Roberts was engaged. After he had been teaching for a while, one of the trustees had occasion to ask Roberts to exhibit his credentials, which he did. This proved to be a certificate entitling him to teach in England, and although regular in every detail, of course did not entitle him to teach in this province. He was informed of this but in view of the fact the scarcity of teachers, was allowed to continue his duties for a month longer, until a new teacher could be secured.

After he was dismissed, he found himself of employment, and thought he would like to take up farming as a vocation.

With this object in view, he arranged to purchase the farm of Arnold Zavitz for $5,000, giving him a cheque for 6,942, which included the price of the implements and stock, but explained to Zavitz that it could not be cashed for a week or two, as he had to wait until his brother arrived from England. His brother was bringing with him a large sum of money amounting to something like seventy-five or one hundred thousand dollars, his father having died recently and left that amount to be divided between him and his brother.

In the meantime the deeds were drawn up and everything prepared for the signing of the papers, pending the arrival to his brother, with the money. The brother did not come, but Roberts managed to stave things off by various excuses.

In the day preceding the supposed hold-up he gave to the manager of the Sterling Bank two cheques, one for $5,400 and the other for $5,600, signed by a Mr. Phalen off Ottawa and a Mr. Bourne of Welland, claiming they were in payment of mortgages he held against them. He did not attempt to cash the cheques or raise money on them, but simply gave them to the manager for safe keeping, to be held until his money arrived from England.

Prior to this he had been posing as a nephew of Lord Roberts, and had stated that his father had died recently, leaving a large fortune to be divided between himself, a brother and a sister. The sister had been killed in an auto accident, and her share of the fortune consequently reverted back to his brother and himself.

He had hired a horse and rig from Albert White, the proprietor of the Queen’s hotel at Ridgeway, which he had used to drive about the country.

On the night of the hold-up he had driven to Stevensville about eleven o’clock, and had returned to the Zavitz farm about 2 a.m., suffering from a bullet wound in his arm, which he claimed had been inflicted by a highwayman.

He said that he had gone to Stevensivlle to meet the midnight train and see his brother, who was passing through the village en route from Niagara Falls to Toronto. The train had only stopped a few seconds and he had spoken but a few words to his brother and then proceeded on his way home. When about a mile from home three men sprang from the roadside, one of them seizing the bridle of the horse and the other two taking up their positions on either side of the buggy. The one who held the bridle had fired at him and he had returned the fire whereupon the man was seen to drop to the ground. Another of the trio opened fire, and the bullet took its effect in Roberts’ arm. The horse became frightened at the sound of firing and bolted.

When he reached the Zavitz farm, Dr. Buell was sent for and the wound dressed.

On the following day Detective Dowd of Bridgeburg was notified and, in company with detective Kee, went to Stevensville to investigate the affair.

HOLD-UP A FAKE

In the course of their investigation they found that the train on which Roberts’ brother was supposed to have passed through Stevensville, en route from Niagara Falls to Toronto, runs from Buffalo to Detroit. On examining the coat Roberts had on at the time of the hold-up they found that the bullet hole in the sleeve was surrounded by a powder burn about three inches in diameter, which went to prove that the shot must have been fired at very close range. They also found that he did not speak to any one on the train. These investigations warranted the belief that the story was a fabrication.

ROBERTS CONFESSES

On Thursday last they went to Stevensville and found that Roberts had left the Zavitz farm, the farm deal having fallen through. They located him at the home of Mr. Saylor about two miles west of the village.

When confronted with the falsity of several of his statements regarding the hold-up, he became frightened and confessed that he had shot himself accidently.

He said he had purchased a on the Friday proceeding, and that in driving home he had allowed his  thoughts to wander upon a possible hold-up, and had taken the revolver from his pocket and in some manner it had been accidently discharged, the bullet piercing his arm. He also confessed that he had never held mortgages against either Phalen or Bourne, both being creatures of his imagination, and that the cheques were not worth the paper they were written upon.

His father is still living and, although at one time wealthy, had lost the greater part of his fortune in speculation.

Roberts appears to be a very nice sort of fellow. He is about 25 years of age, has a good education and has been strictly honest in all his dealings with the people in the vicinity. He is a puzzle to everyone why he invented the romances which had given rise to all the excitement.

It is quite improbable that any prosecution will follow the outcome of the police investigations, as Roberts did not try to cash the cheques or profit by his stories in any way.

Detectives Dowd and Kee deserve great credit for the manner in which they have cleared up the affair, and the community is greatly relieved to find that the affair was a hoax.