The Gerrard Street Mystery and Other Weird Tales

The Gerrard Street Mystery and
Other Weird
by John Charles
Dent

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Title: The Gerrard Street Mystery and Other Weird Tales
Author: John Charles Dent
Release Date: November, 2004 [EBook #6917] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on February 10,
2003] [Date Last Updated: March 9, 2003]
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Language: English
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THE GERRARD STREET MYSTERY AND OTHER WEIRD
TALES.
BY
JOHN CHARLES DENT.

PREFATORY SKETCH.
John Charles Dent, the author of the following remarkable stories, was
born in Kendal, Westmorland, England, in 1841. His parents emigrated
to Canada shortly after that event, bringing with them, of course, the
youth who was afterwards to become the Canadian author and historian.
Mr. Dent received his primary education in Canadian schools, and

afterwards studied law, becoming in due course a member of the Upper
Canada Bar. He only practised for a few years. He found the profession
profitable enough but uncongenial--as it could not well help being, in
an obscure Canadian, village, twenty years ago--and very probably he
was already cherishing ambitious dreams of literary labors, which he
was eager to begin in the world's literary centre, London. He
accordingly relinquished his practice as soon as he felt himself in a
position to do so, and went to England. He had not miscalculated his
powers, as too many do under like circumstances. He soon found
remunerative literary work, and as he became better known, was
engaged to write for several high-class periodicals, notably, Once a
Week, for which he contributed a series of articles on interesting topics.
But in England Mr. Dent produced no very long or ambitious work.
Perhaps he found that the requisite time for such an undertaking could
not be spared. At this period he had a wife and family depending on
him for support, and it speaks well for his abilities, that he was able to
amply provide for them out of the profits solely derived from his
literary labours. But of course to do this he had to devote himself to
work that could be thrown off readily, and which could be as readily
sold.
After remaining in England for several years, Mr. Dent and his family
returned to America. He obtained a position in Boston, which he held
for about two years. But he finally relinquished it and came to Toronto,
having accepted a position on the editorial staff of the Telegram, which
was then just starting. For several years Mr. Dent devoted himself to
journalistic labours on various newspapers, but principally the Toronto
Weekly Globe. To that journal he contributed a very notable series of
biographical sketches on "Eminent Canadians." Shortly after the death
of the Hon. George Brown, Mr. Dent severed his connection with the
Globe, and immediately thereafter commenced his first ambitious
undertaking, The Canadian Portrait Gallery, which ran to four large
volumes. It proved to be a most creditable and successful achievement.
Of course in a brief sketch no detailed criticism of either this or the
succeeding works can be attempted. Suffice it to say that the
biographies of Canadian public men, living and dead, were carefully
prepared, and written from an un-partisan standpoint. In this book there

was no padding; every individual admitted had achieved something of
national value, and the biographies are, therefore, of importance to the
student of Canadian history. This book deserved and attained a
considerable circulation, and brought to its author a comparatively
large sum of money.
Mr. Dent's second book was "The Last Forty Years: Canada since the
Union of 1841." This work has been highly praised in all quarters, and
is in every way a credit to its author's really