The Story of a Dark Plot | Page 4

though the liquor sellers were not willing to keep the
law, they were entirely willing to preserve the appearance of so doing,
and very loath to sell liquor in the presence of a stranger, while the
testimony of their regular customers could not be relied on. However,
the task was done, and the evidence gathered was sufficient to condemn
nearly every hotel-keeper in the county to imprisonment or a fine. On
June 6th, these cases were considered in the District court, at
Sweetsburg, Quebec, and punishment was meted out to the offenders.
In some instances where the offences merited imprisonment a fine was
allowed instead, and this was accepted by the Alliance President, who
believed that justice should be tempered with mercy. This bit of
leniency, however, was not taken into account by the liquor sellers in
considering his treatment of them. They appeared to have altered their
opinions as to the enforcement of the law, and their anger waxed hot,
while many, often ranked with the temperance people, were in
sympathy with them. Divisions occurred in temperance societies,
because some of the members had friends who were made to suffer by
the imposing of fines on the lawbreakers, and members of secret
brotherhoods, who felt it their duty to uphold their brethren in good or
evil, complained of the injustice of thus depriving the hotel-keepers of
the property they had earned; some even declaring such transactions to
be on a par with the meanest theft. Meanwhile the liquor sellers and
their allies, who had already by the recent trials been shown to be a
company of lawbreakers, seemed to be forming plans of their own.
Many dark whispers floated through the county to the effect that W. W.
Smith had better look out for his personal safety, and some declared
with an air of wisdom that they would not like to be in his position,
while a suspicious looking stranger, said to be a horse buyer, was

noticed by some to be frequenting the hotels at Sutton and Abercorn,
and attending the horse races in the vicinity. However, Mr. Smith had
not the spirit of fear, and believing, as he said, that "the Lord will take
care of his own," he continued as usual to go from place to place on
errands of temperance, or any other work which he felt claimed his
attention.
CHAPTER II.
THE MIDNIGHT ASSAULT.
Thus matters went on until the night of July 7th, 1894, when Mr. Smith
drove out from his home and returned somewhat late. After caring for
his team he went into the station. It was afterwards told that some
young men had noticed a stranger at the depot that night, who had
appeared to be waiting for a train but had not gone away on any. After
the crowd at the station had dispersed, and the inmates of the building
had retired, as there was little night work to be done, Mr. Smith went
into his home in the station, where his brother's family were then living
with him, and having obtained a pillow for his head went back to the
waiting-room, where he lay down upon a settee and dropped asleep.
An article published in the Montreal Daily Witness soon after this so
well describes some of the circumstances which cluster round the
events of that night at Sutton Junction that we give some parts of it here.
It says:
"The liquor selling ruffians will descend to any warfare however
dastardly and mean when forced by law to a standstill. There is
something in the sad business that degrades every one in it. This time it
is liquor sellers in Brome County that are indicted. Mr. W. W. Smith,
President of the Brome County Branch of the Dominion Alliance, is
also the station agent at Sutton Junction for the Canadian Pacific
Railway Company. As president of the Alliance he represents the
temperance element of course, and that is the element determined to
carry out the law against liquor selling. Mr. Smith represents them in
this. In doing so he is certain to make enemies. He has been assiduous

in his duty, and has been threatened several times. These threats did not
keep him from actively participating in efforts to secure the conviction
recently of several lawbreaking liquor sellers in Brome, some of whom
were convicted, and have had sentence suspended over them pending
their good behavior. On Saturday night, Mr. Smith took the night
operator's place, arranging that the latter should take his place on
Sunday. After securing everything for the night, Mr. Smith lay down on
the sofa, never dreaming that any evil was to come to him."
Instead of copying the account of the assault which follows the above,
we will describe the facts as nearly as possible as