Missing - Glimpses of the Past with Karen Webster

Tuesday, June 3 1913. 

The happy chattering of schoolchildren and scuffling of feet on a dusty sideroad were the sounds as the 30-some pupils headed off to school. Perhaps they were thinking of the games they would play with their friends at recess or of how they might do in their upcoming final examinations. 

 

SS#2 West Wawanosh school was nicknamed “Prosperity” after the tiny hamlet situated at the crossroads just to its north. In other times, it was known as Oliver’s or Plunkett’s school. Built in 1860, it was of frame construction typical of the rural schools of the day, a building with no basement and heated by a single wood stove. 

 

These children were from the local farms and carried surnames like Johnston, Hallam, Andrews, Mills, Moss and Finnigan, among others. When they arrived at school, they were surprised that their young teacher, Mr. Willis, was not there to greet them as usual. The lessons for the day were likely on the slate boards and the children probably carried on their tasks as usual with the guidance of some of the older students. First spelling, then arithmetic, followed by reading. As the morning wore on, the pupils became uneasy with the absence of their teacher and headed to their homes to notify their parents.

 

A search was started and word was sent, via the Exeter Advocate newspaper, to Mr. John Willis, the teacher’s father, a local farmer, advising him of his son’s disappearance. Teacher Willis was a boarder at the home of William and Annie Johnston, who lived on Lot 22 North Half, located across the road and a little bit north of the school. They had last seen Mr. Willis at noon on Monday, June 2. He had not returned after school that day but it was supposed that he was visiting in the neighbourhood. 
Edward L. Willis had graduated from the Clinton Model School in December of 1912. A Model School is an institution where the best or “model” practices of teaching are demonstrated. Graduates of the Model School would have successfully passed the examinations and then were entitled to a limited Third Class certificate. The Exeter Advocate described Willis as “a bright, honest and industrious young man”. In January of 1913, Edward began his short career at SS#2 West Wawanosh school. 

 

After the children had alerted the adults of the community to the puzzle of their teacher’s whereabouts, a search party was formed and, after a couple of hours, William Andrews and John Clifton spied Mr. Willis’s cap lying near a well on the Clifton property on Lot 22 South Half. Further examination revealed that the wooden cover of the well had been pried apart. Water was bailed out of the well to reveal the lifeless body of the teacher. About the same time as the cap was found, a note was discovered on the teacher’s desk with a description of where his body could be found.

 

Dr. Case from Dungannon was summoned to the scene, as was Coroner Dr. William Holmes from Goderich. The coroner immediately empanelled a jury for an inquest that evening, the members being W.T.  Johnston, foreman; James Finnigan; Wm. Andrews; R. Thompson; James Clifton; W. Shackleton and Samuel Sherwood. Some of these men were from the immediate area and two were from a further distance, likely to be impartial to the event. Dr. Case performed an autopsy the following morning after which time the body was turned over to Mr. Willis Sr. He had travelled north from Exeter on the evening train on Tuesday. 
Dr. Case of Dungannon performed an autopsy and signed the death certificate listing the cause of death as “suicide”. The inquest reconvened in Dungannon on the following Saturday and the jury concluded that “the young man came to his death by throwing himself into a well during a temporary aberration”.

 

As is often the case in such matters, the reason behind such a drastic act can never be fully understood. It was said that there had been a disagreement with a parent over the disciplining of their child in the past, but that that incident had been resolved. Friends stated that Edward still dwelled on the outcome and was worried about it, often being in a melancholy mood. Unfortunately, Edward lived in an era when help for those experiencing mental distress was not readily available, instead, talking about the subject was rather taboo.

 

Edward L. Willis was laid to rest in his family’s plot in Exeter Cemetery, joining his mother, who had predeceased him when he was only seven years old. Left to mourn his passing were his father John, his stepmother Louise and siblings Ralph, John, Sadie and Edward.

 

When there is news of a tragedy, some people seize upon the sensationalism and as a result, newspapers as far away as the St. Catharines Standard carried news.

 

John Cannon Stothers of Ashfield Township, who had just graduated in May from the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto, was engaged to supply teach at Prosperity school until the end of June. And in the fall, a new chapter had started for the School Section #2 and the sadness of the previous June was left behind.  The new teacher was Miss Lauretta E. Kirke who was tasked with the education and guidance of  the children of the area.