By Deborah Chapman
Special to the Observer
Harry McDiarmid and Gus Tweeddale: two kids out for a summer stroll through the cottonwoods, west of Salmon Arm on the Adams Lake Reserve.
The year was 1924. A howling dog drew their attention to a partially covered body. There were indications of foul play and vegetables haphazardly scattered near the tracks. The lads rushed to town for help.
Evidence was gathered and an intensive manhunt followed. A watch belonging to someone else was found at the scene, the victim’s hat was found down the tracks, and a trail of blood showed the body had been dragged some distance.
Sam Kee’s dog followed its master’s body as it was moved to M.M. Carroll’s funeral parlour. He scratched at the door all night. After the coroner, Dr. Connolly, attended, Matty Carroll dressed the body. He found $640 in the dead man’s tobacco pouch fastened around his waist.
The case remained unsolved for two years.
To find out the whodunit of this tale, join archivist/curator Deborah Chapman’s tour of the old section of Mt. Ida Cemetery on Sunday, Oct. 16th.
Call R.J. Haney Heritage Village & Museum for details at
Read more: Curator digging up stories of love, heartbreak, joy and tragedy for cemetery tour
Read more: Whose grave is marked by the oldest tombstone in Salmon Arm’s Mount Ida Cemetery?
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