John Ridout

John Ridout, still a teenager when he died in 1817, died in a duel with Samuel Jarvis.[1][2][3] Both Ridout and Jarvis were from the small circle of privileged insiders called upon by the Lieutenant Governors of Upper Canada, to fill administrative posts, and sinecures, that William Lyon Mackenzie would later brand the Family Compact. Ridout's father, Thomas Ridout, was Upper Canada's Surveyor General.[4] Jarvis's father, William Jarvis, had been appointed Upper Canada's provincial secretary and registrar.

Early life and military career

Ridout attended the District School, the first public school in York, in 1807.[5]

During the War of 1812 Ridout enlisted as a midshipman on the Royal George.[5] He was also a "confidential clerk" to his elder brother Thomas Gibbs Ridout, in the Army's Commissary Department.[6][7]

Duel and death

On July 5, 1817, Ridout was working at his brother's law office. Ridout visited the office of Samuel Jarvis where they entered an argument.[8] The next Tuesday, Ridout and Jarvis met on the streets on York and had another argument. The next day Ridout attacked Jarvis with a bludgeon and they physically fought each other until it was stopped by the militia. In the following days, Ridout and Jarvis agreed to a duel.[9]

The two men met at dawn, on July 12, 1817, at Elmsley's Farm north of York.[10] The two were instructed to stand eight paces away from each other and fire on the count of three. Ridout fired early at two accidentally and missed. He approached Jarvis to apologise but was sent back to his place. It was agreed that Jarvis would fire a shot at an unarmed Ridout, which hit Ridout.[11]

Ridout exclaimed that the shot was foul play but then forgave Jarvis for killing him and fainted. Jarvis and two others left him where he was while Ridout vomited blood. George Playter found Ridout who again exclaimed that he was shot in foul play. Ridout was taken to James Macaulay to seek medical attention but died outside Macaulay's home. His last words were reported to forgive Jarvis again, a plea for his mother not to grieve and a desire to meet his sister in heaven.[12]

Ridout's autopsy concluded that Ridout was killed immediately by a shot to his shoulder, neck, jugular and windpipe.[7][13] According to Mike Filey this was the last duel in York, the capital of Upper Canada.[14]

References
  1. "mean streets". The Rational Post. 2005-06-05. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  2. "A MODEL CITY". Town of York Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  3. William Renwick Riddell (July 1915). "The Duel in Early Upper Canada". Journal of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology. Northwestern University. 6 (2): 165–176. doi:10.2307/1132814. JSTOR 1132814.
  4. Douglas Leighton, Robert J. Burns. "Jarvis, Samuel Peters, militia officer, office holder, and lawyer". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  5. Raible, Chris (1992). Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada. Toronto: Curiosity House. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-9696418-0-3.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. "Ridout, Thomas Gibbs, banker". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  7. Adam Bunch (2013-02-05). "The infamous, bloody 1817 duel at the corner of Yonge & College". Spacing magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  8. Raible, Chris (1992). Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada. Toronto: Curiosity House. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-9696418-0-3.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. Raible, Chris (1992). Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada. Toronto: Curiosity House. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-9696418-0-3.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. Raible, Chris (1992). Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada. Toronto: Curiosity House. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-9696418-0-3.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. Raible, Chris (1992). Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada. Toronto: Curiosity House. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-0-9696418-0-3.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  12. Raible, Chris (1992). Muddy York Mud: Scandal & Scurrility in Upper Canada. Toronto: Curiosity House. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-0-9696418-0-3.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  13. Hugh A. Halliday (2005-01-01). "Hand Me My Pistol, Please". Legion magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  14. Mike Filey (2003). Toronto Sketches 7: The Way We Were. Dundurn Press. ISBN 1-55002-448-5.
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