Wilson Letson

1904 - 1947  (43 years)

• Name	Wilson Letson
  Born	1904	Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Gender	Male
  Employment	Great West Felt Co., Elmira, Ontario
  Misfortune	murder, story
  Misfortune	28 Dec 1947	West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	murdered
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-77104
  Died	28 Dec 1947	West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2]
  	Cause: Shot - murdered
  Buried	Winterbourne Presbyterian Cemetery, Winterbourne, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  Person ID	I77104	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Father	Joseph C. Letson,   b. 16 Oct 1868, Winterbourne, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 31 May 1944, West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 75 years)
  Mother	Rachel Redilia C. Pollock,   b. 19 Mar 1864,   d. 22 Nov 1943  (Age 79 years)
  Family ID	F13870	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Five Die In West Montrose Quarrel; Letson Family Is Wiped Out In Waterloo County's Worst Shooting [Excerpts from article] A family was wiped out; a suicide committed and five are dead due to jealousy over an eighteen year old girl, Miss Eleanor Springer, in a family quarrel which started shortly after midnight Sunday morning last. The dead are: Hugh Letson, 45; his wife, Mary, 44; two brothers, Percy, 38 and Wilson, 43, and a cousin Walter (Pat) Letson. The entire Letson family was wiped out by gunfire by Pat Letson. On Saturday evening Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Letson, Wilson Letson and Eleanor Springer went to Kitchener and on the way home stopped at Bridgeport Hotel for beverages. Arriving home shortly after midnight the car was driven to the driving shed. As Wilson stepped out of the car he was blasted in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun in the hands of Pat Letson, according to the statement given to the coroner, Dr. LeRoy Wagner, Elmira, and the Provincial police. He died instantly and fell beside the car. Then followed a very heated argument which took them into the house. Shortly after two or three shots were reported as being fired, according to the only witness of the affair still alive, Eleanor Springer. It is believed both Mr. and Mrs. Letson were killed at this time and also Percy Letson. Sunday wore on before any hint of the shooting became known. No gunshots were heard by neighbors, there being a community wedding party which most attended, the night before. It was Elisha Pollock, 87, aged cousin, slightly blind and hard of hearing found Pat Letson, on the kitchen couch, and when he failed to awaken with repeated shaking, went to the neighbours to inform them Pat was dead. He failed to see the gunshot wound in the chest. He was accompanied back by Wilfred Heinbein [Heibein] and Robert Winfield who found Pat had been shot. Dr. LeRoy Wagner was then notified and went down to West Montrose to investigate.... Provincial police were notified by Dr. Wagner and the investigation got under way.... Sometime between three o'clock and seven, Pat Letson shot himself in the kitchen when he sent the aged Mr. Pollock to the barn to do some chores. Elmira Signet, Thursday, January 1, 1948, pg 1 _______________________ The three Letson brothers were sons of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Letson of Winterbourne, while the late Herman Letson, father of Pat Letson, was a native of West Montrose. Hugh Letson worked on his homestead farm in West Montrose. His brothers, Percy and Wilson, were employed at the Great West Felt Co. plant in Elmira, while Pat worked at the Link Belt factory in Elmira. _______________________ Great Many Attend Funeral of Letson's So many people attended the funeral of the Letson family held Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m., they overflowed the Dreisinger Funeral Chapel, filled the Furniture Store, where a public address system had been placed for those to hear the service who could not see it, and still made it necessary for about a hundred to wait outside the funeral home to witness the cortege. Rev. C. L. Mitchell conducted the service, and Rev. R. M. Metcalfe gave the sermon. Pall bearers, of which there were twelve, were: Floyd Goodwin, Bert Goodwin, Leroy Goodwin, Lorne Godwin, David Goodwin, Murray Fries, A. Schmermund, H. Conrod, J. Eckert, L. Letson, W. Letson and L. Eby. Burial of Walter (Pat) Letson was made at West Montrose Cemetery. Burial of Wilson, Percy, and Hugh and Mary Letson was made in one grave at the Winterbourne Cemetery. Elmira Signet, Thursday, January 1, 1948

  
  

• Sources

  [S77] News - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - Elmira Signet (1893-1982), January 1, 1948 - Five Die In West Montrose Quarrel; Letson Family Is Wipe Out In Waterloo County's Worst Shooting. [S978] Funeral Home Records - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - Dreisinger, LETSON, Wilson, West Montrose, December 28th, 43 years. [S417] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - Winterbourne Presbyterian CC#4597 Internet Link. Wilson Letson/ Percy Letson

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 1904 - Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Employment - - Great West Felt Co., Elmira, Ontario Misfortune - murdered - 28 Dec 1947 - West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - Cause: Shot - murdered - 28 Dec 1947 - West Montrose, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Winterbourne Presbyterian Cemetery, Winterbourne, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth