Within three weeks of the murder, one Alexander Gillis, was arrested in Harmony (Queen’s County) on an entirely unrelated charge of larceny. In the ensuing investigation it turned out thatGillis, a man of about 35 who had already served two penitentiary terms for burglary and armed rob— bery, had in his possession a watch and chain that several witnesses identified as having belonged to Callaghan. It was a fairly distinctive item, especially since Callaghan had attached two gold half-sovereigns to the chain, one ofwhich was still there and the other of which witnesses swore Gillis had exchanged at Mount Stewart station shortly after the murder. He was charged with the crime and brought to trial on January 21, 1886.

The whole business created quite a stir all over the Island. Every day the newspapers carried full accounts of the trial, and every day the court was packed to overflowing with spectators. Even though the evidence was purely circumstantial, it was too compelling to ignore. Gillis had left Harmony to go to Charlottetown a few days before the murder and returned shortly after it. He stopped off on the way down in Mount Stewart and had his moustache shaved off. In Charlottetown he took a room under the name of Mclnnis; then after returning to Harmony, he was restless and returned to Charlottetown under the name of McCormack. Certain items of Callaghan’s clothing were shown to have been in his possession, and bloodstains were found on some of his own clothing.

The jury was out almost a week, but in the end they returned a verdict of guilty and on February 3, Judge Hensley pronounced sentence. On Thursday, March I i, he was to be hanged. However, iust a few days before execution day, the Governor General commuted his sentence to life im- prisonment and Gillis went off to spend the rest of his days in Dorchester Pentitentiary. In 1894 he was transferred to Kingston Penitentiary in Ontario and from there he was paroled on July I, I907.

The story goes that he returned to Harmony but no one knew him or even recognized him. When he finally succeeded in identifying himself he was all but run out of town and he is supposed to have returned to prison voluntarily, where he spent the rest of his days. That he did not return to either Dorchester or Kingston is a matter of record.

A ballad about this murder came into appearance shortly after. It is said to have been written by Lawrence Doyle, the farmer poet of P.E.|. ——

Good people all come listen to my sad and dismal tale,

I pray excuse my awkward muse if these few lines do fail; It’s of a cruel murder the truth it will appear,

On fair Prince Edward Island, you presently shall hear.

When spring bedecks her richest robes in the pleasant month of May,

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