For two years, he was the subject of an intensive police search encompassing Canada and the United States, but before that he was merely one of thousands of Ontarians coming to Manitoba to seek their fame and fortune. Over the course of just a couple of years, Walter Gordon earned a healthy dose of the former and briefly possessed a portion of the latter.

When Gordon arrived in Whitewater, Manitoba, from Whitby, Ontario, in 1898, he took on a series of menial jobs. But he unexpectedly left in November 1899 and upon his return. Gordon boldly announced to the residents in the small southwestern Manitoba community that he and an unnamed partner had made a “lucky” strike while mining in New Mexico. Gordon said the claim was sold for $10,000 of which half was his share.

Few doubted the tale told the personable young man, who returned in a state of jubilation at his good fortune on July 12 to the small community, which straddled a Canadian Pacific Railway branch line and was located halfway between Deloraine and Boissevain.

Gordon was employed by a number or area farmers until hired by 26-year-old Charles Daw, who farmed a parcel of land a few kilometers from Whitewater with Jacob Smith, an older man of 45 year, who was said to have entered into an agreement with Daw in sharing the earnings from the property. Smith originally from Croydon, Ontario, had come to Whitewater 12 years earlier, working for other farmers before acquiring a quarter section of land and then becoming involved in Daw’s more substantial farming enterprise. Helping to work the Daw farm was hired-man Walter Wilbert Jackson.

After Gordon’s return from New Mexico, Daw announced to his neighbors he was accepting an offer from the newly-wealthy former miner to purchase his farm. Daw told neighbors in July 31, 1990, he intended to attend the Brandon Fair and afterward proceed to England to visit his ill father.

Daw had arrived in Whitewater in the spring of 1893 from Crediton, Devonshire, England. Daw purchased a farm near Whitewater and became known as “an honourable, forward man,” who was highly thought of by his neighbors. In the fall of 1897, while in poor health, he made a pilgrimage to England. When he returned, Daw announced his intention to sell his property and live in England with his parents, who were commonly believed in Whitewater to be extremely wealthy.

Gordon’s bonanza finally made it possible for Daw to make the journey to Old Country.

For weeks, no one was overly concerned about the continued absence of Daw Smith. But time passed, their mysterious disappearance left friends and neighbors speculating about their fate. Quite naturally, they turned to Gordon, the man in possession of the former Daw farm, for answers.

“I purchased the Daw farm and paid $5000 in cash to Daw in the house on the farm,” Gordon is said to have told his neighbors, “and I was to pay for it. I paid this money over on July 31, but got no receipt for it. I purchased the stock and implements owned by Jacob Smith for $625, and gave him a receipt for the same. Daw and Smith went to the Brandon fair, but I expect Daw back to settle the title for the land.”

Suspicious neighbors began to make futile inquiries in nearby communities. In particular, neighbor Thomas Wilson visited Boissevain, where Gordon was said to have driven Daw and from there traveled to Brandon. No one in the two communities was able to provide information on the whereabouts of either Daw or Smith.

Boissevain barrister John Morrow became suspicious when Gordon appeared in the local court on the matter of Whitewater grocery store owner Fred Peters suing Smith for money owed to the merchant for goods received. While Smith failed to appear, Gordon was present to fight a garnishee entered against him to recover the money owed by Smith. In court, Gordon produced a receipt for the stock sold to him by Smith, while another receipt showed that Daw had sold his farm to Gordon. Morrow later told the Manitoba Free Press that the handwriting on the two documents looked suspiciously similar; convincing him they were forgeries.

Boissevain lawyer N.P. Buckingham began to wonder about the validity of statements made to him by Gordon, which to the barrister seemed to be contradictory. In mid July, Daw and Gordon arrived in his office to draw up papers on the farm sale. This was the last time he saw Daw, but Gordon returned several times following the mysterious disappearance of Daw and Smith. After closely questioning Gordon on the matter of his payment to Daw, Gordon finally said the money was drawn from the Union Bank in Boissevain. Buckingham subsequently approached the bank about Gordon’s claim and found it to be false. The Boissevain lawyer then wrote to Manitoba Attorney General Cohn Campbell about his suspicions and the facts he had obtained.

• Don't Accidently Forgo Your Charitable Intent at Death Even those with strong charitable intents (religious or otherwise), actually fail to provide for the charities of their choice at...
• Raising a Frugal Dad: An Open Letter to My Son Dear Son, Every year, when Father's Day rolls around, the media floods the airwaves with statistics reminding us how many...
• Legendary John Wooden dead at 99 [/caption] Swing open the door to John Wooden’s tiny two-bedroom condominium, and first thing that stands out is that there’s...