Residents remember stories of David Knox
Mole is researching the possibility that one of the officers involved in the tracking and eventual demise of David Knox, a man living in Rosebud who gunned down Corporal Moriarty in the spring of 1935. Elmer Zeigler last week dropped into The Drumheller Mail’s office. He fondly recalls his father telling and retelling the story as a youngster. He brought in a copy of Memories, Yours and Mine: A History of Beveridge Lake, East View, Garrett, Hesketh, Humbolt, Kirby, Lenox, Marne, Webbs School Districts.
This history of the Hesketh Orkney District has an article by Arthur Forsh, Elmer’s wife’s uncle, which chronicles the death of Knox. His story also appears in the Carbon History book, and gives more insight to the happenings in the spring of 1935.
David Knox’s farm was located, according to the article, a half-mile from the south side of the slough, straight south of the Hesketh turn off on the No. 9 Highway.
Knox was a veteran of the First World War, was wounded and had a silver plate in his head. Forsh also raises the point that he may have been affected by the poisonous gases used in the conflict and this “made him act queerly” at times.
Despite this, he was reported to have gotten on well with his neighbours.
While the article does not explore the ins and outs of Knox’s conflict that brought on a visit from the sheriffs to evict him from the land, it reports was rented, it does say it was because of some ‘very unjust land dealing by persons who wanted to get him off the farm.’
Knox ran the sheriffs off his land on an earlier occasion, and the RCMP attempted to contact Knox on another occasion.
On April 25, Constable Allan and Corporal Moriarty made their way out to contact Knox. They were warned by neighbours that Knox had pledged to shoot anyone who came on his land.
The pair drove up to the home and when Moriarty turned to close the gate he was shot. Constable Allan backed the car around to help his fallen comrade and two more shots were fired. One went through the hood of the car, and exited directly behind Constable Allan. When Allan went for help, Knox fled to a neighbour’s field. He took refuge by a granary and a straw pile.
The stand-off ended dramatically according to the history book.
“Finally one Mountie drove around the straw pile and with great speed rushed at Mr. Knox as he was standing beside the granary next to the straw pile and fatally injured him.”
The article speculated that Knox’s state of mind at the time may have been further in turmoil at the time not just because of his pending eviction, but also because he had a prized stallion that had been injured and would probably not live.
Darlene Raketti grew up hearing the story as well, and says many farmers were and are still very sympathetic to Mr. Knox’s situation.
