Adam Prudhomme
Editor
A memorial police call box was unveiled in downtown Napanee on Friday in recognition of Napanee Police Cst. Richard Beard, who was killed in the line of duty on Aug. 27, 1921.
The sign was installed on John Street, just north of Dundas Street outside the alleyway where Beard was slain while on patrol, exactly 100 years ago to the day.
Town of Greater Napanee councillor Bob Norrie, a retired Hamilton Police officer, as well as councillor Terry Richardson, a retired OPP officer, spearheaded the project to have Beard recognized. A section of John Street was closed Friday morning for the dedication service that included former and current police officers, firefighters, local members of council and members of the public. Among the guests of honour was Beard’s great-granddaughter, Karen Mezciems.
“This is amazing. I was totally taken aback when I got the email a few days ago telling me about this,” said Mezciems. “I’m really quite overwhelmed. It’s lovely.”
Beard’s son, Ben, was her grandfather.
“I was only 10 when (Ben) died so I wasn’t of an age where I would be asking family history type question,” said Mezciems. “I have to admit I don’t remember my father ever talking about it.”
She says she didn’t hear much of her great-grandfather’s passing until she was an adult. She’s since done a lot more research on it, including gathering historic editions of the Beaver that talked about the incident.
Norrie recanted what is known about the tragic night, when Beard was on foot patrol.
“At that time Wallace’s Drug Store was still there and every Saturday night on a warm night people sat out front and he was there with them,” Norrie said. “Then he was notified of a noise in the alleyway behind us here. He came over here and was followed by two citizens, put his flashlight on the back of Smith’s Jewelry Store and was right away shot in the heart and was killed.”
After the shooting police officers scoured the area but the suspects were able to escape in a stolen car which was later found in Kingston.
“Over the next few weeks in Kingston there was a number of robberies and one officer was wounded as well as a citizen,” said Norrie. “At that point Kingston was able to arrest three people, 20-year-old twins and a 21-year-old male. When their cases were disposed of, they were put on trial in Napanee here and in September of 1922 were found guilty and sentenced to life in what was known then as the Portsmouth Penitentiary, now the Kingston Penitentiary.”
In recapping the incidents leading up to Beard’s death, the Ontario Provincial Police Association, in what they describe as a ‘grave and probably unprecedented error’, noted the crown attorney in the case submitted written confessions of the accused to local media, including the Beaver, which published it.
A short paragraph detailing Beard’s bravery has been etched onto a plaque on the call box display.
A memorial plaque has been added to the laneway on John Street where Cst. Richard Beard was tragically shot while investigating a suspicious noise. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Speaking on behalf of Richardson who was unable to attend the event, councillor John McCormack explained the significance of the display.
“Police call boxes were installed across many large Canadian cities starting in the 1880s and continuing on through the 1960s,” said McCormack. “These boxes were used as the only method of communication for patrolling officers prior to the invention of police radio. Some of these boxes also provided a method for citizens to contact police and report crimes in progress. Although non-operational, remnants of this old communicational system still exist on the streets of some cities to this day. We felt it important that rather than simply place a plaque on a wall, we wanted to add another piece of history to help bring attention to this tragic event.”
Beard was laid to rest in St. Catharines, currently under an unmarked grave. Norrie said he is working with members of the Police Veterans Association to have a proper marker placed on his final resting place.