Vigilante Mothers Get Their Man
Throughout the early part of June 1923, police received reports of a man acting inappropriately toward young girls in Grandview’s parks. Unfortunately, detectives were unable to catch him and “the situation became so bad that mothers said they were afraid to let their children out of their sight.”
However, on Thursday 14th June, 1923, a group of mothers heard a report that the offender was in the local park, notified the police, and then took up arms themselves with hoes, rakes, shovels, brooms and pokers. They found the man and, though, terrified and sought to escape their wrath, they cornered him until he could be arrested by Detectives Killeen and Raines.
55-year old John Collister of East Georgia Street was charged with a statutory offence and remanded in custody. In July, charges were dropped and Collister was committed to the asylum for the insane in New Westminster.
Source: Sun 1923 Jun 15, p.1; Jul 2, p.15; Vancouver Daily World 1923, Jun 15, p.11
grandviewheritagegroup.ca 