Written by staff member, Vicky
In a secluded reference section of Halifax Central Library referred to as Closed Stacks, a set of large red volumes called the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, opens a new window (DCB) awaits. These volumes published in 1966 contain hundreds of stories detailing the lives of people who helped make Canada what it is today. The DCB continues to add new biographies to its collection to this day, but does so online where they offer more than 9,000 Canadian life stories.
Whether searching the DCB in person or online, you might stumble across the story of Halifax resident Elizabeth Maude Bates (Egan), better known as Bessie. The DCB article details Bessie's charitable works and how this eventually grew into a temporary posting with the Halifax Police Department in December,1917 making her the first official policewoman/social worker on the force. In 1918, the Halifax Police Department added another policewoman to their roster - May Virtue. May and Bessie walked the beat together and worked as a team to serve the city. However, the DCB contains no entry for May Virtue. Does she not deserve a bit of time in the spotlight?
And so, without further adieu, let's meet the aptly named May Virtue.
Bonjour du Québec
Mary or Maria (May) Castonguay was born in Quebec on October 16, 1870, likely near the city of Rivière-du-Loup. Her father, François Castonguay (who may have gone by Pascal) worked as a saddler, and her mother Emélie (nee Clément) managed the home and their children. The family appears to have lived in a variety of areas along the St. Lawrence River including Saint-Antoine-de-la-Rivière-du-Loup and Saint-André-d'Argenteuil. The family were practicing Roman Catholics, but that would change for May when she was eighteen.
As a teenager, May was introduced to Thomas Johnston Virtue, an Irish Methodist from Montréal. He had followed in his father's footsteps and established himself as a butcher at 149 Congregation Street, Montréal. It is unclear how they met, but the love was real enough for her to convert from Catholicism. The couple was married on November 12, 1889 by J. Scanlow, a Methodist minister, at the Salvation Army at 22 Alexander Street. The couple would settle at 625 Wellington Street on the corner of Bourgeois Street (now Bourgeoys Street).
Thomas was, if nothing else, an interesting character. By all accounts he was well respected by his neighbours and friends, but he was not always on the right side of the law. For example, in September, 1888, Thomas plead guilty to slaughtering five sheep in his home and was fined $10 (or around $330 today). Not having learned a lesson, he was found guilty of "keeping an unlicensed butcher shop" in his home in April, 1892, but this time he was fined $40 (or around $1300 today). In 1893, he was found to be in a legal disagreement with a J. C. Wilson. There are two men with this name listed in the Montréal City Directory from that time - one a painter, the other a printer. It is unclear which person Thomas went to court with or why. The outcome, however, was clear: a portion of Thomas' personal property including his horse its harness, and a cart were seized and sold by the court with the cash given to J. C. Wilson.
Despite his run-ins with authorities, Thomas was a fine butcher and raised his animals well. In 1893, he entered his chickens into an exhibition and won several prizes including the Poultry Association's Cup for Best Variety of Poultry. The 1901 census states that Thomas was making approximately $2000 a year as a butcher, or about $54,000 a year today (the Bank of Canada inflation calculator only goes back as far as 1914).
However, at around this same time, Thomas and May became the target of some 'mischief' according to The Daily Witness. On May 23, 1893, the newspaper reported that the Virtues' hennery had been victim to a senseless attack. Nearly a dozen of their prized hens and a seventeen-pound turkey were found poisoned (pg.1). The crime was thought to have been conducted by a group of "loafers" that hung around the neighbourhood; eventually one boy was charged and fined for the offence.
Later that summer on August 4, the same paper asked the question Mischief or Malice? in an article that once again detailed that the Virtues chickens had been poisoned (pg. 1). This time over one pound of Paris Green was found to have been sprinkled on the ground where the chickens and other fowls were fed. Paris Green is an extremely poisonous green pigment that was also used as an insecticide. It is made of green copper and arsenic. At the beginning of the year, the Virtues had in their flock some fifty-eight prize winning birds, but after these attacks they were left with only twelve. Thankfully, it seems that after the second instance the attacks stopped.
May and Thomas went through life's ups and downs together until December 28, 1906. That afternoon while May and Thomas were in the midst of a conversation, Thomas suddenly fell to the floor. May called for help, but Thomas passed away before a doctor could arrive. Upon examination, it was determined that Thomas had died of heart failure. He was only forty-one years old. Having no children together, May was now on her own.
Prior to Thomas' death it is likely that May assisted Thomas with the butchering business, but she did not continue the shop after his death. By 1907, 625 Wellington Street was occupied by a new tenant and May was nowhere to be found in the Montréal City Directory. May disappears from many available records for several years. However, it is possible that during this time May trained as a nurse through the Salvation Army. By at least 1913, May was working as the superintendent at the "Presbyterian Detention Home" in Montréal (Halifax Council Minutes, June 1914, pg.82). Montréal City Directories of the time have no buildings or organizations listed under that exact name, but it is likely it is referring to the Sainte-Darie Asylum.
The Sainte-Darie Asylum was founded in 1876 by the Sisters of the Good Shepard. It was located on Notre Dame Street in Montréal and operated as a prison for women. One wing of the prison was for Catholic inmates and was managed by the Sisters of the Good Shepard; the other wing was for Protestant inmates and was administered by Protestant matrons. Between 1876-1920, more than 30,000 women were incarcerated at the Asylum usually for crimes related to sex work, drunkenness, or vagrancy. The intention of the facility was to re-educate and rehabilitate these women in hopes of providing them with the skills needed to live more wholesome and productive lives.
So, what is May's connection to Halifax? Well, that seems to start with a young woman named Mary Murphy.
The Case of Mary Murphy
In a meeting held June 11, 1914, R. V. Harris, the Controller of the City Prison (also known as Rockhead Prison) provided a report to City Council regarding a nineteen year old woman named Mary Murphy. In January of 1913, Mary was sent to Rockhead Prison, also known as the Halifax City Prison, after escaping from the Home of the Good Shepherd on Quinpool Road. She had been sent to the Home of the Good Shepherd for being of "...loose, idle, and disorderly character..." (p. 82), and was sentenced to three years at the facility. Upon her re-capture, it was decided that Mary should be sent away from Nova Scotia under the Ticket of Leave Act, a piece of legislation introduced in 1899 that allowed the early release for first time offenders if they could be removed from their corruptive influences. This is how Mary Murphy found herself in Montréal for a stay at the Presbyterian Detention Home under the care of Matron May Virtue in July, 1913.
On December 6, 1913 May sent a letter to a Mr. H. V. Wier of Halifax (it is unclear exactly how Mr. Wier is related to either May or Mary). In the letter, May stated that Mary had given birth to a baby girl on November 27. Using some pretty easy math, this date of birth means that Mary had become pregnant during her stay at the Halifax City Prison. To be an unwed teenage mother in the Victorian Era was something to gossip about indeed, but the idea that it was perhaps a prison guard or other Rockhead employee who had helped get Mary in this situation? That was some hot tea.
Mr. Wier brought May's letter to the attention of Controller Harris and asked for an investigation into the situation: "...I believe that if conditions are what they appear, then a young girl is not protected from the seducer even in our City Prison." (pg. 82). An inquiry took place, and while those who conducted the investigation had no doubt that Mary's pregnancy began while she was in the prison, they felt they were not qualified to properly investigate the case. They suggested the matter be passed on to the Attorney General's Department.
The conclusion of Mary's story is unknown. However, Mary's situation demonstrates that May had connections to, and at times a working relationship with, the Halifax City Police force - a connection that would dictate much of her working career.
The Halifax Explosion
On December 6, 1917 at around nine o'clock in the morning, the Norwegian supply ship Imo and the French munitions ship the Mont-Blanc collided in the harbour resulting in the biggest man made explosion prior to the discovery of the atomic bomb. Entire neighbourhoods were leveled, buildings were destroyed, nearly 2000 died, thousands of people were wounded, and 25,000 people were left homeless following the blast. Assistance poured in from across Canada and the United States in the form of food, furniture, building supplies, blankets, clothing, coal, medical supplies, and medical personnel, including May Virtue. It is not known how May got to Halifax - was she sent by her employer, through her church, or a charitable organization like the Red Cross? Did she simply drop everything and come to Halifax of her own accord? However she got here, her assistance was more than welcome.
Across the city organizations with large meeting halls and open spaces welcomed those affected by the blast. Grafton Street Methodist Church (now St. David's Presbyterian) was one of many locations that opened its doors to the wounded and homeless as an emergency shelter. May was placed in charge of this shelter where she organized volunteers and helped provide medical attention, food, blankets, and other necessities.
When the initial terrifying excitement of the Explosion had passed and restoration was underway, May did not return to Montréal. Initially she moved to Sydney, Nova Scotia, but she soon returned to Halifax to manage the Salvation Army Rescue Home for Girls, an establishment that would be the foundation of the Grace Maternity Hospital. However, May's big gig in Halifax was yet to come.
A City on the Edge of a Change
The devastation of the Halifax Explosion aside, Halifax at the end of the Victorian Era was... not exactly charming.
Although the middle class was growing, a large portion of the population lived in poverty. Due to unhygienic conditions in poor neighbourhoods, disease spread quickly and claimed many lives. People had difficulty making ends meet and often resorted to crime as a means of survival. Although Halifax did not have problems on the same scale as larger cities like Toronto, or Montréal, men and women, young and old, often found themselves serving terms at Rockhead Prison for theft, drunkenness, sex work, and assault. At the turn of the century, local charity groups like the Local Council of Women (LCW) aimed to help the less fortunate began to focus specifically on aiding "fallen" women and at risk youth. The LCW was instrumental in petitioning for this role to be a part of the Halifax Police Force. Over time, City Council gradually became receptive to the idea.
The role of a female police officer was to act in a very specific capacity that was unique from their male counterparts. While the men were to continue fighting violent crime, female officers would be social workers and welfare officers - mother figures, in a way - to those women and children in need of help: "Ideally, she [the policewoman] would be mature enough in age to possess sound moral judgement, but still maintain a certain amount of youthfulness in order to deal well with young women. Preferably, she should possess some professional qualifications" (de Gannes, pg. 46). In many ways what was expected of a policewoman was what volunteer organizations had already taken on, but because they would be an official part of the police/government system they would have a greater understanding of the law and the ability to provide greater services and care (de Gannes, pg. 2). They would not make arrests, but rather connect people with local resources and additional support.
In 1916, Mrs. Ella M. Paint, a member of the LCW, was offered a trial position as an unofficial policewoman (the job was originally offered to Bessie Egan who worked with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty, but she turned it down). The position would be paid by the LCW as the City Council was not ready to invest funds into a position that had yet to prove itself. Over the course of three months, Ella investigated more than two hundred cases involving women and children that ranged from domestic abuse and missing persons, to housing and medical care for recently released prison inmates and the mentally ill (de Gannes, pg. 47). Despite the positive reports, Halifax Council did not immediately accept the success of the policewoman's role. It would not be until May 10, 1917, that the position would be officially filled. But the position was not filled by Ella as was suggested by representatives of the LCW. Bessie Egan was again offered the role. This time she took it, thus earning her the title of the first official policewoman in Halifax (de Gannes, pg.52).
By 1918, perhaps due to the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion - it was decided that another policewoman would be a positive addition to the force. In March of that year the recommendation was put forward to Council to offer May the position. Not only had they seen what she was capable of in the direct aftermath of the Explosion and her work with the Salvation Army, but she and Bessie knew each other and had similar work experience with the socially disadvantaged. May accepted the position and began her police work in Halifax in May 1918, at a salary of $600 a year (or approximately $10,200 today).
Walking the Beat
May and Bessie served the people of Halifax by attempting to act preventatively, and they sought to de-escalate situations that would otherwise have gotten beyond control. They also worked hard to try and keep children from needing to testify in court, which could be very traumatizing for a young child: "... it was explained that the two policewomen... made every effort to re-establish the homes and settle family problems thereby preventing many children from appearing in court" (de Gannes, pg. 76). They worked closely with local community groups and charitable organizations to provide relief when possible, but there were times when situations extended beyond relief and the court had to get involved. Here are but a few cases from May's policing career, some of which are not for the faint of heart:
- In 1920, May was part of a case involving the Creelman Family where Mr. Creelman was accused of neglecting his wife and children. May had been brought in to assess the situation and testified in court that Mr. Creelman was a "worthless character". Mr. Creelman admitted to being neglectful, but said this was because his wife was often out late at night. May acted as a character witness for Mrs. Creelman and rebuffed the accusations. Magistrate Cluney accepted May's testimony and Mr. Creelman was ordered to financially support his two children (Boudreau, pg.153).
- In November, 1923, a situation involving a woman with two children who had been deserted by her husband was brought to May's attention. While the mother worked to provide for the family, the infant was left in the care of the Jost Mission day care while the eldest attended school. Unfortunately, after one of the children contracted whooping cough, the toddler was no longer allowed to attend the day care. This left the mother with no choice but to pull her ten year old daughter from school and leave her at home alone to care for the fifteen month old baby. On examination, May determined the youngest child was very ill, perhaps not long for the world. May spoke with Mayor Murphy about the woman's situation and was told to "...provide everything that was necessary..." (de Gannes, pg. 81). May reached out to community organizations and found enough essentials for the family that the mother was able to stay home with her children.
- In January, 1924, the Victoria Daily Times reported on a twenty-two year old woman named Bertha Potter who alleged to have been held captive by William Lent, a sixty-two year old man in Bear River, Nova Scotia. May was the police representative who questioned Bertha regarding her experience. Bertha had lived with William since she was fourteen, with reports that he had promised to divorce his estranged wife and marry her, but he did not fulfill that promise. Until 1918 Bertha had been frequently seen around William's property, but then she seemed to disappear. In truth, William had been failing to provide for Bertha, withholding her clothes so that she could not leave the house. William was taken to court in June to face trial, but was released. In the Prince Albert Daily Herald Judge Ritchie who tried the case stated to William: "Your conduct has been outrageous. Fortunately for you the lapse of years has made you immune from punishment. You ought to be ashamed of yourself until the last day you live and all decent people should ignore you. Now you can go" (pg. 1).
- In May 1925, May acted as support for a four and a half year old girl named Ida May Gammon. Ida was the daughter of Duncan Gammon from Pictou, Nova Scotia, who was accused of killing his wife Sarah the previous September. Ida was a witness in the case, and May travelled with her and a police detective to a site near Meadowbrook where the police believed Duncan committed the crime. Ida is said to have provided the police with information on the case, but when placed on the stand at her father's trial replied "Nothing" to almost all of the questions asked of her. Ultimately, the charges were dismissed due to lack of evidence (The Board Cities Star, various dates).
- In September 1925, May was brought in to support a woman named Ethel who had been raped by a man she had begun seeing named Henry, a Dalhousie medical student. The case was taken to trial which was a rarity at the time: "During the twentieth century, it was working-class men who typically found themselves on trial for sexual assault, not middle- and upper-class, professional men. ...Men with money and social standing may have had more resources to buy their way out of public exposure, by paying off complainants or their families, or by bribing or otherwise importuning officials" (Asper, pg. 90). At the time, the charge of rape was incredibly difficult to prove, especially given societal attitudes around flapper culture and women choosing to depart from the traditional courting structure. As a result, even though the jury did not doubt Ethel's story, a great deal of blame was placed on her so called lifestyle and Henry was released without charge.
- In September 1930, May attended to a family on Brunswick Street where it was discovered that a ten year old boy was the caretaker for his three year old sister and his eighteen month old brother. The door to the home had been nailed shut, the children were poorly dressed and had not eaten that day. The eldest boy stated that his mother had left the family for another man, and while his father did work he often spent their money on alcohol. Further reports on this incident stated that there was a woman who was assigned to look after the children, and that they hadn't eaten that day due to a miscommunication. Regardless, May contacted the Children's Aid Society who were able to provide the family with both food and clothing for the children (de Gannes pg. 72/73).
- In February, 1932, May was called to assist a woman who had been found wandering Gottingen Street. She had been employed in a local household, but after a fight with the lady of the house she left the home and had nowhere to go. A concerned citizen found her on the street, purchased her a meal from a local restaurant and contacted the police for help. May was able to get the girl a place to stay at the Home of the Good Shepherd until she could find a place of her own (de Gannes, pg. 88).
- In March, 1932, Mrs. Alexander Chor was removed from the ship Launia and taken into custody by the RCMP. May was in charge of searching Mrs. Chor's in-person while policeman searched her belongings. Several papers were confiscated from Mrs. Chor, but the police did not say what the papers were about (The Leader-Post, March 21, 1922, pg. 10).
- In June of 1933, May took on the case of the Samson family, where two of their young children were working at a café on Cornwallis Street. The Children's Aid Society also became involved with this case. This same year, another family was referred to the Children's Aid Society by May when the mother had been leaving her young children home alone at night (de Gannes pg. 71).
A Home of One's Own
For most of her time in Halifax, May lived at 172 Windsor Street, a home that still stands today near the Halifax Forum. The house appears to be a Craftsman home, which was a very popular architectural style during the 1920s. Based on Halifax City Directories, May was the first person to live in this house and purchased it sometime around 1922. However, she did not often live alone. She housed a series of boarders over the years, including Miss Ola Johnson. Ola was a private nurse who had moved to Halifax from Ontario. Before living on Windsor Street, May and Ola had boarded together in the home of D. Stewart on Tower Road. Although the City Directories do not always list Ola as residing in the home, other records suggest the two women lived together for decades while other boarders came and went.
There is some discrepancy as to when May retired from the force, but there are documents stating she retired from her position sometime before March, 1940. Because she was a woman, May had not been allowed to pay into the police pension fund. However, upon recommendation from the Police Committee the City Council voted in favour of a superannuation for May (Halifax City Council Minutes, March 14, 1940, pg. 466). After some debate, it was decided she would receive $50 (or about $982 today) a month for the rest of her life, totally $600 per year (or about $11,800 per year today).
On July 3, 1964, May was suffering from acute gastroenteritis, or an inflammation of the intestines, that causes intense flu-like symptoms. She was under the care of Dr. J. W. MacIntosh for several days, but partway through her treatment she suffered a stroke. She passed away a few days later on July 14, 1964 at ninety-three years old. She was buried in Fairview Lawns Cemetery in Halifax on July 16.
The Finishing Lines
May Virtue lived a long and storied life. As a nurse and a policewoman, she did her best to serve the people of Halifax with care, compassion, and a humanity that had perhaps been lacking before she and Bessie had joined the police force. May made Halifax her home, and in doing so made her home a better place.
Library Sources
The Dark Side of Life in Victorian Halifax
Additional Sources
The Acadian Recorder, Canadiana
Carnal Crimes, Sexual Assault Law in Canada, 1900-1975, The Law Foundation of Ontario
Child, 4 1/2, baffles counsel with "Nothing", The Border Cities Star, May 19, 1925, pg. 6
City of Halifax Council Minutes - 1841-1996
City of Halifax Council Minutes, March 14, 1940, Halifax Municipal Archives
City of Halifax Council Minutes, November 15, 1956, Halifax Municipal Archives
Free Vintage Baby Illustrations, The Old Design Shop
Halifax Council Minutes, various dates, Halifax Municipal Archives
Halifax Police Force Outside Town Hall, Halifax Municipal Archives Photo,102-16n-0003-1OS
A History of Conditional Release in Canada, Correctional Service Canada
Inflation Calculator, Bank of Canada
Lovell's Montréal Directory for 1893-94, Canadiana
Lovell's Montréal Directory for 1842, BAnQ Numerique
Man to appear in court following release of girl, Victoria Daily Times, January 3, 1924, pg. 2
Map of Montréal, 1893, Digital BAnQ
Meet Lurancy Harris: Canada's First Woman Police Officer, Eve Lazarus
Morte Subite de J. Virtue, La Presse, December 29m 1906, pg. 11
Police as a Social Service in Early Twentieth-Century Toronto by Greg Marquis
Virtue, May, Registration of Death, Nova Scotia Archives
When Disaster Struck Halifax: The Church rallied, May 18, 2015, Faith Today
Receives dismissal on murder charge, The Morning Leader, October 9, 1925, pg. 8
Rockhead Prison, Halifax, Nova Scotia Archives Photographic Collection
Visit to Grave Described in Trail, The Border Cities Star, April 22, 1925, pg. 1
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