Edwin Alonzo Boyd
Encyclopedia
Edwin Alonzo Boyd was a Canadian
criminal and leader of the Boyd Gang
. His career made him a notorious Canadian folk hero
.
, of which Canada was part, went to war with Germany. Glover Boyd joined the army in August 1915. It would be a few years before his father would return home from the war effort. When his father did return the small apartment that they were living in was now too small so they soon moved to a duplex on Bee Street in Todmorden
, an area beyond the Don Valley, in East York
.
Soon after Eleanor (Edwin’s mother) became pregnant again so Glover Boyd took a job at the Toronto Police Department. Edwin was enrolled in school in the 1921-22 year, but due to an incident at school he did not remain there for very long and before his first year of schooling had ended his family had moved again. At this time he switched to Gledhill Public school to finish out the semester. In September of 1923 Glover moved the family a few blocks north and Ed switched to Secord Public school for a brief period of time before being transferred back to Gledhill Public school.
The Boyds soon moved again, this time to Glebemount Avenue. With this move came the transfer to yet another new school, this time to Earl Beatty Public School and it was here that Ed became more of his own person. It was here that he became a soccer player on the school team, and for years his picture hung in the hall of the school. It was also at this time that Edwin Alonzo Boyd joined the YMCA
marching band. It was with the YMCA that Boyd mastered the mouth organ and he also accompanied the YMCA band as they won a world championship at the Canadian National Exhibition
.
In early 1930 Gord and Norm Boyd contracted scarlet fever
, and while taking care of them Eleanor Boyd became sick herself and died from the disease. In 1933 he had his first brush with the law when he was picked up for vagrancy by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
. A few years later he joined the Royal Canadian Regiment, First division and in June 1940 his regiment crossed the channel to France. It was when his regiment was posted to Reigate
that Boyd met his future wife, Dorreen Mary Frances Thompson. On August 20, 1941, almost nine months to the day after Ed and Dorreen married, she gave birth to a son, Edwin Alonzo Boyd, Jr. The baby was two days old when the air raid sirens sounded and it was discovered afterwards that their child had died from cerebral haemorrhage and so he was buried on August 30 in a York cemetery.
In early 1941 Dorreen went to York and joined the Army Territorial Service, but she was too short to be a truck driver and thus she became a motorcycle driver to join her husband in the war. Boyd was transferred to the Provosts Corps on July 27, 1942 because he was displeased with the army. Soon after this Dorreen discovered that she was pregnant again and this time they had twins on December 21, 1943. Boyd was officially discharged from the war effort on May 24, 1945 which was two-weeks after the war ended in Europe.
After he was discharged Boyd failed to find adequate permanent employment and so he turned to crime to provide for his war time wife and three children. On September 9, 1949 Boyd robbed a North York branch of the Bank of Montreal
. Between September 1949 and October 1951, Boyd pulled at least six bank heists.
in Toronto. While Eddie and his partner were robbing banks, another more violent gang was also doing the same thing. Lennie Jackson, a member of this gang, was caught at the same time as Eddie, and they soon began to swap notes. Soon another experienced bank robber, Willie Jackson, aka "The Clown", (no relation to Lennie) arrived at the Don awaiting transfer to the Kingston Penitentiary
for a seven-year sentence.
Lennie Jackson had lost a foot in a railway accident and had a wooden foot in which he had stored several hacksaw
blades.
On March 6, 1952 Detective Sergeant Edmund Tong aka 'The Chinaman' and his partner pulled over a suspicious car at a Toronto intersection. The car contained Steve Suchan and Lennie Jackson working on their own. A gun fight ensued, and Suchan killed Detective Tong. They were later wounded and captured in a gun fight and ended up again in the Don Jail, charged with murder
. Eddie Boyd was tracked down and caught in bed beside an attaché case full of money, and five loaded pistols. Eddie was put in a jail cell with his two buddies. They became friendly with one of the older guards. As the pretence of a joke, one of the gang members grabbed the guard's key ring and gripped it tightly while kibbitzing and joking with the guard. When he let go of the key, an impression was left in his hand and in short order they fashioned a key for the cell door and slipped out briefly. When the guards were not around they hack-sawed a window in preparation for escape. To be able to fit out the small opening, they all went on a diet. Just before Suchan and Jackson were to stand trial, on Sept 8, 1952 they escaped the Don for a second time. The biggest manhunt
in Canadian history ensued, with a large reward — to be specific, a then-perhaps overindulgent CAD$26,000 — offered for information leading to their capture. Several jail staff were fired and a Royal Commission
was set up to review the circumstances of their escape.
This was a period of newspaper wars fifty years ago this year, and every detail of the Boyd Gang’s activity and attempts at their capture were reported in headlines across the country. There were reports of sighting across Ontario and Quebec. Local police officers travelled in pairs and were well armed.
, and from a druggist in North Bay
. None of them panned out. After ten days, men were seen at a barn in the Don Valley 24 km from the jail, and the Boyd Gang was captured without incident.
Now Boyd was the only gang member left to be captured. Detective Adolphus 'Dolph' Payne had kept Boyd's brother Norman under surveillance and discovered that he had rented a flat on Heath Street, but had not moved in yet. He secured a key to the back door from the owner. Payne then watched, from a neighbour's house, as Boyd moved into the flat. Wanting to avoid a shootout, he waited until he was sure everyone was asleep. At the crack of dawn the police crept inside the house and captured Boyd and his wife while they were still in bed. Boyd's brother, who was sleeping in another room, was also apprehended. No shootouts, no struggle, not even a whimper. The Toronto Nugget reported the event by stating “Edwin Alonzo Boyd, Canada’s Public Enemy Number One, surrendered meekly with his henchmen to two suburban detectives, ending the greatest criminal man hunt in the Dominion’s history.” One of these officers was Kenneth Craven.
Eddie got eight life sentences and Willie Jackson got thirty years. Steve Suchan and Lennie Jackson were sentenced to death for killing Detective Tong. On December 16, 1952 Steve Suchan, after a brief visit with his mother, and Lennie Jackson with his wife, received the last rites
and waited for their 8 am execution. To their surprise, the executioner came at midnight, and by 12:14 am they were both dead, hanged back to back.
Ex Bandit Boyd Calls For Police.
Edwin Alonzo Boyd, who has spent much of his life dodging police, asked for their assistance last night- to arrest his wife and her companion. Boyd was paroled Oct. 3 after serving 10 years in Kingston penitentiary for bank robbery. He set up housekeeping in a west-central house for himself and his children. Last night Boyd sent a hurried call for help to Markham St. station when a man and woman arrived at his home and battered down the front door. The woman said she wanted to pick up clothing. Booked on charges of being drunk were Doreen Boyd and Kenneth Caustan, 40. In court today she pleaded guilty and was fined $5. She was returned to the cells until she could raise the money.***
Willie Jackson and Eddie Boyd were both released in 1966. Eddie, under the name John, went to Victoria, British Columbia
, where he drove a bus for disabled people and married a disabled woman whom he met on the bus. He took care of her for the next 35 years, until recently when they went into a home.
On May 17, 2002, after a visit from his wife and his son, and a phone call from his former war bride and the mother of his three children, Edwin Alonzo Boyd died at age 88.
Life and Times documentary, where he admitted that he had committed many more robberies than he had been charged with. Another film on Boyd's life was released in 2011; Scott Speedman
plays the part of Boyd.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
criminal and leader of the Boyd Gang
Boyd Gang
The Boyd Gang was a notorious criminal gang based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, named for member Edwin Alonzo Boyd. The gang was a favourite of the media at the time because of its sensational actions, which included bank robberies, jail breaks, beautiful women, gun fights, manhunts, and daring...
. His career made him a notorious Canadian folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
.
Early life
Edwin Alonzo Boyd was born on April 2, 1914. Four months after Ed was born, the British EmpireBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, of which Canada was part, went to war with Germany. Glover Boyd joined the army in August 1915. It would be a few years before his father would return home from the war effort. When his father did return the small apartment that they were living in was now too small so they soon moved to a duplex on Bee Street in Todmorden
Todmorden
Todmorden is a market town and civil parish, located 17 miles from Manchester, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and has a total population of 14,941....
, an area beyond the Don Valley, in East York
East York
East York can refer to:*East York, Pennsylvania, United States*East York, Ontario, Canada...
.
Soon after Eleanor (Edwin’s mother) became pregnant again so Glover Boyd took a job at the Toronto Police Department. Edwin was enrolled in school in the 1921-22 year, but due to an incident at school he did not remain there for very long and before his first year of schooling had ended his family had moved again. At this time he switched to Gledhill Public school to finish out the semester. In September of 1923 Glover moved the family a few blocks north and Ed switched to Secord Public school for a brief period of time before being transferred back to Gledhill Public school.
The Boyds soon moved again, this time to Glebemount Avenue. With this move came the transfer to yet another new school, this time to Earl Beatty Public School and it was here that Ed became more of his own person. It was here that he became a soccer player on the school team, and for years his picture hung in the hall of the school. It was also at this time that Edwin Alonzo Boyd joined the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
marching band. It was with the YMCA that Boyd mastered the mouth organ and he also accompanied the YMCA band as they won a world championship at the Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition , also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...
.
In early 1930 Gord and Norm Boyd contracted scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
, and while taking care of them Eleanor Boyd became sick herself and died from the disease. In 1933 he had his first brush with the law when he was picked up for vagrancy by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
. A few years later he joined the Royal Canadian Regiment, First division and in June 1940 his regiment crossed the channel to France. It was when his regiment was posted to Reigate
Reigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
that Boyd met his future wife, Dorreen Mary Frances Thompson. On August 20, 1941, almost nine months to the day after Ed and Dorreen married, she gave birth to a son, Edwin Alonzo Boyd, Jr. The baby was two days old when the air raid sirens sounded and it was discovered afterwards that their child had died from cerebral haemorrhage and so he was buried on August 30 in a York cemetery.
In early 1941 Dorreen went to York and joined the Army Territorial Service, but she was too short to be a truck driver and thus she became a motorcycle driver to join her husband in the war. Boyd was transferred to the Provosts Corps on July 27, 1942 because he was displeased with the army. Soon after this Dorreen discovered that she was pregnant again and this time they had twins on December 21, 1943. Boyd was officially discharged from the war effort on May 24, 1945 which was two-weeks after the war ended in Europe.
After he was discharged Boyd failed to find adequate permanent employment and so he turned to crime to provide for his war time wife and three children. On September 9, 1949 Boyd robbed a North York branch of the Bank of Montreal
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
. Between September 1949 and October 1951, Boyd pulled at least six bank heists.
The Gang is born
Eddie joined up with another robber and carried out several other bold bank robberies. He had a reputation for jumping over counters, moving quickly, and carrying a gun. His partner, old Howard Gault, got caught and told all. They both went to the Don JailDon Jail
The Toronto Jail is a provincial jail for remanded offenders in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Riverdale neighbourhood on Gerrard Street East near its intersection with Broadview Avenue. It gets its nickname from the nearby Don River...
in Toronto. While Eddie and his partner were robbing banks, another more violent gang was also doing the same thing. Lennie Jackson, a member of this gang, was caught at the same time as Eddie, and they soon began to swap notes. Soon another experienced bank robber, Willie Jackson, aka "The Clown", (no relation to Lennie) arrived at the Don awaiting transfer to the Kingston Penitentiary
Kingston Penitentiary
Kingston Penitentiary is a maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario between King Street West and Lake Ontario....
for a seven-year sentence.
Lennie Jackson had lost a foot in a railway accident and had a wooden foot in which he had stored several hacksaw
Hacksaw
A hacksaw is a fine-tooth saw with a blade under tension in a frame, used for cutting materials such as metal or plastics. Hand-held hacksaws consist of a metal arch with a handle, usually a pistol grip, with pins for attaching a narrow disposable blade. A screw or other mechanism is used to put...
blades.
Over the wall
On November 4, 1951, Eddie and the Jacksons hacksawed the bars and went over the wall and escaped. They met a friend, Valent Lesso from Cochrane, one of the violent members of Lennie Jackson’s original gang, and the four became a team. Lesso was a talented musician who couldn’t find work; he changed his name to Steve Suchan and became a bank robber. They soon pulled off a series of robberies, including the biggest one in Toronto history. The newspapers dubbed the new group “the Boyd Gang,” seeing Eddie as the brains behind the operation. Willie Jackson was arrested and sent to the Don Jail. Eddie went into hiding with his wife Dorreen.On March 6, 1952 Detective Sergeant Edmund Tong aka 'The Chinaman' and his partner pulled over a suspicious car at a Toronto intersection. The car contained Steve Suchan and Lennie Jackson working on their own. A gun fight ensued, and Suchan killed Detective Tong. They were later wounded and captured in a gun fight and ended up again in the Don Jail, charged with murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. Eddie Boyd was tracked down and caught in bed beside an attaché case full of money, and five loaded pistols. Eddie was put in a jail cell with his two buddies. They became friendly with one of the older guards. As the pretence of a joke, one of the gang members grabbed the guard's key ring and gripped it tightly while kibbitzing and joking with the guard. When he let go of the key, an impression was left in his hand and in short order they fashioned a key for the cell door and slipped out briefly. When the guards were not around they hack-sawed a window in preparation for escape. To be able to fit out the small opening, they all went on a diet. Just before Suchan and Jackson were to stand trial, on Sept 8, 1952 they escaped the Don for a second time. The biggest manhunt
Manhunt (law enforcement)
In law enforcement, a manhunt is a search for a dangerous fugitive involving the use of all available police units and technology and sometimes help from the public....
in Canadian history ensued, with a large reward — to be specific, a then-perhaps overindulgent CAD$26,000 — offered for information leading to their capture. Several jail staff were fired and a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
was set up to review the circumstances of their escape.
This was a period of newspaper wars fifty years ago this year, and every detail of the Boyd Gang’s activity and attempts at their capture were reported in headlines across the country. There were reports of sighting across Ontario and Quebec. Local police officers travelled in pairs and were well armed.
Arrest and release
They received numerous calls from residents in West Ferris and Powassan, OntarioPowassan, Ontario
Powassan is a municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario, located near North Bay. Powassan is located in the Parry Sound District, at its easternmost boundary with the Nipissing District....
, and from a druggist in North Bay
North Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
. None of them panned out. After ten days, men were seen at a barn in the Don Valley 24 km from the jail, and the Boyd Gang was captured without incident.
Now Boyd was the only gang member left to be captured. Detective Adolphus 'Dolph' Payne had kept Boyd's brother Norman under surveillance and discovered that he had rented a flat on Heath Street, but had not moved in yet. He secured a key to the back door from the owner. Payne then watched, from a neighbour's house, as Boyd moved into the flat. Wanting to avoid a shootout, he waited until he was sure everyone was asleep. At the crack of dawn the police crept inside the house and captured Boyd and his wife while they were still in bed. Boyd's brother, who was sleeping in another room, was also apprehended. No shootouts, no struggle, not even a whimper. The Toronto Nugget reported the event by stating “Edwin Alonzo Boyd, Canada’s Public Enemy Number One, surrendered meekly with his henchmen to two suburban detectives, ending the greatest criminal man hunt in the Dominion’s history.” One of these officers was Kenneth Craven.
Eddie got eight life sentences and Willie Jackson got thirty years. Steve Suchan and Lennie Jackson were sentenced to death for killing Detective Tong. On December 16, 1952 Steve Suchan, after a brief visit with his mother, and Lennie Jackson with his wife, received the last rites
Last Rites
The Last Rites are the very last prayers and ministrations given to many Christians before death. The last rites go by various names and include different practices in different Christian traditions...
and waited for their 8 am execution. To their surprise, the executioner came at midnight, and by 12:14 am they were both dead, hanged back to back.
-
-
- Toronto Star December 14 1962
-
Ex Bandit Boyd Calls For Police.
Edwin Alonzo Boyd, who has spent much of his life dodging police, asked for their assistance last night- to arrest his wife and her companion. Boyd was paroled Oct. 3 after serving 10 years in Kingston penitentiary for bank robbery. He set up housekeeping in a west-central house for himself and his children. Last night Boyd sent a hurried call for help to Markham St. station when a man and woman arrived at his home and battered down the front door. The woman said she wanted to pick up clothing. Booked on charges of being drunk were Doreen Boyd and Kenneth Caustan, 40. In court today she pleaded guilty and was fined $5. She was returned to the cells until she could raise the money.***
Willie Jackson and Eddie Boyd were both released in 1966. Eddie, under the name John, went to Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, where he drove a bus for disabled people and married a disabled woman whom he met on the bus. He took care of her for the next 35 years, until recently when they went into a home.
On May 17, 2002, after a visit from his wife and his son, and a phone call from his former war bride and the mother of his three children, Edwin Alonzo Boyd died at age 88.
Legacy
Two books have been written on the Boyd Gang, and one was made into a successful movie. In 1998 Boyd was featured in a Canadian Broadcasting CorporationCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
Life and Times documentary, where he admitted that he had committed many more robberies than he had been charged with. Another film on Boyd's life was released in 2011; Scott Speedman
Scott Speedman
Scott Speedman is a British-born Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for playing Ben Covington in the coming-of-age drama television series Felicity and Lycan-Vampire hybrid Michael Corvin in the gothic horror/action Underworld films.-Early life:Speedman was born Robert Scott...
plays the part of Boyd.