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| <tab>Whatever the exact train of events proved to be following their sentencing of Dec. 1889, the two men seem to have served little of the prison time to which they sentenced, if indeed they served any. And within two years, in 1891, in their most celebrated episode, Craig and Deruchie stole the body of Patrick Purcell from its grave at Flanagan’s Point. On this occasion Deruchie was arrested and Craig went into hiding and was probably sheltered by the local people. The Ottawa //Citizen// of 21 May 1891 reported that “The place where he [Craig] is known to be is a thick swamp, and on account of the large amount of underbush [sic] he could keep in hiding until the frost drove him out, as he could easily enter the cellars at night and secure rations.” The Cornwall //Freeholder// of 29 May 1891 quoted the Montreal //Star// as saying that “It is rather curious that the state of outlawry existing in parts of the counties of Stormont and Glengarry should only be made public through the robbery of the grave of P. Purcell, although highway robbery and violence are alleged to have prevailed there for some time past.” The writer found an explanation in the Glengarry tendency to protect relatives. In the end no charges were pressed against either Craig or Deruchie. | <tab>Whatever the exact train of events proved to be following their sentencing of Dec. 1889, the two men seem to have served little of the prison time to which they sentenced, if indeed they served any. And within two years, in 1891, in their most celebrated episode, Craig and Deruchie stole the body of Patrick Purcell from its grave at Flanagan’s Point. On this occasion Deruchie was arrested and Craig went into hiding and was probably sheltered by the local people. The Ottawa //Citizen// of 21 May 1891 reported that “The place where he [Craig] is known to be is a thick swamp, and on account of the large amount of underbush [sic] he could keep in hiding until the frost drove him out, as he could easily enter the cellars at night and secure rations.” The Cornwall //Freeholder// of 29 May 1891 quoted the Montreal //Star// as saying that “It is rather curious that the state of outlawry existing in parts of the counties of Stormont and Glengarry should only be made public through the robbery of the grave of P. Purcell, although highway robbery and violence are alleged to have prevailed there for some time past.” The writer found an explanation in the Glengarry tendency to protect relatives. In the end no charges were pressed against either Craig or Deruchie. |
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| <tab>It is likely that John Craig of the present entry was the same man as the John Craig who in 1887 was prosecuted for destroying a threshing machine. In this instance, he was found not guilty. It is to be hoped that the subject of this entry was not the “young man named Craig,” who in Aug. 1875 in Cornwall “fired a revolver charged with powder [perhaps, therefore, not with shot?] into the window of a house occupied by colored people.” One of the occupants of the house shot him in return, and Craig was “not expected to recover.” (Montreal //Witness//, 26 Aug. 1875) It is, in all, remarkable that the Grand Jury, meeting in Cornwall, stated in Dec.1887, “We have to congratulate the United Counties on the fact of the total absence of crime therefrom, which we attribute largely to the existence and enforcement of the Canada temperance act within our borders.” See also entries for the MacIntosh GANG and Slavin. | <tab>It is likely that John Craig of the present entry was the same man as the John Craig who in 1887 was prosecuted for destroying a threshing machine. In this instance, he was found not guilty. It is to be hoped that the subject of this entry was not the “young man named Craig,” who in Aug. 1875 in Cornwall “fired a revolver charged with powder [perhaps, therefore, not with shot?] into the window of a house occupied by colored people.” One of the occupants of the house shot him in return, and Craig was “not expected to recover.” (Montreal //Witness//, 26 Aug. 1875) It is, in all, remarkable that the Grand Jury, meeting in Cornwall, stated in Dec.1887, “We have to congratulate the United Counties on the fact of the total absence of crime therefrom, which we attribute largely to the existence and enforcement of the Canada temperance act within our borders.” See also entries for the [[macintosh_gang|MacIntosh GANG]] and [[slavin_james|Slavin]]. |
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| <tab>The publicity gained by the Purcell episode seems to have intimidated Craig and Deruchie, and after that point their names disappear from the news. By one retelling of the story, they reformed and resettled in the Canadian West. | <tab>The publicity gained by the Purcell episode seems to have intimidated Craig and Deruchie, and after that point their names disappear from the news. By one retelling of the story, they reformed and resettled in the Canadian West. |
