Murders on the Skeena

Caitlin Press is publishing my book Murders on the Skeena: True Crime in the Old Canadian West in the autumn of 2021. This book tells the stories of approximately a dozen murders that took place in and around Hazelton in Northern British Columbia between 1884 and 1914.

Award Nomination

I was proud and excited to be one of the two winners of the 36th annual Jeanne Clarke Award presented by the Prince George Public Library for outstanding preservation and promotion of local and regional history for my biography Service on the Skeena: Horace Wrinch, Frontier Physician.

The Murder - June 19, 1906

“Alex MacIntosh had an eventful twenty-four hours. In the afternoon, he had been released from the Hazelton jail. In the evening, he worked on the pack train he was leaving with the following day. He had then gone to drink in the bar in the nearby hamlet of Two Mile. There he had become embroiled in a fight with a man named Simon. From four in the morning, he spent two hours rounding up a dozen horses that had strayed. Then, after having a cup of tea and some beans, he set out to the hospital to have the cut he had received during the brawl attended to. On the way, he was murdered. “

Why? And who had done it? It wasn’t long before the police suspicion fell on the well-respected Gitxsan merchant and trapper Simon Gunanoot? But was it really him?

Pinkerton's and the Hunt for Simon Gunanoot.

In March 2021, Caitlin Press is publishing my book Pinkerton’s and the Hunt for Simon Gunanoot. This tells the story of the search by operatives of Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency for the accused murderer Simon Gunanoot during 1909 and the winter of 1910. Basing themselves in Hazelton, they searched the district with hope but no success. They sent back reports approximately twice a week over nine months. This book is built around their experiences. After spending thirteen years defeating all efforts to catch him, Simon Gunanoot gave himself up in 1919. He was tried for murder and acquitted.

Review in BC BookWorld

“Histories written by a family member are typically unreadable vanity projects of interest only to the author’s immediate family, and even then that is not guaranteed. Mynett, a retired lawyer who is married to Wrinch’s grand-daughter Alice, is too good a writer to follow suit. He manages to be an insider who can also write from a distance, creating an immensely fascinating narrative about a remarkable healer who brought and often forced change during exceedingly challenging times and circumstances. Geoff Mynett brings the human side of Horace Wrinch to life in this accessible and superbly written work.”

Review by Mike Selby in BC BookWorld, Autumn 2020.

Post-Graduate Work in New York

Post-Graduate Work
In the winter of 1906, with his wife Alice was convalescing in Toronto, Horace Wrinch took the opportunity of going to New York to do post-graduate work at the New York Post- Graduate Medical School and Hospital at Second Avenue and Twentieth Street. From there he wrote to Alice every couple of days. Bed-ridden, Alice was able to write more frequently, on several occasions twice a day. (Original letter in my possession)

“February 10th 1906
My Dear Alice,
A short letter this time to tell you I am changing my address to no. 245 19th Str. I can get better terms and better accommodation there. It is a boarding house, specially designed to take care of post graduate students and is close to the Post Graduate hospital where I think I shall take a good part of my work. I had a free ticket for today and spent the whole day there and found plenty of “pointers”. I have been paying one dollar per day for a very indifferent room at the hotel here and I had to go to restaurants for all meals. I tried a good many places and found that it was hard to combine good food and plenty of it at anything less than 35 cents a meal. At the boarding house I have a nice room in partnership with another doctor but with single beds and had a very good meal this evening as a sample, and only pay 8 dollars a week. So I think this is an improvement worth making a change for. I received some letters today that Agnes [Horace’s sister] forwarded. Amongst others, one from Miss Hollingsworth accepting the offer of matron for the hospital. She wants to know more particulars re time of going etc. So we are sure of one helper on the way out. I hope you had good success in your efforts to find one for ourselves.
I shall keep on enquiring for letters here until I get some from you and Agnes at my new address so will be glad of a note of card to that address as soon as you can manage after getting this. Then I shall not have to come back here to the hotel any more to enquire if any mail has come to it. Agnes and you are the only ones to whom I have sent the whole address. Hope you are all well.
Much love dear wife, from your affectionate husband
Horace C. Wrinch