M, #3461, b. circa 1863, d. 10 January 1923
Joseph
Tattrie was born circa 1863 at Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia. He married
Ellie Langille on 26 December 1890 at Wallace, Nova Scotia.
1 Joseph Tattrie died on 10 January 1923 at Train from French River to Truro, Cem.. He Article from "The Light", Wednesday, March 19, 1997, Page Seventeen - Sent to me by Norma (Tattrie) Hunt Back When...A Tragedy Occurred in French River A covering of pure white snow blanketed the fields and yards in French River on Jan. 9, 1923 (the year that article originally had, was crossed out and 1923 written in by Norma Hunt - kf). The neighbors in the small settlement, about two miles from Tatamagouche, did not know that before the day was over, the snow in the orchard of one of the farms would be stained with blood from a terrible tragedy. The spot in question was a weathered old aple tree about 20 feet from the home of Joe and Ellie Tattrie. The small, two-storey farm home in French River, sometimes called "Tattrie Town", was set back a bit from the road, and over looked the interval whre the French River separated into two streams before winding its way to the Tatamagouche Harbour. Several other farms houses were scattered nearby. On that cold day of January 9th, just after the noon meal, a shot rang out. Neighbors who looked out their windows saw and heard a commotion outside the Tattrie home. The two older Tattrie daughters, Minnie and Janie (Jeanne is in the article, but crossed out and Janie is written in by Norma Hunt - kf), could be seen in the doorway. Quarrels had been frequent in the family and neighbors said that Joe often did not get along with them. Just after the gunshot, one daughter rused across the snow-covered ground to the home of George MacPherson. Mrs. MacPherson and her mother quickly grabbed their coats and ran back with the distraught girl. They found Ellile on the snow in the orchard, bleeding from a bullet wound just below her breast, while the second daughter tried in vain to stop the flow of blood. Mrs. Tattrie died without uttering a word. The MacPhersons had telephoned Dr. Dan Murray at once. A local newspaper account of the incident reads: "Dr. Murray stated he made immediate preparations for the trip and had communications with Constable Neil MacPherson of Tatamagouche with a view of taking him along. Before they had reached Tattrie town, the doctor said, they had learned that Mrs. Tattrie was dead. On their arrival at the Tattrie homestead, Dr. Murray said he had seen Joseph Tattrie going from the barn into the house, and had endeavored to intercept him, but the man had rushed in the house and entered it a few yards ahead of him. "At the house Dr. Murray found the body of Mrs. Tattrie lying on a couch in the dining room. She had been dead for some time, the bullet having entered the left breast, just below her heart." Dr. Murray then asked what had been done with the gun. One of the daughters said she had hidden it. Her condition was such that she could give no coherent account of the shooting. She said that her father had gone to his room and, at Dr. Murray's requested, showed him its location. Upon entering the doctor found Joseph Tattrie sitting in tears in the small room next to eh one in which his dead wife's body was lying. He appeared to be under a terrible stain. Replying to a question by the doctor as to who had done the shooting, Tattrie said "I did". For a reason, he said that he had done it in self defence. He went on to say that Mrs. Tattrie and the two daughters had attacked him and that one of them was armed with a shovel. He had shot to defend himself. Did he always carry a revolver? There was an inclination to doubt the self defence statement. But there had been many difficulties in the family's life over the years. The doctor also noted that perhaps thoise who resided in the vicinity of the Tattrie home had been afraid to approach the house after the shooting since no one outside of the family members were present when he arrived. Rumors circulated that Tattrie had taken poison right after the tragedy but the doctor did not feel he was seriously ill. A coroner's inquest was held in the Tattrie homestead before coroner J.T.B. of Tatamagouche and the verdict reached was that "Mrs. Joseph Tattrie came to her death by a bullet fired from a gun in her husband's hands." Members of the coroner's jury were Alex Clarke (foreman), James Lombard, Earle Lombard, Dan Donaldson, George Donaldson, William Donaldson, Lem Tattrie St., Lem Tattrie, Jr., Obediah (Patriquin is written in the article, but Norma Hunt has crossed that out and written Tattrie above it - kf) James MacPherson, Elva MacKinnon and Elmer Patriquin. The only witnesses examined were daughters Minnie and Jennie, and the inquest was brief because both girls were on the verge of collapse. They stated that with the help of neighbors, they had carried their mother's body into the house and changed her dress. Both stated they had seen their father fire the fateful shot as they stood in the doorway. Joseph and Ellie were about 60 years of age and besides the two girls had three other offspring, Corbet, who still lived at home but had been visiting his mother's family in Brule Point at the time of the shooting; Delbert, who was employed in Boston; and a younger girl, Amy. It is not clear whether she was also at home or not. After the inquest, Joe was moved to the nearby home of George MacPherson and washeld under guard for the night. The next morning, Joe and Constable Neil MacPherson boarded the train and set off on the shortline heading to the Truro jail to await trial. Handy Oxford Junction, he asked permission to use the washroom. Once inside, he locked the door. When he did not come out, train officials broke down the door and discovered Joe had slit his throat and bled to death. It is thought he had hidden a razor blade inside his short for the planned suicide. His body was returned to the family home in French River. It is not known whether neighbors and family readied the coule for the funeral, or if the Tatamagouche undertaker, E.C. McLellan was called in. Lester Tattrie, who was about 14 at the time and who still lives near Joe Tattrie's farm, remembers the day well. "On the 12th day of January all the famiy and neighbors crowded into the small home where Joe and Ellie were lying. They held the joint funeral from their house. Then Joe was buried in the French River Cemetery but Ellie's folks took her down to Brule to be buried there. She was the daughter of Captain William Langille of Brule." Another neighbor, Lloyd Tattrie adds that exactly a year later to the day, January 12th, 1924, French River people also went to another double funeral - a mother and daughter, Hannah and Susan Tattrie,were also both buried together in the French River Cemetery. "I remember both caskets being lowered down at exactly the same time, " he said. Hannah had always lived in French River and was 100 years and three months of age at the time of her death. The daughter, Susan, had been married in the USA to a Gauntlett, but after his death, she returned to Nova Scotia and was remarried to Dan Langille of Millbrook. After the funerals, Joe and Ellie's family stayed on in the home for a time but eventually moved away leaving the house empty. It began to be called the "Haunted House" and people were afraid to enter it. Lester remembers that bags of grain were often stored on the main floor and how quickly the men would go in and out with the grain. Lester's son, Gary, also remembers that when he was walking out to school, the kids used to say that say lights in the windows at night and they'd run to get past the house. By a strange twist of fate, Gary and his wife, Jean, now live in the old house. They bought the property in the late 1980s and have beautifully restored and renovated Joe and Ellie's house. It's a beautiful spot and Gary has landscaped the lawns overlooking the interval. The old apple tree still stands a few feet from their back door and many older neighbors still speak of the dreadful tragedy that happened there. One night a few years ago, those in the house saw a white-garbed figure walk around the corner of the ouse. They checked with nearby relatives to see if someone had dressed up to play a prank but no one had. Was it the ghost of Ellie returning to see her old home? Perhaps. And if so, she must have been content with what she saw. The figure has never been seen again. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------.