January 17, 1916 - Four people were killed and at least six more are injured in the Syndicate Block fire in Brandon. See Brandon's deadliest fire.
January 17, 1951 - Walter Stoney (38) was hanged at Headingley for killing his girlfriend, Mrs. Martha Perreault (31) with a pick axe.
Back on March 12, 1950 Perreault, a widow with three children, visited Stoney in his room at the National, (now ManWin), Hotel on Main Street. The two played cards, drank and eventually began to fight.
The following day, Stoney was was found badly injured on the nearby CPR tracks and taken to hospital. Investigators visited his hotel room in an attempt to piece together what happened. There, they found Perrault's body hidden under the bed. She had been stabbed more than 25 times.
When confronted in hospital he admitted to killing her and trying to kill himself by stepping on front of a train. At his trial he tried to plead insanity, claiming that the alcohol mixed with some pills that Perrault had given him left him with no memory of the night. He was found fit to stand trial.
Airport's Opening Ceremony, January 1964 (source)January 17, 1964 - The official opening of the Winnipeg International Airport ook place in front of an audience of 1,200 people. Aside from the usual speeches, a bust of the late Captain Frederick Stevenson was unveiled by his three sisters. For more on the old airport.
January 17, 1970 - The Richardson Building's Observation Gallery opened. Located on the 31st floor, the gallery operated evenings and Saturdays. The cost of admission was 50 cents. The gallery operated until 1989.
© 2012 & 2020, Christian Cassidy
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