Folklore
Newfoundland and Labrador has a rich history in storytelling. Whether it be through the medium of music, written in books, or simply shared by word of mouth, many who you will encounter will have fond memories of the stories shared with them by their relatives and friends. Some of these stories are tall tales of success when everything seemed hopeless, others tell tales of people with unrivalled skill and charisma, and some might just keep you awake at night. The town of Elliston is no different, and below you will find examples of some of the many folk tales based in our community. Should you have a story you wish to chronicle and share with others, please reach out at ellistoncommunity@hotmail.com and we will add it here for the reading pleasure of others!
Newfoundland Strongman Jimmy Chant
The exploits of the legendary strongman Jimmy Chant (1886-1924) are known throughout Elliston and beyond. There are numerous stories of Jimmy performing great feats of strength. One such story follows: Jimmy was a strong man. He had big hands. He was quiet and had a strong deep voice. Jimmy died in 1924 . . . Jimmy always liked to do chores for other people. He use to take a boat up in under his arm and carry it to dry land. I remember one time, Jimmy carried a waterloo stove from Bonavista to Elliston, and on his way down he had to turn around and go back to Bonavista because he forgot something. Another tale revolves around how Jimmy was seated at a table and for some reason a person on the inside wanted to leave. Instead of getting out of the way, he simply picked up the person, with one arm, and set him down on the outside. Another story involved Abram Kean of the infamous Newfoundland Disaster. Jimmy Chant signed aboard a sealing vessel captained by Kean. The Captain was fascinated when he heard that there was a man aboard who had the strength to bend nails into staples using only his bare hands. Kean didn’t really believe it was true but wanted to see for himself so he arranged for a bag of nails to be delivered to his cabin and then sent for Jimmy Chant. Jimmy arrived at the Captain’s cabin and Kean placed an amount of money in front of him equal to several weeks pay. Kean then tells Jimmy it is all his if he can bend the whole bag of nails into staples. These were heavy nails of six to eight inches in length but Jimmy made short work of them to Kean’s amazement and walked away with the cash in hand. Another tale that focuses on Jimmy’s strength involved the construction of the railway between Clarenville and Bonavista. A special harness had been made for Jimmy so he could attach himself to a tree stump and haul it from the ground. Also, the railway workers had to remove large rocks by smashing them to pieces with sledge hammers. Apparently, several men were working on a boulder for three days with no success. So Jimmy was asked to have a go at it. They found him the largest mall they could and, with three massive blows, he demolished it. Other feats of strength included having a man sit in each of Jimmy’s hands and he would pick both up at the same time. Also, he carried a bundle of shoe leather on his back, weighing several hundred pounds, from the Ryan’s store at Bonavista to Elliston because the road was in too poor a condition to use a horse and cart. In addition to Jimmy’s strength and endurance, he had a great tolerance for pain. At Christmas time, a shopkeeper dared Jimmy to pick up some apples he had placed atop a hot stove. He offered him some money to pick them up using only his mouth. This seems simple enough but the tip of his nose would touch the hot surface each time he tried. This did not deter Jimmy because he was able to get a grip on the apple and a monetary reward was at stake. Despite this discomfort, he continued until all the apples were removed but the smell of burn flesh was all throughout the shop. These great feats of strength and endurance obviously took their toll. Jimmy Chant died at the relatively young age of thirty-eight and is buried at the Methodist (now United) cemetery in Elliston. Some people suspect he over exerted himself and this eventually led to heart failure. Source: Neal Tucker - A Measure of Success: The Story of Elliston 1806-2006.
William Pearce's Ordeal
The Off Beat History column printed in The Evening Telegram, May 28, 1964: A long swim. This column has recorded remarkable feats of endurance. None is more remarkable than the feat of a man named William Pearce of Elliston, Trinity Bay. This incident occurred at least twenty-five years ago, but probably much longer than that. Pearce was a member of the crew of a banking vessel hailing from Catalina. Crossing Trinity Bay one stormy night Pearce was knocked overboard by a swinging boom. He was not missed at first in the darkness and confusion; when his friends realized he was gone, they gave him up for lost. When Pearce saw the schooner was going away without him, he kicked off his sea boots and started to swim, or rather concentrated on staying afloat. The water was cold and he did not expect to last too long. Yet he lasted all night and was still swimming when another vessel picked him up just after daylight, SEVEN hours later! And the following note for the Evening Telegram, June 2, 1064. Sir: In Off Beat History in your issue of 28th May there is recounted the experience of William Pearce of Elliston, Trinity Bay. I never saw him, but I recall his death there, which occurred in the year 1906 at the age of sixty-four. He used to say, in reference to his all-night swim and struggle for life, that he had been “in the valley of the shadow of death”. The last banker to hail from Catalina went out on her last trip from that port in or about the year 1912. I should date Mr. Pearce’s ordeal about 1890. N.C. Crewe 29 May 1964 Source: Doug Cole - Elliston, The Story of a NEWFOUNDLAND OUTPORT
Legend of Kitty Casey
Elliston and Maberly, like many other small Newfoundland communities, have their share of unique tales surrounding various events in their combined history. One such story is the legend of Kitty Casey, a headless woman, who is said to roam the Sandy Cove area. This particular case actually can be traced back to a court case recorded in The Day Book, St. John’s on the 26th of September in 1862: Nearly the whole of to-day has been spent in the case of The Queen vs. Patrick Casey, the prisoner being found guilty. Several civil issues have also been disposed of: During the course of the above trial, a messenger came from Bird Island Cove (where the prisoner resided) to say that his wife had just cut her throat and was in a dying state. She has since been visited by a Doctor who says she cut herself in five places, and that there is no hope of her recovery. She is now dead. The prisoner, Patrick Casey, was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment. N. C. Crewe commented: . . . Casey, who was a tanner by trade, was either an Irishman or a native of Hr. Grace. I think he came to Bird Island Cove as a shareman fisherman with my great-grandfather, Richard Cole. He came to be a planter on his own account, his stage being in what is still known as Casey’s Gulch. He lived nearby, on the point. His sister lived with him, and they had an incestuous child who married one Tom Sullivan, who lived for years as a fisherman there and later moved to St. John’s . . . in old age . . . [Casey] died at B. Is. Cove and is buried in Bonavista, in R. C. Cemetery. . . . The late Hon. J. V. O’Dea told me in 1958 that when he was a young bookkeeper at Ryans, in Bonavista, old Paddy Casey used to come in there selling poems he had made up. . . . this was about 1892. Nobody knows who Paddy’s wife was, but her name was Kitty Casey, and I have heard it said when a boy that raisins she attempted to eat came out though the cuts in her throat. She was buried in a droke in Sandy Cove. . . . Kitty suicided from grief because of Paddy’s conduct. Kitty Casey was buried near Sandy Cove instead of in a cemetery because, at this time, it was believed that anyone who committed suicide should not be buried in holy ground. Source: Neal Tucker - A Measure of Success: The Story of Elliston 1806-2006
