[Home]   [Documents]   [JargOnline]   [Jarvis History]   [All Pages]

Samuel Peters Jarvis - The Duel

The fatal duel between Samuel Peters Jarvis and John Ridout in 1817, ending in Ridout's death, reverberated throughout Toronto history for many years. Ten years later Jarvis was still the subject of rumours and accusations, prompting him to publish a pamphlet entitled "Statement of Facts," giving his version of events. Infuriated by Jarvis's account, an anonymous author, apparently a member of the Ridout family, wrote a reply in the Canadian Freeman, signing it simply "A Relative." Jarvis replied with another pamphlet, A Contradiction of the Libel Under the Signature of "A Relative," Published in the Canadian Freeman, of the 28th February, 1828; Together with a Few Remarks, Tracing The Origin of the Unfriendly Feeling Which Ultimately Led to the Unhappy Affair to Which That Libel Refers

It did not end the controversy. Several years later newspaper editor William Lyon McKenzie, campaigning against the ruling elite or "Family Compact" in his newspaper, the Colonial Advocate, regularly referred to Samuel Jarvis as a "murderer."

The full text of Jarvis's Contradiction of the Libel is reproduced here (except for a few words where the printout of the microfiche was illegible). It makes for very interesting reading, as it includes both "the libel" as well as Jarvis's lengthy and detailed defence, providing us with two vivid but quite different versions of the events surrounding the duel in Elmsley's field. The document is comprised of several parts:

1. The Libel (article from the Canadian Freeman): 1a. opening — 1b. the Coroner's Inquest — 1c. conclusion
2. Jarvis's Contradiction: 2a. statement of the two "seconds" regarding the duel — 2b. statement of James Fitzgibbon regarding the street fight — 2c. statement of George Markland regarding the street fight — 2d. statement of Peter Robinson

Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions
Microfiche Series CIHM 59332
Available in the Toronto Reference Library.