“My encounter with the public as a CO started when I put up a
poster, opposing conscription, in the window of my business place….
After several weeks or so, one of the local returned soldiers
of World War I had a serious exchange of words with me. He said
I had no business running a business and should have been put
in a concentration camp. He left saying that he had been paid
$1.25 a day for shooting people like me…. He also went to town
and complained that I had things stored on my premises that endangered
the community. Next day the town police came to investigate, but
the only thing that he recommended I do away with were the empty
gasoline drums. I promptly removed them from my premises.”
“In the meantime quite a few Mennonite boys had been picked up
as COs , and taken to different camps. John Pauls of Purves chose
CO status, but the local prosecutor strongly argued against it.
He was sentenced to one year in Headingly jail. After the hearing
he was put in a cell in the Manitou town hall, where I visited
him that night. A young Mountie was guarding him all night. Soon
after that I received my call. I informed my church and they advised
me to get in contact with Mr. A. Buhr. The churches had engaged
him to act as a lawyer on behalf of the COs. He asked me when
I would be ready for a hearing, and I asked him to delay it so
that I could clean up my business affairs.”
“About
six weeks later my hearing came up, and anybody that knew about
it, showed up to listen in. Mr. Buhr put up a good argument and
convinced the judge that it would not be right to put me in jail
as I had volunteered for any other service, except to become a
soldier. The judge postponed the sentence until he had more information
as to the possibility of my being employed in some other essential
service. I was free to go on $1000.00 bail. But I was to be available
at any time the government wanted me.”
“My next hearing came in November, and people were very interested
in finding out what would happen. The room couldn't hold all the
people that showed up for the hearing. During the hearing the
crown prosecutor again brought up the seriousness of the war,
in which the allies were losing on all fronts, and men were desperately
needed. The two lawyers put up good arguments and it came to quite
serious and hard discussions.”
“Toward the end the judge asked me some different questions. One
of the last was what I would do if someone would forcibly try
to take my property. I said I didn't know what I would do, but
I remembered when the Bolsheviks in Russia took our last two horses
from the barn, my father tried to stop them at the door. He was
just pushed aside and threatened with a gun. The judge asked if
that was all my father did. I said it would have been very unwise
to do more as two men had already been shot in the village. The
bandits rode off with the horses and we never saw them again.
The judge gave me a serious look and sentenced me to one year
in jail. He also informed me that he had tried to look for alternative
work, but in my case it was the law to sentence me. He then placed
me in charge of the Mounties. Many people came and shook my hand
and wished me well.”
[TTbP, 71-78]
