Charles William Bell

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Charles William Bell, (1876-1938), Born: 25 April, 1876 in Hamilton, Ontario. Playwright, politician and Rocco Perri's lawyer. Died: 8 Februrary, 1938 at Hamilton, Ontario. Buried in Woodland Cemetery. ^[1]

A man of many talents. Attended Hamilton Collegiate Institute and Trinity College, University of Toronto. Called to the bar in 1899 after studies at Osgoode Hall. Practiced law in Toronto before moving back home and worked for a couple of local Hamilton law firms before setting up is own firm, Bell & Yates.

Up until 1930 he defended thirteen men on murder charges and all were acquitted. he later admitted that one trial he discovered his client was guilty but said nothing.

He entered the world of politics and represented Hamilton West as a Conservative candidate in the 1925 Dominion election and won with a majority of 12,000 votes. Elected again in 1926 and 1930 and stepped down in 1935 due to the death of his son, Kenneth Clifford in an auto accident. He also enjoyed the theatre and became a playwright for a number of successful comedic plays. Combining law and theatre came naturally for he believed that watching an audience's reaction to his plays helped him to judge the character of witnesses in court.

Bell was also a member of All Saints' Anglican Church and Former Prime Minister Arthur Meighen was an honorary pallbearer at his funeral in 1938.

[edit] References

^ Bailey, Thomas Melville (1992). Dictionary of Hamilton Biography (Vol III, 1925-1939). W.L. Griffin Ltd.

"King of the Mob: Rocco Perri and the women who ran his rackets" by James Dubro & Robin F. Rowland (Toronto)-1987.
Rocco Perri Scrapbook (Hamilton Herald Newspaper articles) 12 April 1927, 14, 16, 18 August 1930
Hamilton Public Library clippings, Hamilton, Famous and Fascinating, Thomas Melville Bailey and Charles Ambrose Carter.