Margaret Mick
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Margaret Ann Mick (June 1, 1860 - May 25, 1925) was the first female Canadian peace officer to be killed in the line of duty, and the first woman to be added to the memorial commemorating fallen police or peace officers near Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
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[edit] Early life
Margaret was born June 1st, 1860 and was raised in Waterdown, Ontario, Canada, a small town west of Toronto. In the early 1880s she married James Mick with whom she had four children (one died in infancy). When James died in the late 1890s, Margaret moved with her three children to Toronto where she went to work as a matron in the Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women. Her position there was similar to that of a correctional officer today. In 1916, she applied for a transfer to the Toronto Municipal Jail Farm for Women in Concord. The facility was considered state of the art for its time. It put low risk female offenders to work growing fruits and vegetables and raising livestock.
[edit] Death
On Sunday, May 25th, 1925 Margaret arrived for work at 8:00PM, unaware that three inmates were planning an escape. Margaret would be the only staff member on duty throughout the night.
About 10:15PM, while Margaret was taking clean baby bottles to the maternity wing, 16-year-old Jennie McMinn, was able to force open and squeeze through a hinged window in her cell door. Then, using a spoon that she had smuggled from the cafeteria, she forced the lock on a second inmate's cell. The two of them waited while a third complained loudly about a water leak in her cell. As Margaret was opening the third inmate's cell to investigate she was jumped from behind by the two lying in wait. She was beaten, throttled, and dragged to a small utility room and tied to pipes while unconscious. She was found dead the next morning when the next shift came on duty, still tied spread-eagle to the pipes. The official cause of death was ruled as assault.
Her three assailants were soon caught and convicted of their crime. They each served five years in the Toronto (Don) Jail. Five other conspirators were convicted of aiding and abetting the crime and also served short sentences in the Toronto (Don) Jail.
[edit] Remembrance
During the 1st Session, 38th Parliament, on Tuesday, June 14, 2005 the Honorable Lorna Milne spoke of Margaret Mick's life and death and had this to say about the woman:
Margaret Ann Mick was an uncommon woman who showed uncommon bravery, both personally and professionally. In a time long before the support provided by the modern social services system, she managed to keep her family together after the death of her husband. In those days, many women were forced to give their children up for adoption in such circumstances, but her determination would not allow that. She built her career and kept her family close to her, decades before that became the norm.
Margaret was 64 years old at the time of her death. A surprise party had been arranged for her birthday, less than a week later on June 1, 1925. She was survived by two sons, a daughter, and a sister. Margaret is buried at the Union Cemetery in Waterdown, Ontario.
