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. . . the Woman, His Ilenchman’s WifeONTHEjing Block in shape. This of cour*» the day of the whisky rixp’r Juiced up v.itti dh-tional carburetors, high lift cams, and a h gn ratio rear end.It was or the afternoon erf Sept. 21, 1922, that Sergt. J. E. Scott and ConM. Day of the Alberta Provincial Police got a phoie call at Frank from Const. Steve Lawson at Coleman that a Uiree-car convoy of Pic’s had Ma?ted through Coleman at 60 miles an hour bending eaat. Pic.” his son Steve and Me Alpine were each at the wheel of a Buick and one car, thought Lawson, had the load.Come on!” said Scott to Day. he dashed for hte car. “We'll catch them at B’a more!In test time they covered the couple of miles, and tooling down Blaircnoiv's main afieel. at the Alberta Hotel corn *r the spotted standing beside his car. Putting a ong-akfte. Scott's quick scrutiny showed It to be empty, but before he could question ‘ Pie,*- the Emperor touched his horn button. From ’»c-hind the hotel came an answering horn, then young Steve shot out from the la* e and made off westward. In a second Con-a. Day uo* in a store phoning Lawson.At Coleman, Chief of Police Jack Houghton wa« with Lawson when they got the men age, and they. too. headed a mile m so we%t of town where they could angle the car across the highway to form a road bioric Soon, by an approaching column of du*»i Steve was spotted heading their way, but never slackening his mlle-a-minute clip. Instead, in daredevil style, he shot between the poikv cat ard the high bank and miraculously got by without turning over. Lawson fired a couple of Warning shots In the air, then the officers took to their car. Although once or tw.ee they shortened the distance, finally the Buiclt pulled away and was over the pass Into B.C.“Pk,” worried about either hr* son or the load, or both, came through Cbieman shortly after that, and when he gassed up at Ct* 's Nest in B.C. he ominously remarked to the station at ten stent If they've hurt my bey. I swear I'll kill every cop in the pe.*** Almost in the style of the Maflusl he putted a gun, and kissed It before returning it to itts pocket.At Michel, that evening, with the girl I as* Sandra, he found his son and nonoed he had an injured finger.*'Lawson fired a couple of shola at me. Sieve reported, “and one of them nicked my finger.” Fact of the matter was. and there was a witness to this, the lad caught Ins linger In the door of his car that afternoonBut it was enuogh for Pic. His rage knmv no bounds.It was around ? that evening that he and Florence Lassandra appeared orw more In Coleman and drove to the Provincial Police barracks.Somebody in a car wants to apeak to you, daddy said nine-year-old Pearl Iawsou to her father, who minus his tonic went out in bis shirt sleeves to see the couple In the car.Whatever the brief conversation, suddenly It was interrupted when Pica red a pulled his gun. Lawson just as promptly made a grab lor his wrist. As Lawson strove to disarm the enraged bootlegger the gun went off twice, one buHet going through the windshiHd, the other through the speedometer. As they continued to wrestle for Its poose«»ion. suddenly the Lassandra woman in the back seat j Killed an automatic from her purse and fired at X-aw*aon's back.With a grimace of pain the policeman disengaged himself, stepped back, then took half a dozen steps in the direction of the hospital (which was right next door to the police station I, then collapsed with a groan. Fifteen minutes later he was dead.little Pearl, of course, had the wlwle thing and was able to tell Investigators: Thelady in the red tam had a gun and she shot my dadchCity Chief Houghton had his eyes about him that evening, too, for he noticed PKaiello and Florence drive Into town around seven, saw them go north on Central Avenue from the main street, then tarn east on Second toward the police barracks. Seconds later an he passed up Main Street he heard three shots and running In their direction saw Lawsons little girl, and also Plcarelio's car heading east at high speed toward Blairmore. Cutting across a couple of vacant lots he reached the side of the dying police officer.News of the ooid-bioodnd killing shocked Albertans as well a« people in the Crow's Nest country and the B.C. Kootenays, for Steve Lawson, a married man with five children, was well known and well liked. He'd gone overseas from McLeod to return with a Military Medal, and had Just served two years as Chief of Police of Femie before joining theAPP.One of the first to get the flash, and assign men te the scene before heading there ltim«elf. was divisional Inspector E. W. Bavin at Lethbridge. then responsible lor the sen Che rn halfof Alberta. iIn quick fashion came further assistance from the ROM Pohce at Edmonton airi from Femie. RCMP Inapr. W. V. Bruce made af • •EMILIO PICARELLOnight-time dash through the Crow's Nest Passto lend his aid. Blairmore happened to lie In his sub-division. Meantime Inspr. W. R. Ihm-woody of the B.C. Police at Femie had aleried his men so that the B.C. side of the pass was dosed to any fugitives.It was early in the intensive manhunt around Blairmore that Emperor “Pic’s” abandoned car was found. Police noted the bullet-riven speedometer and windshield, and something else. On the floor were a couple of .32calibre automatic pistol shells, one fired, the other unfired, and a cloth-covered button probably from a woman’s coat.Footprints of a man and woman leaving the car were followed. The man's tracks led the poHce up a ridge behind Blairmore. while the woman was t rat lad to the house of one of her friends. WHen she was arrested her coat*FLORENCE LASSANDRAlarked the button picked up in the car and in one lt;rf the pockets was the .32 automatic.Not only did the sheOs from the car floor match Florence’s gun, but so did extra ammunition Sound in her bedroom bureau. She was quite blase about the whole thing, and made use of a phrase that was fo ring In jurymen’s ears: So he's dead and I’m aTtvc- so What’The search In the hills back of Blairmore continued through the next day oafll finally it was RCMP Constable Ed Turin (of Fertde) and Alberta Provincial Const. Joe Bradher (fattier of B.C. Provincial Constable Frank Bradner) who finally flushed out the barret-cheated Emperor and brought him to a panting stamltftiU on a skyline ridge.“Hold it there, ’Pic'!” yelled Tutln over Msgun barrel, “and keep your hands in the air!Bradner gave the prisoner a quick frisk, then slapped the cuf on him.Three months later in an Edmonton courtroom. the two heard 29 Crown witnesses dovetail the events that led up to their arrest. Finally, around 9 p.m. on a cold night in early December, the Jury returned. They found both guilty of murder.Ashen-faced and lullen. Plcarelio’s month twitched convulsively as he caught the significance of Sheriff Rae’s sudden action. He was handing up a small calendar to Mr. Justice Walsh. ’Hie Judge (later to become Alberta's Lieutenant-Governor i sentenced the pair to hang at Fbrt Saskatchewan the following February.The Lassandra girl who in the early stages of the trial had been vivacious and cocksure, smiling and giving the odd wave to acquaintances among the spectators, was dose to collapse when she heard her fate. tPromptly the pair appealed and just as promptly the Appeal Court signified that the law must taka it's course.Finally when the fateful day neared, the death cell couple at Fort Saskatchewan were told that a month’s stay of execution had been ordered whtte their caae was argued before the Supreme Court of Canada.If. as “Pic’’ used to occasionally remark, “policemen and lawyer* oome a dime a dufcen” the legal talent In his lfinal appeal came a little higher; he had the brilliant Aime Geoffreon of Montreal, teamed with J. McKlnlsy Cameron. probably Alberta’s most sucre™ful criminal lawyer, as well as Sherwood Herchmer, K.C. from Fernfce. TVw were skilful counsel with skilful arguments, but though they may have dented Plcarelio's bank acocunt, they didn't leave a mark on Canada's Supreme Court. The appeal was quashed.Com Untied an Page 15Daily
Newspaper Details
Victoria Daily Colonist
Victoria, British Columbia, CA
Sun, Mar 22, 1964
Page 43
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA 28 Dec 2019
Other Publications Near Victoria, British Columbia
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