Hangman's Graveyard
Encyclopedia
Hangman's Graveyard is a Gemini
nominated and award winning Canadian
documentary
which was originally broadcast in Canada on History Television
on December 6, 2009. A work-in-progress screening of the film was presented at the Ontario Archaeological Society
’s 36th annual symposium and as the opening film of DocFest Stratford in October 2009. The film follows an archaeological investigation at Toronto
's old Don Jail
beginning in September 2007. The archaeologists uncovered a cemetery behind the jail and began a process of identifying the remains. In total, 15 bodies were found, and all are thought to be remains of executed inmates. The archaeological team is led by Dr. Ronald Williamson of Archaeological Services Inc. Produced by Canada's Ballinran Productions, the company behind the Gemini
and IFTA
nominated documentary Death or Canada
, the film follows the lives of three men found in the forgotten cemetery - George Bennett, Jan Ziolko and Frederick Davis - and examines the history of the Don Jail
, capital punishment
in Canada and the nation's most feared hangman, Arthur Ellis
.
in Toronto. The remaining elements were filmed in the summer of 2009 and many of the dramatic scenes were filmed inside the Old Don Jail
itself. The documentary is narrated by author and former drug smuggler Brian O'Dea
.
George Bennett is the most notable inmate uncovered in the cemetery. Bennett was executed for the murder of George Brown
, editor of The Globe
newspaper and Father of Confederation. George Bennett was an employee of George Brown and worked in The Globe's engineering department. Initially Bennett was a model employee but eventually he descended into a downward spiral of drunkenness and debauchery. Bennett was ultimately fired for intemperance. In a drunken fit Bennett entered George Brown's office and demanded him to sign a letter of reference. Brown refused, Bennett insisted and a tussle ensued. Bennett was carrying a revolver in his pocket and the revolver was fired with a bullet entering George Brown's leg. Brown died several weeks later of implications from the wound. It was learnt later that Bennett was carrying a suicide note and had intended to shoot himself the very day of the murder. Bennett was convicted on June 22, 1880 and sentenced to hang on July 23, 1880. Before his execution Bennett gave a lengthy speech proclaiming his innocence to the very end.
He has gone to his death through an oversight on my part. It was a foolish thing for me to have drawn the revolver, but I was in liquor or I would have never done it. I could not control the event. I went there purely on a matter of business and my business was very simple and very plain. The result was as it was. I am prepared to die.
. Like many immigrants, Ziolko lived in squalor in Toronto's infamous slum, The Ward. As New Year's Eve 1915 approached, Ziolko and an accomplice, countrymen Tomas (or John) Cekoski, murdered the Macedonian
Borgio Trendo. The motive for the murder was robbery and Ziolko enticed Trendo with the promise of work to be had in the developing Toronto suburb, Moore Park
. Walking along the Belt Line, an abandoned railway line, an argument broke out and Trendo was murdered, his head smashed in with a hammer. Ziolko and Cekoski were arrested following the murder. They were found with the murder weapon and $34 cash in their pockets. Both were sentenced to be hanged on April 13, 1915. While awaiting his death at Toronto's Don Jail
Jan Ziolko confessed to his priest that he was the mastermind behind the robbery and murder and pleaded that Cekoski's life should be spared. Cekoski was eventually saved from the hangman's noose, and his sentence was commuted to twenty years. Jan Ziolko was executed at 8 am on the morning of April 13, 1915; his executioner was Arthur Ellis
. His remains were buried in the yard outside the jail. On the morning of the execution he wrote a letter to his wife and sympathizers.
Jan Ziolko is portrayed by Matt Naporowski in the film.
including dementia and hallucinations. Davis was hung despite being deemed mentally unsound by a physician.
The police circular read:
Issued September 20, 1920
"I am authorized to offer a reward of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the above mentioned man, who is wanted in this city on a charge of on August 7 of this year (1920). Davis took a boy named Philip Goldberg to the outskirts of the city and after committing on the young lad, he cut his throat."
Description
"Description of Davis alias Davies. Nationality, U.S. : age, 43 but looks younger, 5 feet 5 inches, 115 pounds dark complexion, wears wig, has peculiar lips, one gold tooth. Was wearing dark blue suit and . Is a heavy drinker. This man is a machinist, toolmaker and die sinker. The above picture is the only one we could obtain of this man. Any information will be appreciated."
and Toronto Star
as well as a featured report on Global News. The Globe and Mail
selected it as a Critic's Pick and warned audiences to "Prepare to feel goose bumps while watching this snapshot of dark Toronto history." The Toronto Star
claimed that the "Documentary `tingles the spine' with tale of 15 men executed at jail and buried there" and selected it as part of its TV tonight: Five Worth Watching series. Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press
also selected the program as recommended viewing in her weekly Tube Talk article. Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun
wrote that the film unearths a "fascinating piece of T.O.'s past." The film's premiere screening on December 6, 2009 reached an audience of nearly 200 000 people.
for Best Editorial Research. On October 5, 2010 Hangman's Graveyard received an Award of Excellence from Heritage Toronto
at their annual awards celebration. When handing out the award Heritage Toronto remarked that "this well-produced documentary, which aired on History Television, told a quintessential Toronto story – with the Don Jail itself being one of the most compelling ‘characters’. The film unfolded like a mystery – with a mixture of history and forensic detective work – that held their attention." In January of 2011 Hangman's Graveyard was officially selected to screen in competition at the 2011 edition of The Archaeology Channel's International Film and Video Festival in Eugene, Oregon.
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
nominated and award winning Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
which was originally broadcast in Canada on History Television
History Television
History Television is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that presents programming about history and some non-historical programming of military, science and technology interest. It is owned by Shaw Media. Its French language counterpart is Historia.The channel operates two...
on December 6, 2009. A work-in-progress screening of the film was presented at the Ontario Archaeological Society
Ontario Archaeological Society
The Ontario Archaeological Society is a registered charitable organization promoting the ethical practice of archaeology within the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is a public and professional society formed in 1950....
’s 36th annual symposium and as the opening film of DocFest Stratford in October 2009. The film follows an archaeological investigation at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's old Don Jail
Don Jail
The Toronto Jail is a provincial jail for remanded offenders in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Riverdale neighbourhood on Gerrard Street East near its intersection with Broadview Avenue. It gets its nickname from the nearby Don River...
beginning in September 2007. The archaeologists uncovered a cemetery behind the jail and began a process of identifying the remains. In total, 15 bodies were found, and all are thought to be remains of executed inmates. The archaeological team is led by Dr. Ronald Williamson of Archaeological Services Inc. Produced by Canada's Ballinran Productions, the company behind the Gemini
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
and IFTA
Irish Film and Television Awards
The Irish Film and Television Awards were first awarded in 2003. Its sole aim is to celebrate Ireland's notably talented film and television community...
nominated documentary Death or Canada
Death or Canada
DEATH or CANADA staring Kieran 'Larry' O leary and Shane Gaffey is a Gemini and IFTA nominated two-part Canadian-Irish docudrama which was broadcast in Ireland on RTÉ One in November/December 2008, in the UK on The History Channel UK in January and February 2009 and in Canada on History Television...
, the film follows the lives of three men found in the forgotten cemetery - George Bennett, Jan Ziolko and Frederick Davis - and examines the history of the Don Jail
Don Jail
The Toronto Jail is a provincial jail for remanded offenders in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Riverdale neighbourhood on Gerrard Street East near its intersection with Broadview Avenue. It gets its nickname from the nearby Don River...
, capital punishment
Capital punishment in Canada
Capital punishment in Canada dates back to 1749. Before Canada eliminated the death penalty for murder on July 14, 1976, 1,481 people were sentenced to death, with 710 executed. Of those executed, 697 were men and 13 were women. The only method used in Canada for capital punishment in nonmilitary...
in Canada and the nation's most feared hangman, Arthur Ellis
Arthur B. English
Arthur Bartholomew English was a British man who became Canada's hangman in 1912, when he was officially offered the job. Prior to this he had been an assistant to John Radclive, a veteran of twenty years of hangings. English served in this capacity until 1935...
.
Production
Filming began in September 2007 as the filmmakers extensively followed the entire archaeological investigation, which ended with the reburial of the inmates in St. James CemeterySt. James Cemetery (Toronto)
The Anglican St. James Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Toronto still in operation. Opened in 1844 as the burial ground for St. James Cathedral. To date over 89,000 interments and 75,000 cremations have taken place at the cemetery. Recognizing the growing trend towards cremation throughout the...
in Toronto. The remaining elements were filmed in the summer of 2009 and many of the dramatic scenes were filmed inside the Old Don Jail
Don Jail
The Toronto Jail is a provincial jail for remanded offenders in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Riverdale neighbourhood on Gerrard Street East near its intersection with Broadview Avenue. It gets its nickname from the nearby Don River...
itself. The documentary is narrated by author and former drug smuggler Brian O'Dea
Brian O'Dea
Brian O'Dea is a Canadian former drug smuggler.Born in Newfoundland, he first worked as a minor drug dealer in the province. Moving up he became an importer of marijuana to Canada from the United Kingdom...
.
George Bennett
George Brown (Canadian politician)
George Brown was a Scottish-born Canadian journalist, politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation...
, editor of The Globe
The Globe (Toronto newspaper)
The Globe was a newspaper in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1844 by George Brown as a Reform voice. It merged with The Mail and Empire in 1936 to form The Globe and Mail.-History:...
newspaper and Father of Confederation. George Bennett was an employee of George Brown and worked in The Globe's engineering department. Initially Bennett was a model employee but eventually he descended into a downward spiral of drunkenness and debauchery. Bennett was ultimately fired for intemperance. In a drunken fit Bennett entered George Brown's office and demanded him to sign a letter of reference. Brown refused, Bennett insisted and a tussle ensued. Bennett was carrying a revolver in his pocket and the revolver was fired with a bullet entering George Brown's leg. Brown died several weeks later of implications from the wound. It was learnt later that Bennett was carrying a suicide note and had intended to shoot himself the very day of the murder. Bennett was convicted on June 22, 1880 and sentenced to hang on July 23, 1880. Before his execution Bennett gave a lengthy speech proclaiming his innocence to the very end.
He has gone to his death through an oversight on my part. It was a foolish thing for me to have drawn the revolver, but I was in liquor or I would have never done it. I could not control the event. I went there purely on a matter of business and my business was very simple and very plain. The result was as it was. I am prepared to die.
Jan Ziolko
Jan - or John - Ziolko was a poor Polish immigrant who moved to Canada in 1914 to find a better life and support his wife and child, who remained in war torn PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Like many immigrants, Ziolko lived in squalor in Toronto's infamous slum, The Ward. As New Year's Eve 1915 approached, Ziolko and an accomplice, countrymen Tomas (or John) Cekoski, murdered the Macedonian
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
Borgio Trendo. The motive for the murder was robbery and Ziolko enticed Trendo with the promise of work to be had in the developing Toronto suburb, Moore Park
Moore Park, Toronto
Moore Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It lies along both sides of St. Clair Avenue East between the Vale of Avoca section of Rosedale ravine and Moore Park ravine . The northern boundary is Mount Pleasant Cemetery and the southern the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks.The...
. Walking along the Belt Line, an abandoned railway line, an argument broke out and Trendo was murdered, his head smashed in with a hammer. Ziolko and Cekoski were arrested following the murder. They were found with the murder weapon and $34 cash in their pockets. Both were sentenced to be hanged on April 13, 1915. While awaiting his death at Toronto's Don Jail
Don Jail
The Toronto Jail is a provincial jail for remanded offenders in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Riverdale neighbourhood on Gerrard Street East near its intersection with Broadview Avenue. It gets its nickname from the nearby Don River...
Jan Ziolko confessed to his priest that he was the mastermind behind the robbery and murder and pleaded that Cekoski's life should be spared. Cekoski was eventually saved from the hangman's noose, and his sentence was commuted to twenty years. Jan Ziolko was executed at 8 am on the morning of April 13, 1915; his executioner was Arthur Ellis
Arthur B. English
Arthur Bartholomew English was a British man who became Canada's hangman in 1912, when he was officially offered the job. Prior to this he had been an assistant to John Radclive, a veteran of twenty years of hangings. English served in this capacity until 1935...
. His remains were buried in the yard outside the jail. On the morning of the execution he wrote a letter to his wife and sympathizers.
Jan Ziolko is portrayed by Matt Naporowski in the film.
Frederick Davis
In the hot summer of 1920 near the shores of Lake Ontario, Davis raped and murdered Phillip Goldberg. Davis fled and nearly a year later was found serving time in Auburn State Penitentiary, New York. Davis had late stage syphilisSyphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
including dementia and hallucinations. Davis was hung despite being deemed mentally unsound by a physician.
The police circular read:
Issued September 20, 1920
"I am authorized to offer a reward of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the above mentioned man, who is wanted in this city on a charge of on August 7 of this year (1920). Davis took a boy named Philip Goldberg to the outskirts of the city and after committing on the young lad, he cut his throat."
Description
"Description of Davis alias Davies. Nationality, U.S. : age, 43 but looks younger, 5 feet 5 inches, 115 pounds dark complexion, wears wig, has peculiar lips, one gold tooth. Was wearing dark blue suit and . Is a heavy drinker. This man is a machinist, toolmaker and die sinker. The above picture is the only one we could obtain of this man. Any information will be appreciated."
Reception
The film has been generally well-received and enjoyed expansive media coverage prior to its release. Featured articles appeared in the Toronto SunToronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
and Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
as well as a featured report on Global News. The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
selected it as a Critic's Pick and warned audiences to "Prepare to feel goose bumps while watching this snapshot of dark Toronto history." The Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
claimed that the "Documentary `tingles the spine' with tale of 15 men executed at jail and buried there" and selected it as part of its TV tonight: Five Worth Watching series. Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
also selected the program as recommended viewing in her weekly Tube Talk article. Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
wrote that the film unearths a "fascinating piece of T.O.'s past." The film's premiere screening on December 6, 2009 reached an audience of nearly 200 000 people.
Awards
In March 2010 Hangman's Graveyard was nominated for a CSC Award (Canadian Society of Cinematographers) in the docudrama category. In May 2010 the film won a Public Communications Award from the Canadian Archaeological Association. On August 31, 2010 Producer Daniel Thomson and Researcher Nancy Carter were nominated for a Gemini AwardGemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for Best Editorial Research. On October 5, 2010 Hangman's Graveyard received an Award of Excellence from Heritage Toronto
Heritage Toronto
Heritage Toronto is a city agency and registered charity in charge of preserving and promoting the heritage sites in the City of Toronto. Created in 1998, it replaced some of the roles of the former Toronto Historical Board and other heritage agencies of the former cities of Scarborough, North...
at their annual awards celebration. When handing out the award Heritage Toronto remarked that "this well-produced documentary, which aired on History Television, told a quintessential Toronto story – with the Don Jail itself being one of the most compelling ‘characters’. The film unfolded like a mystery – with a mixture of history and forensic detective work – that held their attention." In January of 2011 Hangman's Graveyard was officially selected to screen in competition at the 2011 edition of The Archaeology Channel's International Film and Video Festival in Eugene, Oregon.