Manitoba
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Murder in Brandon

The murder of Mary Lane inside her home in the small town of Brandon caused quite a stir across the province and the country. Considering that women were far less likely to commit murder during this period, especially against other women, this excitement only increased when Hilda Blake was charged with the crime. Several daily and weekly newspapers in the area rushed to cover the crime, the trial and the hanging, giving modern researchers a vivid account of the events of this unusual case.

The Manitoba Legislative Library holds a wide range of daily and weekly newspapers covering this period. Articles related to the Blake case can be found in the Brandon Western Sun, Brandon Times, Winnipeg Morning Telegram, Manitoba Morning Free Press and Virden Advance.

Brandon Western Sun Article, 6 July, 1899
"An Awful Tragedy", 6 July, 1899. Legislative Library, Brandon Western Sun, p.1.
Brandon Times Article, 6 July, 1899
"Killed By a Tramp", 6 July, 1899. Legislative Library, Brandon Times, p. 11.
Winnipeg Morning Telegram Article, 6 July, 1899
"Dreadful Tragedy in Brandon", 6 July, 1899. Legislative Library, Winnipeg Morning Telegram, p. 1.
Manitoba Morning Free Press Article, 10 July, 1899
"Confessed Her Awful Crime", 10 July, 1899. Legislative Library, Manitoba Morning Free Press, p. 1.
Death record for Mary Robinson Lane, c. 1899
Vital Statistics 1899 death record for Mary Robinson Lane, page 2. A of M, CSC 0034A, GR 4539, Z-01-05-03.		  

Find out more... search Hilda Blake in the Keystone Archives Descriptive Database.