“I went in alone,” said Herkes, “knocked him to the floor and took the gun out of his hand, then led him down the street to the jail. He got 10 years in Kingston for his trouble.” Herkes was 50 at the time.

Later, in 1928, two “armed desperadoes” carried out a spate of holdups, car thefts, and kidnappings in southern Ontario. Discovering the robbers loitering in a truck outside the Baptist Church at Main and Wellington streets, Herkes borrowed sidearms.

“I opened the door and said 'Have you got a gun, boys?' Luckily, I grabbed the one who had the gun.”

Herkes wasn't just rough-and-tumble. A newspaper account when he died said he “was noted for the way he handled young people. If a youngster had committed a small misdemeanor, rather than bring him into court, Chief Herkes would take the young offender aside and have a little talk with him.”

Herkes retired to Dorchester, a village near London, Ont. His journals made their to PAMA, via the University of Western Ontario.

Despite the folkloric bent of his stories — he claims the ship that brought him to Canada passed the exact iceberg that struck the Titanic just a day later — his journals are rather matter-of-fact, according to archivist Samantha Thompson.

Anyone can explore his journals at the Region of Peel Archives, for free, by appointment. Contact 905-791-4055, ext. 3630, or pamaarchives@peelregion.ca.

For more from the archives, visit the website.

Throwback Thursday is provided by Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA). PAMA is a place to explore, learn, and make connections about Peel Region’s culture and heritage.