February 8th, 1915
Toronto housemaid Carrie Davies shot her employer, farm equipment magnate Charles Bert Massey, because she was afraid he wanted to sexually assault her. As Massey approached the front door, the 18-year-old English servant burst out, brandishing a revolver. Shouting “You ruined my life,” before she raised the weapon and fired. The shot was wild, but her second struck Massey in the chest. Attempting to flee, he stumbled to the sidewalk, falling as neighbours, who’d heard the gunfire, rushed to give assistance. Within minutes, he was dead. The crime would be become a media sensation reported from New York to London. It was her word against his reputation. But when the trial was over, she was found not guilty. At the time, the Masseys were one of the most powerful families in Canada. The name is still famous in Toronto a century later, tied as it is to Massey Ferguson farm equipment, the concert venue Massey Hall and Massey College, which is part of the University of Toronto campus.
