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View Tree for Martha J. SargeantMartha J. Sargeant (b. 16 Aug 1869, d. 1925)


Picture of Martha J. Sargeant
Martha's Grave Stone at Greenwood Cemetery Owen Sound

Martha J. Sargeant (daughter of Jesse Sargeant and Elizabeth Barnes)271, 272 was born 16 Aug 1869 in Derby Township, Ontario272, and died 1925 in Derby Township, Ontario272. She married (1) William Austin. She married (2) William T. King, son of Janet King.

 Includes NotesNotes for Martha J. Sargeant:
[SargeantFamilyTree.FTW]

MARTHA JANE SARGEANT AUSTIN/KING

Martha Sargeant was the sixth child of Jesse Sargeant and Elizabeth Barnes. She
was born in 1871 in Derby Twp.

She married twice. Her first husband was William Austin and she had two children
by him, Doris (Mrs. Cecil Byers), and a blue baby that died after a few days but
who was known as Jane Austin.

Jane Austin was born on the 24th of May at Grandma Elizabeth Barnes Sargeant's.
Martha and Will were up for a visit from Bronte. Jane was buried in the St James
Cemetery Owen Sound with no marker.

Doris talked of moving around from one relative to another after her father's
death. She was 1-1/2 when her father died. She lived for a while with the
William Sargeant family, his children remember. Also with Cameron's, Kitchens,
and with Grandma Elizabeth Sargeant. She was an heir to the Austin Fry estate,
(Fry Chocolate). She did receive money from the estate and there are pictures of
the house in England. It was a beautiful estate but she would not go and lay
claim to it. Will Austin had a trust fund for Doris to be administered by her
mother until Doris was 25.

Martha married again after Will Austin's death, to another Will-- Will King.
They had three children, Alfred, Bertha (Mrs. Jones) and Elizabeth (Mrs.
Castle).

Dow recalled Martha when she was married to the latter Will. He recalls her as
being " a beggar to work outside".

He said that Will King loved machinery and had the best shop for fixing
machinery in the area. His son Alfred was an excellent mechanic and went on to
be part of senior management in Detroit's auto industry.

Dow also recalled that Will King had a brother visit from overseas. He made a
request of Will for a loan of money, which was refused. In anger he decided to
light fire to Will's piggery.

Owen Sound Sun Times 22 May 1914 - Aug 6 1914
12 Year Old Eddie Nicholson Murdered. Herb King Confesses to Fiendish Crime

One of the most dastardly, brutal and fiendish crimes ever committed in this
section of the country, occurred on Tuesday evening near what is known as
Danard's corner on the Kilsyth road in Derby, when Herbert T King, an
Englishman, just a few weeks out from the old country, foully murdered Eddie
Nicholson, the twelve-year old son of Mr Edward Nicholson of Third Ave E. On
Wednesday morning, King made a complete and voluntary confession of the crime,
his written statement giving no reason for the deed, other than that he was
seized with an uncontrollable impulse and stabbed the boy to death on the lonely
country road and left him there not realizing what he was doing. Besides killing
the boy, King also fired the barns of his brother, William King a farmer
living about three miles from town, and burned the piggery and fifty-six
valuable hogs. Apparently, the murderer is a moral degenerate and does not
realize the immensity of the horrible crime he is guilty of. The crime has
shocked the whole community and since Wednesday morning, when it became
generally known, has been almost the sole topic of conversation. King was placed
under arrest the same night by PC Carson and he appeared on Wednesday morning
before Police Magistrate Creason, who remanded him until Saturday for his
preliminary hearing."

The Owen Sound Sun, Tues. Mar 30th, 1915
Committed to Stand Trial at the Next Assizes
Herbert King denies any Knowledge of Murder of Eddie Nicholson at
Preliminary Trial. Makes Statement to Court

At the preliminary trial before Magistrate Creasor, in the Police
Court on Saturday, Herbert T King was committed to stand his
trial for the murder of Eddie Nicholson at the next Assizes. The
Preliminary trial occupied about 3 hours. The prisoner himself
Conducted his own defense and questioning of the witnesses. At
the conclusion of the evidence, King made a statement in the
court touching his movements on the night of the murder in which
He (c)(c) denied that he committed the crime or had anything to do
with it. He admitted taking the boy out with him in the buggy but
stated that he let him out of the buggy near the creamery hill
and later saw him walking near the cemetery hill as King was
driving into town.
As early as nine o'clock, the crowd began to gather around the
town hall and by the time court opened the public space in the
Police and both stairs were packed men while downstairs and
outside the entrances to the police court a crowd waited to
catch a glance of the prisoner as he stepped out of the cab which
brought him down the hill. He still wearing the light gray suit
and soft felt slouch hat which he wore when he was arrested.
During the trial, King sat in a hunched attitude sometimes with
his hands folded sometimes with his hands in his pockets, and
watched the proceedings attentively.
The prosecution was conducted by Crown Attorney Dyre and the
evidence was practically the same as that given at the inquest.
The magistrate asked the prisoner if he had a lawyer to defend
him. He replied he would rather defend himself as a lawyer might
make a worse mess of it than he would. It would depend on how
much latitude he got from the court.
Dr Howey was the first witness, He gave the result of the post
mortem examination and described the wounds he found on the
murdered boy's body, and the condition of the body. " Is this the
first case of this description you have handled? asked the
prisoner. The doctor replied that he could not recollect at the
moment whether it was his first case of a similar nature. "You
have seen the knife produced and examined it thoroughly. Could
you swear it was the knife that caused the boy's death? pursued
the prisoner. Dr Howey said he could not swear that. Edward
Nicholson, the boy's father gave evidence concerning the lads age
and the last time he had seen him alive, and identified the body
of the murdered boy as that of his son.
J. C Thourson one of the boys who was playing with Eddie
Nicholson , when King asked one of them to come with him to hold
the horse, mentioned King as the man with whom young Nicholson
had gone on the evening of the murder.
Samuel Baker, the livery man from whom King procured the horse,
told of the prisoner hiring the horse and rig. "You didn't notice
any difference in my demeanor or behavior from that of any
ordinary man when I came back?" asked the prisoner." No", replied the witness,"
I didn't notice any difference."
Reginald Gardhouse told of finding the body of the boy lying on
the road and of King coming along and asking if he could be of
any assistance. "You recollect me coming along " asked King. "I
came along and asked what was the matter. One of you said the lad
was dead. At the inquest the other night, one of the witnesses
made the statement that I said "Dead is he?" What I want to get
at is this. I am standing on the brink of eternity. This is a
very critical point in this case. I have no recollection of
killing the lad whatever. When I came along and found out what
was the matter, I wanted to give assistance. Did you hear me say
"Dead, is he?" The witness replied that he did hear King say
those words.
William Dunn gave evidence concerning his conversation with King
when he drove along after the body had been discovered. Dunn's
evidence was similar to that given at the inquest. " Your
evidence and that of the previous witness differ", said King. "In
what position were you standing when I came along? "I don't
remember answered the witness.
Prisoner: You remembered some parts. Why don't you remember that?
Witness: I am not prepared to say.
Prisoner: Did I make the remark "Dead, is he?" that you said I
did?
Witness: You said it.
Here the prisoner's eyes filled with tears "You're not stating
the truth:
.
The magistrate then told the prisoner that he would be allowed to
make a statement if he wished but what he said might be used
against him at his trial.
"I have a statement to make," he said, "that will startle Owen
Sound and I will have the sympathy of the whole court. The
atmosphere is charged with suspicion and two men have sworn
Falsely against me. The statement I am about to make is not
dealing with this crime at all for I am not guilty of it. I will
not offend anybody neither will I abuse anybody. I don't think
any man has had a harder time than I have. I was arrested when I
was twenty three years of age and continued for twenty six years
in a state asylum in a British possession yet they talk about
British liberty. I know absolutely nothing about the crime, yet
this has been heaped on me. Here the magistrate interrupted him to
say that he would have to make a statement dealing with the
charge only. The prisoner then asked for a drink of water and
stood up while making his statement which was taken down by the
magistrate.

"Are you ready?" King asked the magistrate. On receiving a reply
in the affirmative he said "On the night in question my idea of
taking call at George Sargeants. I got a

I gave him twenty-five cents and then I left him. I went further
back again towards town, not doing what I had intended to do at
that moment.
When I came to the bridge below the cemetery hill I saw the lad again. He bid me
good night and turned to the right. I went
straight on to town. After driving around town for a time, ten or
fifteen minutes, I then went to McIntosh's stable to give the
horse and rig up. While the horse was being unharnessed a feeling
came over me. My brother fixed me and by God I'll fix him(c)(c)here
King emphasized his remarks by striking the magistrate's dock with
his fist. I turned around to the hostler for another horse as
that one wasn't fast enough. He said he hadn't another one in. I
asked him to put that one in at once. He did so. I paid him the
usual dollar. I drove on to my brother's premises. Taking the
back way and fixed him as he had fixed me, after less than eight
weeks, homeless a stranger in a strange land with no place to go.
In coming back I made for town and passed a rig on the roadway
with three or four men standing around it. Stopping just in front
of their horse, I asked the question "What's the matter? One of
the men answered "We have a lad here"
I asked "What's the matter with him?"
One of them answered "He is dead"
I asked if I could be of any assistance. They told me "No".
I hadn't left their rig more than three or four hundred yards
before an idea possessed me. I wonder if that is the lad that was
with me during the early part of the evening. Having a knife upon
me as I did, I thought here's a weapon if anything has happened
to that lad, that might convict me. I stopped on the creamery hill
< > seven or eight minutes thinking the matter out. Then an idea
struck me that the best thing I could do was to throw the knife
away and with it the sheath, which was with it at the time, I am
positive the knife was in the sheath it
I have to say to this court and to the people of Owen Sound
concerning this crime I am charged with that I am absolutely
innocent, that I know absolutely nothing about it. I thank the
court sincerely, also the people of Owen Sound for the courtesy
and forbearance they have shown in my case."

The prisoner, after making his statement, signed it and resumed
his seat. The magistrate then gave judgement.
"Herbert T King, I commit you for trial at the next competent
court of jurisdiction for the murder of John Edward Nicholson on
the 23rd of March".
The court then proceeded with the charge against King for firing
his brother's buildings and he was also committed for trial on
that charge.


The Sun Times did extensive reporting on the trial, the recounting of which is
too extensive to include in this appendix. King was convicted and sentenced to
hang in Kingston.

However, the sentence was commuted to deportation

From The Convict Register and Description Book- Kingston Penitentiary
When Received 22 Sec 1915
Registration # G213
Name Herbert T King
State S
Commitment 1-3 Prison & Asylum in England
Age 51
Height 5'8"
Weight 157 lbs.
Complexion dark
Hair grayish
Eyes brown
Religion RC
Where born Highgate England
Special marks right big toe off, deep scar rt. groin, large scar inside left forearm, mole left of collarbone
Occupation Painter
Read Yes
Write Yes
Use Tobacco Yes
Abstainer Yes
Crime Murder
Where Tried Owen Sound
When Sentenced 13 Oct 1915
Term Life
Discharged 16 May 1916
Remarks Death penalty commuted, deported (we believe England)



Dow says Martha was not an openly religious person, but adds that he didn't know
that part of the family well.

Martha suffered from depression at times, Bert tells us. One time she was down
and Bert's mother, Harriet Barber, "laid in prayer" for her. Harriet did all her
work for her, but only drank water for a week. Martha came out of it practically
healed.

Martha died in 1925 and is buried in the west extension, range 31 of the
Greenwood Cemetery in Owen Sound beside her husband William T King and his first
wife(?) Janet M King (1836-1918).


23 Oct 2003

More About Martha J. Sargeant:
Burial: Unknown, West Extension, Range 31, Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound, Ontario.272

Children of Martha J. Sargeant and William Austin are:
  1. +Doris Jane Irene Austin, b. 19 Jun 1899, Bronte Ontario273, 274, d. 06 Jan 1990, Owen Sound Ontario275, 276.
  2. Jane Austin, b. 24 May276, d. date unknown.

Children of Martha J. Sargeant and William T. King are:
  1. +Bertha King.
  2. Alfred King, d. date unknown.
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