1914-08-15aga

“Domenti Oliksuik, the Galicia arrested at noon yesterday on a charge of conspiring against the King, is being held as a prisoner of war, but it is admitted that the evidence against him is woefully weak.”

Hamilton Spectator. August 15, 1914

 In the earliest days of the war in Europe, suspicion of Hamilton residents of Austrian or German descent was high. The case of Domenti Oliksuik clearly demonstrated the hostility and injustice that such Hamiltonians had to endure, particularly from the police department.

When Oliksuik was brought to the police court during the morning of August 15, 1914, there were conflicts between the police magistrate and Hamilton’s police chief :

“Several times this morning, Magistrate Jelfs was on the point of giving Oliksuik his freedom, but Chief Smith intervened each time and asked that the prisoner be held until advices as to the disposition of the case were received from Ottawa.”¹

¹ “Galician is Held as War Prisoner : Accused of Assisting an Enemy of the King : Will Hold Him Until Ottawa is Heard From : Orders From Austrian Counsel in His Possession”

Hamilton Spectator.  August 15, 1914.

Domenti Oliksuik had been in Canada only eighteen months:

 “He speaks English fluently. He also speaks Austrian, Polish, German and Ruthenian”¹

Although the newspaper reports did not indicate what aroused the suspicion of the police, it might have just been part of a general investigation of all “foreigners” in Hamilton during the early days of the war.

However, when he was stopped and searched by the police, some potentially incriminating items were in his possession:

“Two letters and a telegram in the Austrian tongue, which were found on Oliksuik when he was arrested, were translated in court this morning by Anthony Yarish, court interpreter.

“One letter was sent to Oliksuik by the Austrian consul at Montreal, and was a request that Oliksuik call on all Austrians, whose names were furnished later by the consul, and inform them that should they desire to go back to fight for their country, their transportation would be paid.

“The second letter produced was Oliksuik’s reply, wherein he stated that unless he got paid for his trouble, he would not act. The following day he received a telegram from the Austrian consul telling him to do as he was ordered in the first letter, but no mention of pay was made.”¹

Oliksuik strongly denied that he had no efforts to get Austrians living in Hamilton to mobilize and that he had not paid any attention to the communications he had received from the Austrian consul. He admitted that, when he still lived in Austria, he had been a member of the army, serving in an artillery unit. However, once he left Austria for Canada, he had severed all connections with the army.

A Spectator reporter investigated Oliksuik’s history and status in Hamilton:

“There is a truly pathetic side to the case. Oliksuik brought his wife and five children to this country two months ago. He had managed to save considerable money during his stay in Hamilton, and when his family came here he invested all his money in a small grocery store at 443 Ottawa street.

“His wife is unable to speak English and the store will have to be closed until her husband is liberated. The rent is due on Monday and Mrs. Oliksuik has no money to meet it."

Magistrate Jelfs after reviewing the case said:

 “He certainly appears to be telling the truth, and he doesn’t appear to be a dangerous man. I’d be willing to allow him to go on bail.”¹

 Chief Smith strongly opposed bail for Oliksuik and asked that he be remanded in jail until official instructions were received from Ottawa as to the manner by which such cases were to be handled.

The unusual and here-to-fore rarely invoked charge that had been brought against Oliksuik was that he assisted a public enemy of the King at war. Oliksuik had been asked directly by Chief Smith if he had not be heard to admit that he had rounded up 800 Austrians living in the Hamilton area who would return to their native country to fight in the army.

Oliksuik laughed in response to the provocative question, and denied that he had ever made such a statement.

Ollsuik was then summarily denied bail and returned to jail.