As we learned on T.T. 15, Tom Thomson’s body had been buried while Thompson’s brother and the coroner travelled to Algonquin Park. Upon the arrival of the coroner, there was a hasty meeting in the front room of the Fraser’s Lodge. Without ever examining the body, the coroner pronounced the cause of death as accidental drowning.
The coroner identified the body, taking the word of Dr. Howland, a man who arrived on Canoe Lake two days after the disappearance of Thomson and had never actually met him. Dr. Howland, was the only medical person to examine the remains and was arguably influenced by those who may have been involved in any misconduct.
In an era prior to dental records and DNA, these findings have helped build on one of Canada’s greatest who done its!