JOHN H. HEFFERNAN..
John H. Heffernan, police magistrate and former senior inspector of
the North West Mounted Police, was born in Portsmouth, England, in
1868. His father was the late Sir John Harold Heffernan, K. C. B., an
admiral in His Majesty's navy. Sir John entered the British navy in
1855, retired with the rank of admiral in 1892 and died on the 14th of
September, 1921, after having lived to see the navy in which he so long
served perform some of the most remarkable feats in the history of
warfare on the sea. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Eliza
Hilton. passed away in 1914. The Heffernans were communicants of the
Church of England and reared their five children in that faith. John H.
Heffernan was the fourth child in the family.He was educated in
famous Christ's Hospital in London and came to the United States in
1884, at the age of sixteen.
The lad was full of the spirit of adventure and fortunately for him
the west in both the States and Canada in those days offered a daring
young man many opportunities to become intimately acquainted with
the "wild west" plains life that is now a matter of history. In 1889 he
came to the Northwest Territories and joined the Mounted Police, with
whom he served for twenty-four years, grading up from the very bottom
of the service to the rank of senior inspector, his position when he re-
signed in 1914 to become police magistrate in Regina. He has held the
latter position ever since, discharging his duties with a wisdom born
of long experience in police Work in the northwest. During his long
residence in this section of the country Mr. Heffernan has witnessed
remarkable change; while his reminiscences of the earlier days give a
very clear picture of life as it was lived in the Northwest Territories
generation ago. When he first came to Regina the city boasted a popu-
lation of eight hundred souls. He was stationed here in charge of the
Mounted Police in this district for seven years, from 1894 to 1901. Pro-
hibition was in force throughout the territories when Mr. Heffernan first
joined the police, thus one of their important duties was to discover and
catch rum runners and bootleggers. At that time horse stealing was a
profitable, if illicit, business and the horse thieves gave the police many
a long and strenuous chase. In the winter of 1903 and 1904 Mr. Heffer-
nan made a notable patrol to the far north with a dog train, going a
thousand miles north of Prince Albert to bring back a crazy Indian, who
was causing considerable disturbance in that region. Such were the
emergencies that taxed the endurance and resourcefulness of the North
West Mounted Police until very recent years.
Among the old landmarks that Mr. Heffernan so well remembers is
an old Anglican church erected by the Hudson's Bay Company people at
a place called Stanley, on the Churchill river. By some strange whim
of circumstances this church, far from any other human habitation, was
built large enough to seat between six and eight hundred people. And
so it stood a church without a congregation, from the time it was built
in the early '50s, in solitary dignity with a sun dial out in front to mark
the passage of time, where there was no one to distinguish one season
from another. At Christmas and Easter the Indians of the region who
had been at least nominally converted to Christianity were accustomed
to gather there for a religious celebration; then the old church was left
to withstand the ravages of time as best it could for another season.
the place was a matter of grave concern to the Bishop of Calgary, to
whose charge it fell, for he 'agreed with all beholders that it was "a
worried sight to see this nice church standing out in bold relief" when
there were no worshippers to gather in in its pews.
In the year 1899 Mr. Heffernan was united in marriage to Miss Susan
M. Bettschen, who was born in Wellington county, Ontario, the daughter
of Joseph Bettschen. Mrs. Heffernan grew to womanhood in her native
province, where she was educated. Two sons have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Heffernan: Wilfrid, a student in the University of Saskatchewan;
and Hilton, who is attending the Collegiate Institute of Regina. The
family is identified with the Anglican church. Mr. Heffernan belongs to
the Assiniboia Club and the Wascana Country Golf Club. He enjoys
outdoor sports and has taken a great interest in golf, spending much
time on the links in the summer time, when his official duties will permit
an indulgence in recreational activities.
Bibliography follows:
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