John Stolarki’s Old Newspaper Clippings

With the exception of his first two years in the Force, John Stolarski spent his entire career as a Police Dog Services handler.

Throughout this career, John clipped newspaper articles about members who he had worked with.

Despite the fact that John has passed away, his family has agreed for us to re-post these articles for the interest of RCMP Veterans and current members of the Force.

NATIONAL SYMBOL: ‘THE RCMP: They’re Still Good Guys’

Photograph of a young resident makes friends with police service dog, “Erik,” one of 31 dogs trained by their RCMP masters to search for lost persons, track criminals and locate illicit caches.

BAPTISM BY FIRE FOR ACE OF THE MOUNTIES

Photograph of RCMP Police Service Dog “Ace

As everyone knows, the Mounties always get their man.  And after an escaped convict shot his RCMP tracker dog, Mountie Cpl. Donald Marston (Reg.#18668) was a determined man.

Cpl. Marston is the RCMP dog master at Halifax, N.S, and he and his 2-year-old German shepherd, Ace, had been on the trail of a convict who had escaped form Lunenburg jail two weeks before.  The convict was an excellent woodsman and several times managed to give Marston and Ace the slip until Ace began sniffing him out in heavy bush near New Cornwall, 10 miles north of Bridgewater.  Ace came within a foot of the man when the convict raised a pistol and fired two shots.  One of them hit Ace, knocking him down.

“You know,” says the veteran dog master proudly, “that dog scrambled to his feet and was all ready to set out after him again.”

But Ace was bleeding badly.  Marston got him to a Bridgewater veterinarian who removed a bullet from his throat.

Marston drove back to where Ace had been shot and joined another RCMP dog master and his tracker dog.  That dog, Deka, followed a trail for nine miles before the Mounties surprised the convict in a tent.  Armed with shotguns, they told him to come out with his hands in the air.  “He came out, meek and mild,” says Marston.  After a few days’ rest Ace (RCMP Regimental No. 150) was back on duty.

RECEIVES MEDAL

Photograph of RCMP Inspector Niedzwicki and Sgt Dickie.. 

A medal in recognition of long service and good conduct was conferred Thursday morning upon Sgt. Joseph F. Dickie (Reg.#17944) of the RCMP by Inspector A.J. Niedzwiecki (Reg.#15061 – O.698), officer in command of the Sydney sub-division.  Sgt. Dickie received his medal during a full dress inspection parade at Sydney RCMP headquarters.

FACES TWO COUNTS OF CAPITAL MURDER

Photograph:Charged with double murder – Escorted by Cpl. R. Williams and Sgt. E.F. Elliott, Charlottetown detachment RCMP, Clarence Perry, 17, of Fortune Cove, PEI, leaves the courthouse at Charlottetown following his arraignment on two counts of capital murder Monday.  Perry is charged with the slaying of Mr. and Mrs. Everett MacDonald a Shamrock, PEI farm couple (CP Wirephoto).

CHARLOTTETOWN – A 17-year-old farm worker was charged with two counts of capital murder here Monday in the slaying of a Shamrock, P.E.I. farmer and his wife.

Clarence Perry, of Fortune Cove, P.E.I appeared briefly in court to be charged with the deaths of his employer. Everett MacDonald, 43, and MacDonald’s wife Evelyn, 40.  He was remanded until Aug. 2.

Mr. MacDonald’s body, bearing head and chest stab wounds, was discovered in the home of his 300-acre farm 15 miles west of here Saturday by his father.  The older man went to investigate when he noticed that cows on the farm had been unattended for the second day in a row.

FOUND IN FIELD

RCMP led by a tracking dog discovered Mrs. MacDonald’s body Sunday in a field six miles west of Summerside and about 25 miles from the MacDonald farm.  It was reported that she had apparently been beaten.  Reports from an autopsy performed on the dead woman Monday were not immediately released.

RCMP said it appeared both had died sometime last Thursday night or earlier.

Mr. MacDonald had been seen during haymaking operations Thursday and had driven to Charlottetown to do some shipping Thursday night.

Perry, who had worked on the MacDonald farm since May, was arrested in Woodstock N.B., Saturday afternoon and brought here for questioning.  When arrested, the slim, five foot seven inch youth was driving the MacDonald’s car.

A double funeral was to be held for the couple at Hartsville near Shamrock Wednesday.  They had been married about six years and had no children.

Prince Edward Island chief coroner Dr. L.E. Prose announced Monday that an inquest into the death of Mrs. MacDonald is to open Aug. 30.

STRESS SAFE HUNTING

Photograph of fA.F. Crow, department of lands and forest, police dog ‘Ace’ and handler RCMP Cpl. Marston.

In the wake of one of the worst years in provincial history for fatalities associated with hunting trips, search and survival experts from the RCMP and the provincial department of lands and forests have stressed the extreme importance of safer hurting practices.

To date, this year three hunters have been lost in snow storms (one body recovered, two still missing) for four other have been drowned while one other is presumed drowned.

A.F. Crowe, chief instructor for hunter’s safety and survival for the department of lands and forests, and Cpl. Don Marston, RCMP, who’s dog ‘Ace‘ in involved in searches in the southern part of the province, are both concerned about this year’s high toil among lost hunters.

Mr. Crowe, who has ‘been in the woods at least 45 years‘ said the majority of hunters entering the woods are not prepared.

“The lands and forests act stipulates that any hunter or fisherman entering unfamiliar woods must carry waterproof matches, a compass and a knife or hatchet,” he said. “But it’s one thing to have a compass and another to know how to use it.”

Both he and Cpl. Marston said they ‘wouldn’t step off a road into the woods without having a compass.’

“If more people would take the simple precaution of taking a bearing before they entered woods they would seldom get turned around,” said Mr. Crowe.

Both experts agreed that in addition to the articles demanded by the act, every hunter or fisherman would be well advised to carry a map of the area.

For anyone going in the woods at this time of year, Cpl. Marston said proper clothing is a prime necessity.

“Dress for the season,” he emphasized.  “Many people go out on a mild fall day, become lost, and when temperatures drop by night, many times they die of exposure.”

“As far as I am concerned,” added Mr. Crowe, woods dressed only in cottons.  Wool is a great material to wear because it traps body heat and keeps a person warm.

“And should you happen to fall in a lake or stream while lost the best thing to do is strip off, despite the temperature, and wring off that extra water.  You’d be surprised how much more comfortable you will be in damp rather than wet clothes.”

If, regardless of compass and equipment, a hunter does become turned around in the woods – and it happens to the best, said Mr. Crowe and Cpl. Marston – the chief, number one rule should be “stay put.”

“Any person lost in the woods has at least a 10-to-1 better chance of being found – probably in as little as half a day – if he remains in one spot,” said Cpl. Marston.

He stressed that the object of staying alive once lost is to conserve energy.

“There’s a real good chance if you panic you won’t survive the first night,” he said.  “Panic drives people to travel both day and night. With no food or rest, resistance is cut away down, and so are chances of survival.”

Mr. Crowe said that once four o’clock in the afternoon was reached, a person should consider he will not get out that night.

“That’s the time to start making yourself comfortable for the night,” said Mr. Crowe.  First gather lots of wood, twice as much as you need, and build a lean-to of pools and boughs.