In early May, 1947, C. R. Magone of the Department of the Attorney-General, wrote to C. F. Newlands of Reform Institutions about a letter he’d received.
His letter reads: “I enclose herewith a letter from Mrs. J. B. Laidlaw, 126 Heath Street West, Toronto, in which you will notice that she complains that Mrs. Dick is confined in a corridor with two lesser criminals. I do not know whether or not this is the situation in the Hamilton Gaol but shall be glad if you will either reply direct to Mrs. Laidlaw or give me the facts in order that I may do so.”
The response letter – written two days later – is held at the Archives of Ontario, and is of particular value in that it serves as a 1947 snapshot of the conditions at the jailhouse on Barton Street, and Evelyn’s interactions with other prisoners.
The Evelyn Dick Files 