By Taylor McClure, Special to The Record – This year marks the 125th anniversary of the death of Donald Morrison, best known as the “Megantic Outlaw.” Morrison’s case took the country by storm and it became one of the greatest manhunts Canada had ever experienced. Born in 1858, Donald was the son of two Scottish immigrants, Murdo and Sophie Morrison, who made their way to Canada from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. When they arrived in Canada, they settled in Red Mountain in Lingwick before purchasing a farm in Lake Megantic. Donald worked on his father’s farm until he decided to leave his home in 1876 to work as a cowboy. He travelled from Texas to Alberta where he learned the skills that allowed him to commit his future crime. Upon returning home in 1883, he found his family’s farm being auctioned off to a French Canadian family. His family had borrowed money from moneylender and Mayor of Megantic Malcolm MacAulay to purchase their farm and was in extreme debt. Morrison claimed that MacAulay was corrupt and he hired a lawyer to try and get his family home back, but it was too late. The property had already been sold. See full story in the Wednesday, July 3 edition of The Record.
The Megantic Outlaw
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