KENTVILLE, N.S. — He spent eight decades in an unmarked grave but a legendary figure from Kentville’s past won’t be forgotten to time.
Unusual circumstances surrounded the death of Rupert Davis, who served as Kentville’s police chief from 1894 until his retirement in 1931. Until 1926, he was a one-man force. Davis passed away in February 1938, succumbing to injuries from an apparent hit-and-run.
A ceremony was held at Davis’s final resting place in Kentville’s Oak Grove Cemetery on Sept. 27 to dedicate a headstone for him and his wife, Sarah, and a narrative plaque in his memory.
Jeff Davis of San Jose, California, the great-grandson of Rupert Davis, said the ceremony is the culmination of an almost 10-year effort.
“I don’t think I can possibly express my gratitude and appreciation for all that you have done,” Davis told the gathering. “I was so surprised and happy when I saw the notification of this date.”
In an interview following the ceremony, Davis said that most of what he’s learned in life about ethics and civility, he learned from researching Rupert. For example, Rupert always tried to give young people a chance.
“It wasn’t a one strike and you’re out with him, he would talk them down, he would discuss with them what it means to be civil as opposed to just arresting them and throwing them in jail,” Davis said.
The way Rupert conducted himself in enforcing the law is perhaps his greatest legacy to the town. Davis said his great grandfather cleaned up a lot of the bootlegging activity once common in Kentville.
According to author and historian Mabel Nichols, Davis relied on his impressive physical stature and a fearless but diplomatic policing style to deal with the rowdyism and liquor-related offences typical in a town known in the early 20th century as the devil’s half acre.
At the time, there were 14 drinking establishments within Kentville’s boundaries. Davis did not carry a weapon and used a bicycle to patrol the streets.
RESEARCHING THE PAST
Jeff Davis and his wife, Terri, were in Nova Scotia in 2012 doing genealogical research but they couldn’t find Rupert’s grave. Davis emailed then Kentville Police Chief Mark Mander about it. They corresponded and Mander began researching the matter.
Mander determined that Davis and his family were buried in an unmarked grave in Kentville’s Oak Grove Cemetery. Mander contacted the medical examiner to determine what Davis’s cause of death was because there were rumours and innuendo surrounding it.
“Seven years after he had retired, he was the unfortunate victim - so they say - of a hit-and-run accident. He was riding his bicycle on Christmas Eve and he was struck by a vehicle, apparently,” Mander said.
Davis was found in a state of shock with a broken arm and other injuries. He was hospitalized and died the following February. Mander said John Brown was police chief by this point and began investigated the incident.
An arrest was made and an individual was charged with hit-and-run. The man pleaded guilty and was fined $50 plus court costs of $4.30.
A coroner’s inquest was held but, at the end of the day, the circumstances surrounding Davis’s death remained unclear. Mander said there were rumours that Davis had been run down because of his work enforcing the Temperance Act and shutting down illegal bootlegging activity.
MATTER BROUGHT ‘BACK TO LIFE’
Current Kentville Police Chief Julia Cecchetto said Jeremy Novak, a.k.a. Jerome the Gravekeeper of Valley Ghost Walks, brought the matter “back to life” in 2018.
He asked her what she thought of Kentville’s longest-serving police chief resting in an unmarked grave. Unaware of the history, she contacted Mander, who filled her in on the work he had done with regard to the Davis file.
Cecchetto said a committee was formed that included Kings County Museum curator Bria Stokesbury and Wayne Baltzer, representing the Kings Historical Society, and Kentville Historical Society board chairman Erik Deal. Baltzer was instrumental in locating the specific spot where Davis was buried.
White Family Funeral Home and the Kentville Police Service provided financial support for the headstone. The Kentville Historical Society and the Kentville Community Fund provided funding for the plaque.
Jeff Davis said it was a pleasure to finally meet Mander in person. The visit was also the first time Davis had a chance to meet living descendants of Rupert’s in Nova Scotia.
DID YOU KNOW?
Jessica Lynch of Kentville, the great-granddaughter of Rupert Davis, shared a poem that the children of the town used to recite whenever they heard the fire alarm sound:
“Fire, fire said Mrs. Wickwire.
Where, where said Mrs. Blair.
In the boiler said Mrs. Oyler.
Oh, save us yells Rupert Davis.”
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