WINNIPEG DRUGGIST SLAIN BY BANDITS

Manitoba Free Press headline, Friday, December 28, 1928

On the cold winter night of December 27, i928, Digby Poyntz was anxious
to close up his drugstore at 87% Westminster (now Prairie Sky) and go home to his
new house in River Heights. At 11 pm, as Mr. Poyniz and his assistant, Mrs.
Gertrude Pascal, were preparing to leave, two men entered the premises. As Mr.
Poyntz came forward to serve them, he was shot twice at close range. Mr. 1. Ardell,
the upstairs tenant, ran to fetch Dr. R. F. Rorke who lived at 160 Home Street, but
Mr. Poyntz was dead within minutes.

Young Manuel Locker of 119 Evanson Street saw two men leave the
drugstore and get into a car and drive north. The stolen car was found near the
home of George and Ernie Vanderiip, already suspects in several earlier robberies.
Questioned by police, they ratted on their accomplice and agreed to lure him out of
his rooming house on McDermot. There, on Sunday, December 30, Carl “Gunner"
McGee died in a hail of police bullets. Detective Sgt. Charles Maclvor was wounded
in the gun battle. McGee had aiready done time in San Quentin for armed robbery.
The Vanderiips served tong prison sentences. And that was the end of one of
Winnipeg's earlier crime waves.

Mr. Poyntz’ father, Thomas E. Poyntz, came from Ontario in 1882, bringing
his ten—year—oid son with him. T. G. Poyntz owned the Bodega Baron Main Street in
the early 18805, but soon went into the drugstore business and was joined by his
son. Poyntz and Son Druggists were in business at 506 Main Street, but by 1915
the business had moved to 871 Westminster. In 1900 both Thomas G. Poyntz and
Digby Poyntz, druggists, resided at 275 Young Street. In 1315 Digby Poyntz and
family lived at 581 Furby Street and had moved his business to the bustling new
suburb of Wolseley. :

A few people still remember the white-haired gentleman with the piercing
blue eyes who sold penny candy —— chocolate-marshmallow mice, gum drop dolls,
licorice whips, trait drops, suckers and more. Beatrice Milne remembers coming to
the drugstore with a few pennies to spend. Sometimes she dropped a penny under
the wooden sidewalk and Mr. Poyntz would come out and lift up the planks so she
could retrieve it.

At the time of his murder Leslie Qigby Poyntz was 56 years old and the
father of a 14 year old daughter Aileen and a 19 year old son Tom. in 1930‘Mrs.
Alice Poyntz lived at 13? Waterloo, and Thomas G. Poyntz, a student in accounting
at Geo. A. Touche, is shown at the same address.

61

THE NESTl HOUSE

The dupiex at 264—
266 Home Street, a
large house on a
much larger lot than
usual for the
neighbourhood, has
an interesting
history. The house
was owned, from c,
1920 to at least
1950, by brothers
Frank and Samuel
Nesti, although they
were not the original
builders. Joseph,
Frank and Samuel
Nesti in 1915 owned
the Corona Cafe and
lived at 484 Banning
Street. it seems that
the brothers
prospered as they
were able to buy this
impressive dwelling
by 1920. The Nesti
family operated the
Corona and
Kensington Cafes
and Frank later
owned Piccadiily
Florists.