Woman and child leap from ledge

Montreal Herald
February 23, 1933

Woman and child leap from ledge
Police continue investigation into boys’ story of fatal leap- in north-end –

At one o’clock today police were still looking for the bodies of a woman and her child believed to have been drowned in a 100 foot quarry near the corner of Bellchasse and Denormanville street last night. The drowning was reported by two boys who told a dramatic story of having seen the woman. Her child clutched close, plunged over the edge of the quarry into the water below.

The two boys are Paul and Aime Limoges 12 and 13 years of age respectively. Shortly after nine o’clock last night they returned from play and told their father the story. They said they had seen the woman wandering about the streets. They followed her. She walked along Bellechasse street to the entrance of the quarry. They could see her quite plainly dressed in black while the baby was clothed in white. Just as the boy came in view of the quarry and before they could shout a warning the woman clutching the baby to her breast threw herself down the steep embankment. The father, Joseph Limoges of 6621 St. Andre notified police and lieutenant Laliberte relayed the message to headquarters from where it was broadcast. A few moments later Sgt-Det Paquette of the radio squad drove up to the scene. Despite the handicap of darkness and the perilous flooded bottom of the quarry, police searched with flashlights until a late hour last night in an attempt to find some trace of the missing persons. The searched is being continued today. Several residents of the district testified to having seen the woman and the child earlier in the evening one of the witnesses stating that it had appeared as if the woman was trying to abandon the infant.