Letters to the Editor Dan Willans’ case may never be solved

I was extremely interested in the article of Oct 10/88, regarding the disappearance of Dan Willans, but first will give you some information as to how this association came about.

My parents moved to Haileybury in 1907 on my 16th birthday. I received all my education first in the public school and then into the high school and school of mines, which at that time was a single room in the basement of the high school, this in September, 1914.

In early 1917 I enlisted and in 1919 returned from France and then continued in the school of mines, now in the original school and graduated in 1920.

From the time of graduation, I followed field work for various companies, but in 1934-36 was working in the Red Lake and Pickle Lake areas with Louis Cohen from Haileybury. Louis had a small cottage on the lakeshore in Haileybury and this is where I met Dan.

I do not remember if Dan stayed in the same cottage or if he had his own close by, but he was always at Louis’ every time I was there and we had many talks about Red Lake and the time when he had been partners with Cochenour in the property there.

When Dan disappeared there was a lot of comment regarding what happened.

A few weeks after Dan was missed, Louis told me that he had received word that a strange man had been seen around the village of Noelville, between North Bay and Spanish on the west side of Lake Nipissing.

Louis had the idea that Dan may have fallen in the bush, banged his head, had possibly become disorganized and lost his memory.

We went to Noelville for a couple of days and enquired around the village and farms but did not find anything.

Knowing Dan, who was a loner when he want into the bush, I doubt if the real reason for his disappearance will ever be found. John MacArthur Peterborough, Ont.