Don't disturb men sleeping on grass

Saturday, 03 October 2009 00:00

October 3, 1905. Lewis Owen was peacefully sleeping on the grass on Toronto's University Avenue when he was woken at 9:45 at night by Police Constable Bolton, and told to move on. Instead of moving on, Owen cursed Constable Bolton and gave him a black eye, the Toronto Mail and Empire reports. Owen was brought before Police Magistrate Col. George Taylor Denison III, charged with assaulting a police officer.

Magistrate Denison wanted to know why Constable Bolton had roused the sleeping Owen "when he was doing no harm to anybody. You surely have heard it's a good thing to let sleeping dogs lie," he told Owen. In Britain, hundreds of men were said to be sleeping, undisturbed, on public benches, so why not Toronto?

Instead of assault, Denison declared Owen guilty of disorderly conduct, and fined him $1 and costs or 30 days.