Three-Fingered Abe: The Kidnapping of John S. Labatt

Three-Fingered Abe: The Kidnapping of John S. Labatt

July 13, 2026 · 1h 6m · Episode 427

About this episode

This episode discusses the kidnapping of John S. Labatt and its significant impact on Canadian history.

Episode 427: In the summer of 1934, John Sackville Labatt was one of the most recognizable names in Canada. The fifty-three-year-old president of John Labatt Limited had spent nearly two decades running one of the country's largest and oldest breweries, a family business built across three generations and tested by Prohibition, the Depression, and the rum-running trade that kept it alive through both. On the morning of August 14, he left his Lake Huron summer home running late for a meeting and took a shortcut through the forest on a little-used dirt road outside Sarnia. What happened on that road set off the largest manhunt in Canadian history, triggered Canada's first kidnapping trial, and sent an innocent man to prison for a crime he had nothing to do with. Sources:John Sackville Labatt | The Canadian EncyclopediaJohn Labatt’s 1934 kidnap | The StarJohn Sackville Labatt | WikipediaLabatt Brewing Company | WikipediaProhibition in Canada | WikipediaLabatt Brewing | Company SiteLambton County's Infamous Abduction: The John S. Labatt Kidnapping - ArchivedLambton County's Infamous Abduction: The John S. Labatt Kidnapping - NewSnatched! by Susan Goldenberg - Ebook | ScribdThe…

People in this episode

Host: Dark Poutine

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: John Labatt Limited

Places: Canada, Lake Huron, Sarnia

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