Pistols at Perth: The Wilson-Lyon Duel

Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History

Curiouscast

True Crime, Society & Culture, History, Documentary

4.8 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 October 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Episode 389: On a rain-soaked evening on June 13th, 1833, two young law students faced each other across a muddy field near Perth, Ontario, pistols in hand. John Wilson, a 20-year-old from humble farming stock, gripped his weapon with trembling fingers as rain dripped from his dark hair. Sixty feet away, 22-year-old Robert Lyon, handsome, aristocratic, and the son of a British officer, stood with the practiced composure of a gentleman born to privilege. Between them lay more than just distance: a bitter rivalry over the affections of Elizabeth Hughes, an English governess whose reputation had sparked this deadly confrontation. What had begun as whispered gossip in a lawyer's office in Bytown would end with one man dead, another's life forever changed, and a woman left to marry her lover's killer. This was Ontario's last fatal duel, a collision between Old World codes of honour and New World ambitions that would echo through Perth's streets for generations. Sources: A History of Perth | Perth RememberedPerth Military SettlementRobert Lyon 1812 - 1833 | Clark and Hogg Family HistoryWILSON, JOHN – Dictionary of Canadian BiographyWlison and Lyon Duel | Richmond HeritageDuel in Early Upper Canada by William Renwick RiddellARCHIVED - Criminal CodeDueling for Honour or (Il)legal Murder?: Two Case Studies | The Loyalist CollectionSword or Pistol: A Brief History of Duels | Believe it or Not | ÉducaloiEn Guard! A History of Canadian Duels - Academie Duello - Learn SwordplayDueling: the Violence of GentlemenLe matin du 22 mai 1838, le dernier duel du Canadapistol-provenance.pdfLast Fatal Duel Historical PlaqueHow a pair of men in St. John's survived the last duel fought on Canadian soil | CBC NewsUpdates to Canada’s criminal law will legalize duels and permit pretending to practise witchcraft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Hey, Mike here, I just wanted to let you know that you can listen to Dark Putine early and ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime.
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0:48.2	Welcome back to Dark Poutine. I am Mike Brown.
0:51.6	And I am Matthew.
0:53.1	Yes, you are. That doesn't change. Even though you attempt to change your name every now and again, your Matthew with one T. Every once in a while. Every once in a while. So, yeah, this week, we're going back in time to the last... Doodoo do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do... Exactly. The last duel in Ontario. That that was deadly anyway I'm sure there were some others
1:14.1	and now we just settle things with fisticuffs but uh I don't know the views information and
1:20.6	opinions expressed during the dark routine podcast are solely those of the producer and do not
1:27.0	necessarily represent those of
1:29.1	curious cast.
1:30.3	Its affiliate, Global News, nor their parent company, Chorus Entertainment.
1:38.3	Dark Putine is not for the faint of heart or squeamish.
1:41.8	Listener discretion is strongly advised.
1:44.5	We're not experts on the topics we present, nor are we journalists.
1:48.0	We're two ordinary Canadian schmucks chatting about crime
1:51.7	and the dark side of history.
1:53.8	Let's get to it.
1:54.9	Put on your toque, grab yourself a double-double end in a Nimo bar.
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