Historical Paranormal Cases: The Ambrose Small Disappearance (S1EP25)

In this episode, we are going back into the history of the paranormal industry, but this time we are going to approach it a little differently. I have been researching into a Canadian case that had left everyone baffled, as no body or sign of survival was left behind, leading to the use of mediums and paranormal equipment to try and solve the case. Picture the bustling city of Toronto in the year of 1919, but beneath the surface, an unsettling mystery shocked the community, but the case went cold. Tonight, let’s explore the clues behind the disappearance of Ambrose Small.

Now, if you’re like me, your first question might be, who was Ambrose Small? Ambrose Joseph Small was born on January 11, 1866, in Bradford, which is a small urban area north of Toronto. His father, Daniel Small, was an Irish Catholic immigrant that had settled in the area. From the articles that I read about the family, his father was where Ambrose likely got his extremely strong work ethic.

Around 1876, the Small family moved into Toronto, and apparently, in 1880, Daniel Small became the owner of the Grand Hotel on Adelaide Street West. This allowed Ambrose to be involved in the Grand Opera House, which was next door, by 1884. Over the years, he slowly made his way from usher as a teenager to treasurer of the business. Unfortunately, he ended up having some sort of an argument with the manager, leading him to leave the Grand Opera House to instead work for the Toronto Opera House in 1889. This allowed him to eventually become manager as he learned the workings of the theatre even further, eventually buying and owning two Toronto theatres himself.

That wasn’t all he decided to become invested in either. An article on the Dictionary of Canadian Biography says that he went on to start a stock company with Robert C Cummings in 1897. Eventually, he started buying even more theatres, but in other areas, such as Hamilton, Kingston, St Thomas, and Peterborough. He was also elected president of the Canadian Theatrical Manager’s Association in 1906 and had control of as much as 34 theatres, whether through direct ownership, lease, or just being involved in controlling the bookings and line-up that went through them.

This allowed Ambrose Small to grow a fortune. This, combined with the inheritance he and his wife received from, allowed them to even purchase the Grand in 1903. Apparently, his wife was well aware of the chorus girls that enjoyed her husband. The same article talks about Small adding a secret room with a bed, a picture of a nude woman, and a large bed within one of the theatres to allow for his affairs.

 I should also note, as it adds a bit more complexity to the mystery, Ambrose Small was not only known as a corrupt businessman that would cheat others, he also was well-known to be heavily involved in gambling. So, we have a man that was rich, owning a mansion with his wife within Toronto, but that liked to cheat on that wife with woman at the Grand Opera House. On top of that, he was known for being deceitful in business dealings and liked to gamble. As you can tell, it’s shaping up to show that there would have been a lot of people with motive to get rid of the man.

Unfortunately, the theatrical touring business was becoming more and more expensive as production costs continued to increase. This led to Ambrose Small deciding to sell some of his theatres off to over $1.7 million to the Trans-Canada Theatres Limited. This was the start to the mystery, as on December 1, 1919, Ambrose Small signed the paperwork to give over his theatres to the buyer, which meant he was instantly given a $1 million dollar cheque. He was reported to have made some very expensive purchases for his wife right away, including a Cadillac and a fur coat, before meeting with his attorney at the Grand Opera House for a meeting before Flock had to catch a train to London at 6 pm.

Flock was considered to be the last person known to see Small alive. Listen to the full episode to learn more about this captivating mystery!

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References for this section:

Kathleen D. J. Fraser, “SMALL, AMBROSE JOSEPH,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 14, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed December 16, 2024, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/small_ambrose_joseph_14E.html

The Disappearance of Ambrose Small. By Edward Butts and Jessica Patterson. November 1, 2023. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ambrose-small-case