LE HÉRAUT D’EDMONTON > OP-ED > 2024 > AUGUST > 29

Of Damning Secrecies Escaping the Echoes of the Mausoleum of the Woodsworth Estate

by Zhenya Petrovitch, senior correspondent of Le Héraut d'Edmonton

(French version available under the title Des secrets accablants échappent aux échos d’un mausolée du domaine Woodsworth)

LLOYDMINSTER, SA – In a quiet corner of a cemetery of a small town far removed from the bursting streets of the metropolis, the mausoleum of the estate of the Viscount Woodsworth of Donegal stands as a silent lookout to a legacy engulfed in pitch-black mystery. Aeons of roaring whispers surrounding this family have included myriads of tales of scandals, betrayals, and a tragic, unresolved death that has left the estranged community divided and curious. I, who happened to consistently cover the events of the Woodsworth estate for three years in a row, was accustomed to the inconsistencies of its members.

BACKGROUND OF THE WOODSWORTH ESTATE

A long-time subject of hushed conversations, the Woodsworth estate is crowded with stories of murders, cover-ups, and generational scandals buried alongside their ancestors. The recent death of Kaizer, Sr., has fueled many speculations since last year, with many believing that the truth lies hidden within the circle of the family, obscured by their unimaginable wealth and influence. I have vowed to investigate about much information about this wicked estate; yesterday’s one of those days.

Yesterday was the death anniversary of one of the renowned business tycoons, Kaizer Woodsworth, Sr., one of the prominent names of the noble family, and I was there to pay my respects behind the scenes. But I wasn’t the only one who was there. My hunch was right when one of the biggest show-offs of the family came to visit, his son, Kaizer Licht Woodsworth, Jr. But it came with much surprise that he brought someone else into the scene. This new character in motion is apparently a worker of his at The Espresso Machine Urban Café, and they are in a cat-and-dog relationship. From the window of the mausoleum, I peered as they entered the revered building.

THE BOMB-DROPPING CONFESSION

As I was listening to many things nonsensible, there was what seemed to be a bomb-dropping confession: his son knows who had wiped the man’s existence in the face of Canada. This was a jaw-dropping assertion, as the police are yet to find a lead of what could be a cold case of murder in cold blood. We must remember that this man has died the very next day after the announcement of their patriarch, Pierro Woodsworth, 13^th Viscount Woodsworth of Donegal, of their heir presumptive should he abdicate or die while in the role. He was shot in the right side of the head with a pistol at point blank, with the weapon never to be seen again. If he already knew who did the deed, why would he wait for a year to tell the world of his knowledge of the murder? And if he’s a law-abiding citizen of our Mother Canada like he claims to be, why would he put matters into his own hands, when there’s police armed with the necessary skills to do that?

SYMBOLISMS OF THE URN

And then there was the style of the urn that was used for the victim’s remains. He himself has confirmed that there was a symbolism behind why it was made different to the uniform design of the 1,135 urns lined up in their columbarium. The urn’s design is a symbolic disownment made by the family posthumously on a person for certain things done during their lifetime. It was a big slap to the face that one or two of a thousand ashes scattered in the mausoleum were disowned symbolically. The first one was that of 1729, the patriarch’s wife died when it was found out that she was cheating on another man’s bed. She was placed far from the vicinity, as though she was punished postmortem. The second one, the recently deceased member of the said family, was disowned for reasons still unknown by the public and was placed far from the group, secluded as though it was an untouchable in a land of Brahmans. This was hidden in the sands of time as the family in question managed to keep their scandals from public scrutiny for generations and generations ahead, fading into obscurity. The now-heir presumptive’s cryptic remarks linger in my ears as something more than just honneur de la famille, it was as though he was hiding a more sinister secret from the public eye. And I intend to find that.

As they have left the building, the heir presumptive and his accomplice set out on their sojourn back to Edmonton and are actively trying to silence me. But like how the news soars on its wings like eagles and the land listens carefully with its ears, a journalist like me will never be silenced. Not by anyone. Not on my watch.

CONCLUSION

The peace in the sands in the family’s hourglass is almost out. The Woodsworth Estate might have succeeded in evading their past scandals, but this one’s what could’ve been the greatest scandal of all time. In the coming weeks, I will delve deeper into this family’s murky past, explore their connections to shadowy dealings, and reveal the truth behind the whispers of corruption, deceit, and murder. The public deserves to know, and I am committed to bringing the truth to light.

Zhenya Mikhaylov Petrovitch is a senior correspondent of the Le Héraut d’Edmonton and specialized in investigative journalism and in-depth reporting on high-profile scandals and unsolved mysteries. With over half a decade of experience in the field, Petrovitch is renowned for her meticulous and unorthodox ways of research in the name of truth. When she’s not unravelling high-stakes cases, she enjoys browsing her local historical archives and engaging in public speaking about investigating journalism’s role in democracy. You may contact her at zmp@heraut.ca for more information.