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This story was passed on by our Kingston correspondent. He probably got it from one of his friends in the Senate!

Remus Rudd

No matter what side of the political fence you're on, this is funny and very telling! It just all depends on how you look at the same things.

Judy Harper, an amateur genealogy researcher in Northern Ontario, was doing some personal work on her own family tree. She discovered that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's great-great-uncle, Remus Rudd, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Winnipeg in 1889. Both Judy and Stephen Harper share this common ancestor.

Current day Remus Rudd character

The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows at the Manitoba Provincial Jail. On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription:

"Remus Rudd, horse thief, sent to Stoney Mountain Jail 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the CP AND CN trains six times. Caught by Mounted Police Force, convicted and hanged in 1889."

So Judy recently e-mailed Prime Minister Harper to ask if he had any information about their great-great- uncle, Remus Rudd. Believe it or not, Harper's staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

"Remus Rudd was famous in Ontario during the mid to late 1800s. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the CP and CN Railways. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroads.
In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the RCMP. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honour when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."

NOW That's how it's done, Folks!

That's real POLITICAL SPIN!