If you dropped into the fish emporium that long sat near Pine and The Main you might have been served by a murderer on the lam.
The fish market at 74 Roy East was longtime Montreal landmark, well known and smelled far and wide.
Polish immigrant Max Waldman opened a 600-square foot butcher shop at the spot in 1924 and rented out part of the space to a fish salesman, who retired in the 1930s.
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| 2 pics of Morris Waldman |
Postwar immigrants raised fish sales and by the mid 1980s Waldman's was an institution with 100 employees, selling $30 million a year in a space 10-times the original square footage.
It was run by Max's sons Benny and Max. Benny died in 1985 and Morris died in 1987.
Morris Waldman sold out to Provigo on Feb. 9, 1986.
Business fell off, as Provigo lacked expertise in running a fish market. Competitors undercut their prices and new health regulations forced the store to change its methods of operation.
Provigo sold it on Dec. 3, 1988 to Kosta Katsoulis who cited falling profits in his efforts to cut wages from $480 weekly to $300 a week.
Twenty-three workers, largely Portuguese from the Azores, urged their local brethren - who formed a large chunk of its customer network - to boycott the store when they went on a six month strike that resulted in the store closing on 18 July 1992.
Now for the tale of murder.
He had come up from New Bedford, Massachusetts and worked at the market, as he was not a Canadian citizen. It turned out that he didn't have U.S. citizenship either bur was Portuguese from the Azores islands.
His luck ran out on April 13, 1994 when the Unsolved Mysteries TV program featured him as a wanted felon who fled to Montreal after stabbing his wife to death.
Police received 30 phone call tips following the episode and he was arrested and deported to face charges of murder.
Vieira thanked his co-workers at the fishmongers before being ushered out of town
These uncredited, undated photos above were found on the BANQ provincial library site. They are likely from the late 1970s.