Ambrose Small and the Haunting of Toronto's Grand Theater

Ambrose Small is an interesting ghost story. Not only did the man actually exist, but his life and his later disappearance are almost more interesting than the ghost story itself.

Ambrose was born and raised in Toronto, but he always felt that life held something more and something better for him. From the time he was a teenager he worked in his father's theater, and it soon became clear that he had more on his mind. While working as the theater manager, he began gambling quite frequently. At the same time he also began spending a lot of time with younger women. Later he married a local woman, and set about working his way through her money.

Though he was married, he continued his gambling and also kept women on the side. One woman in particular Clara Smith seemed to be his favorite paramour. In 1919 Smith and his wife announced that they would sell a large number of the theaters they had amassed over the years. That was the beginning of the end for Ambrose Smith.

Ambrose deposited a large check in the bank the morning he received it. He saw his lawyer a few times that day, including early in the night. The man seemed to be in a good mood, buying drinks and passing around cigars. Unfortunately it would be one of the last times he was ever seen alive. As he left the Grand Opera House, the man waved to friends. He walked down the street to a newsstand where he spoke briefly with the owner. It was the last time he was seen.

It was several days before he was reported missing to authorities. His wife assumed the man was off on another gambling bender, or that he was with one of his other women. She offered $50,000 for information that would bring her husband back.

During their investigation police discovered that Small's secretary John Doughty had stolen a substantial amount of money from his employer before skipping town. Later the man was found, and sentenced to five years in prison, though they never found proof that he was involved with the man's disappearance.