Ovila Legault, 47, was shot in the heart with a 45 calibre bullet at about 3:45 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 23. His cab travelled 100 feet on Fullum St. before crashing into a tree in front of the home of Dr. F. Martel. Dr. Martel drove Mr. Legault to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The trip had been short -- there was only $1.20 on the meter. A dollar bill was lying on the front seat. It appeared that Mr. Legault had gotten out of the cab and was shot as he re-entered it. Neighbours heard voices and noises but saw nothing. As far as anyone could remember, it was the first murder of a Montréal driver in 22 years, since the death of Adélard Bouchard in 1927. Mr. Legault had been a night driver for 28 years without having been in a serious accident or being held up or assaulted. He told his nephew that he would never risk his life for a few dollars by resisting a holdup attempt. His brother and nephew were both taxi drivers and so was his brother-in-law Albert Blake. Blake, a cousin of legendary Canadiens hockey coach Toe Blake, had suffered a gash to his knee when a passenger attacked him with an axe. The blow was aimed for his head but bounced off the taxi roof. Blake managed to seize the axe and his assailant ran ran off into the night. A week before his death Mr. Legault's family had celebrated the marriage of his youngest daughter. He had three other adult children, two daughters and a son. Several hundred people attended his funeral on September 26.

Mr. and Mrs. Ovila Legault (seated) and their four children. (Source: Le Petit Journal, September 25, 1949, p. 35)