Historic Pelham

Presenting the rich history of Pelham, NY in Westchester County: current historical research, descriptions of how to research Pelham history online and genealogy discussions of Pelham families.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Obituaries of William B. Randall, a Notable Pelham Manor Resident, and Information About His Family and Home


William Bradley Randall and his wife, Evelyn Smith Randall, lived for many years in a home they called The Hermitage located at 1385 Park Lane on a large plot of land that extended from Park Lane through to today's Beech Tree Lane in the estate section of Pelham Manor.  After Ther Hermitage was razed in the mid-20th century, the Randalls' land was subdivided and a number of homes were built on the site that now stand between Park Lane and Beech Tree Lane near Pelham's border with Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx.

William B. Randall was one of the most notable citizens of the Village of Pelham Manor in the early 20th century.  His wife, Evelyn, was a social force in the Village and was an important member of The Manor Club for much of her life until her death at the age of 94 in 1955.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of a number of obituaries of William Bradley Randall, includes a photograph of The Hermitage, includes the text of a couple of wedding announcements describing the wedding of the couple's daughter at The Hermitage during World War I, and transcribes the text of a brief biography of Evelyn Randall published in 1914.



"Deceased The Late WILLIAM B. RANDALL"
MANOR DIESThe Pelham Sun, Mar. 22, 1940, 
Vol. 29, No. 51, p. 1, col. 3.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"WM. B. RANDALL EARLY PRESIDENT OF MANOR DIES
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Took an Active Interest in Development of Pelham Manor for More Than 40 Years.
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William Bradley Randall, 82, former official of the Village of Pelham Manor, who was one of the pioneers of development of the residential village, died on Saturday at his home No. 15 Gramercy Park, New York City, where he had lived for the last two years.  Death followed a brief illness.  His Pelham Manor home was on Park Lane.

Mr. Randall was president of the Security Transfer and Registrar Company of No. 39 Broadway.  He had been trust officer of the Knickerbocker Trust Company from 1889 until he organized his own business in 1907.  He was also a vice-president of the Amalgamated Picohe Mines and Smelter Corporation, a director of the Bankers National Life Insurance Company, and former director of the Marine Midland Trust Company.  

Mr. Randall was born at South Lee,, Mass., the son of Abel Bradley Randall and Ann E. Ormsby Randall.  

When Mr. Randall and his family moved to Pelham Manor more than 40 years ago, there was neither water, gas, electricity or trolley service in the village.  A few weeks after his arrival here, Mr. Randall organized a committee to plan a new sewer system for the village.  Since that time, is [sic] committee, as an official, and as an individual citizen, he ccontinued his effort to make Pelham Manor an attractive residential community.  

Mr. Randall served as President of the village in 1902, and continued close association with its affairs subsequently as chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Commission.  He resigned two years ago, when he took up permanent residence in New York City.

Mr. Randall was one of the founders of the Pelham Country Club and was elected a life mem-

(Continued on Page 4)

W. B. RANDALL, FORMER VILLAGE OFFICIAL DIED IN NEW YORK
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(Cointinued From Page One)

ber.  He served as its treasurer for 17 years.  He was also one of the founders and a life member of the Wykagyl Country Club.  He served as president of the Wykagyl Club in 1912 and 1913.  He was the founder and first president of the Hampton Roads Golf Club, a charter and life member of the National Arts Club, a member of India House in New York City Railroad Club and the Downtown Athletic Club.  

Mr. Randall also was a director of the Southern States Lumber Co., Old Point Comfort Improvement Co., and Hurricane Lodge, in the Adirondacks.

Mr. Randall served for 20 years as a director of the Mount Vernon Trust Co.  He had been president of the Security, Transfer and Register Co. of New York City, a director of the Coal & Iron National Bank, the Puritan Mortgage Co., and was a director of the Chamber of Commerce of Westchester County.

He served as president and treasurer of the old Manor Club, which preceded the present organization.  

Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Evelyn Smith Randall, a son Bradley Randall and a daughter, Mrs. Vernon Radcliffe, of Pelham Manor.

The funeral service was held on Monday afternoon at St. George's Protestant Episcopal Church, East 16th street, New York City."

Source:  WM. B. RANDALL EARLY PRESIDENT OF MANOR DIES, The Pelham Sun, Mar. 22, 1940, Vol. 29, No. 51, p. 1, col. 3 & p. 4, cols. 4-6.

"WILLIAM BRADLEY RANDALL
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The death of William Bradley Randall, removes from the list of old Pelham residents, one who had a great deal to do with the planning and development of the Pelhams as a high-class residential suburb.  He took a great deal of pride in the growth of Pelham, and was a zealous guardian of its residential interests.

From a very close friend, The Pelham Sun has received the following tribute:

'The death of our beloved fellow-townsman, William B. Randall has shocked us beyond expression.  Pelham has lost one of her great citizens, who will be sorely missed when vital questions confront the people.  His principles were interwoven with the sacred ideals of the early settlers of Pelham and these he defended strongly and stubbornly.  He was loath to follow the new communistic ideas which for a time have excited the American people.  He had a wonderful capacity for judging correctly the trend of the times, but he could never sympathize with the viewpoint of the radical socialist.

Aristocratic in his bearings, he portrayed in the highest degree the ideal of the old-time gentleman.  Yet he always exercised careful consideration for the opinions of his fellow men, weighing their judgment without bias.  He was gifted with a well-ordered mind which enabled him to decide methodically and logically the perplexing problems that were continually confronting him.  

He will remain indwelt in our memory for many years, and it is the hope of all of us that his mantle will fall upon one deserving of that distinguished honor.'"

Source:  WILLIAM BRADLEY RANDALL, The Pelham Sun, Mar. 22, 1940, Vol. 29, No. 51, p. 2, col. 1.  



The Hermitage, Home of William B. and Evelyn Randall in
Pelham Manor for Many Years.  Source:  Courtesy of The
Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham.

The Hermitage, pictured above, once stood at 1385 Park Lane in the Beech Tree Lane section of the Village of Pelham Manor.  It was, for many years, the home of William Bradley Randall, his wife (Evelyn), and their two children.  The home was the scene of the wedding of the couple's daughter, Phoebe Randall, at the height of World War I on February 12, 1918.  Below is the text of two brief announcements of the wedding.

"RADCLIFFE -- RANDALL.

Officers of the United States Signal Corps and several college professors attended the wedding of Miss Phoebe Randall, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Bradley Randall, to Vernon Radcliffe, who is connected with the photographic division of the aviation department of the United States Signal Corps.  The ceremony took place at the Hermitage, the country home of the bride's parents, on Park lane, Pelham Manor, N. Y.  It was performed by Rev. William L. Sullivan, pastor of All Souls' Church, Manhattan.

It was a simple military wedding, because the bridegroom expects to be called to France on short notice.  The bride's only attendant was Miss Katherine Seymour, and her brother, Bradley Randall, was best man."

Source:  SOCIAL AND PERSONAL . . . RADCLIFFE--RANDALL, The Yonkers Statesman, Feb. 13, 1918, p. 5, col. 1.  

"Wedding of Miss Phoebe Randall to Vernon Radcliffe.

An out-of-town wedding of this afternoon which has a very decided interest for Brooklyn society is that of Miss Phoebe Randall to Vernon Radcliffe, son of Mrs. James Anderson of Manhattan, formerly of 201 Lafayette avenue, Brooklyn.  Mrs. Radcliffe, who before her marriage was Miss Elizabeth Wills Vernon, comes from the old Brooklyn family of that name.  Her son was graduated from Amherst class of 1911 and is now connected with the signal work of the United States Aviation Corps.  The wedding was hurried on account of Mr. Radcliffe's orders.  Miss Randall is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Bradley Randall of Pelham Manor, N. Y.  She attended Miss Master's School at Dobbs Ferry, N. Y.  The hour of the wedding which occurred at the Hermitage, the bride's home in Pelham Manor, was 3:30, the Rev. William L. Sullivan of All Souls' Church officiating.

Miss Randall's only attendent [sic] was her maid of honor, Miss Katherine Seymour, the bride's brother Bradley Randall, acting as best man for Mr. Radcliffe.

Bride roses, palms and smilax decorated the house.  Miss Randall's gown was of rich cream brocade and duchess lace, a family heirloom.  Her veil was also of the duchest lace and she carried lillies of the valley and bride roses.  

Only relatives and intimate friends witnessed the ceremony."

Source:  Brooklyn Society:  Wedding of Miss Phoebe Randall to Vernon Radcliffe, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb. 12, 1918, p. 7, col. 1.  

Immediately below is the text of a brief biography of Evelyn Smith Randall published in 1914, followed by a citation and link to its source.

"RANDALL, Evelyn (Mrs. William Bradley Randall, Park Lae, Pelham Manor, N.Y.

Born N.Y. City, 1860; dau. Addison P. and Phoebe (Cargill) Smith; ed. N. Y. City public schools; m. 1888, William Bradley Randall; children:  Jerome, Bradley, Phoebe.  Mem. Mary Washington Colonial Chapter D.A.R. (cor. sec.); treas.  Pelham Summer Home for Children.  Clubs:  Tuesday Afternoon, National Arts, MacDowell, N. Y. Browning.  Recreations:  Walking, music, art, literature.  Favors woman suffrage; mem. Suffrage League of New Rochelle, N. Y."

Source:  Leonard, John William, ed., Woman's Who's Who of America - A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada, 1914-1915, p. 671 (NY, NY:  The American Commonwealth Co., 1914).

*          *          *          *          *

I have written about William Bradley Randall, his wife Evelyn Smith Randall, and their home known as The Hermitage on a number of occasions.  For examples, see:

Fri., Apr. 29, 2005:  Mr. and Mrs. William Bradley Randall And Their Pelham Home Known as The Hermitage.

Tue., Jul. 10, 2007:  An Early Event in the History of Pelhamwood.

Fri., Jul. 17, 2009:  Brief Biography of William B. Randall of Pelham Manor Published in 1900.

Thu., Oct. 23, 2014:  A Mystery:  The Club House Built by the Pelham Shore Improvement Company.


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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

1702 Deed by John and Rachel Pell Conveying Land to John Hain Refers to Manor Courts of Pelham Manor


John Pell, often referenced by members of the Pell family and a variety of secondary sources as the "Second Lord of the Manor of Pelham," was the nephew and principal legatee of Thomas Pell who bought lands that became the Manor of Pelham from local Native Americans on June 27, 1654.  Born in England in 1643, John Pell traveled to America in 1670 following his uncle's death to claim his inheritance that included the lands that formed the Manor of Pelham.  

John Pell became a notable and important figure in Westchester County before his death in about 1712. (Many sources claim he died in a boating accident in 1702, although that does not appear to be the case.) 

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes a deed by which John Pell, with the consent of his wife, Rachael Pinckney Pell, conveyed to John Hain property adjacent to New Rochelle lands the couple earlier had conveyed to Jacob Leisler for sale to French Huguenots.  The deed is very interesting in one respect.  It references the "manour court" of the Manor of Pelham.  Specifically, it contains a provision requiring John and Rachael Pell to defend Hain's ownership interest reflected by the deed, if necessary in the future, on the condition that if Hain were to file suit, serve process, and seek their support in defense of his ownership interest, he would be required to file his suit in the "manour court."  This is one of the few such references to a "manour court" of the Manor of Pelham during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.  


Portrait of John Pell.

It long has been known that on October 25, 1687, the Captain General and Governor-in-Chief of the Province of New York, Thomas Dongan, issued a royal patent to John Pell reaffirming the deed to the Pell lands earlier granted by Richard Nicholls, Governor-in-Chief of the Province of New York, to Thomas Pell on October 6, 1666.  Among other things, the royal patent issued by Governor Dongan to John Pell established that the lands would "henceforth be called the lordshipp and manner [i.e., Manor] of Pelham" and granted John Pell, his heirs and assigns:

"ffull power and authority at all times hereafter, in the said lordshipp and manner of Pelham aforesaid, one court leete and one court barron, to hold and keepe at such times and so often yearly as he and they shall see meete, and all sines, issues and americiaments at the said court leete and court barron, to be holden and kept in the manner and lordship aforesaid, that are payable from time to time, shall happen to be due and payable by and from any the inhabitants of or within the said lordshipp and manner of Pelham abovesaid; and also all and every the powers and authorities hereinbefore mentioned, for the holding and keepeing of the said court leete and court barron, ffrom time to time, and to award and issue forth the customary writs to be issued and awarded out of the said court leete and court barron, and the same to beare test and to be issued out in the name of the said John Pell, his heirs and assignes, and the same court leete and court barron to be kept by the said John Pell, his heirs and assignes, or his or their steward, deputed or appoynted . . ." 

Source:  Bolton, Robert, The History of the Several Towns, Manors, and Patents of the County of Westchester, From Its First Settement to the Present Time, Carefully Revised by its Author, Vol. II, p. 59 (NY, NY:  Chas. F. Roper, 1881).   

The references to "court leete and court barron" are references to medieval English judicial courts known as "court leet" and "court baron."  The Crown often granted a lord of a manor certain jurisdictional rights over the manor lord's tenants and bondsmen concerning the administration of the manor.  These jurisdictional rights were limited to non-criminal matters and disputes.  In some instances, however, where the lord of the manor was particularly trusted by the Crown, limited criminal jurisdiction could be granted.  According to one source:

"Criminal jurisdiction could, however, be granted to a trusted lord by the Crown by means of an additional franchise to give him the prerogative rights he owed feudally to the king.  The most important of these was the 'view of frankpledge,' by which tenants were held responsible for others within a a grouping of ten households.  In the later Middle Ages the lord, when exercising these powers, gained the name of leet which was a jurisdiction of a part of a county, hence the franchise was of court leet."

See Court Leet, Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia (visited Apr. 26, 2015) (citations omitted).

Over time, it became customary for the court baron and the court leet to meet together in many areas and, often, the courts together were referenced as the Manor Courts.  

Below is the text of the deed from John Pell, with the consent of his wife, Rachael Pinckey Pell, to John Hain executed in 1702. 

"PAGE 14 -- DEED OF JOHN PELL TO JOHN HAIN -- 1702

Know all Christian People to whom these presents shal Come or whom itt Shall or itt may Concern Sir John Pell proprietor of the Manour of Pelham and Rachel his wife Sent greetings in our Lord [G]od Everlasting Know ye that the sd John Pell with the consent and good Likning of the sd Rachel his wife for the consideration of the Sume of Seaventy pounds currant money of new york to them or one of them well and truly in hand payd by John hain before the Ensealing therof the receipt therof they doe thereby acknowledge and their selves to be fully satisfyed contented and payd and therof and there from and of and from all and Every part and parcell therof doe fully freely and absolutly acquit Exonerate and discharge him the sd John hain his heirs Executors or assignes have granted barguined and sold assured and Confirmed and by these presents guive grand barguin assignes and Confirme unto him the sd John hain his heirs Executors administrators or assignes for Ever the full quantity of fifty accres of Land being and Lying according the Limites here after Expressed that is to say beguining from the marked three [i.e., tree] said to be markd for the division Lignes of the french in new Rochelle purchase to run South to the fresh medow and from Said marked three att the road to run north over the sd road so far as att twenty five rods in breath shall contain the full quantity of fifty accres with all the dependencies of the Same unto him the sd John hain his heirs Executors or assignes to the Sole and onelly proper use besought and benefit of him the sd John hain his heirs or assignes for Ever and the sd parcell of Land and all the apartenancies therof in the peacable and quiett pocession and Injoyment of the sd John hain his heirs Executors or assignes against what persons whatsoever claiming right or titles Lawfully to the Same Shall and will warrant and for Ever deffend by these presents provided allways that the Said purchaser and his heirs or assignes Shall do Suit and Services now or att any tyme hereafter from tyme to tyme the manour court and pay his proportion to the minister in the pleace in wittnesse whereof the sd Sir John Pell and Rachel his wife have hereunto Set theirs hands and Seals in new"

Source:  Forbes, Jeanne A., ed., Records of the Town of New Rochelle Transcribed, Translated and Published By Jeanne A. Forbes, pp. 31-32 (New Rochelle, NY:  The Paragraph Press, 1916).


Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak." 

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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

A 1910 Real Estate Puff Piece About "The Pelhams" -- Description of the Attractions of the Three Villages of the Pelhams Published in 1910


In 1910, the Town of Pelham and the three Villages within the town were on the cusp of tremendous growth.  The population of the Town was about 2,500.  The New York, Westchester & Boston Railway was about to open a line through North Pelham.  Additionally, that Village was about to construct a new sewer system.  The new development of Pelhamwood was being planned and constructed.  Pelham Manor and Pelham Heights were expanding.  The local trolley system was being expanded.  In short, the entire Town of Pelham was on a trajectory of growth.

Real estate developers were touting the benefits of the area:  its beauty, its convenience, its healthfulness, and the attractiveness of a suburban lifestyle.  In 1910, an extensive real estate puff piece appeared in The Daily Argus published in Mount Vernon.  The article comprises a fascinating snapshot of the three villages and the Town at a moment in time when growth was set to explode.  Thus, today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of the entire article and provides several of the images that appeared with the article.  

"THE MANY ATTRACTIONS OF THE THREE VILLAGES AND THE TOWN OF PELHAM.
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North Pelham, Feb. 9.--The town of Pelham, which includes the three villages of North Pelham, Pelham and Pelham Manor, familiarly known as 'The Pelhams,' constitutes another one of those delightful suburban residential sections of Westchester county.  It has a population of about 2,500, and is located half way between the cities of Mount Vernon and New Rochelle on the main line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad.  The extreme easterly section of the town, comprising the village of Pelham Manor, overlooks Long Island Sound.  [Through] this village also runs the Harlem River division of the New Haven railroad system.  

Beautifully situated as it is with attractive streets, fine residences, excellent railroad and trolley facilities, a modern school system and well protected by up-to-date police and fire departments, Pelham offers every inducement to the commuter to locate in this part of the county, away from the bustle and dust of the city.

As one leaves the train at the North Pelham station, he will noticeto the right the attractive residential section of Pelham Heights, where the houses are half hidden from view by beautiful shade trees and are constructed for the most part on eminences of rock.

Directly opposite Pelham Heights he will see North Pelham and its recently developed section, which has been converted into a park, and where it is said some fifty new houses will be erected the coming year.

The three villages are a credit to the county.  North Pelham is populated for the most part by commuters, as are Pelham Heights and Pelham Manor.  The houses are not as costly in their construction as are those of the other two villages, but they are well built and attractive in appearance.  New residences are continually being built.  North Pelham is growing rapidly.  



The Lyceum, North Pelham.

Unlike the other two villages with the exception of a part of Pelham, the village of North Pelham contains a main business thoroughfare.  On this street are the Lyman block, near the passenger station; the new town hall, which has just been completed, and the new fire headquarters, and several brick buildings and apartment houses.

One of the pretty residential sections of the village of North Pelham is Chester Park, which has witnessed during the past few years much development.

From a real estate standpoint, the important features for the village of North Pelham the past year were the construction of and completion of the new town hall, which is a concrete building with attractive architectural features, and the completion of the Pelham club house and Masonic hall, the dedication of which took place last November.  Several new houses have been erected in the village.  

North Pelham has two lodges, one of which is Winyah Lodge of Masons, while the other is an order of Red Men, instituted a few months ago.

The village of Pelham contains that restricted and beautiful residential section known as Pelham Heights, which is also rapidly growing.  A writer describes the place as follows:  'Pelham Heights grew not with a boom, but with the right kind of houses and residents.  Before a plot was offered for sale, a complete sewerage system was constructed, with trunk line sewer to tide water.  A separate drainage system was also provided.  Streets and avenues were macadamized; gas, water and electric light were introduced.  The unprecedented situation thus created, a village with every improvement but free from debt, soon attracted the attention of adjoining localities.  In the Mount Vernon papers editorials appeared advocating annexation and the mayor of the city recommended annexation in official communications to the board of aldermen.  Pelham Manor sought also to include Pelham Heights within its boundaries.  Pelham Heights has now a population of some 500 or more.  Restrictions apply not only to the building lots, but also to the streets and avenues in Pelham constructed by Mr. Fairchild's company, the Pelham Heights company, have been dedicated to the billage as parkways with restrictions forbidding nuisances.  These restrictions are perpetual and the right to enforce them belongs to every abutting property owner.

The other village in the town is that of Pelham Manor.  This, too, is a residential municipality.  The residences are possibly a little more pretentious than those in the Heights, as the plots are much larger.  The streets are wider and in some places are boulevards.  The two most important streets are the Pelhamdale avenue and the Esplanade, along which there are many beautiful residences.  Pelham Manor has a well constructed village hall, which houses the street, fire and police departments and contains offices for the village officials.



Public School No. 1, North Pelham.

The town of Pelham has a number of social organizations and clubs.  The most important in the village of North Pelham are the Pelham club, which owns its buildings and holds every year many important social functions.  Then there are smaller clubs in the village, such as the Tuesday club and the Mezercon Social Club, organizations composed of ladies.

In Pelham Manor one finds the Pelham Manor golf club, which occupies a fine club house and has tennis courts and a golf course; the Pelman Manor club, which owns and occupies a pretty house on the Esplanade.  The New York Athletic Club, of course, has its buildings and grounds in the town of Pelham, in the village of Pelham Manor, just off the Shore Road.

There are five churches in the town of Pelham, as follows:  North Pelham -- Church of the Covenant, Congregational, Rev. Wayland Spaulding, pastor; Church of the Redeemer, Episcopal, REv. H. H. Brown, rector; St. Catherine's church, Catholic, Rev. Francis McNichol, pastor.  Pelham Manor -- Huguenot Presbyterian church, Rev. Lewis Gaston Leary, Ph. D., pastor; Christ Episcopal church,, Rev. A. F. Tenney, rector.  These churches are all well constructed buildings and attractive in their architectural effects.

There are two fire departments in the town.  One is that of the first fire district, which protects property in the villages of North Pelham and Pelham.  This department has three excellent pieces of apparatus, as follows:  A well equipped hose wagon; a modern engine and up-to-date truck.  A team of horses has recently been purchased by the fire commissioners of the first, fire district for the department.  The department is housed in its own building on Fifth avenue, between Third and Fourth streets.  The two companies are the Liberty Hose and Engine Company and the Relief Hook and Ladder Company.  The fire commissioners of the district are President Paul A. Heubner and Commissioners Michael J. Woods, former president of the board, Philip Godfrey, Frank Chalou and George Boldin.

The other department is in Pelham Manor.  The firemen there are wealthy commuters, but they are never afraid to turn out.  They have only a hose reel and truck.  The chief of the department is Village President W. P. Brown.

The town of Pelham is alternately Democratic and Republican in politics.  It has witnessed many 'hot' elections, and there have been many political upheavals in the town.  The board is now tied, the supervisor, Edgar C. Beecroft, who was re-elected last November, the town clerk and one justice of the peace being Democratic, while there are still three Republican justices of the peace in the board, two holdovers, Judges Kilvert and Karbach, and one elected, Wolcott Robbins.  The Democratic judge is J. F. Curnen, who was also elected last November.  



Congregational Church, North Pelham.

Politics does not play an important part in the life of the citizens of either Pelham or Pelham Manor in village matters.  Both parties agree on a ticket and the spring elections are as a rule a mere formality.  there have been ties at the election in Pelham when not more than 30 votes will be cast out of many more times that number of voters.  Last year, however, two tickets were in the field and there was a contest, but it was not along political lines.  The same conditions exist in Pelham Manor, and sometimes there is a contest there.

But the situation is far different in North Pelham.  That village may be justly called the hot-bed of politics in the town of Pelham.  Each spring there is always an exciting election, and this year there is every indication that there will be more excitement than ever.  The aggressive president of North Pelham is James Reilly, who has been elected twice on an Independent ticket, once against the combined tickets of the Republican and Democratic parties, and twice on the Republican ticket.  The trustees are David Lyon and Maus [sic].  The president of Pelham is S. N. White, and the chief executive of Pelham Manor is W. P. Brown, and the trustee is Lewis Francis.

The town of Pelham has just become a part of the postal system of the city of New York, and hereafter the two offices in Pelham Manor and North Pelham will be branches of the New York postoffice.  It is not known as yet how many carriers there will be in the town.  

The railroad and trolley facilities are up-to-date.  The Webster avenue trolley line connects the North Pelham line with New Rochelle directly; the North Pelham line connects with the city of Mount Vernon and all points south; the Pelham Manor cars connect with the New Rochelle line, which is operated through the village of Pelham Manor by the way of Pelhamdale avenue.  The main line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad passes through the town, the main station being located in North Pelham, while the Harlem River road goes through Pelham Manor.  A passenger station was recently completed there with subways and every modern convenience.  

There is but one important industry in the town of Pelham, and that is located in the village of North Pelham.  It is the Sanborne Map Co.  It employs several hundred persons and has a finely equipped plant at the extreme end of Fifth avenue, being located in modern concrete buildings, which were completed only three years ago.  A new industry, the Westchester County Brewing and Ice Company, is now being built.  

The future of the town from a real estate standpoint is most encouraging and promising.  Greaat developments are expected, and it is believed that during the next five years many fine residences will be erected.  The village of North Pelham is about to begin the construction of its sewer system, the completion of which will mean much for the growth of the village.

The New York, Westchester and Boston Railway extends through the villages of North Pelham, and the building of this line will also be the means of developing the villages and will increase the facilities for travel."

Source:  THE MANY ATTRACTIONS OF THE THREE VILLAGES AND THE TOWN OF PELHAM, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Feb. 9, 1910, p. 11, cols. 1-5.  


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Monday, April 27, 2015

Obituary of British Officer Who Participated in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 as a Young Man


On October 18, 1776, a twenty-four-year-old British Cavalry officer was among British and German troops who faced Colonel John Glover and the American troops he commanded during the Battle of Pelham.  The young British officer was named William Loftus.  At the time of the battle, Loftus was either a Cornet or a Lieutenant in the 17th Light Dragoons.  (At the time, "Cornet" was the third and lowest grade of a commissioned officer in a British Cavalry Troop, below Captain and Lieutenant.)

Because Loftus served later in life as a member of the Irish Parliament and the English Parliament, much is known of his life.  No image of William Loftus yet has been located, however.  An extensive biography of Loftus is available.  See The History of Parliament - British Political, Social & Local History:  LOFTUS, William (1752-1831), of Stiffkey, Norf. (visited Apr. 12, 2015).  

An obituary of William Loftus published in the July 28, 1831 issue of the London Morning Post noted that among the battles in which Loftus was engaged during the American Revolution was the Battle of "Pelham Manor" (see below).   

Loftus was born in 1752, the only surviving heir of Henry Loftus, a Member of Parliament for the borough of Fethard in Ireland.  William Loftus entered the British army as a Cornet in the 9th Dragoons in 1770.  That year he exchanged into the 17th Light Dragoons and, in 1775, embarked with this regiment for America.  Loftus served in the actions of Bunker's Hill, the Battle of Long Island, at the taking of New York, and the battles of Pelham and White Plains.  He also was involved in the attack and taking of Fort Washington.  During these several operations, he was wounded twice.

Loftus married Margaret King, daughter and "coheiress" of Macekerrell King of Lisson Hall in the County of Dublin on February 18, 1778.  The couple had a son named William Loftus.  Margaret King Loftus died on May 4, 1786.  

After the death of his wife, William Loftus married a second time on May 7, 1790 to Lady Elizabeth Townsend, daughter of George Fourth Viscount and First Marquis of Townsend.  Townsend eventually was made Lieutenant of the Tower of London and rose to the rank of full General in the British Army. 



Lady Elizabeth Loftus (née Townshend) (b. 1766; d. 1811),
Second Wife of William Loftus in Miniature Portrait, Watercolor
on Ivory, by George Engleheart (b. 1750; d. 1829).
(Private Collection).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of an obituary of General William Loftus, followed by a citation and link to its source.

"THE LATE GENERAL WILLIAM LOFTUS.

General WILLIAM LOFTUS, of Kilbride, county of Wicklow, Colonel of the 2d Dragoon Guards, and Lieutenant of the Tower of London, was the only surviving son and heir of the late HENRY LOFTUS, Esq., M.P. for the borough of Fethard, in Ireland.  On the 1st of January, 1824, he became the male representative of the LOFTUS family, which has been thrice advanced in its different branches to the Peerage of Ireland, viz., in 1662, 1685, and 1751.  The present Marquis of ELY's grandmother was sister and coheiress of the last Peer, HENRY LOFTUS, Earl of Ely, who was descended from Sir DUDLEY LOFTUS, of Rathfarnham, Knight, the eldest son of ADAM LOFTUS, Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.  The General was descended from the other son, Sir THOMAS LOFTUS, of Killyan, Knight, fourth son of the Archbishop.  General LOFTUS married, first on the 18th February, 1778, MARGARET, daughter and coheiress of MACEKERRELL KING, of Lisson Hall, in the county of Dublin; and by her, who died 4th May, 1786, he has left one son, Colonel WILLIAM LOFTUS, who succeeds to his Irish estates, and one daughter, married to THOMAS BURKE RICKETTS, of Combe, Herefordshire, Esq.  He married, secondly, on the 7th May, 1790, Lady Elizabeth TOWNSEND, daughter of GEORGE, fourth Viscount and first Marquis of Townshend, by his first wife Lady CHARLOTTE COMPTON, in her own right Baroness De Ferrers of Chartley, Bouchier, Lovaine, Bassett of Drayton, and Compton; and by her, who died 21st of March, 1811, he has left five sons and three daughters.

General LOFUUS [sic] was one of the oldest officers in his Majesty's service, having entered the army as Cornet in the 9th Dragoons, in the year 1770.  In the same year he exchanged into the 17th Light Dragoons; and in 1775 embarked with this regiment for America.  He was in the actions of Bunker's Hill and Bedford in Long Island, at the taking of New York, and the battles of Pelham Manor and the White Plains; likewise at the attack and taking of Fort Washington; and was, during these several operations, twice wounded.  He afterwards exchanged into the 3d Foot Guards; and in the year 1794 he raised the 24th Light Dragoons, of which regiment he was appointed Colonel.  In 1796 he was made a Major-General, and appointed to the English Staff.  In 1797 he was appointed to the Irish Staff and the command at Cork.  At the attack of the Rebel forces at Vinegar Hill, Wexford, in 1798, he commanded a brigade, and acted a distinguished part on that occasion.  In 1803 he was made a Lieutenant-General; and in 1807 was appointed Governor of Dumbarton Castle.  In 1809 he was appointed to the command of the Eastern District; in 1810 he was made Lieutenant of the Tower of London; in 1813 received the rank of full General; and in 1821 he was appointed Colonel of the 2d Dragoon Guards.  Previous to the Union he sat in the Irish Parliament for Bannow; and in the English, from 1796 to 1813 successively, for the boroughs of Great Yarmouth and Tamworth."

Source:  THE LATE GENERAL WILLIAM LOFTUS, London Morning Post, Jul. 28, 1831, No. 18898, p. 3, col. 4 (NOTE:  Paid subcription required to access link).

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I have written extensively about the Battle of Pelham fought on October 18, 1776.  See, for example, the following 38 articles:  


Bell, Blake A., The Battle of Pelham:  October 18, 1776, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 41, Oct. 15, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.  

Bell, Blake, History of the Village of Pelham:  Revolutionary War, HistoricPelham.com Archive (visited May 9, 2014).  


Mon., Feb. 28, 2005:  Glover's Rock on Orchard Beach Road Does Not Mark the Site of the Battle of Pelham.  

Mon., Apr. 18, 2005:  Restored Battle of Pelham Memorial Plaque Is Unveiled at Glover Field.  

Fri., May 27, 2005:  1776, A New Book By Pulitzer Prize Winner David McCullough, Touches on the Battle of Pelham.  

Thu., Jul. 14, 2005:  Pelham's 1926 Pageant Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Pelham.  

Wed., Oct. 26, 2005:  Remnants of the Battlefield on Which the Battle of Pelham Was Fought on October 18, 1776.  
Fri., May 19, 2006:  Possible Remains of a Soldier Killed in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Found in 1921.  

Fri., Aug. 11, 2006:  Article by William Abbatt on the Battle of Pelham Published in 1910.  

Thu., Sep. 21, 2006:  A Paper Addressing the Battle of Pelham, Among Other Things, Presented in 1903.  

Mon., Oct. 30, 2006:  Brief Biographical Data About Sir Thomas Musgrave, British Lieutenant Colonel Wounded at the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Wed., Nov. 1, 2006:  Two British Military Unit Histories that Note Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Tue., Jan. 16, 2007:  Brief Biography of British Officer Who Served During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Fri., Feb. 09, 2007:  Extract of October 23, 1776 Letter Describing British Troops in Eastchester After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.  

Mon., Feb. 12, 2007:  Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Opens New Exhibition:  "Overlooked Hero:  John Glover and the American Revolution."  

Thu., Jan. 18, 2007:  Three More British Military Unit Histories that Note Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Jul. 16, 2007:  Mention of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 in Revolutionary War Diary of David How.  

Tue., Jul. 17, 2007:  Mention of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 in Writings of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Aide-de-Camp to British General Clinton.  

Wed., Jul. 18, 2007:  Another British Military Unit History that Notes Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.  

Tue., Aug. 7, 2007:  An Account of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Contained in the McDonald Papers Published in 1926.  

Wed., Aug. 8, 2007:  A Description of an Eyewitness Account of the Interior of St. Paul's Church in Eastchester During the Revolutionary War.  

Thu., Sep. 6, 2007:  Information About St. Paul's Church, the Battle of Pelham and Other Revolutionary War Events Near Pelham Contained in an Account Published in 1940.  

Mon., Oct. 8, 2007:  American Troops Who Guarded Pelham's Shores in October 1776.  

Fri., Oct. 12, 2007:  Images of The Lord Howe Chestnut that Once Stood in the Manor of Pelham.  

Fri., Oct. 27, 2006:  Orders Issued by British Major General The Honourable William Howe While Encamped in Pelham After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Thu., Jan. 22, 2009:  Another Brief Biography of Sir Thomas Musgrave, a British Officer Wounded at the Battle of Pelham on October 18 1776.  

Wed., Feb. 17, 2010:  British Report on Killed, Wounded and Missing Soldiers During the Period the Battle of Pelham Was Fought on October 18, 1776.  

Fri., Apr. 23, 2010:  Charles Blaskowitz, Surveyor Who Created Important Map Reflecting the Battle of Pelham.  


Thu., Feb. 06, 2014:  A Description of the Revolutionary War Battle of Pelham Published in 1926 for the Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Mon., May 19, 2014:  Biography of British Officer Who Fought in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Wed., Jun. 04, 2014:  An Account of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Presented and Published in 1894.  

Fri., Jun. 27, 2014:  Newly-Published Account Concludes Colonel William Shepard Was Wounded During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Jun. 30, 2014:  A British Lieutenant in the Twelfth Foot Who Fought at the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Fri., Sep. 19, 2014:  Abel Deveau, An American Skirmisher on Rodman's Neck as British and Germans Landed Before the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Sep. 17, 2014:  References to the Battle of Pelham in 18th Century Diary of Ezra Stiles, President of Yale College.

Fri., Oct. 17, 2014:  First-Hand Diary Account of Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Oct. 20, 2014:  American Diary Account of Events Before, During, and After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Tue., Oct. 21, 2014:  November 1, 1776 Letter Describing the Battle of Pelham and Events Before and After the Battle.

Fri., Oct. 24, 2014:  October 21, 1776 Report to the New-York Convention Regarding the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Feb. 18, 2015:  Young American Hero James Swinnerton, Badly Wounded in the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Feb. 25, 2015:  Where Were the Stone Walls Used by American Troops During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776?

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Friday, April 24, 2015

The North Pelham "Speakeasy Section" Created Quite a Stir During Prohibition


By 1929, an area in the Village of North Pelham had become notorious for both illicit gambling and unlawful speakeasies.  The area was known as the "Speakeasy Section."  It was located on Seventh Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.  (See map detail below.)



Map Showing Seventh Avenue
Between Sixth and Seventh Streets.

Among the speakeasies in that area was one operated by Charles Brockman at 574 Seventh Avenue.  It was named the "Shingle Inn" and was the unofficial headquarters of the notorious "North Pelham Checker Club" which was known to enjoy more than a game of checkers.  


On Tuesday, March 19, 1929, Federal Prohibition Officers, assisted by Village of North Pelham Police, burst into the Shingle Inn in a well-planned raid.  Police seized a rather amazing inventory of illicit liquor.  Law enforcement confiscated "900 bottles of home brew, five one-gallon jugs of home brew, one pint of alleged whiskey, one gallon of rhubarb wine, two quarts of red wine and two barrels of red wine."  According to The Pelham Sun, Brockman said that he had had enough and was finished with the speakeasy business.

Bluntly put, Prohibition was not popular in Pelham during the late 1920s.  According to one colorful account regarding the seizure of Brockman's hooch:  "When this liquor was unloaded from a truck in front of the Town Hall, a crowd quickly gathered and stood staring with longing eyes as case after case was unloaded." 

Neither the Feds nor North Pelham Police were finished.  Two truckloads of booze were hauled away from nearly simultaneous raids on three locations in the vicinity of the "Speakeasy Section."  

Among those arrested, Charles Brockman seems to have had at least one friend in a high place.  A portion of his bail was paid by his friend, James Reilly, Mayor of the Village of North Pelham.  Mayor Reilly was absolutely furious about the raid!  Furious!  

Mayor Reilly who, as Mayor, was head of the Village of North Pelham Police Department ,was never told the raid was about to happen.  The raid about which he was left in the dark ensnared his friend, whose bail he paid  in part.  Mayor Reilly, who was days from the end of his term, was humiliated.  Either it looked as though he had not been told of the raid out of fears that he might tip off his friend, or it looked as though his Police Chief did not respect the Mayor enough to keep him in the loop.  One way or the other, North Pelham Mayor Reilly was beside himself.  To make matters more interesting, Mayor Reilly and Police Chief Fitzpatrick already had been feuding over a variety of issues for two years!

Reilly's term as Mayor was set to expire only a week or so later.  That did not stop him, however, from attempting to bring the Police Chief to quick administrative trial on trumped up charges of disobedience.  Reilly discovered that his Police Chief was the brains behind the liquor raids in the Speakeasy Section.  He learned that the Chief had sent a patrolman to New York City to swear out federal warrants in support of the planned raid.  Reilly, a controlling and quick-tempered man, previously had told his Police Chief not to detail any police officer outside the boundaries of North Pelham without first obtaining the Mayor's authorization.

The Mayor ordered the suspension of the Police Chief effective immediately and ordered a police sergeant to sign a set of administrative charges against the Police Chief.  He also scheduled an administrative trial against the Chief.  The Chief was entitled to five days' notice of the trial, so the Mayor ordered notice of the charges to be served personally on the Chief.  At first, the Chief simply ignored his supposed suspension and reported for duty each day.  By the time notice of the trial and the charges were ready to be served on him, however, the Police Chief had obtained counsel and was nowhere to be found.  He could not be personally served.  Clearly the Police Chief was hoping for the expiration of the Mayor's term before a trial could be conducted when an admittedly more police-friendly administration was set to take office.  Reilly, however, would have none of it.  

On March 28, 1929, only three days before Mayor Reilly was scheduled to leave office, the North Pelham Village Board met to conduct an administrative hearing against Police Chief Fitzpatrick.  The place was packed with Town residents hoping to watch the drama.  At the appointed hour, neither the Chief nor his counsel appeared.  Reilly did not care.  Despite a statute that required service of such charges in person, by mail, or through newspaper publication, he deemed the act of leaving the papers at Fitzpatrick's house sufficient.  The Village Board tried Police Chief Fitzpatrick in absentia and found him guilty of all charges by a vote of 3-2.  To his own satisfaction, Mayor Reilly cast the deciding vote.  By the same vote, the Board dismissed the Police Chief from his position.


Only days later, with Reilly's retirement from the Mayoralty, one of the two trustees who voted against the charges and against the dismissal of the Police Chief, Edward Harder, became Mayor.  The new Town Board including the new Mayor had a slightly different makeup with three members who supported the Police Chief.  One of Mayor Harder's first actions as new Mayor was to grant a petition from the ousted Police Chief and his counsel for a rehearing of the charges and reconsideration of the dismissal.

On April 4, 1929, the new North Pelham Village Board conducted a rehearing of the charges.  Former Mayor Reilly was nowhere to be seen.  The courtroom was packed with Town residents, all of whom supported the ousted Police Chief.


According to an extensive account of the trial and trial testimony published the next day in The Pelham Sun (see below), after extensive testimony and argument, the trustees voted 3-1 (with one abstention) to reject all charges against the ousted Police Chief.  They concluded that service of the notice of earlier trial was deficient, that the orders issued by Mayor Reilly that the ousted Police Chief allegedly ignored were unlawfully issued, and that Mayor Reilly's participation in the hearing was inappropriate because he was actually the force behind bringing the charges -- not the police sergeant whom he ordered to sign the charges he had prepared.  Thus, the new Board reinstated Michael J. Fitzpatrick as the Village of North Pelham Police Chief.

The new Board was far less tolerant than former Mayor Reilly and his Board of the gambling and the serving of illegal liquor in the Speakeasy Section of North Pelham.  During the first three weeks of November, 1929, in an early example of so-called "broken windows" policing, the Board had the North Pelham Police Department cracked down on the Speakeasy Section of North Pelham.  For weeks the local court was filled with people who had been arrested or had received tickets in the Speakeasy Section for illegal parking, broken tail lights, parking too far from the curb, parking "without lights" and other such violations.

Broken windows policing, it seems, was not enough.  Only days later on Tuesday, November 19 and Wednesday, November 20, 1929, Federal agents swooped into the Speakeasy Section and the surrounding vicinity yet again and made several arrests at multiple locations.  On Tuesday, they raided the establishment of Charles Brockman at 574 Seventh Avenue again.  Despite Brockman's earlier attestation that he was finished with the speakeasy business, undercover Federal agents were served beer at his establishment.  They then served a warrant and seized the liquor and beer on the premises.  According to one account, the speakeasy had:

"two rooms of which were piled high with empty bottles of every description. A portable brewery had been installed in the kitchen and a fifty gallon barrel of beer mash stood beside the stove. The booze list of the federal agents was as follows: one 5 gallon jug of beer; 35 one gallon jugs of beer; 800 quart bottles of beer; 1,800 pint bottles of the same beverage; a quart of whiskey and a quart of gin."

Source:  Federal Agents Raid Speakeasies Seize Liquor; Three Arrests Made Capture Pelham Man In Mamaroneck, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 22, 1929, Vol. 20, No. 34, p. 1, cols. 6-7.  

Clearly, Prohibition was very unpopular in Pelham. . . . . 



Undated Image, Circa 1921, Depicting New York City
Deputy Police Commissioner John A. Leach, Far Right,
Watching Agents Pour Liquor Into Sewer Following
a Raid During the Height of Prohibition. Source: Photographic
Print from the New York World-Telegram and the Sun
Newspaper Photograph Collection Held in the Library of
Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, 
D.C. 20540 Reproduction No. LC-USZ62-123257 (b&w film copy neg.).


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I have written a number of times about bootleggers, moonshiners, speakeasies, Prohibition, and earlier local prohibition movements in Pelham before national Prohibition.  For a few examples, see:

Tue., Nov. 18, 2014:  More Bootleggers and Speakeasies Raided in Pelham in 1929 During Prohibition.

Fri., May 23, 2014:  How Dry I Am -- Early Prohibition Efforts Succeed in Pelham in 1896.

Thu., Apr. 03, 2014:  The Prohibition Era in Pelham:  Another Speakeasy Raided.

Tue., Feb. 18, 2014:  Pelham Speakeasies and Moonshiners - Prohibition in Pelham: The Feds Raid the Moreau Pharmacy in Pelham Manor in 1922.

Thu., Feb. 07, 2008:  Village Elections in Pelham in 1900 - New York Athletic Club Members Campaign Against the Prohibition Ticket in Pelham Manor.

Thu., Jan. 12, 2006:  The Beer Battle of 1933.

Thu., Aug. 11, 2005:  How Dry I Am: Pelham Goes Dry in the 1890s and Travers Island Is At the Center of a Storm

Bell, Blake A., The Prohibition Era in Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 25, June 18, 2004, p. 12, col. 2.

Below I have transcribed the text of numerous articles relating to today's posting.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

"Federal Prohibition Officers Stage Raid On North Pelham Speakeasies.  Three Proprietors Held In $300 Bail
-----
Brockman's Checker Club Scene of First Move -- Pellicci's and Cullen's Provide Contributions To Load Of Liquor Carted To Police Headquarters -- Part of Brockman's Bail Put Up By Mayor Reilly, Is Report
-----

Five Federal prohibition agents and a squad of local police headed by Police Chief Michael J. Fitzpatrick, staged a raid on North Pelham speakeasies on Tuesday afternoon.  As a result of their efforts, an assortment of forbidden beverages was hauled in two truckloads to police headquarters, and Charles Brockman, of No. 574 Seventh avenue; Tony Pellicci, of No. 109 Sixth avenue, and John Murphy, alias Christopher Cullen, of No. 331 Fifth avenue, were taken into custody on a charge of being in illegal possession of intoxicating liquor.

The raid was a total surprise.  Mayor Reilly knew nothing about it, although he is the nominal head of the police department.  David Lyon, town supervisor and recognized leader of things politic, also was in the dark; Edward Harder, candidate for the mayoralty, knew as much as Mayor Reilly.  On the shoulders of Village Trustee Shaw was the credit laid for the moral assistance given to Police Chief Fizpatrick, who laid the plans which were successfully carried out.  The village trustee has shown his ability to set according to his own ideas before this.  Elected by the Reilly Republicans two years ago, he has acted according to his own ideas on more than one occasion.  He deserted the Reilly organization on discovering things not to his liking.  Shaw has been in close association with the police department as instructor in marksmanship.

On February 27th complaint was registered as to the conduct of one 

(Continued on page 5)

[Page 5 Headline Cut Off in Image]

speakeasy.  It appeared on the police blotter.  Mayor Reilly was asked what he was doing.  He put it up to Chief Fitzpatrick.  'He has the power to act.  He knows what he can do,' said the Mayor.  'He's chief of police.'

The raid was planned for eleven o'clock Tuesday morning.  When the Federal men failed to appear at that time it was thought that the event was called off.  Later they appeared and developments began.

Evidence of sale of liquor had been previously obtained and Federal warrants secured.  The progress of Tuesday's raids was smooth.

Each raiding party struck at the same moment in order to prevent any tip-off of any place on the list to be raided.  Chief Fitzpatrick assigned local police officers to each party to make sure that the Federal agents did not miss the locations.

The largest haul of the day was taken from Brockman's place on Seventh avenue known as 'Shingle Inn,' the rallying ground of the 'North Pelham Checker Club,' an organization composed of some 34 local men who, in their weighty deliberations over the checker-board, needed more than mental or vocal stimulation.  Brockman admitted being president of the club and stated that admission was by membership card only, as previously one person had become drunk and wrecked his front door.

It was the Federal men's first move, at the Checker Club.  

The raiding party, composed of Agents John Murphy and F. J. Kelly, Chief Fitzpatrick, Sergeant James Whalen and Patrolman Hugh Shannon, confiscated some 900 bottles of home brew, five one-gallon jugs of home brew, one pint of alleged whiskey, one gallon of rhubarb wine, two quarts of red wine and two barrels of red wine.

When this liquor was unloaded from a truck in front of the Town Hall, a crowd quickly gathered and stood staring with longing eyes as case after case was unloaded.

Federal Agent Dominick Spinella and Patrolman Edward Morris entered the place at No. 331 Fifth avenue and, after they had convinced John Murphy, alias Chris. Cullen, that it was not a joke, confiscated six quarts of alleged gin, two half-barrels of alleged beer, three quarts of alleged Scotch whiskey, two bottles of port wine, one gallon of sherry, and one pint bottle half full of alleged rye whiskey.  Murphy told the police that he owned the [illegible] quarts of alleged whiskey to the raiding party, Agent Charles La Torrella and Patrolman Michael Lenshan.  Tony Pellicci told the police that the place was conducted by his father, Jack Pellicci.

The raiders entered the establishment of Jack Sims at Seventh street and Fifth avenue, but found no liquor.  Another place on the list was passed up when the warrant was found to bear the wrong address of the alleged speakeasy.

All three men were arraigned before Judge John E. Fetzer in North Pelham Police Court on Tuesday night and released under bail of $500.  Emilio Lembo of Fifth avenue furnished bail for Tony Pellicci; John Roggeveen did the same for Murphy, alias Cullen, while Irving J. Wallach put up $250 of the necessary $300 for Brockman's release.  Mayor James Reilly contributed $50 toward Brockman's bail.

The men were taken before United States Commissioner Cotter in the Federal Building in New York City on Wednesday and released under $500 bond each for appearance on Wednesday, April 3rd.

Trustee Albert E. Shaw arrived at the Town Hall a short time after the raids and congratulated chief Fitzpatrick upon his actions.  

When Mayor Reilly heard of the raid he called police headquarters, but found that Desk Lieutenant Dick was not aware of the plan for the swoop of the Federal men.  It is rumored that the Mayor has ordered Police Chief Fitzpatrick and Policeman Al Bernard, who secured the evidence, to appear at tonight's meeting of the village board to 'find out what's behind this raid.'  

Some of the places visited were reported to have reopened a few hours after the raid, but two of them are closed and the proprietors have stated they are out of the business for good.

'This is but a beginning,' said Trustee Shaw in speaking of the raid to a Sun reporter.  'We don't want places like that in our village.  Our police department is alright if it is not hampered in the execution of its duties.'

Proprietors of speakeasies and gambling places in North Pelham have been preparing for a change of scene for the last week or so, ever since the Republican primary made it probable that Edward Harder would be the next mayor of North Pelham.  They believed, however, that they would be given warning to 'get up and git' before being subjected to a raid such as that of Tuesday."

Source:  Federal Prohibition Officers Stage Raid On North Pelham Speakeasies.  Three Proprietors Held In $300 Bail, The Pelham Sun, March 15, 1929, p. 1, cols. 2-3 & p. 5, cols. 1-2.

"DRY AGENTS STAGE ANOTHER VISIT
-----

Federal Prohibition Agents, who raided five North Pelham speakeasies on March 12th, paid a return visit on Tuesday.  The establishment owned by Charles Brockman, of No. 574 Seventh avenue, was entiered.  No beverages werre found.

The restaurant owned by James De Feo at No. 214 Fifth avenue, was also raided but no liquor found."

Source:  DRY AGENTS STAGE ANOTHER VISIT, The Pelham Sun, Mar. 22, 1929, p. 1, col. 2.

"Mayor Reilly's Order Suspending Police Chief Fitzpatrick Ignored As Chief Continues Usual Duties
-----
Parting Shot Of Two Year Bitter Warfare Between Mayor and Police Chief May Be A Dud.  Expect That Trial Set For Monday Will Be Delayed Until After Retirement Of Mayor April 1st.  Sgt. Whalen Appointed Acting Head of Police Dept., But Fitzpatrick Still On Duty
------

With two heads to the police department North Pelham finds itself in much the same position that Pelham Manor was in last year when there were two chiefs of the fire department.  Acting on Mayor James Reilly's orders, Sgt. James Whalen is directing the activities of the police, although Chief of Police Michael Fitzpatrick has failed to recognize the suspension which was imposed upon him by Mayor Reilly last Friday night.  To date no contradictory orders have been issued by either Chief Fitzpatrick or Whalen.

Thus the police department farce which was started by Mayor Reilly two years ago when he first endeavored to remove Fitzpatrick has been brought to a laughable climax.

The Mayor predicts that Fitzpatrick will be tried Monday on charges of disobeying his orders.  Fitzpatrick claims that the threat of trial is as ineffective as he considers the suspension order.  The entire situation revolves around the Mayor's contention that his powers of supervision of police activities include the suspension and trial of an officer.  Trustee Albert E. Shaw, leader of the opposition to what the Mayor looks on as a coup d'etat, holds that the power of suspension and trial of an officer rests with the Board of Trustees.  Trustee Shaw is supported in this contention by citizens of the village, who are expected to make an expression when the Mayor opens his 'trial' on Monday.  Richard H. Lee of Pelham Manor is said to head the list of eminent counsel the Westchester County Police Protective Association and the New York State Chiefs of Police Association has retained in the case.

Fitzpatrick's suspension was Mayor Reilly's personal act.  It came at a meeting Friday night where the Mayor investigated the liquor raid.  He charged the chief with violating the orders in sending patrolman Albert Bernard to New York City to sign Federal warrants for the arrest of bootleggers here.  Fitzpatrick accepted the suspension order, and heard the Mayor appoint Whalen as acting head of the police department, but he has reported for duty every day since Sunday, and continued his duties as heretofore.  He acted on the advice of counsel.  Mayor Reilly knew nothing of the raid until Federal men had completed their task.

The Fitzpatrick case was made an issue by both the Democrats and the Republicans in the campaign which ended with the election of Edward B. Harder on Tuesday.  

Fitzpatrick was served with formal charges of disobedience of orders this week.  The charges were signed by Sgt. Whalen.  The 'trial' for Monday night is certain to attract a large gallery of spectators.

By a series of adjournments entangling a skein of technical red tape which will delay the matter until after the new board takes office April 1, it is believed Fitzpatrick's case will be held over until Mayor Reilly is out of office.

There are many who are prone to believe that the Mayor's interest in the prohibition raids was not chiefly aimed at Fitzpatrick.  He plainly showed that he fet slighted because he was not informed of the matter earlier.  Before a crowded boardroom, the overflow of which extended hafl way down the hallway at the Town Hall, on Friday night, Reilly endeavored to hold a thorough investigation of the prohibition raids which led to the discovery and confiscation of a large amount of illicit liquor in three local establishments.  The spectators included at least one of the men who were arrested in the raids.  An open recital of what was behind the raids would have made an interesting discussion and the Mayor seemed determined to make an open book of the entire matter.  Patrolman Albert Bernard and Chief Fitzpatrick had been summoned to explain their parts in the drama which had been enacted the Tuesday previous.  Trustee Edward B. Harder was first to oppose the Mayor's plan, and it was here that the first blockade in the meeting was reached.  Harder offered a motion that the matter be deferred to another night in view of the vast amount of important business to be completed that evening.  Trustee Albert E. Shaw seconded the motion.

Reluctantly the Mayor put the motion, and called for the affirmative vote.  Trustees Shaw and Harder voted 'Aye' and without asking for contrary expression, the Mayor announced 'The motion's lost' and he called Patrolman Albert Bernard to the room and showed him a chair near the board.

'Now Patrolman Bernard' -- he started, but he was cut short by Trustee Shaw.  

'That motion's carried.  This proceeding can't go on.'

'What do you mean carried?  You're out of order.  Two votes can't carry a motion here,' answered the Mayor.

'But there were no negative votes, Mr. Mayor,' blandly answered Trustee Shaw, and that precipitated another of the well-known Reilly tantrums.  It was some time before the Mayor could be persuaded to call for the contrary vote, but after Village Attorney George Lambert assured the Mayor that the motion would stand as carried if no contrary vote was registered, and Trustees Amato and Carey had indicated by their sentiment that they would vote against the measure, the Mayor conceded.  The vote stood two to two.

'Reilly votes 'no.'' adding his negative to that of Amato and Carey.

Then the inquisition began.  Bernard was recalled to the Mayor's witness stand, and Fitzpatrick assigned a chair nearby.

There followed a series of questions from the Mayor, in which it was seen that one of the Mayor's chief interests lay in getting information relative to the raid.  Patrolman Bernard who procured the evidence, asked to be excused from telling anything about how he had effected his coup, explaining that he had worked under orders from Chief Fitzpatrick.

Unable to gain any information relative to the securing of the eviddence turned to another vein of interrogation and to this Bernard told that he was detailed on the day preceding the raid to go to New York City to sign federal warrants after having procured the evidence.  The blotter showed Bernard reported as sick on that day.

This was meat for the Mayor, and 

(Continued on page 4)

 Reilly's Suspension Of Chief Is Ignored
(Continued from page 1)

he took great pains to get this point fixed in the minds of his audience.

Offered an opportunity to question the witness, Chief Fitzpatrick brought out the fact that Bernard's post had been covered by himself on that day when the patrolman was out of town.  Bernard confirmed this.  

It was with one point established that Reilly excused Bernard, and called Fitzpatrick to the fore.

In opening, the Mayor loudly assailed the chief for not informing him of the plan to raid the speakeasies.  Fitzpatrick stated that in view of the seriousness of the business he did not believe that it would be advisable to take anybody into his confidence.

This failed to please the Mayor but he held himself in check while he reopened his other vein of attack.  

'Do you know that I issued orders that no officer should be detailed out of the village without my approval?' he asked.

Fitzpatrick said that there might have been such an order, but in view of the circumstances he felt that he had acted rightly.

'Get the Book,' said the Mayor -- 'I'm going to show you that you acted against my orders.  You did it before and almost killed Jim Whalen.'  

Fitzpatrick endevored to state that it was an automobile that almost killed Whalen.  He referred to an accident last March in Mt. Vernon when Sergeant Whalen was injured.

'Never mind that.  Here, read this.'  It was the police blotter and the Mayor pointed to an order which he made in November, 1927, instructing the chief to first secure permission from the Mayor before detailing an officer out of town.

'Mr. Fitzpatrick, I am going to instruct the Village Attorney to prepare a paper suspending you on charges of disobedience of my orders,' dramatically said the Mayor.

Trustee Shaw was upon his feet.  'You can't do that -- the state law provides that a man can't be suspended until charges against him are heard by the Board of Trustees.'

'I'm doing this,' answered the Mayor.  

While the Village Attorney was preparing the suspension notice, Trustee Shaw sought the law books.  The notice completed, Reilly served it on Fitzpatrick, who thanked him.

Trustee Shaw registered his opposition to the mmove on the minutes of the meeting.

The Mayor stated to the press that the suspension of Fitzpatrick had nothing to do with the prohibition raids, but was purely on a charge of disobedience of orders.

The following petition has been circulated in North Pelham this week:

'We, the undersigned residents of the Village of North Pelham strongly oppose and unqualifiedly condemn the unnecessary suspension of Chief of Police Michael Fitzpatrick.  We believe that this suspension is without cause, and we refused to stand by in silence and see our courageous and competent official prevented from doing his duty.  

'We therefore respectfully request that the Mayor and Trustees of the Village of North Pelham reconsider this suspension and appoint a time and place for a public hearing wherein the residents of the village may be given an opportunity to appear and to present their opposition to the suspension of Chief Fitzpatrick."

Source:  Mayor Reilly's Order Suspending Police Chief Fitzpatrick Ignored As Chief Continues Usual Duties, The Pelham Sun, Mar. 22, 1929, p. 1, cols. 6-7 & p. 4, cols. 1-7.

"NORTH PELHAM CHIEF NOT TO FACE TRIAL THURSDAY
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PAPERS NOT AS YET SERVED
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Chief Fitzpatrick Must Be Served With Papers Before Tonight
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ACCORDING TO LAW
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Time Limit Expires at Midnight -- Chief Gone From the Village
-----

Charges of disobedience of Mayor James Reilly's orders, which were to have been served by Sergeant James Whalen on Chief Michael J. Fitzpatrick, of the police department, last Saturday have not been served yet, because of inability to get in touch with the chief, according to Sergeant Whalen.

The charges were drawn up by Judge George Lambert, village attorney, and are to be preferred by Sergeant Whalen, according to a resolution made by Trustee Michael Carey, and passed by the board last Friday night.

Attempts to reach Chief Fitzpatrick for the last few days have been unsuccessful and at his home yesterday it was said that he wasn't in.

According to law, the charges must be served five days before the trial.  If the charges are not served until tomorrow they cannot be heard in open trial before April 1, when Mayor Reilly will be out of office.

Chief Fitzpatrick was suspended by Mayor Reilly on March 15, in the midst of a village board meeting, after Motorcycle Officer Bernard testified that he had been sent to New York by the chief to swear out warrants agaisnt several alleged 'speakeasies.'  Chief Fitzpatrick admitted he had sent Bernard to New York.

The suspension was made on the grounds of disobedience of orders issued by the mayor on November, 1927, that no policemen were to be sent out of the village.

Chief Fitzpatrick reported for duty every day for five days after his suspension and then appeared in uniform and took command of the department.  Last Friday night the village board passed a resolution to hold a trial, after Trustee A. E. Shaw and E. B. Harder protested the illegality of the mayor's suspension.

The protest was based on the rules made by the board of trustees on September 20, 1927 which specified in one place that 'the charges will be made and prepared by the village counsel as the board of trustees may direct.'

By a vote of three to two, with Mayor Reilly, Trustee Carey and Trustee Dominick Amato voting in favor, and Trustees Harder and Shaw opposed, the resolution was passed to try Chief Fitzpatrick on Thursday.  The expectation was that the charges would be served the following day.

Richard H. Lee, of the Boston Post road, who has been retained by Chief Fitzpatrick to defend him, said yesterday that he was not aware of the whereabouts of his client and that he did not know that the trial had been postponed from last night to Thursday night."  

Source:  NORTH PELHAM CHIEF NOT TO FACE TRIAL THURSDAYThe Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 26, 1929, p. 14, col. 1.  

"POLICE CHIEF FITZPATRICK OUSTED; REILLY'S VOTE BREAKS TIE IN BOARD
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Without Vote On Question Of Guilt North Pelham Chief Is Thrown Out Of Office -- Will Appeal To Courts
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Crowded Courtroom Hears Mayor Reilly Characterize Chief Who He Has Served For Seventeen Years As Having As Rotten A Record As Any Policeman In the County
-----

Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Chief of police of North Pelham and a member of the department for seventeen years is out!

He was dismissed from the police department last night, when the Board of Trustees stood two for and two against it and Mayor Reilly who filed the original charge cast the deciding vote that put Fitzpatrick figuratively out on the street.  On the advice of his counsel, Richard H. Lee, Fitzpatrick was not present.  

Mayor Reilly did not even ask the Board to vote on the question of guilty or not guilty.  When the charges were read by Clerk O'Sullivan, Mayor Reilly asked for action from the Board and had to be reminded by Village Attorney Lambert that the charges must be proven first.

Evidence was taken.  Sergt. Whalen testified that he had been sent to Mount Verrnon -- but it was in the line of duty.  Policeman Bernard testified that he had been sent to New York -- that also was in the lline of duty.  The evidence closed after it was proved that Fitzpatrick issued orders as chief of police after he had been suspended by Mayor Reilly.  The original charges made by Mayor Reilly were withdrawn.  The charges heard last night were made by Sergt. Whalen.  Had they been made by the Mayor he would not have sat on the Board to try the case.  

Before Trustee Amato made the motion that Fitzpatrick be dismissed, Mayor Reilly vented his personal abuse upon the absent police chief, winding up by saying that Police Chief Fitzpatrick's rotten record is equalled by no other policeman in the county.  Amato's action brought dismissal.  

The whole case was based on mere technicalities.  Mayor Reilly had a right to expect his orders to be obeyed.  They were disregarded in the interest of police duty and for the effectiveness of the police force.  A verdict of guilty on the charges of disobedience could have been rendered correctly.  The punishment of dismissal after seventeen years of service is too drastic.

Apart from this is the question of whether a legal notice of the trial was served upon Fitzpatrick.  

As a result of last night's proceedings Richard H. Lee, attorney for Fitzpatrick, will start legal proceedings to obtain justice for Fitzpatrick.  During the recent election campaign, both parties made an issue of 'Justice for Fitzpatrick.'

Mayor Reilly has expressed an opinion that the dismissal of Fitzpatrick will make it necessary for him to remain off duty a year before he can take an examination for police chief under civil service rules.  Many see in Reilly's action a grand stand play in the closing hours of his administration, which ends on Sunday.

Indignation at the action of the Board is running high in the village.  Financial assistance has been offered to Fitzpatrick to fight the case in the courts.  Petitions have been started seeking his reinstatement.

The joker is that if Fitzpatrick begins action against the village it will be defended by a new village attorney, Walter Kennedy, who is entirely in sympathy with him and the new Board also will be a majority in favor of the police chief.

Fitzpatrick was appointed chief eight years ago by Reilly, after Reilly had quarreled with Police Chief Marvel.  

The boardroom filled to overflowing before the members of the Board of Trustees made their appearance.  Spectators arrayed themselves on window sills and into an improvised balcony made of election machine cases in the rear of the room.  For some distance down the hall leading to the room, the curious, inspired by the publicity given the case in the last two years, packed themselves into a solid mass, all endeavoring to catch a few words of the argument which was anticipated.  Strangely enough, there was none of this forthcoming.  Village Attorney George Lambert and Mayor James Reilly conducted the trial, at which Chief Fitzpatrick did not appear.  His attorney, Richard H. Lee, also was absent.  When it was found Chief Fitzpatrick was not present, Village Clerk George O'Sullivan rose from his seat to go to see if the chief was in the building.  He was reproved by the Mayor.

'Stay where you are,' ordered Reilly.  'You needn't go looking around for him.'  O'Sullivan sank back in his chair.

Village Attorney Lambert asked if counsel for Fitzpatrick was present.  There was no answer.

Trustee Shaw asked if Fitzpatrick had been notified of the trial.  Sergt. Whalen was summoned and explained that he had been unable to make personal service as the chief was not at home when he called.  He stated that he had left the papers with Chief Fitzpatrick's daughter at the chief's home on Saturday.

Trustee Shaw asked if personal service was not necessary.  He appealed to the Village Attorney Lambert for a decision.  Lambert admitted that, although the law did not definitely state that personal service was necessary, there might be a technical point raised inasmuch as the only alternative mentioned in the law governing the serving of notices allowed service by mail.  It did not take into consideration the leaving of the papers at a defendant's residence during his absence.

He stated, however, that he thought that the action of Sergt. Whalen was more certain than mailing the papers.

The Mayor demanded to know if Trustee Shaw was acting as Fitzpatrick's counsel.  He was not enlightened.

The village attorney stated that he had expected that the question of service would be brought.

'Mr. Fitzpatrick, however, had been served with papers to answer to charges on Monday, March 25, and he did not appear to answer them, therefore it might be assumed that Fitzpatrick had knowledge of the change in date of trial because he was on duty until the day the revised papers were to be served.' said Lambert, 'Who gave him permission to absent himself from duty after March 22, when he had been on duty 

(Continued on page 4)

Chief Fitzpatrick Is Ousted By Reilly
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(Continued from page one)

every day before that?  I believe that Fitzpatrick was fully aware of the proceedings and therefore he can be tried.'

Trustee Shaw said that the Board might be making an unlawful move.  For this the Mayor accused Shaw of entering into the trial prejudiced in favor of Fitzpatrick.  Again there was no answer.  The Mayor ordered Village Clerk George O'Sullivan to read the charges.

They included four counts of disobedience of orders as follows:  March 5, 1928, sending Sergt. Whalen to Mt. Vernon to find an automobile which did damage in North Pelham; March 9, 1929, sending Patrolman Albert Bernard to New York City to sign Federal warrants in the booze raid cases; March 11, 1929, sending Bernard on a similar mission; March 15, ignoring Mayor Reilly's order of suspension.

'That's all, gentlemen,' said the Mayor.  'You heard the charges, and heard the evidence.  What is your pleasure?'

'Wait a minute,' said the village attorney.  'You must prove the charges.'

The Mayor was somewhat taken aback, but he started the proceeding, summoning Lieut. Bruce Dick to the stand to explain the order made by the Mayor on Nov. 20, 1927, instructing the chief not to detail any officers out of the village without notifying him.  

Sergt. Whalen told of being detailed to Mt. Vernon on March 5 last year.  Patrolman Bernard, the next witness, told of being detailed to New York City to sign the warrants.

Trustee Shaw voiced the only opposing sentiment.  'Don't you think it will be well to have the reason for Bernard's detail placed on the record?' he asked.

That was the signal for the Mayor:  'Just open that door on that subject and we'll go right into it,' he shouted.  'There's a lot of other things that we'll tell about if you do.  I am going to ask Bernard some fine questions if you do.  Do you want to do it?'

He waited for the usual rebuff from Shaw but none was forthcoming.

Then the Mayor and village attorney questioned Bernard whether or not Fitzpatrick had continued his duties after he was suspended by Reilly.  The answers showed that Fitzpatrick had issued orders.  None of them were of any importance, although the Maor offered to have Patrolman John Lomax summoned in from post to testify that the Chief had issued orders to him.  It was not deemed necessary.

'There's the evidence,' said the village attorney.  'It's up to you gentlemen, if you think the charges are proven, you are to do as you see fit.' 

'There's no doubt that they are proven,' said Reilly.

Trustee Amato askked if there was any answer to the charges.  The Mayor stated that there was none, but that that was not the fault of the Board of Trustees.

'Fitzpatrick knew all about the charges,' said Reilly.  'He thinks he's the whole thing around here.'

It was here that Trustee Amato indicated that he was in favor of punishment for the chief.

'From the evidence his guilt is proven.  In addition to that, I believe that his direct abandonment of the police department when he learned that he was to be tried, if his suspension was illegal, was poor police duty,' he said.

'The charges never were illegal,' interrupted the Mayor.

'In my opinion it was lowering the morale of the police department,' continued Amato.

The Mayor asked opinions from the rest of the Board.  Trustee Harder continued his silence.

Trustee Carey sided with the Mayor.  'It appears to me that Fitzpatrick's absence is an admission of guilt,' he said.  'If he's not man enough to face the charges, he is not fit to be in the police department.'

Trustee Shaw had nothing to say, and then Mayor Reilly delivered his valedictory, which was nothing more than a repetition of his previous remarks.  

'The only thing I can say,' stated the Mayor, 'is that as far as Fitzpatrick is concerned during the two years that I have been Mayor, he did everything that he personally could to humiliate me.  When I put an order on the police blotter that he should not detail officers out of town, it was only three months later that he ignored it altogether.  It was done at a time when he knew that he had the majority of the Board on his side.  I brought it before the Board of Trustees and they paid no attention to it.

'I don't want to bring politics into this trial but this spring when he knew that Harder was running for Mayor on the Republican ticket and Larkin was running for Mayor on the Democratic ticket, and I was not running, he figured that he could do as he pleased.  He sent Bernard down town twice, when all that he would have had to do was to notify me and I would have given him permission.  He could have shown a little courtesdy, but he didn't.

'He humiliated me and I just wanted to show him that he could not have things his own way.  Here before this board he admitted knowing that I had given orders against sending men out of town.

'I think it is the best thing for this police department that he be dismissed.  As long as Fitzpatrick is head of the police department you will have no police department.  As a policeman and chief I think there is not another policeman in Westchester county that has as rotten a record as Fitzpatrick has in the police department.

Trustee Amato immediately moved that Fitzpatrick be dismissed.  'In fairness to the taxpayers of this billage I believe that this should be done,' he saaid.

Trustee Michael Carey seconded the motion.  The Mayor put the question and polled the board.  Trustees Amato and Carey voted 'aye' and Trustees Harder and Shaw, 'no.'  The tie vote put the decision up to Reilly.

'I vote 'aye',' said the Mayor.

Similar vote was registered for the motions to notify Chief Fitzpatrick of his suspension and also to notify the civil service commission of the dismissal of the chief.

Interviewed by The Pelham Sun, Trustee Edward B. Harder, who will assume the office of Mayor next week said, 'I expected this, I have nothing to say at this time.'

Trustee Albert E. Shaw was more explicit.  'I believe that this is the most ridiculous thing that has ever happened in the history of this village.'

-----

The date of the hearing was changed and the Mayor's stand strengthened somewhat, Friday night when Trustee Albert E. Shaw reopened the discussion of the case although adjournment was expected after the tentative budget was fixed.  Trustee Shaw questioned the Mayor's right to assume that he could suspend Fitzpatrick and bring him to trial without a vote of the trustees.  Reairing of the entire matter resulted in Trustee Michael Carey offering a motion that the Board direct additional charges be drawn against the chief, and that the hearing be held on the 28th.  Trustee Dominic Amato seconded this motion and Mayor Reilly added his vote, overcoming the opposition of Trustees Shaw and Harder.  Thus Shaw gained his point by having the Board take action but the new charges were more substantial than the original.

Trustee Shaw's doubt that the Mayor had full authority to suspend and order Fitzpatrick's trial was dittoed by Trustee Harder.

Trustee Amato asked if new charges were made could they be heard on the night appointed.

'The officer must have give days notice of the trial,' said Lambert, explaining that the hearing set for Monday night mjust be postponed.

'Better watch out for Fitzpatrick.  If he hears that there are to be more charges you won't be able to find him,' laughed the Mayor.  'He'll fly the coop.'

The Mayor may consider that his remarks was borne out by Fitzpatrick's sudden absence on Saturday.  Fitzpatrick reported for duty, yesterday morning, and covered his post until 5 o'clock.  Sinct that time he has not been seen around the village.

The Pelham Sun endeavored to get into communication with the chief this morning, but was informed by Mrs. Fitzpatrick that he was not at home."

Source:  POLICE CHIEF FITZPATRICK OUSTED; REILLY'S VOTE BREAKS TIE IN BOARD, The Pelham Sun, Mar. 29, 1929, Vol. 19, No. 57, p. 1, cols. 1-7p. 4, cols. 1-3.

"POLICE CHIEF FITZPATRICK REINSTATED; CHARGES DISMISSED AFTER REHEARING
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Crowded Courtroom Cheers Decision of Board Last Night -- Trustees Vote Three and One On All Four Charges, Carey Opposing, Amato Not Voting -- Defense Claimed Dismissal of Chief Effected Without Proper Service Of Notice To Appear At Trial; Orders Disobeyed Were Illegally Issued, and Mayor Reilly's Seat On Trial Case Improper As He Ordered Sergeant Whalen To Prefer Charges Instigated By Himself
-----

Michael J. Fitzpatrick dismissed as chief of police of North Pelham last week by the old board of trustees headed by Mayor Reilly, was last night reinstated by the new board headed by Mayor Harder which took office this week.

The reinstatement carries with it full pay from March 15th, the time the order of suspension was issued by Mayor Reilly.  After a rehearing on the charges, chief Fitzpatrick was found not guilty on all four counts.

The decision was greeted with applause from the crowded courtroom.  Fitzpatrick resumed his duties immediately after the hearing.

The rehearing took on the aspects of a big legal trial.  The Board deserted its usual seats on the floor level to occupy seats on the platform.  Attorneys, stenographers and newspapermen were on the lower level of the floor.

Chief Fitzpatrick was represented by Richard H. Lee and Joseph F. Curren of Lee, Donnelly & Curren, New York law firm.  Walter E. Kennedy newly appointed village attorney, appeared for the trustees.  Ex-Mayor Reilly was not present.

After Mayor Harder opened the hearing with the full membership of the Board present and explained the purpose of the meeting, Village Clerk Hurtig read the petition presented to the Board by Chief Fitzpatrick, asking for a rehearing of his case.  The petition claimed that order of dismissal was void by reason of lack of proper notice of hearing of charges, and for irregularities in the proceedings.  That orders of Mayor Reilly which it is claimed were disobeyed were unreasonable and issued by Mayor Reilly without approval of the Board, required to make them legal; that such alleged violations in one instance resulted in arrests of persons charged with violating liquor laws; that all were in furtherance of police duty; that the preferring of charges by Sergt. Whalen was a subterfuge employed by Mayor Reilly, who instigated the charges, so that he could sit at the trial and act as judge when such would have been denied him if he had himself preferred the charges; that the alleged violation of suspension order was of no effect as the order issued by Mayor Reilly was without the required legal sanction of the Board of Trustees; that Sergt. Whalen is a junior police officer and, according to village law, cannot prefer charges against a senior officer; that charges are too trivial to warrant order of dismissal and that matters not considered in the charges were introduced and affected the judgment of those who voted to dismiss Fitzpatrick.

Reinstatement Sought

The petition sought a dismissal of the charges, the reinstatement of Fitzpatrick with full pay for time of suspension and that the notice of the chief's dismissal sent to the Civil Service Commission be revoked.

Clerk Hurttig also read a petition signed by 174 names, which sought the reinstatement of the police chief.

The four charges of disobedience by Chief Fitzpatrick of orders issued by Mayor Reilly were read.  Three concerned sending policemen ouf of the village without Mayor Reilly's order and one of refusing to obey Mayor Reilly's order of suspension by continuing his police duties.  They were made by Sergt. Whalen.

Sergt. Whalen First Witness

On the stand, Sergt. Whalen admitted making the charges and serving them by leaving them at Chief Fitzpatrick's home.

Sergt. Whalen [said] 'he (Reilly) gave them to me to sign.  I had not seen or heard of the charges before.

Sergt. Whalen further testified that he had been sent by Chief Fitzpatrick to Mount Vernon on police duty.  He had not been asked previously to sign documents relating to the chief of police.  Both sets of charges were given to him by Village Attorney Lambert when Mayor Reilly told him to be the complainant in the case.  He had never heard of Mayor Reilly's order forbidding police officers going outside the village without the mayor's approval.

Patrolman Bernard testified that he had been sent to New York on two occasions to obtain Federal warrants.  That as a result arrests were made and cases pending.  He knew of Mayor Reilly's order only by hearsay.

Trustee Carey -- When you swore out the warrants, how did you come to make a mistake in the addresses?

The question was ruled irrelevant.  There was no answer.

Chief Fitzpatrick Testifies

Chief Fitzpatrick testified that he had been chief for three years, had 17 years service on the force and that charges, subsequently withdrawn, were preferred against him while he was captain.  He affirmed the testimony of Whalen and Bernard that they were ordered by him out of the village on duty.  His return to duty after Mayor Reilly's suspension order was on advice of his counsel that the order was issued without proper authority.  He admitted knowledge of Mayor Reilly's order forbidding men to be sent out of town without the Mayor's order, but did not think it applied to a case where there were complaints of liquor selling and gambling and it was necessary to get Federal warrants from New York.  'Mr. Reilly said it was up to me to get the evidence, that I had the power,' said Chief Fitzpatrick.

He further testified that Mayor Reilly's orders usually came through Desk Lieutenant Dick, who put them on the blotter.  

Trustee Carey -- Did you stay away from the trial on advice of counsel?

Attorney Lee -- I object.  The charge is one of coming back to duty, not staying away.

Trustee Amato asked if Fitzpatrick had received the original charges which which called for a trial on March 25th, and if he would have appeared.

Chief Fitzpatrick said that he had been advised by counsel that Village Attorney Lambert had notified his counsel that the charges were withdrawn.

Trustee Carey -- Were you notified of the new charges?

Fitzpatrick -- Yes, on the day they were to be tried.

Attorney Curren moved for a verdict of not guilty on the four charges.

'The charge of insubordination, that he continued his duties after the suspension was issued, must fall,' said Curren.  He cited Section 188-F of the village law which empowers the Board of Trustees to suspend an officer without pay pending trial of charges.  'The Mayor was entirely without authority in issuing an order of suspension without a majority order of the Board,' said Curren.

Village Attorney Kennedy -- Was there a suspension order before the Board?  Perhaps you can tell us, Mr. Amato?

Trustee Amato -- Absolutely no.

Attorney Curren -- Then there was no suspension pending trial on charges,

Mr. Curren then attacked the legality of Mayor Reilly's order of Nov. 20, 1927, forbidding officers to be sent out of the village without his order as an illegal, unreasonable restraint upon the exercise of police duties, citing the law to show that the issuance of such order must be made by a majority vote of the Board.

'If this officer is pursuing a thief and comes to the border of the village, would he have to go to White Plains, hunt up Mayor Reilly and get an order permitting him to go outside the village?  What a ridiculous situation' said Curren.  'Chief Fitzpatrick was acting according to his duty.  Warrants were obtained and arrests made.  This order never had the authority of the Board.'

Whalen's Charges Were Reilly's

Attorney Curren then asserted that as a matter of fact the charges preferred by Sergt. Whalen were in reality Mayor Reilly's charges, that Sergt. Whalen had testified that he had no knowledge of the charges until Mayor Reilly said 'You must be the complainant.  Sign the charges.'  He supported his statement by calling attention to an error in the original charges made by Mayor Reilly which was re-

(Continued on page 5)

Chief Fitzpatrick Returns To Duty
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(Continued from page one)

peated in the charges made by Sergt. Whalen.  

'I say that because of this, Mayor Reilly should not have sat on the Boar when it heard the charges,' said Curren.  He quoted Section 188-F of village law which provides that any person preferring charges shall not sit on trial of same.  To prove a charge that Mayor Reily was biased he quoted from the report of the dismissal hearing, when, before a vote was taken, Mayor Reilly said in part:  'In so far as Fitzpatrick's record is concerned as a policeman . . . there is not another policeman in the Town [sic] of Westchester that has got the rotten record that Fitzpatrick has got in so far as police duties is concerned.'  The vote was two to two, and Mayor Reilly's vote was improperly recorded.  In justice to the petitioner he should not have sat on the trial March 18th.,' said Curren.

To prove failure of proper service upon Fitzpatrick of notice of trial, Attorney Curren again quoted village law, which sets forth that notice can be served personally, by mail or by newspaper publication.  No other course than leaving the notice at Fitzpatrick's home was attempted.

Citing the failure to establish guilt as a further reason for dismissing charges, Attorney Curren quoted the records showing that the failure of Fitzpatrick to appear at the hearing affected the decision of Trustees Carey and Amato, who expressed their disapproval of the chief's absence and let it influence their decision to dismiss him.  

He pleaded for reinstatement, compensation and withdrawal of Civil Service notice of dismissal of Chief Fitzpatrick.

Village Attorney Kennedy asked whether proceedings were not taking on the aspects of a trial of Mayor Reilly, instead of Fitzpatrick.  He believed that the issuance of Mayor Reilly's order was in good faith, to save officers being detailed to town work at village expense, as he believed they had been in one instance.

He recommended that the charge of continuing duties after suspension be withdrawn as there was no evidence that the Board of Trustees had ever issued an order of suspension against Chief Fitzpatrick.  On the question of proper notice of the trial he cited Attorney Lambert's opinion that service of papers at home was just as efficient as service personally by publication or by mail.  He advised the Board to poll the vote separately on the four charges.

Attorney Lee -- The whole case hinges on the right of Mayor Reilly to issue orders.  The law shows that right belongs to the Board of Trustees.  The original order was illegal and invalid.  The whole case should be thrown out.  

Trustee Amato asked if the Mayor or Board has supervision of the police department. 

Village Attorney Kennedy read several sections of village law showing the Mayor's duties are supervisory and that all orders, rules and regulations must be issued and approved by the Board of Trustees.

Trustee Amato then asked if when the Board of Trustees issued the order for the trial and Fitzpatrick disappeared from the village it was not disobeying orders.

Attorney Lee -- We first thought that the order was invalid and so we sent him back to duty.  Then Village Attorney Lambert made a complaint that it was a terrible thing for the suspended police chief to be parading around the village in uniform and so we took him out of the village.  We tried to guess right twice but we failed.  (Laughter).

A separate vote was then taken on all four counts.  Trustee Amato, who initiated the motion for Fitzpatrick's dismissal refused to vote saying that he hadn't heard enough law to enable him to form an intelligent judgment.  Trustee Hadley voted not guilty.  Trustee Carey voted guilty.  Trustee Shaw, not guilty.  The vote was two to one, but Mayor Harder apparently wishing to declare himself voted not guilty making the poll three to one in favor of Fitzpatrick.  The vote was repeated on all four counts.

Trustee Shaw then moved the resolution which reinstated Fitzpatrick with pay for time of suspension, revoking notice of dismissal to Civil Service commission.  It was carried amid applause, Amato again voting no.

At Monday night's organization meeting of the village board, Chief Fitzpatrick through his counsel, Richard H. Lee, made application for a rehearing of the charges which were filed against him and resulted in his dismissal last week by the Board over which Mayor Reilly presided.  

The new mayor put the application for a rehearing before the Board.  After Village Attorney Kennedy had advised the Board that the chief was legally entitled to a rehearing.

Trustee Carey objected to reopening the case.  Trustee Amato said he didn't think it was necessary.

Trustee Shaw moved that the application be granted.  'The sooner we hear it, the better.  I suggest that a hearing be set for next Thursday night.'

The vote again stood two and two.  Mayor Harder decided in favor of a rehearing for the Fitzpatrick case."

Source:  POLICE CHIEF FITZPATRICK REINSTATED; CHARGES DISMISSED AFTER REHEARING, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 5, 1929, Vol. 20, No. 1, p. 1, cols. 1-7 & p. 5, col. 1.

START HERE:  http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2018/Pelham%20NY%20Sun/Pelham%20NY%20Sun%201929/Pelham%20NY%20Sun%201929%20-%200188.pdf 

"TRAFFIC DRIVE IS CONTINUED
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Seventh Avenue Violators Fined In Local Court
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North Pelham, November 1. -- The North Pelham police are pushing strongly their drive to clean up conditions on Seventh avenue in that village between Sixth and Seventh streets.  That section of Seventh avenue is described as the 'speakeasy' section by North Pelhamites.  Officers are constantly on the watch there to nab violators of traffic ordinances.  Last night, of the nine cases heard in North Pelham court by Justice of the Peace Alfred P. Walker, jr., six cases involved the violation of a village traffic ordinances in that block.

A total of $34 was collected in fines from the six offenders.  The violations included parking on the left side of the curb, parking without lights, parking more than six inches from the curb, parking without lights, parking more than six inches from the curb and obstructing a driveway.

Every week for the past few months the court has handed out fines varying from $3 to $10 for violations of village traffic ordinances in that section.  Last night's court also fined three other drivers a total of $13 for improper parking, parking in front of a fire house and driving a truck on a restricted street."

Source:  TRAFFIC DRIVE IS CONTINUED -- Seventh Avenue Violators Fined In Local Court, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon], Nov. 1, 1929, p. 19, col. 2.  

"NORTH PELHAM
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NINE CASES HEARD BY JUSTICE PRICE
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Fine Six Traffic Violators in North Pelham Courts
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Justice of the Peace Floyd Price heard nine cases in North Pelham court last night.  All cases involved the violation of village traffic ordinances.  The amount collected in fines totalled $46.  Three violators were given suspended sentences and six paid fines.  The offenses included improper parking, driving without lights and reckless driving.  

Two of the arrests made by the North Pelham police which resulted in the violators appearing in court last night were made on Seventh avenue, in a section known as the speakeasy section and which the North Pelham police are cleaning up."

Source:  NORTH PELHAM -- NINE CASES HEARD BY JUSTICE PRICE -- Fine Six Traffic Violators in North Pelham Courts, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Nov. 8, 1929, p. 24, col. 2.    

"NORTH PELHAM
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FOUR FINED BY JUDGE WALKER
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Traffic Violators Arraigned In North Pelham Court
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Fines totalling $25 were collected from four traffic ordinance violators in North Pelham court last night.  Justice of the Peace Alfred P. Walker, Jr. presided.  The campaign to clean up the so-called speakeasy section on Seventh avenue continued with the fining of two drivers on that street.

Isaac Tidell of 205 South Fourth avenue, Mount Vernon, was fined $5 for parking in that section without a rear light on his car.  Joseph Spane, of 321 South Tenth avenue, Mount Vernon, was fined $5, for illegal parking.  

Hugo Boerner of 401 East 156th street, New York city paid a $5 fine for speeding along Fifth avenue, North Pelham.  Frank Turco of 4 Cedar street, Larchmont, paid a $10 fine for speeding on Fifth avenue.  The case of Mrs. Marjorie Murray of Pelham up on a charge of petit larceny involving the alleged theft of a bottle of cream, was adjourned."

Source:  NORTH PELHAM -- FOUR FINED BY JUDGE WALKER -- Traffic Violators Arraigned In North Pelham Court, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Nov. 15, 1929, p. 3, col. 1.  

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