More on the Early History of the Pelham Heights Police Force

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Little has been written of the history of the Pelham Heights Police Force that once protected the little Village of Pelham before it and the Village of North Pelham merged in 1975 to form today's Village of Pelham.  Recently, I began research into the early history of that tiny little police force.  See, e.g.:   Tue., Jan. 23, 2018:  The Pelham Heights Police Force: A Little History.  

The recent Historic Pelham article cited above documented J. Gardiner Minard's assertion that "The first Village of Pelham Police Station was located in the storefront at 103 Wolfs Lane where it remained until 1923."  Further research has revealed that this assertion may be only partially correct.

It seems that the first permanent full-time Pelham Heights Police Headquarters was, indeed, located at 103 Wolfs Lane where it remained until 1923.  However, an earlier night-only police headquarters was established by the Pelham Heights Police Force in 1906 before opening the facility at 103 Wolfs Lane.

In 1905 and early 1906, when Pelham Heights residents needed to call their police, there was no way to do so.  Instead, according to news reports, they had to contact the Pelham Manor police headquarters in the Village of Pelham Manor.  As a local newspaper reported at the time, "this has been unsatisfactory."  

On July 5, 1906, The Daily Argus of Mount Vernon reported that Pelham Heights Police had mailed notices to all residents of the Village notifying them that a new Police Headquarters would be established in the real estate office of John H. Murphy located at the corner of First Street and Corlies Avenue.  That real estate office, of course, no longer exists though Pelhamites will know its location.  Today it is the small plot within the Wolfs Lane Park on which stands a flagpole with an American Flag lit at night directly across the street from the First Street entrance to the Pelham Train Station.

It appears that until the Pelham Heights Police Headquarters was relocated to 103 Wolfs Lane, the police shared the real estate office, using it only at night while John H. Murphy used it for his real estate business during the day.  The Daily Argus reported:  "This office will only be the headquarters of the police at night.  The telephone call will be 309-R."  The newspaper further reported:


"By establishing the headquarters in the office of Mr. Murphy, the difficulty, heretofore experienced, of reaching the police promptly, will be obviated.  No better location could have been selected by the village authorities than the present one.  It is directly opposite the passenger station and easy of access for the majority of the residents of the village; especially for those who have no telephones in their houses.  It is considered a most important step."

The second year of the Pelham Heights Police Force, 1906, seems to have been a year of change and turmoil.  There seem to have been two shakeups of the tiny force that year by its chief -- Chief Raphael Marks who also served as Chief of the Pelham Manor Police Force.  In late June or early July of 1906, the force apparently had four members, plus Chief Marks.  One of the officers "left the force."  Another resigned.  A third was then appointed "Acting Sergeant" and apparently oversaw only a single patrolman until the force was able, in only a few weeks to find three new police officers to bring the force up to five members.

Within only a few months, Chief Marks apparently overhauled the tiny five-man Pelham Heights Police Force again.  In early October, 1906, a local newspaper reported:

"There has been a shakeup in the Pelham Heights police force recently as a result of which Officers Murphy and Cashman have been discharged.  The chief of police was asked the reasons for the changes in the department but he refused to talk.  It was not so long ago that there was a shakeup in the Pelham Heights department and a few changes made, one of the old officers being discharged.  Two new officers have been engaged to take the places of Murphy and Cashman and they are now on probation. . . ." 

During this same period, Pelham Heights residents and members of the Pelham Heights Police Force apparently began agitating for a so-called "hot telephone system" in Pelham Heights.  The proposal was to affix to trees throughout Pelham Heights a series of telephones wired to connect directly with Police Headquarters so that officers walking their beats through Pelham Heights could pick up any of the phones at various intervals and report back to a desk officer "at stated intervals" as was the custom in many cities at the time (including Mount Vernon).   

Pelham Heights, like the Town of Pelham, was growing up at the time.  Though its Police Force appears to have suffered some growing pains shortly after its birth in 1905, it too was growing up.

 

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"MORE POLICE WANTED NOW FOR PELHAM
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Advisability of Establishing System for Entire Town Suggested
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APPROPRIATION IS NEEDED THOUGH FOR SUCH PROJECT
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North Pelham, June 11. -- The advisability of establishing a police department for the entire town of Pelham is being discussed in some quarters.  At present the police conditions are sufficient in Pelham Manor and Pelham Heights, but as far as North Pelham is concerned, there are only five constables.

It is a well known fact that the police department of Pelham Manor with Chief Marks at its head, is a credit to the village and consists of policemen who are considered efficient defenders of the law.  The police have recently obtained their new uniforms.

The main trouble seems to be with North Pelham.  While there is seldom any trouble in this village, there may arise an occasion when police protection will be needed.  Not long ago there was an exhibition of rowdyism which could have been quelled by a watchman or patrolman.  As there was none, the rowdies were allowed to continue their work until the glass was smashed in a front door window on Fifth avenue and considerable noise created.  Efforts at the time were made to obtain assistance from constables in the village, but they were futile.

President Reilley [sic] said that he did not see how a police department could be supported in the vilage if there was no appropriation for it.  He believes that there ought to be at least two watchmen on duty in the village all the time.

It has been suggested that there should be one department for the entire town with a superintendent or chief for the same.  Also that there should be telephone boxes where the police should notify the chief regularly on specified hours on their beat.  A headquarters for all the police of the three villages has also been suggested, where notification of commission of any crimes could be sent without delay."

Source:  MORE POLICE WANTED NOW FOR PELHAM -- Advisability of Establishing System for Entire Town Suggested -- APPROPRIATION IS NEEDED THOUGH FOR SUCH PROJECT, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 11, 1906, No. 4330, p. 1, col. 4.


"PELHAM
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POLICE HEADQUARTERS.
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Will Be Established at the Office of John H. Murphy.

Pelham Heights is to have a police headquarters.  Notices have been mailed to the residents of the village calling attention to the fact that the headquarters will be established in the real estate office of John H. Murphy, at the corner of First street and Corlies avenue.  This office will only be the headquarters of the police at night.  The telephone call will be 309-R.

It has been felt for some time that Pelham Heights should have the means whereby the proper protection should be given the village.  Heretofore if there was need of the police, the call would have to be sent to the police station in Pelham Manor.  It is understood that this has been unsatisfactory.

The probability is that the police station will remain the headquarters for the residents of Pelham Manor, as it is easy of access; in fact it is more accessible than the proposed headquarters in Pelham Heights.  Then again this small building may be the headquarters for both villages.

By establishing the headquarters in the office of Mr. Murphy, the difficulty, heretofore experienced, of reaching the police promptly, will be obviated.  No better location could have been selected by the village authorities than the present one.  It is directly opposite the passenger station and easy of access for the majority of the residents of the village; especially for those who have no telephones in their houses.  It is considered a most important step."

Source:  PELHAM -- POLICE HEADQUARTERS-- Will Be Established at the Office of John H. Murphy, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 5, 1906, No. 4359, p. 5, col. 2. 



"CHANGING POLICE FORCE.
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Additions Made in Pelham Heights -- Reorganization Effected.
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North Pelham, July 21. -- There has been a shake-up in the police force of the village of Pelham Heights during the past few weeks.  One of the officers has left the force, another has resigned and a third is now acting sergeant at the police headquarters in Pelham Heights.  These changes have made it necessary to put on three new men.  The force has also been increased from four to five men.

The chief is to give his entire time, night and day to matters in Pelham Manor and Pelham Heights.

The advisability of establishing a hot telephone system in Pelham Heights is now being discussed, and will probably become a reality before many days.  It has been suggested that telephones be attached to trees at certain points on the beats of the various officers in order that the headquarters may be communicated with at stated periods as is the custom in Mount Vernon and other cities."

Source:  CHANGING POLICE FORCE -- Additions Made in Pelham Heights -- Reorganization Effected, Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 21, 1906, No. 4373, p. 1, col. 2.

"Here and There. . . . 

There has been a shakeup in the Pelham Heights police force recently as a result of which Officers Murphy and Cashman have been discharged.  The chief of police was asked the reasons for the changes in the department but he refused to talk.  It was not so long ago that there was a shakeup in the Pelham Heights department and a few changes made, one of the old officers being discharged.  Two new officers have been engaged to take the places of Murphy and Cashman and they are now on probation. . . ."


Source:  Here and There,  The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Oct. 2, 1906, No. 4434, p. 5, col. 2.

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Three More Pelham Train Wrecks

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Pelham has been the scene of many train wrecks in the last 170 years since the first railroad tracks were laid through the town.  The most infamous such wreck, of course, was the Pelhamville Train Wreck on December 27, 1885.  (I have written extensively about that train wreck.  See the following article with links to additional articles about the incident, a full bibliography, and images of the aftermath:  Fri., Dec. 30, 2016:  Pelham Recalled the Pelhamville Train Wreck of 1885 Upon Death of Riley Ellsworth Phillips in 1927.)  There have been a host of other train wrecks as well, many of which I have written about before as well.  See, e.g.:

Bell, Blake A., Train Wrecks Near Depot Square in Pelham Manor, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 44, Nov. 5, 2004, p. 13, col. 1.

Wed., Sep. 21, 2016:  Truck Smashed by Express Train Landed on Pelham Station Platform in 1925.  

Fri., Feb. 26, 2016:  108 Years Ago Today: Freight Train Wreck on the Branch Line Between Pelham Manor and Bartow Station.

Fri., Apr. 25, 2014:  Freight Train Wreck at Pelham Manor Station in 1896.

Detail from Front Cover of the January 16, 1886 Issue of
Scientific American that Featured a Cover Story About the
Pelhamville Train Wreck Entitled "A Remarkable Railroad
Accident." NOTE: Click on Images to Enlarge.

Today's Historic Pelham article details three additional Pelham train wrecks.  The first was a major freight train wreck on the Branch Line near Pelham Manor Depot on June 25, 1899.  The second was a derailment of cars on a New Haven Main Line passenger train on March 10, 1905.  The third was a freight train wreck on the Branch Line near Pelham Manor Depot four days later on March 14, 1905.

June 25, 1899 Freight Train Wreck

At about 1:00 p.m. on June 25, 1899, a westbound freight train with sixty cars carrying merchandise, beef, and vehicles was traveling about thirty-five miles an hour between the Pelham Manor and Bartow stations on the Branch Line when a drawbar (a heavy bar helping to connect the railroad cars) either broke or was removed by a vagabond seen climbing aboard the train earlier.  As the front half of the train slowed near the base of a steep grade, the runaway rear half of the train smashed into it.  About twenty cars derailed and scattered their contents along the tracks.  

The conductor was about to leave the caboose when the wreck occurred.  He was thrown about, knocked down, and "severely bruised."  The brakeman, William Cooney, was badly hurt.  He was in one of the cars that derailed.  He was caught in the wreckage.  His leg was crushed and he was cut badly about the face.

After the accident, the vagabond was seen crawling from the wreck unhurt, though his coat and hat were missing.  Although a wrecking train was dispatched to the site immediately, it was several hours before the tracks could be cleared and traffic along the Branch Line could be resumed.

March 10, 1905 Passenger Train Derailment

At 7:35 a.m. on March 10, 1905, a passenger train traveling through Pelham reached an area where the Main New Haven Line rails had spread.  As the wheels of the train passed over the defective section of the track, five cars were derailed.  

No one was hurt in the accident but, according to a brief newspaper account "six women on the train fainted."  Luckily, someone had the presence of mind to get down the tracks and flag down the express train that was bearing down on the scene from behind and flagged it to a stop in time to prevent a major collision with the derailed cars.

June 14, 1905 Freight Train Pile Up

On the afternoon of March 14, 1905, a westbound freight train passing the Pelham Manor Depot snapped an axle.  Four cars of the train derailed and piled up along the tracks in a terrible wreck.  

Though there is no record of injuries, a brief reference to the accident indicates that the Branch Line tracks were blocked for two hours as a result of the wreck.

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"FREIGHT STREWN ALONG TRACKS.
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SMASH ON THE NEW-YORK, NEW-HAVEN AND HARTFORD ROAD NEAR BARTOW CAUSES MUCH DAMAGE.

A westbound freight train, consisting of sixty cars of merchandise, beef and vehicles, was badly wrecked about 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon on the Harlem River branch of the New-York, New-Haven and Hartford Railroad.

The accident was caused by the pulling out of a drawbar while the train was descending a steep grade between Bartow and Pelham Manor at a speed of about thirty-five miles an hour.  Before the locomotive and forward section could get out of the way the rear section could get out of the way the rear section overtook it and struck it with a crash, throwing about twenty cars off the rails and scattering their contents along the track.  Conductor Llewellyn was about to leave the caboose when the crash came, and was knocked down and severely bruised.  William Cooney, a brakeman, was standing on one of the cars that left the track.  He was caught in the wreckage and had his leg crushed, in addition to being cut about the face.

Just before the accident one of the brakemen saw a tramp board the train and take refuge in an empty box car near the place where the train was broken in two.  After the wreck he was seen crawling out from under the car hatless and coatless, but unhurt.  The accident blocked all trains and delayed traffic on the road about six hours."

Source:  FREIGHT STREWN ALONG TRACKS -- SMASH ON THE NEW-YORK, NEW-HAVEN AND HARTFORD ROAD NEAR BARTOW CAUSES MUCH DAMAGE, New-York Tribune, Jun. 26, 1899, Vol. LIX, No. 19,216, p. 1, col. 5.  

"A Wreck on the Branch Line.
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Pelham Manor, June 26. -- The west-bound freight train on the Harlem River branch of the New Haven road at one o'clock Sunday noon, was badly wrecked at Pelham Manor.

The accident was caused by the pulling out of a drawbar.  Several of the freight cars left the track and some of them were badly wreck.   

A brakeman by the name of Cooney, had his leg crushed, and was otherwise badly bruised.

The grade between Bartow and Pelham Manor is very steep, and when the drawbar pulled out, the forward cars, with the engine, moved away from the rear section, and [as] the engine slowed up, the broken section crashed into the cars ahead of it and a general smashup took place.

The wrecking train was soon on the scene, and after a few hours delay the tracks were cleared for traffic."

Source:  A Wreck on the Branch Line, Mount Vernon Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 26, 1899, Vol. XXIX, No. 2,222, p. 1, col. 4.  

"FREIGHT STREWN ALONG TRACKS.
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Smash on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Road Near Bartow Causes Much Damage.

A west bound freight train, consisting of sixty cars of merchandise, beef and vehicles, was badly wrecked about one o'clock Sunday afternoon on the Harlem River branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.  

The accident was caused by a broken flange while descending the grade between Bartow and Pelham Manor at a speed of about thirty-five miles an hour, throwing fifteen cars off the rails and scattering their contents along the track.  Conductor Llewellyn was about to leave the caboose when the crash came, and was knocked down and severely bruised.  William Cooney, a brakeman, was standing on one of the cars that left the track.  He was caught in the wreckage and had his leg crushed in addition to being cut about the face.  

Just before the accident one of the brakemen saw a tramp board the train and take refuge in an empty box car near the place where the train was broken in two.  After the wreck he was seen crawling out from under the car hatless and coatless, but unhurt.  The accident blocked all trains and delayed traffic on the road about six hours.  The cars are still piled along the track, some of them standing on an end, and others with the wheels in the air.  The trucks of some of the cars are thirty feet away from the body."

Source:  FREIGHT STREWN ALONG TRACKS, The New Rochelle Press, Jul. 1, 1899, p. 1, col. 2.  

"NEW HAVEN TRAIN DERAILED.

Mount Vernon, N. Y., March 10. -- The 7:35 a.m. westbound local was derailed at Pelham, on the New Haven Railroad by the spreading of the rails.  Five loaded cars were thrown from the track.  Six women on the train fainted but none was injured.  The express train was flagged in time to prevent a collision with the derailed cars."

Source:  NEW HAVEN TRAIN DERAILED, The Daily Saratogian, Mar. 10, 1905, p. 2, col. 3.

"WRECK ON CONSOLIDATED.
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Four Cars of Westbound Freight Piled Up.

New York, March 14. -- Four cars of a westbound freight train on the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad, were wrecked by the breaking of an axle at the Pelham Manor Station this afternoon.  The suburban branch was blocked for two hours."

Source:  WRECK ON CONSOLIDATED -- Four Cars of Westbound Freight Piled Up, The Daily Morning Journal and Courier, Mar. 15, 1905, p. 1, col. 3.  

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