More on Installation of "Silent Cop" Traffic Lights and Traffic Semaphores in Pelham in the 1920s

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

Pelham has had automobile traffic issues for as long as, well, as long as there have been automobiles.  Indeed, from the earliest years of the twentieth century until today, Pelham lies in the path of tens of thousands of motorists traveling to and from New York City.  In fact, in the years before completion of the Hutchinson River Parkway, I-95, and other major thoroughfares in the region, motorists used roadways such as Boston Post Road and Shore Road to travel along the eastern coastline northeast of New York City.  That meant traffic issues for little Pelham.

As I have noted before, by about the time of World War I, traffic was becoming so heavy on Boston Post Road and accidents were becoming so frequent that a traffic cop was assigned to direct traffic at Red Church Corner, known today as Four Corners (the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue).  Pelham Manor posted John McCormack to handle the duties.  He became known as "Mack," the "Smiling Cop," who became famous and even played himself in a movie.  See Mon., Feb. 24, 2014:  Mack, the Movie Star Traffic Cop of Pelham Manor, 1916-1928.  

During the Roaring Twenties, however, traffic in Pelham exploded.  Two things quickly became clear.  First, traffic was an issue around the clock -- not just during the workday.  Second, intersections throughout all three villages were experiencing a rise in traffic and, in numerous instances, increases in the number of intersection accidents.  It was time to harness the power of "Silent Cops" as early traffic signals were known.

I have written before about installations of so-called "Silent Cops" in Pelham as early as 1922.  See Wed., Nov. 29, 2017:  Pelham Grows Up: Installation of "Silent Cop" Traffic Lights and Traffic Semaphores in the 1920s.  Such Silent Cops at the time took the form of simple traffic lights or simple traffic semaphores, examples of which are pictured below.

1925 Horni Signal Manufacturing Company Traffic Light. 

Early Traffic Semaphore.

By 1927, the use of early traffic lights and traffic semaphores was proving itself effective in Pelham.  Consequently, the community began expanding the use of such signals as traffic continued to grow.  These, however, were not modern, timed, and automated traffic lights.  Rather, they were lights and semaphore lights that were mechanically controlled by a Police Officer who managed traffic on particularly congested thoroughfares like Boston Post Road.

Thus, for example, during the summer of 1927, Pelham Manor Police Chief Philip Gargan oversaw installation of three traffic semaphore lights at two problematic Boston Post Road intersections:  Fowler Avenue and Esplanade.

By 1927, in fact, both intersections were problematic.  The Fowler Avenue intersection was particularly bad because, at the time, there was a slight jog in the roadway just to the east of the intersection that created a blind curve along Boston Post Road immediately before the intersection.  There were many accidents at the intersection caused by cars pulling out from Fowler onto Boston Post Road just as vehicles rounded the blind curve and struck them in the intersection.  Indeed, the local newspaper, The Pelham Sun, described the intersection as "a dangerous intersection, with a blind curve just east of it, [that] has been the scene of many accidents."

Esplanade was another problematic intersection.  Vehicles traveling north and south on that busy road would try to scoot across the heavily-congested Boston Post Road causing accidents as well.  In July, 1927, Police Chief Philip Gargan oversaw installation of two traffic semaphore lights at that intersection to control northbound and southbound traffic on Esplanade.  At the same time Chief Gargan oversaw installation of another traffic semaphore light at the Fowler Avenue intersection.

The effect of the three new traffic signals was immediate.  Indeed, the local newspaper seemed almost surprised that there were no accidents at the Fowler Avenue intersection during heavy weekend traffic the weekend of July 23-24 that year.  The newspaper reported:  "The heavy week end traffic was more easily managed with the assistance of the lights which are situated at Fowler avenue and the Esplanade.  There were no reports of accidents at these points which ordinarily present a hazard during heavy traffic hours."

Of course, not all motorists complied with the new signals.  Indeed, even with a police officer operating the signals, some motorists simply blew through red lights and, of course, were ticketed.  Again, as The Pelham Sun reported, "there were those who failed to comply with the code set down by the red and green lights.  Tonight in Pelham Manor police court.  Judge Anthony M. Menkel will impose penalty on several motorists who were served with summonses when they passed traffic signals set against them."

As always, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same, even in the little Town of Pelham. . . . 

*          *          *          *          *

"Boston Road Traffic Lights Prove Successful
-----
No Accidents Reported At Dangerous Intersections After Installation of Light Semaphore
-----

The three new traffic lights recently installed on the Boston road have not been without their effect.  The heavy week end traffic was more easily managed with the assistance of the lights which are situated at Fowler avenue and the Esplanade.  There were no reports of accidents at these points which ordinarily present a hazard during heavy traffic hours.

Although motorists in general observed the signals there were those who failed to comply with the code set down by the red and green lights.  Tonight in Pelham Manor police court.  Judge Anthony M. Menkel will impose penalty on several motorists who were served with summonses when they passed traffic signals set against them.

On the whole Chief of Police Philip Gargan, under whose direction the traffic lights were installed, is highly pleased with the new system.  Fowler avenue, a dangerous intersection, with a blind curve just east of it, has been the scene of many accidents.

It has been necessary to erect two lights at the Esplanade to accommodate traffic on both north and south-bound thoroughfares."

Source:  Boston Road Traffic Lights Prove Successful -- No Accidents Reported At Dangerous Intersections After Installation of Light Semaphore, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 29, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 23, p. 10, col. 2.  

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

The Estate and Home of W. T. Grant that Became the Grounds of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Pelham Manor

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

William Thomas Grant, Jr. was the founder and Chairman of W. T. Grant Co.,  one of the most successful retail chains in the United States for many decades. William T. Grant’s success enabled him to build a lovely estate on the north side of Boston Post Road where Our Lady of the Perpetual Help stands today. 

In the early years of his company, Grant worked long hours and opened stores in the northeast. He handled his own buying for the stores and negotiated leases for each store that he opened. Within ten years, he had opened thirty-six stores. By 1918 he raised the 25-cent price limit on the retail chain’s merchandise to $1. 

By about this time, W.T. Grant and his wife, Lena Blanche Brownell Grant (whom he married in 1907), were residents of Pelham Manor where they lived thereafter for many years. The couple, who adopted two children, built a lovely estate on the north side of Boston Post Road. The estate consisted of about six acres of property on which stood a large Manor House and two smaller houses. Records in the possession of the Library of Congress indicate that work on the estate continued for many years and that the beautifully-landscaped grounds were designed by “Lundquist, L., landscape architect.” The architect of the home was the noted Howard Major.

I have written a number of times about W. T. Grant and his company. See, e.g.:  

William Thomas Grant Jr. and His Estate in Pelham Manor, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 33, Aug. 20, 2004, p. 6, col. 1.

Mon., Apr. 02, 2018:  Pelhamite William T. Grant, Founder of Grant's Dime Stores, Donated Land for Our Lady of Perpetual Help - St. Catharine Parish in 1939.

W.T. Grant lived an exemplary life in Pelham as one of its leading citizens. He served as president of Pelham’s Men’s Club, an important civic and social organization. He was a member of the original board of directors of The Pelham Sun Publishing Company established in 1919 (only a few years after The Pelham Sun first began printing). He continued as a member of the board of directors until 1925. He also provided much needed financial support for Pelham’s Boy Scout program in its early years. 

William T. Grant, Jr.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

In about 1937, St. Catharine’s Parish served Catholics throughout the entire Town of Pelham and was experiencing a “rising number of standees at all Masses”. Grant, a Protestant, offered to give his estate to the Archdiocese of New York. According to a history of the church, the initial offer was refused because the diocesan office already had arranged an option on a piece of property at Hazen Street and the Esplanade for a proposed new parish. But, “[d]uring ensuing meetings with the village board of Pelham Manor, the idea met strong opposition, zoning permission was not granted, and eventually the option was dropped.” 

St. Catharine’s arranged an intermediary to approach W.T. Grant about his previously offered gift. The approach was successful and on May 27, 1939 a portion of the estate containing the Manor House and the land on which it stood was deeded for $1.00 to St. Catharine’s Parish as the gift of “Wm. T. and Beth B. Grant”. Approvals and legal technicalities required months of effort, but on December 8, 1939, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, at 11:00 a.m., worshipers celebrated the first Mass in a tiny chapel created within the Manor House. William and Beth Grant deeded a gift of the remainder of the estate on December 31, 1940. 

W.T. Grant served as President of his company until 1924. Thereafter he served as chairman of the board. After the company went public in 1928 he controlled about 25 percent of the stock. In 1966 he retired as chairman at the age of 90, but remained as honorary chairman until his death on August 6, 1972. 

Only three years later, W.T. Grant Co. declared bankruptcy – the largest retailing bankruptcy in history up to that point.

The home that William T. Grant built in Pelham Manor in 1918 and 1919 was rather fascinating.  The architect, Howard Major, was inspired to design the home after seeing former slave quarters while visiting historic manor homes in Maryland.  Yet, the large estate home evoked an English cottage.  It was a low, unimposing structure with six bedrooms and servants' quarters on the second floor.  Great care was taken to preserve foliage and shrubbery on the estate grounds as the home was built to give the home an immediate country estate feel without the need for extensive additional plantings on the grounds.

The seemingly modest exterior belied a grand and elegant interior.  As one article about the home published shortly after it was built stated:

"With the simple exterior one is not quite prepared for the elegance of the interior, suggestive as it is of the best English and Italian decorative periods.  One enters a formal hall with the stair hall opening off, floors of which are black and white marble squares laid diamond wise.  This feature gives not only a feeling of palatial beauty but one of cool refreshment as well.  The walls of the halls and of most of the rooms are of rough finished plaster in a soft gray and the wood trim is painted a Colonial white.  The woodwork in the small hall, from which the staircase rises, is pure Colonial, with charmingly proportioned doors and a panelled archway between the top of which is ceiled, as are the sides."

Images of the home are maintained in the collections of the Library of Congress and are included immediately below.  Today's Historic Pelham article also transcribes the text of an article about the W. T. Grant home shortly after it was built with three images of the home that appeared with the article.  The text is followed by a citation and link to the source.

William T. Grant Home on Boston Post Road in

Pelham Manor in an Undated Photograph.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Estate Fountain on Grounds of the William T. Grant Home

on Boston Post Road in Pelham Manor in an Undated Photograph.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*           *          *           *          *

"W. T. GRANT'S HOME at PELHAM, N. Y., VIEWED FROM ITS

INFORMAL GARDENS.  HOWARD MAJOR - ARCHITECT."

Source:  PICTURESQUE LINES OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS

FURNISHED ARCHITECT WITH MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN

HOME, New York Herald, Jul. 13, 1919, p. 44, cols. 1-8 (NOTE:  Paid

subscription required to access via this link).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"ENTRANCE HALL WITH ITS FLOOR of BLACK and WHITE

MARBLE SQUARES LAID DIAMONG WISE."  Source:

PICTURESQUE LINES OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS FURNISHED

ARCHITECT WITH MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN HOME,

New York Herald, Jul. 13, 1919, p. 44, cols. 1-8 (NOTE:  Paid

subscription required to access via this link).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"AN ADDED TOUCH of PRIVACY is GIVEN the ENTRANCE

by the DORMERS FLANKING IT."  Source:  PICTURESQUE LINES

OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS FURNISHED ARCHITECT WITH

MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN HOME, New York Herald,

Jul. 13, 1919, p. 44, cols. 1-8 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required

to access via this link).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"PICTURESQUE LINES OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS FURNISHED ARCHITECT WITH MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN HOME

Howard Major Received Inspiration for Novel Plan During His Rambles Among Historic Manors in Maryland -- Later Embodied Crude Beauties of Outbuildings in Construction of House for W. T. Grant at Pelham, New York

It is safe to say no architect ever designed a house around such unique a motif as did Howard Major when he planned the long, low, rambling and altogether delightful dwelling for W. T. Grant at Pelham, N. Y.  Hugging the ground closely it stretches out over a hundred feet of pretty country, showing a contour of low gables and simple roof lines, of sturdy chimneys and quaint dormers that manifestly belong to the site.

At first glance the house does not seem to be made up of the various types from which our modern, domestic architecture is drawn, although it suggests the English cottage idea more than any other.  And it is only after Mr. Major -- one of the younger of New York architects, whose work is bound to enhance in value as time goes on, since he builds not for evanescent popularity but honestly with a vision for the future -- tells you how the idea for the Grant home took shape in his mind and gradually grew until it developed into this picturesque and livable home that the layman fully understands the inspiration that suggested it.

It was while visiting friends at Havre de Grace, Md., that Mr. Major, in prowling around among the famous old manors of that historic State, was struck by the exceedingly picturesque quality of the old slave quarters, always an adjunct to the 'big house.'  Invariably of brick and whitewashed with native materials that weathered into soft, mellow tones, these quaint little structures had a character peculiarly their own.  Sometimes they resembled the first Dutch Colonial houses of New Amsterdam and again the main unit had built against it the typical lean-to or additions graded down in size to small sheds.  Generally crude in form and shape, they nevertheless served to emphasize the picturesque character of the whole.

Masonry Haphazard.

As a rule there was a stanch though irregularly built chimney at one or both ends and the haphazard method of masonry added a distinction of its own.  Not only were those quaint little dwellings in harmony with their surroundings but they seemed to form a connecting link with nature and become a part of it, a feature all too often lacking in the fine country estates of to-day.  The more the architect saw of these simple native cottages the more he became imbued with the desire to build a suburban home around the motif.  The opportunity offered itself when a client, W. T. Grant of Pelham, sought his services to design for him a home.  Mr. Grant was delighted with the suggestion and soon the picturesque dwelling was under way.

The site for the new home bore all the evidences of having served for an earlier habitation and it seemed peculiarly suitable for the development of this novel idea.  The aspect of the surrounding country was essentially a domestic one, for the trees -- oak, maple, the elm -- were all native to the vicinity, and there were huge trees of box and giant bushes of lilacs already there that demanded a house of a simple, unpretentious sort.  The way the plan worked out and the manner in which the architect kept it all in 'key' combine to make it one of the most charming and essentially livable houses to be found anywhere.

House Set Close to Ground.

The house, with its delightful planes and roof surfaces, its gables and quaint dormers, is set close to the ground and field stone wall that follows the contour of the land encloses it in an intimate, friendly way that serves to emphasize the sweet, domestic character of the whole.  A flagstone pathway leads up through a country lot to the door and a grass path, rose bordered, offers another method of approach.  Only a little planting has been done, but that is of an effective sort such as the introduction of dwarf and blue spruces and dwarf Norway pines or vines planted in the angle of a gabled wing that climb up to the weathered , shingled roof and form a splash of green against the silvery surface that is as refreshing to the eye as it is picturesque in effect.  

With the simple exterior one is not quite prepared for the elegance of the interior, suggestive as it is of the best English and Italian decorative periods.  One enters a formal hall with the stair hall opening off, floors of which are black and white marble squares laid diamond wise.  This feature gives not only a feeling of palatial beauty but one of cool refreshment as well.  The walls of the halls and of most of the rooms are of rough finished plaster in a soft gray and the wood trim is painted a Colonial white.  The woodwork in the small hall, from which the staircase rises, is pure Colonial, with charmingly proportioned doors and a panelled archway between the top of which is ceiled, as are the sides.

Stairs in Fine Proportion.

The staircase itself is well worthy of comment.  Broken midway by a landing and a sharp turn, it forms a particularly interesting detail.  Slender spindles, delicately carved, are surmounted by a modest mahogany handrail and a crystal ball takes the place of the usual wood newel post.  The stairs are perfectly designed with broad treads and low risers, making the ascent to the upper story a real pleasure by reason of its fine proportions.  A simple crystal chandelier, small and unusual in design, suggests the type of lighting fixture carried out in the main living room on the first floor.

The main floor plan, built on one level, is simple but comprehensive, the living room, dining room and stair hall opening off the main hall.  The enclosed porch, which forms a gabled wing, is reached from the living room.  The service portion has ample space for its own needs.  The second floor contains six bed chambers and an equal number of baths.  The servants' quarters are arranged in the floor of the high portion.

Since Mr. Major is one of the architects who not only design their houses but furnish them as well, his work invariably has a charm of its own, dependent upon his fine decorative taste.  In the past an architect faced the possibility of having his work spoiled by the decorating, but nowadays it has become the custom for him to develop the furnishing to suit the design, and as a result there are far fewer failures to record.  Mr. Major depends more upon composition and arrangement to get his effect than upon the usual 'color schemes' of which we have, unfortunately, heard far too much in the past.

Dining Room Elegant but Simple.

Elegant simplicity prevails in the huge living room, lighted by four windows, which, furnished in Italian style with a predominance of green in the upholstery, harmonizes well with the gray rough plaster walls.  William Odom collected the furniture for this room while travelling abroad, and it includes some rare tapestries, furniture and draperies.  A number of fine canvases cover the walls, one of which is used as an over-mantel.  Mr. Major himself discovered some wonderful Italian polychrome sidelights, which he has used to good effect against the plain wall surfaces.

No room in the house is more effective than the Georgia dining room, which is panelled from floor to ceiling and painted in soft green, which has been rubbed down to a dull antique finish.  Against this background Mr. Major has placed the most delightful of furnishings in the shape of gilt consols used as side tables, a set of black and gold chairs, an ancient gilt mirror, an over mantel painted with gay flowers on a black background, and other similar fittings.  It is at once both simple and luxurious, and satisfies the taste for the elegant and refined without introducing anything obtrusive either in color or design.

Faithful devotion to an idea is one of Mr. Major's particular characteristics.  He believes, above all, in building honestly and well and in undertaking no more than he can personally carry out.  

'I never take more work,' he says 'than can be done under my direct supervision.  It must bear the imprint of my own taste and skill and so I never turn work over to others to execute for me.'

Just at present the architect is engaged on a $250,000 job at Southampton, L. I., besides the remodelling of a town house in the Empire period and several other contracts in the suburbs.  As to the continued high cost of building construction Mr. Major believes there is little if any chance of its coming down for some time to come.

'I believe we will see the present high rates for both labor and materials maintained for the next seven or eight years,' remarked Mr. Major in this connection.  'It looks to me as though the present inflated values will continue, but I don't believe that will have any effect in restricting building operations.

'There is an immense amount of work going on now and there is every reason to believe it will keep on, for in the majority of instances the incomes have increased with the high cost of living and so the people who want new homes will have them just the same.  The tendency to drop to normal will be gradual and it will be a number of years before this really happens, according to my judgment.'"

Source:  PICTURESQUE LINES OF OLD SLAVE QUARTERS FURNISHED ARCHITECT WITH MOTIF FOR DESIGN OF SUBURBAN HOME, New York Herald, Jul. 13, 1919, p. 44, cols. 1-8 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

An Infamous Brutal Assault and Murder of a Pelham Manor Schoolgirl in 1884

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

During the late 1870s and early 1880s, vagrants were hopping onto trains leaving New York City and hopping off in Pelham to beg, house-to-house, from local residents.  Petty crimes involving such vagrants were a constant problem.  Occasionally, vagrants were involved in serious crimes and brutal assaults on Pelham residents.

Known at the time as "tramps," these vagrants became such a problem in Pelham Manor that the residents of that settlement formed the "Pelham Manor Protective Club," a vigilance committee that served to police the community and that served as the forerunner to village government when the settlement organized as the Village of Pelham Manor in 1891.  

One particularly brutal crime involving "tramps" occurred on June 10, 1882.  That day a German woman named Kate Folz was walking along the tracks of the New Haven Branch Line on her way, by foot, from Connecticut to New York City. She worked as a servant in Stamford and in Greenwich. She carried a carpet bag filled with clothing. 

Kate Folz finally reached a rather desolate and unpopulated area known as Pelham Woods near Pelham's border with New Rochelle between the New Haven Branch Line and the Pelham border. There, where the railroad tracks crossed Boston Post Road, she encountered a local gang of five young ruffians from New Rochelle, some of whom already had criminal records and had served jail time. The brutal encounter that followed became fodder for a host of newspaper reports throughout the region and a massive manhunt to track down the ruffians. 

The gang robbed Ms. Folz of her earrings. They tore up her carpet bag as they searched for valuables and destroyed the clothing within. They demanded money and forced the poor woman to beg for her life. They stole nearly all the money she had, a little more than seven dollars. The thugs next assaulted her repeatedly.  

Within two days the Executive Committee of the Pelham Manor Protective Club met and appointed one of its members to investigate what became known, euphemistically, as the "outrage."  I have written before about this brutal assault on Kate Folz.  See Tue., Feb. 21, 2017:  The June 10, 1882 "Outrage" that Enraged the Pelham Manor Protective Club.  

Barely two years later, Pelham Manor and the Pelham Manor Protective Club were faced with an even more shocking and brutal assault on the young fourteen-year-old daughter of a Pelham Manor resident.  Early on the morning of Friday, May 23, young Nora Walsh (daughter of Patrick Walsh who later moved to Pelhamwood and operated a local dairy that supplied butter, milk, and other dairy products to residents of North Pelham, Pelham Manor, and New Rochelle), left her home to walk to school from Pelham Manor to New Rochelle along Boston Post Road.  She never made it to school that day.

Patrick Walsh and his family operated a farm along Boston Post Road in Pelham Manor.  Nora Walsh left the farmhouse that morning to walk along Boston Post Road to her school, the Sisters' School at New Rochelle.

When the little girl did not return home by the early evening, a frantic search began.  Family, friends, and others searched throughout the entire evening, the night, and part of the next morning.  That following morning, searchers found little Nora Walsh in a meadow on the edge of woods located along Boston Post Road less than a quarter mile from her home and about a mile south of the border between Pelham Manor and New Rochelle.  The little girl had lain face up in the sun all day on Friday and was sunburned.  It was nearly thirty hours before searchers led by one of her cousins from Larchmont found her.

Nora's hands were tied behind her back and her feet were bound, all with ribbons torn from the little girl's hat.  When found, her mouth was still stuffed with green leaves to serve as a gag.  Though alive, she was found in an "insensible condition."  Her wrists were badly cut by the ribbons that tightly bound them behind her back.  Her face was badly swollen from being beaten.

Local authorities were notified and the poor girl was taken to her home for treatment.  Various witnesses reported seeing two young men in the area of the meadow where little Nora was found.  The men were described as young tramps.

Deputy Sheriff Malloy of New Rochelle led a law enforcement group that began searching for the pair of tramps.  Later in the day the officers observed two young men near the New Haven Main Line railroad tracks in New Rochelle.  As the officers approached, the two men split and fled in different directions.  After a brief pursuit, the officers arrested both men.

The men were German.  Though they spoke English, they spoke it  with some difficulty and with thick German accents.  The two gave their names as John Derser and Frederick Hilthouse.  They were taken to the Westchester County Jail in White Plains.  

An arraignment was scheduled on Monday, May 26, 1884.  At the appointed time, the courtroom was packed with a mob of angry citizens who were admonished by the Judge to hold their tempers and tongues during the proceeding.  Incredibly, when the proceeding began, farmer Patrick Walsh of Pelham Manor led his brutalized and badly-injured little daughter to the witness stand to testify.  The entire courtroom murmured in sympathy as she climbed to the stand with her bruised and swollen face and brutalized body.

The brave little girl testified that as she walked along Boston Post Road to school the previous Friday, while only 200 yards from her farm, she was attacked from behind by two men.  One covered her eyes and mouth with his hands while the other grabbed and lifted her.  The pair carried her over a stone fence into a meadow near woods.  They began to brutalize her.  They tore the ribbons from her hat and bound her hands and feet.  They robbed her of the forty five cents she carried in her pocket.  One of the men struck her in the face with his fist.  

Nora remembered very little else.  She remembered one important thing, however.  The men were German with thick German accents.  The men were held without bail and returned to the Westchester County Jail in White Plains.  

All of Pelham was outraged.  The Executive Committee of the Pelham Manor Protective Club kicked into overdrive.  It assembled for a meeting on June 2, 1884 and took a host of actions intended to deal, once again, with the problem of tramps in Pelham Manor.  

The minutes book of the Pelham Manor Protective Club, held in the collections of the Westchester County Historical Society, reflect what happened at the Executive Committee meeting held that evening at the home of George H. Reynolds that once stood where today's Weihman Park is located on the northeast corner of Boston Post Road and Esplanade.  Executive Committee members George H. Reynolds, Robert C. Black, William E. Barnett, Thomas D. De Witt, and David M. Johnson were present.

Appropriately, the meeting began with the Committee voting to pay a local Pelham Manor resident a ten dollar reward for the arrest and subsequent conviction of a tramp named John McMahon in connection with an unrelated offense.  Then the Committee turned to the important business of the evening.  

First, the Committee levied a two dollar assessment against all members to fund additional operations.  Then, the Committee authorized publication of a pamphlet for distribution to all members that focused, among other things, on the problem of tramps.  The Committee authorized the inclusion of the following text in that pamphlet:

"“Members of this Club have in the past been more or less annoyed by tramps, but as some members have failed to make prompt reports of these annoyances to the Executive Committee and as the offences have only incidentally and long afterward come to the knowledge of the Committee, a number of the offenders have escaped with impunity. It is the earnest desire of the Committee to prosecute tramps and every criminal committing any punishable offence within the territorial jurisdiction of the Club. This end cannot be attained without the active coöperation of all the Club members. For the purpose, therefore, of securing such cooperation and making the Club efficient in accomplishing the objects for which it was organized, the Committee thinks fit and proper to offer the following suggestions: 

1. As to Tramps – They are defined by statute as “persons who rove from place to place begging” and also as “vagrants living without labor or visible means of support.” “A person who, not having visible means to maintain himself, lives without employment,” or “a person wandering abroad and begging, or who goes about from door to door or places himself in the streets, highways, passages, or other public places to beg or to receive alms,” or “a person wandering abroad and lodging in out houses, sheds, stables, barns or uninhabited buildings, or in the open air, and and [sic] not giving a good account of himself,” is a tramp or vagrant. 

Any offender coming within either of the foregoing definitions may be arrested by a private person without a warrant where the act of vagrancy has been committed in his presence. The person so making an arrest, however, should first inform the vagrant of the cause of his arrest and require him to submit, and then without unnessary [sic] delay take the offender before a Justice of the Peace or deliver him to a constable. 

Members of the Club are particularly requested not in any case to give or consent to the giving of food, clothing or money to tramps but, on the contrary, to arrest them or cause their arrest forthwith. 

2. As to reporting Crimes. – Members are requested to diligently report to this Committee any crime or misdemeanor, however trivial, committed within a mile radius of Pelham Manor Depot. If a tramp is arrested and handed over to a peace officer or taken before a magistrate report that fact. If a tramp escapes arrest report the circumstances, together with a description of him as near as may be. If any grave crime or misdemeanor is committed get word to the Committee at the earliest possible moment, whether in the day time or at any hour of the night, and whether the criminal has escaped or not. An accurate description of the person and dress of the criminal will be of the highest importance in cases of escape, and in every case the utmost care should be taken not to disturb any clues, however slight, which might by any possibility, lead to the detection of the criminal. 

In the absence of the Club member from home, let some member of his family or a servant give information as above. 

Reports may be left at the residence of either member of the Executive Committee, or with the Postmaster at Pelham Manor. 

3. As to the Prosecution of Offenders. – The Executive Committee, upon being informed of the presence of any tramp or the commission of any crime or misdemeanor within the limits above mentioned, will at once take in hand the matter of detecting, arresting and prosecuting the offender. 

4. Telephone. – A telephone connecting with New Rochelle and New York will soon be placed in Pelham Manor Depot in the name of the Protective Club, which may be used by any member for the purpose, in case of necessity, of obtaining assistance as against vagrants and other criminals, and for other purposes. 

5. As to the names and residences of the Peace Officers, etc. of the Town of Pelham. – 

The Constables are: 

William H. Sparks, Jr.       Residing at.         Pelhamville 
James Anderson.                  “ “                    City Island 
Henry Zuner.                         “ “                           “ “      
Valentine Hall.                      “ “                            “ “ 
Frederick Case.                    “ “                     Pelhamville 

And the Justices of the Peace are: 

Jerome Bell.                     Residing at           City Island 
Thomas Martin,                    “ “                             “ “ 
Michael Hogan.                    “ “                      Bartow 
Edw’d A. Peterson.              “ “                      Pelhamville” 

In the very next meeting of the Executive Committee, held on July 9, 1884, the committee members authorized payment of a bill from the Westchester Telephone Company for $20.20, likely related to installation of the telephone connection with New York City and New Rochelle that the Committee planned to have installed in the Pelham Manor Depot for the purpose "of obtaining assistance as against vagrants and other criminals, and for other purposes."  Thus, it would appear that the terrible outrage suffered by 13-year-old Nora Walsh of Pelham Manor on May 23, 1884 was directly responsible for installation of what was the first telephone (or one of the first telephones) installed in the Town of Pelham.  See, generally: 

Wed., Aug. 23, 2017:  Early History of the Telephone in the Town of Pelham.

Tue., May 03, 2016:  More on the Earliest Installations of Telephones in the Town of Pelham.

Mon., Mar. 24, 2014:  The Earliest Telephone in Pelham? When and Where Was it Installed?

Mon., Dec. 21, 2009:  More on What May Have Been the First Telephone Installed in Pelham.

Tue., Mar. 29, 2005:  The Earliest Telephone in Pelham Manor?  

After little Nora Walsh testified at the arraignment of the two young tramps accused of brutalizing her, little Nora returned to her family's farmhouse where she was bedridden.  As the weeks passed, her condition worsened.  One report described her as in constant "terror" of further violence as her health deteriorated significantly, likely due to head injuries.  On Monday, August 11, fourteen-year-old Nora Walsh of Pelham Manor died of injuries she sustained during the brutal attack on May 23rd.  One report promptly noted that the two young tramps, still held in the Westchester County Jail, likely would be indicted for murder.

Dozens and dozens of articles appeared in newspapers throughout the United States about the brutal attack on little Nora Walsh in Pelham Manor.  While it would be more satisfying to know if the miscreants who murdered the little girl were convicted and justly punished, a great deal of research has yet to reveal the fate of the two men jailed as suspects.  Though time likely will reveal the answer, for now Pelhamites may only bow their heads in memory of little Pelhamite Nora Walsh who lost her life due to a brutal assault along Boston Post Road in 1884.

Detail from 1881 Bromley Map Showing Boston Post Road Area in

Pelham Manor Where Nora Walsh Was Assaulted Three Years Later.

The Map Does Not Reflect the Location of the Walsh Farm.  Source:

"Town of Pelham (With) Pelham-Manor From Actual Surveys and Official

Records by G. W. Bromley & Co., Civil Engineers. Published by Geo.

W. & Walter S. Bromley, 1881)" in Atlas of Westchester County, New

York, From Actual Surveys and Official Records by G. W. Bromley & Co.,

Civil Engineers, pp. 56-57 (NY, NY: Geo. W. & Walter S. Bromley, 1881).

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"A SCHOOL GIRL ASSAULTED.
-----

Little Nora Walsh, fourteen years old, was found gagged, and assaulted by two tramps at Pelham, last Friday morning.  The poor child lay helpless, with her face exposed to the glaring sun all day Friday, and was not found till Saturday morning.  The excited farmers in the neighborhood can be readily excused for threats of immediate vengeance.  The only proper and natural punishment for such a crime is unknown to the law, but if there is ever an excuse for summary measures, this is a case in point.  We know it is a dangerous precedent for the people to take the law into their own hands, but if the father of this child should take it upon himself to avenge her wrongs in a proper manner, we think no jury could be found of whose verdict he need be afraid."

Source:  A SCHOOL GIRL ASSAULTED, The Port Chester Journal [Port Chester, NY], May 29, 1884, Vol. XVI, No. 810, p. 3, col. 2.  

"NORA WALSH'S NARRATIVE.
-----
THE CHILD TELLS HOW THE TWO MEN BOUND, ROBBED AND ASSAULTED HER.

The two men who were arrested by Deputy Sheriff Malloy at New Rochelle on a charge of assaulting the schoolgirl Nora Walsh, of Pelham, Westchester county, on Friday morning, were arraigned yesterday before Police Justice Kene at New Rochelle.  The court room was filled with excited men, who were inclined to show hostility to the prisoners, but they were warned by the Court to keep quiet under pain of arrest.

The prisoners described themselves as John Dersrer and Frederick Felthouse.  They are rough looking Germans, speaking English imperfectly.  They told several contradictory stories as to where they belonged.

The little girl had so far recovered as to be able to appear in court.  When she was helped to the witness stand by her father, a farmer, a murmur of sympathy ran through the audience.  The right side of the child's face was badly swollen, where she said one of the men struck her with his fist.  Her wrists bore the deep discolored impression of the ribbon strings from her missing hat, which had cut into the flesh as she lay for nearly thirty hours bound hand and foot in the meadow.  In a low but clear voice she told the story -- all that she remembered -- of the assault.  She said that two men came up behind her.  One placed his hands over her eyes and mouth and the other took her by her hands and feet and bore her over the fence.  Her mouth was filled with green leaves and the ribbons were torn from her hat and used to bind her hands behind her.  Then forty-five cents in change was taken from her pocket and one of the men struck her a violent blow with his fist, which caused her mouth to bleed.  Her apron was produced, upon which were many blood spots.  After this the child said she could remember nothing.  She heard the men going away, but was too weak to see them or to attempt to rise.  Some time afterward, she did not remember how long, she recovered consciousness and tried to get up, but could not.  It was dark and she heard voices near by.  She then lost consciousness and remembered nothing more until Saturday morning, when her cousin James Neville, found her.

Mr. Neville, a young man who resides at Larchmont, testified that he found the girl on Saturday morning in the meadow near the Boston turnpike, two miles south of New Rochelle, and almost within sight of her father's house; she was bound hand and foot with the ribbons from her hat; there were at least a dozen knots in the thongs about her wrists; the child was in a semi-conscious condition and was frothing at her mouth.

Dr. Finch testified as to the child's injuries.  

Mr. L. P. Randall, Dr. A. St. John Sheppard and a boy named Keogh each testified to having seen the prisoners on Friday lurking in the vicinity of the meadow.

The men were committed without bail to await the actions of the Grand Jury."

Source:  NORA WALSH'S NARRATIVE -- THE CHILD TELLS HOW THE TWO MEN BOUND, ROBBED AND ASSAULTED HER, N.Y. Herald, May 27, 1884, p. 5, col. 5.  

"Nora Walsh, 13 years old, the daughter of Patrick Walsh, of Pelham Manor, was brutally assaulted while on her way to school in New Rochelle on Friday morning last.  As she did not return in the evening a search was made for her continuing through the night and until following morning.  She was found in an insensible condition in the edge of woods about a mile south of New Rochelle, near the Boston turnpike.  Her hands were tied behind her, and a gag made of leaves was in her mouth.  Two young tramps were committed to jail, in White Plains on suspicion of being the perpetrators of the outrage.  They have been fully identified, and the case will be presented to the Grand Jury."

Source:  [Untitled], The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], May 30, 1884, Vol. XV, No. 767, p. 3, col. 4.  

"CRIMES AND CASUALTIES. . . .

Nora Walsh, aged 14, is dying at Pelham, from the effects of a brutal assault committed by two young tramps.  Two arrests have been made. . . ."

Source:  CRIMES AND CASUALTIES, Oswego Times and Express, May 26, 1884, Vol. 41, No. 99, p. 1, col. 4.  

“CITY AND SUBURBAN NEWS. . . 

WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

Nora Walsh, 14 years old, the daughter of Patrick Walsh, a farmer in Pelham, was brutally assaulted while on her way to school in New-Rochelle on Friday morning. As she did not return home in the evening a search was made for her on the following morning. She was found in an insensible condition two miles south of New-Rochelle, near the Boston turnpike. Her hands were tied behind her, and a gag made of leaves was in her mouth. Two young tramps were committed to jail, in White Plains, on suspicion of being the perpetrators of the outrage.” 

CITY AND SUBURBAN NEWS. . . WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. Times, May 26, 1884, p. 8, col. 4 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

"BRUTAL WORK OF TRAMPS.
-----
A Young School Girl Shockingly Treated Near New Rochelle.

NEW YORK, May 27. -- A dastardly assault was perpetrated by two unknown tramps on a defenseless school girl in the town of Pelham, Westchester county, on Friday morning last, the particulars of which have just come to light.  The victim is Nora Walsh, fourteen years old, daughter of Farmer Patrick Walsh.  She was a pupil in the Catholic parish school conducted by Rev. Father McLaughlin, near New Rochelle, and left her home on Friday morning at 8:15 o'clock for the institution.  Thirty hours later she was found gagged, bound and in an unconscious condition in a meadow about 200 yards distant from her father's residence.

No alarm was felt for the girl's safety until near evening, as she had to walk two miles going and returning along the old Boston turnpike, but upon inquiries being made of school teachers it was ascertained that she had not attended school during the day.  Inquiries were then made along the road, and searching parties were organized and scoured the country in every direction, using lanterns and torches.  The prisoners were arrested on the railroad track about a mile above New Rochelle.  When they discovered that officers were in pursuit they separated and tried to escape.  They said that they were in New York when the crime was committed, and gave the names of persons with whom they professed to have boarded, but inquiry failed to establish the truth of their story."

Source:  BRUTAL WORK OF TRAMPS -- A Young School Girl Shockingly Treated Near New Rochelle, The Glens Falls Daily Times, May 28, 1884, Vol. X, No. 110, p. 4, col. 7.  

"THE WORK OF TWO MISCREANTS.
-----
A SCHOOL GIRL VICTIM OF A BRUTAL ASSAULT DIES OF THE EFFECTS.

Nora Walsh, a school girl of Pelham, Westchester county, who was assaulted by two ruffians near New Rochelle on May 23 last, died on Saturday last from the injuries she received, and now John Derser and Frederick Hilthouse, the two tramps in the Westchester county jail who are accused of the crime, are in danger of being indicted for murder.

The girl was fourteen years of age, and started to walk to the Sisters' School of New Rochelle, distant about a mile and a half from her father's farmhouse.  About a quarter mile from home, on the open highway, she was seized from behind by two men, one of whom put his hands over her mouth and eyes while the other bore her over a stone wall into a field.  There she was gagged, bound, robbed and assaulted, and left helpless upon the ground.  The ribbons from her hat were taken off to bind her hands and feet.  She was robbed of forty-five cents in change, her mouth was stuffed with leaves to prevent her from screaming, and she was left to her fate.  

The poor child lay there all day and all night until ten o'clock the next morning, when she was found by a searching party more dead than alive.  On that day the two tramps, whose names appear above were arrested by Deputy Sheriff Malloy and identified by several witnesses as having been seen in the vicinity about the time the deed was committed.  The girl could not identify them because she did not see them, but distinctly swore that her assailants were Germans, for she heard them speak.  The prisoners are German.

Little Nora, after giving her testimony against the prisoners, who were committed to await the action of the Grand Jury on May 27, was taken home, where she began to sink from nervous exhaustion.  She was finally prostrated and confined to her bed.  After a lingering illness of about four weeks, during which she seemed to be in terror of violence, she passed away.  The prisoners' defense is an alibi."

Source:  THE WORK OF TWO MISCREANTS -- A SCHOOL GIRL VICTIM OF A BRUTAL ASSAULT DIES OF THE EFFECTS, N.Y. Herald, Aug. 12, 1884, p. 8, col. 6.

*          *          *          *          *

The following is from the official minutes book of the "Pelham Manor Protective Club" and reflects a meeting of the Executive Committee of that club held June 2, 1884, only a few days after the brutal assault on little Nora Walsh of Pelham Manor.

"[Page 71 – June 2, 1884] 

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Pelham Manor Protective Club, was held at the residence of G. H. Reynolds, June 2nd 1884. 

Present: Messrs. Reynolds, Black, Barnett, De Witt and Johnson. 

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. 

On motion, the Treasurer was authorized to pay Edward Kelley’s bill of ten dollars for the arrest and conviction of John McMahon, a tramp. 

The following resolution was offered by Mr. Black and on motion was carried. 

[Page 72 – June 2, 1884] 

Resolved: That as the Pelham Manor Protective Club require money to meet current expenses, and as the members have not been called upon for either dues or assessments during the past eighteen months, an assessment of two dollars upon each member, be made payable on or before July 1st 1884, and the Treasurer is hereby instructed to collect the same. 

Mess. [sic] Barnett and De Witt, the committee on Pamphlet of Instructions reported that they thought the pamphlet should contain, first, the Articles of Association of the Club, second the following suggestions to members. 

“Members of this Club have in the past been more or less annoyed by tramps, but as some members have failed to make prompt reports of these annoyances to the Executive Committee and as the offences have only incidentally and long afterward come to the knowledge of the Committee, a number of the offenders have escaped with impunity. It is the earnest desire of the Committee to prosecute tramps and every criminal committing any punishable offence within the territorial jurisdiction of the Club. This end cannot be attained without the active coöperation of all the Club members. For the purpose, therefore, of securing such cooperation and making the Club efficient in 

[Page 73 – June 2, 1884] 

accomplishing the objects for which it was organized, the Committee thinks fit and proper to offer the following suggestions: 

1. As to Tramps – They are defined by statute as “persons who rove from place to place begging” and also as “vagrants living without labor or visible means of support.” “A person who, not having visible means to maintain himself, lives without employment,” or “a person wandering abroad and begging, or who goes about from door to door or places himself in the streets, highways, passages, or other public places to beg or to receive alms,” or “a person wandering abroad and lodging in out houses, sheds, stables, barnes or uninhabited buildings, or in the open air, and and [sic] not giving a good account of himself,” is a tramp or vagrant. 

Any offender coming within either of the foregoing definitions may be arrested by a private person without a warrant where the act of vagrancy has been committed in his presence. The person so making an arrest, however, should first inform the vagrant of the cause of his arrest and require him to submit, and then without unnessary [sic] delay take the offender before a Justice of the Peace or deliver him to a constable. 

Members of the Club are particularly requested not in any case to give or consent to 

[Page 74 – June 2, 1884] 

the giving of food, clothing or money to tramps but, on the contrary, to arrest them or cause their arrest forthwith. 

2. As to reporting Crimes. – Members are requested to diligently report to this Committee any crime or misdemeanor, however trivial, committed within a mile radius of Pelham Manor Depot. If a tramp is arrested and handed over to a peace officer or taken before a magistrate report that fact. If a tramp escapes arrest report the circumstances, together with a description of him as near as may be. If any grave crime or misdemeanor is committed get word to the Committee at the earliest possible moment, whether in the day time or at any hour of the night, and whether the criminal has escaped or not. An accurate description of the person and dress of the criminal will be of the highest importance in cases of escape, and in every case the utmost care should be taken not to disturb any clues, however slight, which might by any possibility, lead to the detection of the criminal. 

In the absence of the Club member from home, let some member of his family or a servant give information as above. 

Reports may be left at the residence of either member of the Executive Committee, 

[Page 75 – June 2, 1884] 

or with the Postmaster at Pelham Manor. 

3. As to the Prosecution of Offenders. – The Executive Committee, upon being informed of the presence of any tramp or the commission of any crime or misdemeanor within the limits above mentioned, will at once take in hand the matter of detecting, arresting and prosecuting the offender. 

4. Telephone. – A telephone connecting with New Rochelle and New York will soon be placed in Pelham Manor Depot in the name of the Protective Club, which may be used by any member for the purpose, in case of necessity, of obtaining assistance as against vagrants and other criminals, and for other purposes. 

5. As to the names and residences of the Peace Officers, etc. of the Town of Pelham. – 

The Constables are: 

William H. Sparks, Jr.       Residing at.         Pelhamville 
James Anderson.                  “ “                    City Island 
Henry Zuner.                         “ “                           “ “      
Valentine Hall.                      “ “                            “ “ 
Frederick Case.                    “ “                     Pelhamville 

And the Justices of the Peace are: 

Jerome Bell.                     Residing at           City Island 
Thomas Martin,                    “ “                             “ “ 
Michael Hogan.                    “ “                      Bartow 
Edw’d A. Peterson.              “ “                      Pelhamville” 

[Page 76 – June 2, 1884] 

The report was accepted, and the Treasurer was instructed to have one hundred copies of the pamphlet printed. 

The Chairman and Secretary were authorized to arrange with the Westchester Telephone Company for a Telephone at Pelham Manor Depot for the use of the members of the Club. Mr. De Witt presented his resignation as a member of the Executive Committee to take effect July 1st. Accepted. 

On motion adjourned. 

D M Johnson Clerk. 

A meeting of the Executive of the Pelham Manor Protective Club, was held July 9th 1884, at the residence of W. E. Barnett. 

Present: Messrs. Black, Reynolds, Barnett and Johnson. 

On motion, the regular order of business was suspended, and the Committee balloted to fill the vacancy in the Executive Committee, occasioned by the resignation of Mr. De Witt. Wm Allen Smith was unanamously [sic] elected. Messrs. Barnett and Black were appointed a committee to wait upon 

[Page 77 – July 9, 1884]

Mr. Smith, inform him of his election, and request him to meet with us this evening. Mr. Smith came in with the committee and was present during the remainder of this session. 

The minutes of the last meeting were read and adopted. 

The Treasurer presented a bill of the Westchester Telephone Company for $20.20, which was ordered paid. 

The following persons were on motion, elected members of the Club: D. I. Carson, Jno R. Beecroft, Dr. C. F. Heywood , B. T. Kirby, E. R. Bertine , and G. Osmar Reynolds. 

The meeting then adjourned. 

D M Johnson Clerk."

Source:  RECORDS OF THE PELHAM MANOR PROTECTIVE CLUB OF PELHAM MANOR N. Y., pp. 71-77 (Handwritten leather bound volume in the collections of the Westchester County Historical Society, Dec. 15, 1881 - Jan. 8, 1891).  

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."