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.

Friday, August 24, 2018

The Nation -- and World -- Were Amazed by the Quality of Women's Cricket Played in Pelham Manor in 1896


It was the epitome of a purported "He Man's Sport" that, in those days, was supposed to be played by real men.  When women attempted to play the sport, according to the then-current common belief, they were more worried about "bruised fingers" than winning an athletic contest.  Thus, when two teams of eleven women squared off for their big battle on November 14, 1896, on Prospect Hill in Pelham Manor, a tremendous crowd was on hand to enjoy the "spectacle."  To the shock and delight of the crowd, however, the women played brilliantly in a hard-fought match that wore down both teams with the Pelham team emerging the victor.  Real women, it seemed, could play cricket as well as men!

For the next several weeks newspapers throughout the United States and Canada marveled at the fact that these two teams of eleven women had played cricket "JUST LIKE REAL MEN" as The World of New York City reported. Indeed, the Pelham Hall team representing Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in the Village of Pelham Manor, playing in their "short white skirts" and "light blue sweaters" with "P. H." embroidered on front, soundly whipped the young women of Rosemary Hall, a similar young women's boarding academy from Wallingford, Connecticut.

The women's cricket match was not a first for Pelham Manor, nor for the young women from Pelham Hall and Rosemary Hall.  Indeed, the year before Pelham Hall had lost to Rosemary Hall in what became an annual battle fought over a blue championship banner that passed back and forth between the two schools based on the results of the annual cricket match.  

The match in 1896 was different, however.  Pelham Hall had a reputation to defend.  The school was known for its exceptional women's athletics programs.  Thus, the women of the "Pelham Hall Cricket Club" could not let the loss in 1895 stand.  They worked hard in 1896 to prepare for the big re-match against Rosemary Hall.  The work paid off (and showed) during the big match on November 14, 1896.  

The young women of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls began preparing for the big 1896 re-match at least as early as May of that year -- nearly six months in advance of the battle.  That May the young women of the school split into two cricket teams and played a scrimmage on Prospect Hill.  That match lasted four hours.  Afterward, Mrs. John Cunningham Hazen and her daughter, Edith C. Hazen, gathered with the two teams beneath the branches of the "Pell Treaty Oak" that once stood on the grounds of today's Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum.  There the Hazens awarded cuff links and studs of silver and blue enamel to the victors (and cuff buttons and studs of gold set with carbuncles to their captain, Annie King).  The losing squad "received two great bunches of American Beauty Roses."
By November 14, the varsity team of Pelham Hall was ready.  The day, however, was bitterly cold and windy.  The Pelham Hall team was ferried to the playing field on Prospect Hill in coaches festooned with banners of blue and white, the school colors.  There they met the women of Rosemary Hall and began a match in front of a very large crowd of Pelham spectators (mostly women).

The match ended at the close of two innings after five hours.  The captain of the Pelham Hall team, Annie King, clearly was the star of the match.  Indeed, at the close of the match she was carried off the field on the shoulders of her teammates who hugged and kissed each other following the victory.  At the time, Annie King and her sister, Elva, both attended Pelham Hall.  They were daughters of John King, then the Vice-President of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

Pelham Hall won by 69 runs, by a score of 132 to 63.  A number of articles published in newspapers around the country included complete box scores for the game, detailing batted and caught outs, runs scored, and "wides."  The box score appears within a number of the articles transcribed below. 

Following that match, media outlets throughout the United States and Canada reported breathlessly about how the women of both teams had delivered, batted, bowled, and caught the entire cricket match "like men;" how their athleticism was reminiscent of that of men; and how they were fearless in their play.  For example, a newspaper in Buffalo reported the next day:

"As soon as the two teams took the field it was seen that their exhibition would not be the usual kind given by women cricketers.  The girls threw the ball like men; made good stops and catches; had no fear, and were altogether oblivious to hard knocks and bruised fingers.  Their hands were soon blue from the cold, but they cared not for that, and before the final decision of the game was reached two full innings had been played."


Members of the Pelham Hall Cricket Club, Mrs. Hazen's School for
Girls, Pelham Manor, N.Y., in 1895. The Photograph Likely Shows
Many of the Women Who Played in the Match Held the Following
Year on November 14, 1896.  Source: Courtesy of The Office of The
Historian of The Town of Pelham. NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

I have written before of the adventures of the Pelham Hall Cricket Club of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor, New York.  See Wed., Mar. 18, 2015:  Account of Women's Cricket Match Played by Pelham Manor Women in 1898.  That article detailed yet another of the annual matches between Pelham Hall and Rosemary Hall held in 1898.

*          *          *          *          * 

Transcribed below is the text of a number of articles published throughout the nation and Canada about the Pelham Hall cricket match against Rosemary Hall held on November 14, 1896.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"YOUNG WOMEN PLAY CRICKET.
-----
Interesting Game by Elevens of Students of Pelham Hall.

A cricket match was played by two teams belonging to Mrs. John Cunningham Hazen's school for young ladies at Pelham Manor last week that proved very interesting.  The match was played on Prospect Hill.  Visitors from New-York and Westchester County towns were present and cheered on the enthusiastic cricketers.

The young women composing the teams wore short white duck skirts and blue sweaters.  The letters P. H. were embroidered on the sweaters, representing Pelham Hall, the name of the school.  The game lasted four hours.  It was so spirited that none of the spectators went away until the result was known.  Miss Madeline Brown was Captain of the team that won the match by 1 point.  The members of the winning team were Miss Dorothy Day, Miss Marguerite O'Kane, Miss Edith Fowler, Miss Katherine Craig, Miss Laura Houghton, Miss Helen Furman, Miss Jane Wait, Miss Martha Dalzell, Miss Alice Painter, and Miss Helen Leland.

Miss Elva King, was Captain of the second team.  Those who fought with her for victory on the cricket field were her sister, Miss Annie King; Miss Eleanor Emmet of New-Rochelle, Miss Helen Loughran, Miss Mildred Goffe, Miss Annie O'Kane, Miss Helen Hunt, Miss Grace Bronson, Miss Grace Kimball, Miss Katherine Stearns, and Miss Marjorie Leland.  The individual prizes for the winning team were cuff links and studs of silver and blue enamel.  The prize for the Captain was cuff buttons and studs of gold set with carbuncles, given by Mrs. Hazen and Miss Edith C. Hazen.  

The defeated team received two great bunches of American Beauty roses.  The prizes were awarded under a famous oak tree 300 years old."

Source:  YOUNG WOMEN PLAY CRICKET-- Interesting Game by Elevens of Students of Pelham Hall, N.Y. Times, May 24, 1896, p. 13, col. 4.  

"PRETTY GIRLS PLAY CRICKET.
-----
Twenty-Two Fair Maidens Do Battle at Pelham Manor in Chilly Weather.
-----
PELHAM HALL THE VICTOR.
-----
Its Representatives Defeat the Students of Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, Conn.
----- 
BIG TURNOUT AT THE GAME.
-----

Aristocratic Pelham Manor was intensely excited yesterday over a novel contest waged between twenty-two maidens.  In football weather an exciting game of cricket was played on Prospect Hill.  The opposing teams were eleven pretty girls from Mrs. Hazen's select boarding school, Pelham Hall, and eleven equally pretty damsels  from Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, Conn.

Intense enthusiasm reigned in the little Westchester town.  All the well known residents of the fair sex in Pelham Manor turned out, despite the cold, to be present at the contest and to cheer for the girls who go to Mrs. Hazen's school.  Pelham Hall colors, light blue, were conspicuously displayed by its fair partisans, while society women who had accompanied the Rosemary Hall girls from Connecticut flaunted dark blue ribbons with ardent enthusiasm.  A large crowd of fashionably dressed folk witnessed the game, but only a few privileged men were among the spectators.  Rugs and warm wraps were in great demand to guard against the cold, bleak wind that brought color to the faces of those who sat around the grounds on camp chairs and benches.

ON THE FIELD.

At eleven o'clock the two teams made their appearance on the field.  They were greeted with tremendous cheers, and cries that would have done credit to a football field rent the air.  'Rah, rah, rah; hear us call; Hazen, Hazen, Pelham Hall!' shouted the supporters of the local team.  From the other side of the grounds, where waved the dark blue banner, came the answering shout of 'Who are, who are, who are we?  We are the girls of Rosemary!'  The Pelham Hall girls wore dark blue sweaters, with the letters 'P.H.' in light blue across the bosom, while their opponents wore white sweaters bearing the letters 'R.H.' in dark blue.  All wore short, dark

"GIRLS AT THE WICKETS
-----
A SPIRITED CRICKET GAME ON PROSPECT HILL.
-----
Pelham Hall Regains the Light-Blue Banner, Lost Last Year to Rosemary Hall, by 69 Runs.

PELHAM MANOR, N.Y., Nov. 14. -- Prospect Hill was the scene here to-day of a Winter contest of a most unusual kind.  Arrayed against each other on the cricket field were two elevens of young athletic maidens; one from Mrs. Hazen's boarding school, Pelham Hall, and the other from Rosemary Hall, a similar institution at Wallingford, Conn.

Bareheaded and wearing sweaters and short skirts, daughters of some of the most prominent men in the country defied the cold, wintry wind.  With enthusiasm and skill the twenty-two bowled, batted, and fielded.  A large crowd, chiefly composed of Pelham's most fashionable folk, witnessed the game.  Excitement ran high, for last year the Pelham Hall girls journeyed to Wallingford and were defeated by the Rosemary cricketers.  To-day the losers on that occasion struggled successfully to win back the light-blue banner they lost in Connecticut.

It was 11 o'clock when the Pelham Hall girls, in dark-blue sweaters, bearing the letters P. H. in light blue, and the Rosemary girls, in white sweaters, bearing the letters R. H. in dark blue, appeared on Prospect Hill.  The weather, the waving of ribbons and banners, and the college cries would have done justice to a Yale-Harvard football match.  The Connecticut girls had a large contingent of supporters who had traveled from Wallingford, and who proudly gathered round the banner which these athletic young women were to battle for.  

Rosemary Hall won the toss and put Pelham Hall in to bat.  The girls who attend the local boarding school are no novices.  For months they have been practicing, but to-day they surprised even their most ardent supporters.  Miss King, Captain of the Pelhamites, hit up 15 in excellent style, while Miss Leland ably assisted her.  The Rosemary bowlers were a little erratic, and the wides swelled the total so that when the last girl from Pelham Hall saw her wicket fall the home total was 81, a very formidable score to beat on such a wicket.

Rosemary Hall went to the wickets amid generous applause.  With the exception of Miss Cromwell, who batted splendidly, the Connecticut cricketers were unable to make any stand against the bowling of Miss King and Miss Paintor.  The bare-headed little Pelham Captain, who is a daughter of the Vice President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, won double laurels.  Chiefly owing to her prowess the Rosemary cracks were dismissed for the modest total of 26, or 55 runs behind.

Pelham Hall batted again, and again Capt. King made top score, hitting up 21 runs.  The rest of her team failed to do as well and Pelham's second venture ended for 51, or 106 runs ahead.  Rosemary Hall struggled hard to retain its supremacy, and Miss Cromwell again made top score.  But it was a forlorn hope, and at 3 o'clock Pelham Hall was victorious by 69 runs.

Then light-blue ribbons waved, and women threw their rugs and wraps aside and ran to congratulate the victorious girls.  ' 'Rah, 'rah, 'rah; hear us call; Hazen, Hazen, Pelham Hall!' they cried with a vigor that would have done credit to college boys.  In feebler tones, from the other side of the field came the cry, ' 'Rah, 'rah, 'rah; 'rah, 'rah, ree; we are the girls of Rosemary!'  The banner was won back, and joy reigned throughout Pelham Manor.  The two teams dined together in the evening at Pelham Hall.

The following is the score:


PELHAM HALL.


First Innings.
Second Innings.
Emily Gray, c. Hickory, b. Weston. . . . . . . . . 2
c. Hickory, b. Orius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Mildred du Bois, c. Hickory, b. Weston. . . . . 0
b. Oriur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
Annie King, b. Recneps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Run out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Eleanor Emmet, c. Getson, b. Orius. . . . . . . 2
c. Salguod, b. Orius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Laura Haughton, b. Weston. . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
b. Recneps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Annie O’Kane, c. Hickory, b. Recneps. . . . . .7
b. Recneps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Helen Leland, c. Getson, b. Orius. . . . . . . . .13
c. Getson, b. Orius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Alice Paintor, b. Recneps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
c. and b. Orius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  0
Stewart Simpson, b. Orius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
b. Orius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  0
Bertha Fenessey, b. Recneps. . . . . . . . . . . . 0
c. Salguod, b. Orius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
Dorethea Day, no out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Not out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Wides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Wides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

ROSEMARY HALL



First Innings.
Second Innings.
C. Linton, b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
R. Nator hit wicket, b. King . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
Not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
A. Recneps, run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
A. Hickory, b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
E. Weston, b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
B. Getson, run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
c. du Bots, b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
A. Orius, b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
H. Cromwell, not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
c. and b. Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
J. Sobs, st., Emmet, b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . .2
b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Grace Salguod, run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
b. Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
M. Dollertin, b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
Wides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Wides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 "


Source:  GIRLS AT THE WICKETS -- A SPIRITED CRICKET GAME ON PROSPECT HILL -- Pelham Hall Regains the Light-Blue Banner, Lost Last Year to Rosemary Hall, by 69 Runs, N.Y. Times, Nov. 15, 1896, p. 8, cols. 4-5.  


"GIRLS AT CRICKET.
-----
FAIR STUDENTS FROM PELHAM HALL AND ROSEMARY PLAYED AN INTERESTING MATCH ON SATURDAY.
-----


A cricket match between two teams of young women was played on Saturday at Prospect Hill, Pelham Manor and the game was played with all the enthusiasm of an intercollegiate football match, says the New York Sun.  Banners of light blue were carried by pretty girls, who cheered for Pelham Hall, and coaches and carriages lined the field with the same colors prominently displayed.  It was a match between Mrs. Hazen's Pelham Hall, a select institution of learning situated in the aristocratic village of Pelham Manor, and Rosemary Hall, an equally-select school of Wallingford, Ct.  The girls did not mind the cold weather, which benumbed their fingers and made the hard cricket-ball anything but a pleasant thing to catch or stop.  They kept pluckily at their work, and for five hours they ran around the field dressed in short skirts and sweaters, while the enthusiasm of the visitors was kept alive by the college yell which the large delegation kept repeating at every opportunity:

Who are who are,
Who are we? 
We are the girls
Of Rosemary.

This was the cry of the girls from Connecticut, and it would have done credit to a delegation of Yale students.

'Rah, 'Rah, 'Rah!
Hear us call!
Hazen, Hazen,
Pelham Hall.

This was the slogan of the admirers of the home team, and they kept it up with variations all through the game.  The Rosemary girls had trained diligently for the match.  They had had the advantage of a coach for several weeks past, and they were confident of victory.  Pelham Hall, however, noted as it is for every form of athletics, was not to be outdone by its New England cousin, and the girls had been practicing just as diligently, although they had to depend solely upon their own knowledge of the game and book rules.

As soon as the two teams took the field it was seen that their exhibition would not be the usual kind given by women cricketers.  The girls threw the ball like men; made good stops and catches; had no fear, and were altogether oblivious to hard knocks and bruised fingers.  Their hands were soon blue from the cold, but they cared not for that, and before the final decision of the game was reached two full innings had been played.

To the great delight of the majority of the spectators, Pelham Hall proved victorious, and by so comfortable a margin -- 69 runs -- as to leave no doubt of their superiority.  This result was brought about by their excellent bowling, and the manner in which Miss Annie King trundled the sphere with a fast round-arm delivery [that] was very delightful to watch.  She was the heroine of the match, for, in addition to her most useful work with the ball, she excelled at the bat, and in each inning of her side she made top scores.

All the bowlers adopted the round-arm style, and this may account for the large number of wides.  The ground was slippery, and, as the girls wore no spikes, a foothold was very hard to obtain.  Some of the most successful willow-wielders were treated to ovations as they came out, being hugged and kissed by their companions, and after the match Miss Annie King, the captain of the team, was borne away on the shoulders of the rest of the eleven, proudly waving the colors the team had won from their opponents."

Source:  GIRLS AT CRICKET -- FAIR STUDENTS FROM PELHAM HALL AND ROSEMARY PLAYED AN INTERESTING MATCH ON SATURDAY, Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express, Nov. 16, 1896, p. 11, col. 4 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  

"CRICKET.
-----
Ladies Play Cricket.

The New York Sun says:  -- A cricket match between two teams of young women was played Saturday at Prospect Hill, Pelham Manor.  The game was played with all the enthusiasm of an intercollegiate football match.  Banners of light blue were carried by pretty girls, who cheered for Pelham Hall, and coaches and carriages lined the field with the same colors prominently displayed.  It was a match between Mrs. Hazen's Pelham Hall, a select institution of learning situated in the aristocratic village of Pelham Manor, and Rosemary Hall, an equally select school of Wallingford, Conn.  The girls did not mind the cold weather, which benumbed their fingers and made the hard cricket ball anything but a pleasant thing to catch or stop.  They kept pluckily at their work, and for five hours they ran around the field dressed in short skirts and sweaters, while the enthusiasm of the visitors was kept alive by the College yell which the large delegation kept repeating at every opportunity: --

Who are, who are, 
Who are we?
We are the girls 
Of Rosemary.

This was the slogan of the admirers of the home team, and they kept it up with variations all through the game.  The Rosemary girls had trained diligently for the match.  They had had the advantage of a coach for several weeks past, and they were confident of victory.  Pelham Hall, however, noted as it is for every form of athletics, was not to be outdone by its New England cousin, and the girls had been practicing just as diligently, although they had to depend solely upon their own knowledge of the game and book rules.

As soon as the two teams took the field it was seen that their exhibition would not be the usual kind given by women cricketers.  The girls threw the ball like men; made good stops and catches; had no fear, and were altogether oblivious to hard knocks and bruised fingers.  Their hands were soon blue from the cold, but they cared not for that, and before the final decision of the game was reached two full innings had been played.

To the great delight of the majority of the spectators, Pelham Hall proved victorious, and by so comfortable a margin -- 69 runs -- as to leave no doubt of their superiority.  This result was brought about by their excellent bowling, and the manner in which Miss Annie King trundled the sphere with a fast round-arm delivery [that] was very delightful to watch.  She was the heroine of the match, for, in addition to her most useful work with the ball, she excelled at the bat, and in each inning of her side she made top scores.

All the bowlers adopted the round-arm style, and this may account for the large number of wides.  The ground was slippery, and, as the girls wore no spikes, a foothold was very hard to obtain.  Some of the most successful willow-wielders were treated to ovations as they came out, being hugged and kissed by their companions, and after the match Miss Annie King, the captain of the team, was borne away on the shoulders of the rest of the eleven, proudly waving the colors the team had won from their opponents.  The score:



PELHAM HALL.


First Innings.
Second Innings.
Emily Gray, c. Hickory, b. Weston. . . . . . . . . 2
c. Hickory, b. Orius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Mildred du Bois, c. Hickory, b. Weston. . . . . 0
b. Oriur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
Annie King, b. Recneps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Run out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Eleanor Emmet, c. Getson, b. Orius. . . . . . . 2
c. Salguod, b. Orius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Laura Haughton, b. Weston. . . . . . . . . . . . .  2
b. Recneps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Annie O’Kane, c. Hickory, b. Recneps. . . . . .7
b. Recneps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Helen Leland, c. Getson, b. Orius. . . . . . . . .13
c. Getson, b. Orius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Alice Paintor, b. Recneps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
c. and b. Orius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  0
Stewart Simpson, b. Orius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
b. Orius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  0
Bertha Fenessey, b. Recneps. . . . . . . . . . . . 0
c. Salguod, b. Orius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
Dorethea Day, no out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Not out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Wides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Wides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

ROSEMARY HALL



First Innings.
Second Innings.
C. Linton, b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
R. Nator hit wicket, b. King . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
Not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
A. Recneps, run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
A. Hickory, b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
E. Weston, b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
B. Getson, run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
c. du Bots, b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
A. Orius, b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
H. Cromwell, not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
c. and b. Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
J. Sobs, st., Emmet, b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . .2
b. King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Grace Salguod, run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
b. Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
M. Dollertin, b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
b. Paintor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0
Wides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Wides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 "


Source: CRICKET -- Ladies Play Cricket, The Gazette [Montreal, Canada], Nov. 17, 1896, p. 5, col. 3.  

"The Girls of Pelham Hall Victors.
-----

The match game of cricket between the young women of Rosemary Hall, in Wallingford, Conn., and those of Pelham Hall, was an affair of much interest in Pelham Manor on Saturday.  The prize, which was won by the girls of Pelham Hall, was a handsome blue and white silk banner.  The game began in the morning.  The young ladies were driven to the grounds in coaches draped in blue and white.  The opposing sides lined up with Miss Ana King as captain of Pelham Hall and Miss Harriet Spencer for Rosemary Hall.

The first inning resulted in 81 for Pelham and 26 for Rosemary, and in the second Pelham got 51 and Rosemary 38, giving the game to Pelham Hall by a score of 132 to 64 [sic].

Following the game the players were guests at a dinner served in the hall, and at a cotillion.  The favors were blue and white.  After the cotillion the guests departed, each side making the air ring with its respective yells. -- Tribune."

Source:  The Girls of Pelham Hall Victors, Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Nov. 17, 1896, Vol. XVIV, No. 1,1415, p. 1, col. 4.

"On Saturday last two teams of young women from Pelham Hall, Pelham Manor, New York, and Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, Conn., respectively, played a match game of cricket on the Pelham Hall grounds with all the accessories, pomp and glory of a regular college game.  There were the rival colors, college 'yells' and enthusiasm to burn.  The Pelham girls, coupling the name of their principal, Miss Hazen, with their cry, shouted:

Rah! Rah! Rah
Hear us call
Hazen! Hazen!
Pelham Hall.

To this the girls on the opposite of the field plied:

Who are, who are,
Who are we?
We are the girls 
Of Rosemaree.

Very little is said of the merit of the cricket played, which may be credited to the chivalrous consideration of the reporters, perhaps; but Pelham won by 69 runs.  And so we go."

Source:  [Untitled], The Buffalo Commercial, Nov. 17, 1896, p. 4, col. 4 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  

"SPORTS OF THE AMATEUR . . .

THE pluck and enthusiasm manifested by the young ladies representing Pelham Hall and Rosemary in their cricket match at Pelham Manor last Saturday is significant of the growth of athleticism and the spirit of sportsmanship among the fair sex.  The temperature was sharp, and the hard cricket ball must have stung, but the fair players never winced, and, most remarkable of all, they could throw and bowl, even though they did make rather a remarkable record of 'wides.'  In no particular did they show the slightest sign of manliness, save when the Pelham girls hugged and kissed each other in joy over their victory."

Source:  SPORTS OF THE AMATEUR, Brooklyn Life [Brooklyn, NY], Nov. 21, 1896, p. 24 col. 1 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  

"When it comes to athletics, the American girls are not it with the English girls.  A few days ago, all Pelham manor turned out to witness a cricket match between the Pelham Hall girls and the Rosemary girls, each 11 representing the school from which it was named.  The Pelham girls wore short and chick costumes of light blue; the Rosemary girls were in dark blue.  They all looked rosy and healthy, and entered into the contest with great vim and spirit."

Source:  [Untitled], Star Tribune [Minneapolis, MN], Dec. 4, 1896, p. 4, col. 4.

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Tuesday, October 24, 2017

1904 Burglary of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor


It was a dirty little secret.   Headmistress Emily Hall Hazen and the faculty of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls on Esplanade at Boston Post Road in Pelham Manor wanted to keep it as quiet as possible.  The school and its students were repeated targets of robbers, burglars, and scammers throughout the history of the school.  Of course, given the reputation and fame of the school, it was hard to keep the secret since newspapers reported on each such crime against the school with gusto.  

Historic Pelham has written before about such burglaries and robberies including a gun battle on one occasion at the select finishing school for young women.  See, e.g.:

Tue., Jun. 13, 2017:  A Sensational Burglary in 1899 at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Nov. 25, 2014:  Too Smart for Late 19th Century Scammers: Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.

Thu., Jul. 12, 2007:  The Infamous Burglary of the Girls of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor in 1905.

Truth be told, Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls, known officially as "Pelham Hall," was famous.  It was known throughout the United States as one of the nation's premier educational institutions for young women from wealthy families.  It should come as no surprise that an institution for the daughters of affluent families was repeatedly targeted by the evil lower element of society.  Today's Historic Pelham details yet another such burglary at the school -- this one in 1904.

Monday, February 22, 1904 was a holiday.  It was "Washington's Birthday" (now known as President's Day).  That evening the young women of Pelham Hall gathered for what most likely was a festive dinner in celebration of the holiday.

As the young women of Pelham Hall celebrated and dined in one building on the school campus, a technologically advanced thief began to prey.  Carrying an early portable electric light rather than candles or matches, the thief climbed a veranda pillar to the second floor of an empty dormitory nearby.  He then calmly moved from room to room, "helping himself to diamond rings, watches and chains by the dozen."  By the time he had ransacked all the rooms, he had collected $3,000 worth of jewels (nearly $93,500 in today's dollars).  

When the dinner ended and the young women returned to their rooms "a mild panic" ensued as the women discovered that their jewelry was missing.  The school quickly summoned the Pelham Manor Police who, in turn, alerted police elsewhere in Westchester and in adjacent New York City of the robbery and the missing jewels.  `

It appears that the jewels were never recovered and the the thief was never caught.  Pelham Hall had been burglarized yet again.



Undated Postcard View of "MRS. HAZEN'S SCHOOL PELHAM MANOR, N.Y."
All Three "Houses" of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls Are Depicted in the
Photograph Which Was Taken From Across the Esplanade (Both Lanes
Visible in the Foreground). Chester House is on the Left. Edgewood House
is in the Center, Slightly in the Rear (It Was Named After the Street it Was
Closest to). Marbury House, named after Anne Marbury Hutchinson, Is on
the Right. NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

Below is the text of a pair of articles on which today's Historic Pelham article is based.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"THIEF WITH ELECTRIC LIGHT.
-----
He Steals $3,000 Worth of Jewelry From Pupils of Mrs. Hazen's School.

PELHAM MANOR, N. Y., Feb. 22. -- Mrs. John Cunningham Hazen's school for girls in Pelham Manor was visited by a burglar this evening while the pupils were at dinner.  He got away with about $3,000 worth of their jewelry.  The police say he is the same fellow who recently robbed a house in New Rochelle.  He does his work by the light of an electric lantern instead of matches or a candle.  Mrs. Hazen's school has among its pupils General Chaffee's daughter and the daughter of Judge Martin J. Keogh.

The burglar climbed up one of the veranda pillars and entered the dormitory from the second floor.  He left the building by the same route.  When the burglary was discovered the Pelham Manor police were telephoned for and they sent out a general alarm to the police of Westchester county and New York city."

Source:  THIEF WITH ELECTRIC LIGHT -- He Steals $3,000 Worth of Jewelry From Pupils of Mrs. Hazen's School, The Sun [NY, NY], Feb. 23, 1904, Vol. LXXI, No. 176, p. 1, col. 2.  

"THIEF INVADES SELECT SCHOOL FOR YOUNG GIRLS
-----
Robs the Rooms During Dinner Hour, Securing Jewels Valued at Many Thousands.

NEW YORK, Feb. 23. -- Jewel cases owned by daughters of some of the wealthiest families in the East have been despoiled by a clever burglar, who obtained entrance to a select school for young ladies at Pelham Manor, near this city. The robber made off with property worth more than $3,000.

The robbery occurred during the dinner.  No one saw the interloper, who must have climbed to an upper story window.  He had the house to himself and calmly went from room to room, helping himself to diamond rings, watches and chains by the dozen.

When the girls returned there was a mild panic and the police were hurriedly summoned, but the thief had made good his escape."

Source:  THIEF INVADES SELECT SCHOOL FOR YOUNG GIRLS -- Robs the Rooms During Dinner Hour, Securing Jewels Valued at Many Thousands, The San Francisco Call, Feb. 24, 1904, p. 1, col. 4.

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I have written extensively about the private school known as "Pelham Hall" and "Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls."  For a few of the many examples, see:

Bell, Blake A., Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls: Pelham Hall, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 40, Oct. 8, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.

Tue., Jun. 13, 2017:  A Sensational Burglary in 1899 at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Fri., Apr. 07, 2017:  The Twentieth Annual Commencement of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls Held on June 2, 1909.

Wed., Dec. 30, 2015:  Interesting Account of 1894 Graduation Exercises Conducted by Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Wed., Mar. 18, 2015:  Account of Women's Cricket Match Played by Pelham Manor Women in 1898.

Tue., Feb. 03, 2015:  1907 Commencement Exercises at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.

Mon., Feb. 02, 2015:  The Three Houses of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in the Late 19th Century.

Tue., Nov. 25, 2014:  Too Smart for Late 19th Century Scammers: Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.

Tue., Mar. 11, 2014:  An Early History of Mrs. Hazen's School For Girls in Pelham Manor, Published in 1913.

Tue., Feb. 16, 2010:  Photograph of Only Known 19th Century Women's Baseball Team in Pelham, New York.


Mon., Mar. 3, 2008:  1891 Advertisement May Reflect Summer Rental of One of the Dormitories of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.

Thu., Jul. 12, 2007:  The Infamous Burglary of the Girls of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor in 1905.  

Wed., Sep. 6, 2006:  Pelham Hall Shelter, a "Refuge for Erring Girls", Founded by Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.  

Tue., Aug. 22, 2006:  Early Advertisements for Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls in Pelham Manor.  

Fri., Oct. 14, 2005:  A Reunion of Alumnae of Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls

Mon., Aug. 15, 2005:  952 Pelhamdale Served as a 19th Century School for Girls, Then a School for Boys. 

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