1884 Gun Battle With Burglars Ransacking the Pelham Manor Depot

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At 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 1884, a massive snowstorm was bearing down on the New York region.  The storm eventually dumped up to three feet of snow on Pelham and the surrounding region.  The night was not fit for men but, apparently, it was fit for beasts.  

With the storm raging, a pair of burglars had been working the New Rochelle and Pelham Manor region.  At about 2:30 a.m. the pair forced their way though a small window into the ticket office of the Pelham Manor Depot.  

The burglars, described only as a "tall man" and a "short man," did not realize that the local "Vigilance Committee" known as the "Pelham Manor Protective Club" was on the case.  There previously had been so many burglaries, safe-crackings, and break-ins at the Pelham Manor Depot that the Executive Committee of the Pelham Manor Protective Club had authorized installation of an electric burglar alarm with a "wire" running from the Depot to the nearby home of the Station Manager, Joseph English.

At 2:30 a.m., a "gong" in the home of Station Manager Joseph English rang, alerting him that the station had been entered.  Though the storm raged outside, English ran to two nearby homes for help, including the home of Thomas D. De Witt, a member of the Executive Committee of the Pelham Manor Protective Club.  De Witt grabbed his loaded five-shot revolver and he, English, and another unidentified Pelhamite ran to the Depot, ready for a gunfight, if necessary, and to arrest the burglars.

I have written before about the burglary that night.  For examples, see:

Mon., Jan. 28, 2008:  1884 Burglary and Gunfight at the Pelham Manor Depot.

Mon., Sep. 15, 2014:  1884 Gunfight in Pelham Manor Pits Local Residents Against Pelham Manor Depot Burglars. 

Detail from 1881 Map Showing Pelham Manor Depot and Surrounding

Area Not Long Before the January, 1884 Burglary.  Source:  "Town of

Pelham. (With) Pelham-Manor. (From Actual Surveys and Official

Records by G. W. Bromley & Co., Civil Engineers" in Bromley, George

W., Atlas of Westchester County, New York from Actual Surveys and Official

Records by G. W. Bromley & Co., Civil Engineers, pp. 56-57 (Washington, D.C.,

G. W. Bromley & Co., 1881).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

When De Witt arrived at the Pelham Manor Depot, he saw two burglars:  one tall, one short.  Disappointingly, the burglars saw him and ran from the Depot across vacant lots.  As they ran into the stormy darkness, De Witt shouted for them to stop, then leveled his revolver and began firing in their direction.  As he emptied his five-shot revolver, the burglars returned fire, all to no effect.

The three Pelham Manor men searched the Depot and discovered that only a "few cents" was missing from the ticket office.  Though the thieves had escaped, they left behind a hat, a key, and a blanket.  It turned out that the blanket had been stolen earlier that night from Mrs. Condon of New Rochelle.  The blanket was returned to Mrs. Condon.

The burglars, it turned out, were busy that night.  They had tried to burglarize Jacob Holweg's store in New Rochelle by cutting a panel out of a shutter and breaking a pane of glass.  They failed, however, to gain entry to the Holweg store.  They then broke into the Wars & Sheffield store in New Rochelle where they stole "some jewelry."  Finally, they burglarized Trinity Episcopal Church where they stole all the carpets, some valuable vases, "and other articles."

With the gunfight, burglars, thieves, and vagabonds, it seems, were beginning to learn that the Vigilance Committee known as the Pelham Manor Protective Club was making it much harder to prey on Pelhamites and the little Pelham Manor Depot. . . .

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Below is the text of the report of the Pelham Manor Protective Club on the January 9, 1884 burglary as well as a number of news stories about the burglary.  Each is followed by a citation to its source and, where available, a link to its source.

"A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Pelham Manor Protective Club was held at the residence of Mr. W. E. Barnett, on February 2nd 1884.

Present Mess. Reynolds, Black, Barnett, De Witt and Johnson.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.

On motion the letter of Dr. Buck was referred to the committee on pamphlet of instructions.

D. M. Johnson reported that he had audited the accounts of the late Treasurer, Mr. De Witt, and found them to be correct.  Balance transferred to the new Treasurer, $151.62, uncollected dues $7.00.

Mr. De Witt reported that the Depot at Pelham Manor was broken into at about 2.30 A.M. January 9th, that he and others were aroused, went to the Station and endeavored to arrest the burglars, but they were well armed and escaped by jumping through a window, after exchanging several shots with Mr. De Witt.  One of them was a tall man and the other a short man.  They left behind, a Hat, a Key and a Blanket.  The blanket was returned to Mrs. Condon of New Rochelle, from whom it was stolen that same night.  No clue could be found by which the burglars could be traced or identified.

On motion the Town election matters were referred to Messrs. Reynolds and Black as a committee -- Adjourned -- 

D. M. Johnson
Clerk"

Source:  RECORDS -- PELHAM MANOR PROTECTIVE CLUB [1881-1892], pp. 68-69 (original leather-bound journal in the collections of the Westchester County Historical Society).  

"SOME VERY PERSISTENT THIEVES.

Burglars forced an entrance into the railroad station at Pelham Manor, on the New-York and New-Haven Railroad, at an early hour yesterday morning.  R. C. De Witt, the agent, was warned of it by a burglar alarm, and he got up, taking his revolver with him.  He found two men in the ticket office, but at his approach they made off.  He fired several shots at them and they returned the fire.  They escaped, but they had succeeded in securing only a small amount of money.  At a later hour an effort was made by the thieves to get into Jacob Holweg's store, at New-Rochelle, by cutting a panel out of a shutter and breaking a pane of glass.  They were not able to make their way into the store however and they went to Trinity Episcopal Church, in the same place where they stole all the carpets, some vases, and other articles."

Source:  SOME VERY PERSISTENT THIEVES, N.Y. Times, Jan. 10, 1884, p. 3, col. 3 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

"Burglars at Work.

NEW ROCHELLE, Jan. 9.  --  Burglars attempted to rob the railroad depot at Pelham Manor yesterday morning but were driven off by Mr. Dewitt.  An hour after an unsuccessful attempt was made on the residence of Mr. Holloways here and then the robbers went to the Episcopal church, which they entered, stripping the edifice of all carpets which they carried off together with some vases of value."

Source:  Burglars at Work, Democrat and Chronicle [Rochester, NY], Jan. 10, 1884, Vol. 52, No. 10, p. 1, col. 5 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  

"WESTCHESTER COUNTY. . . .

PELHAM MANOR.  --  About one a.m. yesterday Mr. R. C. DeWitt, of Pelham Manor, was aroused by the ringing of his burglar alarm, which indicated that the depot of the New-York, New-Haven and Hartford Railroad Company on the Harlem River Branch had been entered by burglars.  Mr. De Witt went to the station, armed with his revolver.  Then he discovered that a couple of burglars had forced their way though a small window into the ticket office.  He fired at them five times, and the robbers in return fired shot for shot, without effect.  They made their escape from the building, followed by Mr. De Witt and some of his neighbors; but owing to the storm and darkness of the night all trace of them was soon lost.  They obtained only a small amount of money."

Source:  WESTCHESTER COUNTY. . . . PELHAM MANOR, New-York Tribune, Jan. 10, 1884, p. 8 col. 4.

"ELECTRIC SPARKS. . . .

NEW ROCHELLE, Jan. 9.  --  Burglars attempted to rob the depot at Pelham Manor yesterday morning, but were driven off by Mr. Dewitt.  An hour after an unsuccessful attempt was made on the residence of Mr. Holloway here, and then the robbers went to the Episcopal church, which they entered, stripping the edifice of all the carpets, which they carried off, together with some vases of value."

Source:  ELECTRIC SPARKS. . . NEW ROCHELLE, The Buffalo Daily Courier [Buffalo, NY], Jan. 10, 1884, Vol. XLIX, No. 10, p. 1, col. 8.  

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND. . . .

On Tuesday night last, the station at Pelham Manor was broken into by thieves, entrance being gained by breaking out a window on the side facing the railroad track.  The depot is supplied with a burglar alarm, the wire of which runs to the residence of the station agent, Mr. Joseph English.  When he was aroused by the ringing, he notified Mr. Thomas D. DeWitt and another gentleman, and the three went to the depot.  On their approach, the burglars, of whom there were two, ran out and across the lots.  Mr. Dewitt called to them to stop, and fired several shots from a revolver, but the burglars returned the fire with compound interest, and made good their escape.  They only succeeded in getting a few cents from the depot.  On the same night, Hollweg's store, at New Rochelle. was broken open but nothing was stolen, and the night before, Ware & Sheffield's store and the Presbyterian Church were robbed."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jan. 11, 1884, Vol. XV, No. 747, p. 3, cols. 3-4.  

"WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

NEW-ROCHELLE.  --  The Episcopal Church was entered yesterday morning by burglars and stripped of all the carpet.  Some vases of value were also taken.

PELHAM MANOR.  --  About one a.m. yesterday Mr. R. C. DeWitt, of Pelham Manor, was aroused by the ringing of his burglar alarm, which indicated that the depot of the New-York New-Haven and Hartford Railroad Company on the Harlem River Branch had been entered by burglars.  Mr. De Witt went to the station, armed with his revolver.  Then he discovered that a couple of burglars had forced their way through a small window into the ticket office.  He fired at them five times, and the robbers in returned fired shot for shot, without effect.  They made their escape from the building, followed by Mr. De Witt and some of his neighbors; but owing to the storm and darkness of the night all trace of them was soon lost.  They obtained only a small amount of money."

Source:  WESTCHESTER COUNTY, New-York Tribune, Jan. 10, 1884, Vol. XLIII, No. 13,570, p. 8, col. 4.  

"SERIES OF BURGLARIES. -- R. C. DeWitt, the station agent at the Pelham Manor station, on the Harlem River branch of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, was awakened from his sleep at about 1:30 o'clock Wednesday morning, by hearing his burglar alarm go off.  He ascertained at once that some one had entered the ticket office of the station.  Seizing his revolver, he went there and found two men in the ticket office.  When they saw him they ran.  He fired several shots after them, and with some neighbors, gave chase.  They returned shot for shot, and, aided by the darkness, succeeded in getting away.  About an hour later, burglars, probably the same fellows, tried to force an entrance into Jacob Holway's store, at New Rochelle, by cutting out a panel in a shutter and breaking a pane of glass, but had to desist.  They then broke into Wars & Sheffield's store, and stole some jewelry.  They next attacked Trinity Episcopal Church, stripped it of its carpets, and also carried away two valuable vases.  The people of New Rochelle are very much alarmed at these repeated burglaries."

Source:  SERIES OF BURGLARIES, The Yonkers Statesman [Yonkers, NY], Jan. 10, 1884, Vol. I, No. 50, p. 1, col. 4.

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1884 Gunfight in Pelham Manor Pits Local Residents Against Pelham Manor Depot Burglars

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During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the Pelham Manor Depot stood at the end of the Esplanade where I-95 now passes. The Depot served passengers on the Branch Line, most of whom commuted to work in New York City. Inside the Depot was the Village Post Office.

The area was sparsely populated.  Consequently, so-called "tramps" roamed the area, hopping on and off the branch line trains.  Increasingly, crime was a problem in the area.  Indeed, crime was so bad that in 1881, local residents established the "Pelham Manor Protective Club" as a "Vigilance Committee" to oversee the health and welfare of Pelham Manor residents a decade before the incorporation of the Village of Pelham Manor.

The Pelham Manor Depot was a particular target of the many burglars who roamed the sparsely-populated area.  Indeed, the depot was burglarized so many times, that the Pelham Manor Protective Club funded the installation of an electric burglar alarm that ran from the Pelham Manor Depot to the nearby residence of the Depot station master, Joseph English.  

On Tuesday, January 8, 1884, the Pelham Manor Depot was burglarized yet again.  The burglar alarm, however, was tripped and alerted the station master who awoke a member of the Pelham Manor Protective Club, Thomas D. De Witt.  The pair grabbed their revolvers and raced to the depot where they confronted the robbers and a gunfight erupted.

I have written about this event before.  See Mon., Jan. 28, 2008:  1884 Burglary and Gun Fight at the Pelham Manor Depot.  Various accounts of the burglary and gunfight differ slightly, but the general story is quite clear.

The night was cold, but peaceful.  Joseph English was asleep when the newly-installed burglar alarm woke him rudely.  He awoke his neighbor, Thomas DeWitt, and another unidentified neighbor.  The three grabbed their revolvers and took off for the Depot.  

When they arrived, a window on the side of the depot away from the residences and facing the railroad tracks had been broken to gain entry.  As the men approached, two burglars burst out of the depot and began to scramble across nearby lots in a bid to escape.

Thomas DeWitt, a member of the Pelham Manor Protective Club, raised his revolver and shouted for the pair to stop.  When they failed to stop he fired several shots.  In return, the armed burglars released a fusillade of shots, discouraging pursuit.  They escaped.

Reports stated, with glee, that the burglars "only succeeded in getting a few cents" in the burglary.  

Detail from 1881 Map Showing Pelham Manor Depot

and Surrounding Area Not Long Before the January, 1882 Burglary.

Source:  "Town of Pelham.  (With)  Pelham-Manor.  (From Actual

Surveys and Official Records by G. W. Bromley & Co., Civil

Engineers" in Bromley, George W., Atlas of Westchester County,

New York from Actual Surveys and Official Records by G. W.

Bromley & Co., Civil Engineers, Pp. 56-57 (Washington,

D.C., G. W. Bromley & Co., 1881).

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Below is the text of an excerpt of one article describing the gunfight at the Pelham Manor Depot in January, 1884.  It is followed by a citation to its source.  

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND. . . . 

On Tuesday night last, the station at Pelham Manor was broken into by thieves, entrance being gained by breaking out a window on the side facing the railroad track.  The depot is supplied with a burglar alarm, the wire of which runs to the residence of the station agent, Mr. Joseph English.  When he was aroused by the ringing, he notified Thomas D. DeWitt and another gentleman, and the three went to the depot.  On their approach, the burglars, of whom there were two, ran out and across the lots.  Mr. DeWitt called to them to stop, and fired several shots from a revolver, but the burglars returned the fire with compound interest, and made good their escape.  They only succeeded in getting a few cents from the depot.  On the same night, Hollweg's store, at New Rochelle, was broken open, but nothing was stolen, and the night before, Ware & Sheffield's store and the Presbyterian Church were robbed."  

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mt. Vernon, NY], Jan. 11, 1884, Vol. XV, No. 747, cols. 3-4.  

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Disputed Pelham School Board Election of 1882 Led to Charges of Fraud

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Yesterday I posted to the Historic Pelham Blog an item regarding the Pelham School Board elections of 1881. One year later, the School Board election was much more controversial and led to charges of voter fraud. A lengthy article about the election appeared in the October 15, 1882 issue of The Sun, published in New York City. The article provides important and fascinating background regarding the battle for control of the School Board fought between the citizens of Pelham Manor and those of Pelhamville. The text of the article appears below.

"ELECTED BY WOMEN'S VOTES.

-----

Alleged Fraud at the Polls in Pelham School District.

Pelham Manor and Pelhamville are one school district. A colony of well-to-do New York and other business men inhabit the Manor. No stores are allowed to be built there, no dogs are allowed to go abroad loose, and the tramp is confronted with notices that $10 reward will be paid for his arrest. The little village, two miles away, is clustered about half a dozen country stores. There is said to be a notion in Pelham Manor that the village is not nice, and an impression in the village that the Manor is haughty. Among the residents of Pelham Manor are Mr. R. C. Black, of Ball, Black & Co.; T. D. De Witt, the coal merchant, of this city, and W. E. Barnette, counsel for the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.

Last Tuesday night the annual meeting of the school trustees of the district was held. About 100 men and 30 women assembled in the little school house. The large number of women was a surprise to the Pelhamville people. The terms of two trustees had expired and the election was to fill the vacancies. There were two tickets, on one of which Mr. George H. Reynolds, the President of the Board, a Pelham Manor man, ran for reelection, and upon the other Mr. W. Scott Bertine, the candidate of the villagers. When the polls were opened, Mr. Reynolds marshalled the women, and voted them solid for himself, to the consternation of Bertine's friends. They had counted upon his election by 17 majority, whereas they only got 52 out of 125 votes.

Immediately after the election, when it became known that Mr. Reynolds had again been chosen to the office he had held for six years, charges of fraud were made, and a movement was set on foot to prosecute him for violation of the State Election law. It was charged that many of the women who had voted were not only not entitled to vote, but were not even residents of the district.

A SUN reporter obtained the following statement from Jacob Heisser, a school trustee:

'Up there at Pelham Manor, you see, they don't want their children to mix with ours, and they want to run the whole business. We have two school houses in the district, one here and one at the Manor. While there are but fourteen children attending school there, there are two teachers and they have a fine brick school house. We have forty-two children, and but two teachers. The meeting the other night had only just begun when Mr. Reynolds sprang the election upon us, contrary to the usual custom. He marched the women up to the box and voted them. Half of them had no right to vote, some of them didn't even live here, and one was a servant who had not been in town three days. One hundred and twenty-five votes were cast, 30 by women. Last year only 9 women voted. Mrs. J. Mary, an English woman, came up to vote three times, and I challenged her each time, but she swore her vote in. A Miss Underhill, who was on a visit here and who had not been in town two weeks, swore her vote in. Mrs. Godfrey, a German and not a citizen, voted, and so did Miss Mary Donlon, a young girl, who pays no taxes. You see the law says that a woman to vote must either have paid taxes upon $50 worth of property the year before or have a child down on the school census list. I know that neither Miss Donlon nor Miss Underhill is assessed.'

Mr. Heisser said that money is being subscribed to defray the cost of carrying the matter into the courts and prosecuting Mr. Reynolds. The Board, he said, will recognize Mr. Bertine only, and allow him to take his seat, leaving Mr. Reynolds to oust him if he can.

Mr. Reynolds, who owns one of the finest houses at Pelham Manor, and who for twenty years has been the chief engineer of the Delamater Iron Works, laughs at the threat against him. He offers to bet any amount of money that the Board of School Trustees will not even unseat him.

'Why,' said he, 'Pelham Manor pays ninety per cent of all the school money. They are too poor to pay it over there at Pelhamville. The follow a dog in the manger policy, and don't even wish to allow us to spend our own money. As to the women voting, while I deny that a single servant was in the school house, I admit that Miss Donlon and other ladies voted. I claim that the law does not require a woman to pay taxes or be mother or guardian of a school child. The law places no disability whatever upon women that does not lie upon men.'

Mr. Bertine, the defeated candidate, seconds Mr. Heisser in his views, and says that he expects to be sustained by the courts."

Source: Elected By Women's Votes, The Sun, Oct. 15, 1882, p. 1, col. 2.

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The Earliest Telephone in Pelham Manor?

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United States Patent No. 174,465 for "Telegraphy" was issued to A. G. Bell on March 7, 1876. For many years, however, the American population seemed unaware of the possibilities of the new-fangled telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell who was forced to lecture about his invention for pay as he fought -- and eventually won -- an expensive legal battle against inventor Elisha Gray. Gray claimed that he had invented the telephone and, indeed, lost the race to the patent office for his own invention by a matter of hours.

Residents of Pelham Manor seemed to recognize the importance and value of the new invention very early. Indeed, recent research has revealed the story behind the installation of what may have been the first telephone in Pelham Manor. A review of the minutes book of the Pelham Manor Protective Club (click here for the February 23, 2005 blog posting entitled "The Westchester County Historical Society Acquires Records of The Pelham Manor Protective Club From Dealer in Tarrytown, NY") has shed light on the topic.

The Pelham Manor Protective Club was established in late 1881 -- ten years before incorporation of the Village of Pelham Manor. Members of the Club took all kinds of steps to protect the area of Pelham within one mile of the Pelham Manor Depot located on the New Haven Branch Line from crime.

By June 2, 1884, members of the Executive Committee of the Pelham Manor Protective Club were considering the installation of a telephone at the Pelham Manor Depot to permit members of the Club to make calls and to report to New York and New Rochelle authorities instances of criminal activity. On that date, two members of the Executive Committee, Messrs. William E. Barnett and Thomas D. De Witt, reported to the full Committee on their efforts to prepare a pamphlet of "suggestions" to be distributed to all members of the Pelham Manor Protective Club. Among the many "suggestions" contained in the proposed pamphlet was one that read as follows:

"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." Records Pelham Manor Protective Club, Vol. 1, p. 75 (entry for Jun. 2, 1884; original in the collection of the Westchester County Historical Society).

During the same Executive Committee meeting, 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." Id., p. 76.

By July 9, 1884, arrangements had been made for seems to have been installation of the telephone and the Executive Committee authorized payment of a bill from the telephone company. The minutes for an Executive Committee meeting on that date state that the "Treasurer presented a bill of the Westchester Telephone Company for $20.20, which was ordered paid." Id., p. 77 (entry for Jul. 9, 1884). The nature of the bill is unclear. It may have been payment for installation of the phone or it may have been payment for phone service after the phone had been installed.

It seems fairly certain, however, that the phone had been installed by October 1, 1884. This can be surmised from the minutes of a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Club on November 29, 1884. Those minutes contain the following entry: "The bill of the Westchester Telephone Co. for service from October 1st 1884 to January 1st 1885, $26.95 was audited and ordered paid." Id., p. 82 (entry for Nov. 29, 1884).

Barely eight years after invention of the telephone, Pelham Manor had what may have been its first telephone. While there have been suggestions that Robert C. Black (one of the principals of famed jewelry firm Black, Starr & Frost) may have installed the first telephone in Pelham, the telephone installed in the Pelham Manor Depot in the autumn of 1884 is the earliest telephone installation that can be documented with some degree of certainty.

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