Green Goods Bunco Artists Terrorized Pelham in 1899

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In the late 19th century, the White Hotel stood in the tiny Village of Pelham (today's Pelham Heights) near the southwest corner of the intersection of today's Wolfs Lane and Third Street.  The hotel structure still stands, although it has been split into two adjacent buildings located at 303 Wolfs Lane (Stiefvater Real Estate building) and 307 Wolfs Lane.

The White Hotel was notorious and hated by many Pelhamites.  Its manager was a shady character who maintained gambling apparatus in the hotel.  The hotel was frequented by thugs and criminals who, occasionally, preyed on the region while using the tiny hotel as a base of operations.  Such was the case in 1899 when a group of so-called "green goods" bunco artists and robbers operated out of the White Hotel and terrorized the region.  To make matters worse, at least in the eyes of some Pelhamites, there was a baseball field behind the hotel where raucous and rowdy spectators watched games including Sunday afternoon ball games!

The "green goods scam" was widespread in the late 19th century. Con men would claim to have high quality counterfeit U.S. currency that they were willing to sell for pennies on the dollar based on the face value. A victim would be shown a bag containing large sums of genuine currency and would be told that the money was counterfeit. Once distracted, the con men would switch the bag containing the currency with an identical bag containing green paper, sawdust or the like and would "sell" the worthless bag to the victim for a substantial sum. Victims reportedly would rarely go to authorities because purchasing counterfeit currency was a crime.

During the summer of 1899, a gang of bunco artists operated out of the White Hotel.  They used the green goods scam and other scams to separate victims from their money.  Things got so bad that an undercover agent for the Secret Service attempted to pose as a victim upon which the gang could prey.  When he met with the gang to "purchase" the supposed counterfeit money, he attempted to take them into custody but was set upon by gang members he did not know were present and was nearly beaten to death.  I have written about this encounter before.  See, e.g.:

Fri., May 01, 2015:  After Secret Service Detective Was Nearly Beaten to Death There, the White Hotel of Pelhamville Was Closed, Moved, and Split Into Two Buildings That Still Stand in Pelham.

Wed., Aug. 26, 2009:  Fed Up with the Notorious White Hotel, Pelham Authorities Took Action in 1899.

Tue., Aug. 25, 2009:  Crimes Committed at the Notorious White Hotel in Pelham in 1899.

Thu., Mar. 12, 2009:  The Reason the White Hotel was Shut Down and Split from One Building Into Two Cottages. 

Wed., Mar. 18, 2009:  A Little More Information About the Closure of the White Hotel.

Today's Historic Pelham article collects accounts of a number of such bunco scams operated out of the White Hotel during the summer of 1899.  Following such alarming events, authorities shut down the hotel which subsequently was split into two adjacent structures that were used as residences for many years.

Farmer White from Jackson, Michigan

During the summer of 1899, an "old farmer" named Edward White from Jackson, Michigan somehow began correspondence with men in New York who claimed to have a large sum of counterfeit U.S. currency that they needed to dispose of quickly.  The men offered to sell the counterfeit currency to the old farmer at a massive discount.  Farmer White agreed to meet the men in Yonkers, New York.

On Wednesday, August 23, 1899, White arrived in Yonkers from Michigan.  He carried $250 and a train ticket to Buffalo which he hoped to visit after buying some counterfeit cash.  Two men met Farmer White at the train station in Yonkers.  They escorted him onto a local trolley car.

The three men traveled by trolley through lower Westchester to a stop in Pelham near the White Hotel where they disembarked.  The two bunco men escorted White to the third floor of the hotel where he sat at a table in a room filled with gambling equipment.  As he waited to complete the transaction, each of the two bunco men whipped out revolvers and held them to his head.  One said:  "Give us your money or we will blow your brains out."  

The old farmer offered no resistance.  He sank into his chair as the men went through his pockets.  They took his $250, all the money he had with him.  One of the thieves then said:  "You can go now, and don't you try any fresh games on us.  If you make any trouble you will never get back to your home in Michigan alive."

White left, but was followed by the confidence men.  They stood at the door with their revolvers leveled at his head until he disappeared.  White made his way back to Yonkers where he reported the crime to the police.  The Yonkers police, however, told him they had no jurisdiction.  He then reported the crime to the Mount Vernon Police who began an investigation, but determined that the crime took place in Pelham.  

Farmer Edward White returned to Jackson, Michigan $250 poorer.  Authorities believed that the old farmer was not really named "Edward White" though. . . . 

Man Purporting to Act for Secret Service and Hot on the Trail of the Con Men is Badly Beaten

A man named John Whittaker, a midwest farmer, may have been the first man scammed by the green goods bunco artists in Pelham.  Some time during or before the summer of 1899 he reportedly agreed to pay the bunco artists $2,000 for $10,000 worth of counterfeit currency.  When he arrived home with his bundle, he discovered it was a bundle of blank white paper cut the size of five dollar bills with real bills on the outside.  Unlike most, he reported the scam to the Secret Service in Chicago.  The Secret Service showed him little sympathy. . . . 

Whittaker vowed to the agents that he would track the con men down.  The agents reportedly deputized him for the purpose, but cautioned him to seek their assistance if he actually found the bunco artists.  

Whittaker began corresponding with farmers throughout the country trying to find any who had received correspondence offering to sell them counterfeit currency.  Finally, one such farmer contacted him.  Whittaker instructed the farmer to reply that the farmer's "brother-in-law" would buy the counterfeit currency.  Whittaker then posed as the brother-in-law and traveled to the White Hotel in Pelham, New York where he arrived on Saturday, August 26, 1899.  

Local historian J. Gardner Minard documented the entire affair.  His entertaining account appears in full immediately below, followed by a citation and link to its source.

"Old White Hotel a Colorful Spot In The Early Days Of The Pelhams 
----- 
Confidence Game Exposed After Farmer Had Been Fleeced Of $2,000. Hostelry Which Formerly Stood at Wolf's Lane and Third Street of Questionable Character ----- By J. GARDINER MINARD 
----- 

Whenever old residents of Pelham get together for an extensive talk, there is sure to be some mention of the White Hotel; but it is doubtful if one-half of one per cent of the present residents of the town are familiar with the history of the rather infamous building. It was a three-story, frame square building painted white, situated on the southwest corner of Wolf's Lane and third street,, and was the headquarters of a rather unsavory group of men and women. Rooms could be engaged at any time of the day or night; there was no registering; no baggage requirements and no questions asked. The few residents of the little village of Pelham tried desperately to wipe out the blot but the proprietor seemed to be above the law. In the summer of 1900, however, he overstepped the bounds and was forced to close. Here is the story. 

There lived in the middle west a young properous farmer who one day received a letter from a man in Chicago requesting an appointment to discuss an attractive proposition. The appointment was made and the farmer, Whittaker by name, was warmly greeted by a very genial gentleman who took a roll of $5 bills from his pocket and handing him one, asked his opinion of it. Whittaker examined it and pronounced it genuine. The stranger laughed and said it was a counterfeit and, taking him to a secluded spot, told him how a trusted employee of the Government bureau of engraving and printing decided as an experiment to smuggle out the plates for a five dollar bill. He succeeded, and then secreted a bundle of the paper on which the bills wee printed and carried this out under his coat. He intended to bring them back, but the loss was discovered and he became frightened and gave them to him to be destroyed. Instead of doing this, he went to a friend who conducted a printing office and the latter agreed to run the risk for half the money turned out. This amounted to $100,000 and the printer took one-half and he had spent all the remainder except $10,000. He feared capture and would sell the whole business for $2,000. He then took from his pocket what purported to be a clipping from a newspaper telling of the theft and the great alarm felt by the government, as the counterfeits could not be uncovered until redeemed by the government and the duplicate numbers found. 

He told Whittaker to take it to his bank and change it as a test and if the bargain was agreeable, to get the $2,000 and meet him at a given spot. Whittaker did as told and the next day with his money in his pocket kept the appointment. The stranger hailed a carriage and they drove some distance, after which they got out and the stranger paid the driver with one of the $5 bills and received his change. He called Whittaker's attention to this and the latter was satisfied the bills could be easily passed. He insisted upon blindfolding Whittaker before leading him to his home, for 'protection.' Another long walk and they entered a house and once inside the room, the bandage was removed and Whittaker told to sit at a table opposite the stranger. The latter then opened a drawer and took from it a package which he opened and handed to Whittaker, telling him to count it. It contained 2,000 $5 bills. Whittaker produced his $2,000 and the stranger insisted upon wrapping up the bundle again, meanwhile ringing a bell for a waiter and ordering drinks. The package tied up, he handed it to Whittaker, who pocketed it and, after again being blindfolded and led some distance, he was cautioned to tell no one, not even his wife, about the transaction. 

Upon arriving home, he went to the barn and opened the package and discovered he had a bundle of plain sheets of paper with a good bill on each end. He notified the secret service and two operatives were sent to Chicago. They listened to his story and gave him scant sympathy, telling him that the department has been spending generations warning farmers against just this same trick. No plates or paper had been stolen from the government printing plant and none could as frequent checkings made it impossible and the newspaper clipping was a fake. He vowed to dedicate his life and money to running the crooks down and asked to be appointed a secret service man for that purpose. Chief Wilkie appointed him but warned him in the event of getting on their trail to notify the nearest branch and two experienced men would be sent to assist hiim. Whittaker traveled all over the states visiting farmers, telling the story and requesting them to send a telegram collect to his home where his wife would relay it to him, should they receive a similar offer. In July, 1900, he received word from a farmer in the central part of New York that he had received such a letter. Whittaker hurried there and instructed the farmer to reply saying he had no money to invest, but his brother-in-law had $2,000 to invest and would meet him. The appointment was made for the Mount Vernon station. 

Here is where Whittaker made a mistake. He disregarded the instructions to notify headquarters and obtain aid, instead deciding to go it alone. A dapper little man met him at the station and, after cordial greetings, hailed a strange hack and drove off. There was the same long drive and getting off and walking blindfolded to the house and finding himself in a room with a table and two chairs in a corner. The stranger remarked that Whittaker was carrying a gun and as evidence of his own sincerity, asked Whittaker to search him and see he was unarmed. He then waved him to a seat in the corner with the wall behind him and the stranger sat opposite as usual. He then opened the drawer and produced the bundle of good bills. At the sight of the money, Whittaker made a grab for it and at the same time reached for his gun, but just then a blackjack crashed down on his head. When he awoke he was in a large field. He called for help and a driver on a delivery wagon heard and came to his rescue, taking him on the wagon. Whittaker hurried to the New York office with his story and was again berated for trying to work alone. Two agents came with him to Mount Vernon and, getting into a hack, instructed Whittaker to take the front seat and follow the road over which he had traveled. He stopped at east Sixth street, near the Pelham boundary line and said he was where the driver was dismissed. The agent informed him that the driver was a confederate. He knew he must have crossed a small stream and passed through a cornfield close to the building into which they went. Crossing the water would bring them into Pelham and the next step was easy. There was but one cornfield in sight and that was in the rear of the White Hotel. The agents followed Wolf's Lane to midway between Sixth and Third streets and came to the old brook that flowed through. They followed this and found where the crossing had been made. The tell-tale tracks showed through the cornfield as well as the wide swath when the employees of the hotel carried the unconscious man away. Going to the hotel they were met by the proprietor, who denied anything had happened there or having seen Whittaker. The agents were insistent upon searching the building and, after awhile Whittaker identified the room. He was asked to point out the spot where he sat and the agent examined the wall and after tapping it, smiled and instructed Whittaker to take the same seat while he went out of the room. Whittaker did as told and in a few moments the second agent told him to look behind him. There framed in the moulding of the missing panel was the other agent holding a blackjack over his head. It was the old sliding panel game. The agents then gave the proprietor the choice of closing up or going to jail and he chose the former. This ended the infamous hostelry." 

Source:  Minard, J. Gardner, Old White Hotel a Colorful Spot In The Early Days Of The Pelhhams, The Pelham Sun, March 15, 1929, p. 16, cols. 3-5.

Edward Lewis, Prominent Texas Merchant, Scammed Out of $1,000

Edward Lewis was a wealthy and prominent merchant in Austin, Texas.  On Friday, August 31, 1899 he was on his way to New York City on a business trip.  He was traveling by train.  As the train neared Newark, New Jersey, he entered the smoking car to enjoy a cigar.  As he lit his cigar there was a light tap on his shoulder.  When he turned, he faced an expensively-dressed gentleman wearing a white waistcoat, a silk hat, and a diamond stud that glittered in his shirt bosom.  The gregarious gentleman said "Why hello, Lewis, old man.  How are you?"

Edward Lewis had no idea who the man was.  He remarked that the stranger had the advantage of him.  The gentleman responded that he had met Lewis during "the carnival" (likely Mardi Gras) in New Orleans.  The stranger recounted a number of incidents at the event that Edward Lewis remembered perfectly well.  According to one account, "the Texan began to consider himself lucky in meeting such an affable gentleman."  The con was on.

The gregarious stranger insisted that once the train arrived in New York City he would treat the Texan to a nice lunch at the stranger's hotel.  The stranger took Lewis to the Astor Hotel and paid for a lovely lunch.  During lunch, the pair was approached by another man whom the gregarious stranger introduced as a friend of his from New Orleans.  The man joined them.

Following an enjoyable luncheon, the two strangers prevailed on the Texas merchant to join them for a day's rest at their country outpost, a hotel in the suburbs.  Weary after the trip and open to the free hospitality of his obviously-wealthy new acquaintances, Lewis agreed.

The two men took Lewis on a confusing, "roundabout" route.  The three men arrived at about dark "at a quiet spot near Pelham, where a small hotel loomed up out of the shrubbery."  The two strangers arranged a room for the Texan and treated him to a hearty dinner and a smoke on the plaza.  The three then retired to a private room for a game of cards during which the two strangers let the Texan win a sizable sum of money.  Throughout the game the strangers plied the Texan with plenty of liquor.  Finally, about midnight, everyone retired to their rooms for sleep.

The next morning, with the Texan still sound asleep, the door to his room burst open and the stranger he had met the day before on the train rushed into the room screaming "Lewis, ther've been burglars in the house.  They went through my clothes last night and got my watch and pistol and $300."

Lewis leaped out of bed to check for his belongings.  As he did so, the stranger hurried downstairs.  Lewis went through his waistcoat and found that his watch was safe.  However, his money (about $1,000) was gone.  He hurriedly climbed into his clothes and ran downstairs only to discover that he was alone -- the two strangers were nowhere to be found.  When Lewis approached "the man he supposed" was the proprietor of the hotel and another man there he "got no satisfaction."  

Lewis found a woman in the hotel and asked her where he could find the police.  As soon as he asked the question of the woman, men in the hotel "set upon" him claiming he had insulted the woman and began clubbing him.  They chased him out into the streets of Pelham where he ran for his life.

The plundered Texan finally made his way back to New York City where he informed business colleagues of his plight.  He reported the incident to New York City police who dispatched two detectives to assist him.  The Texan and the two detectives returned to the White Hotel in Pelham that evening (Saturday, September 2, 1899), but the three men learned little and the robbers remained at large.

303 Wolfs Lane (Stiefvater Real Estate) on Top

and 307 Wolfs Lane on Bottom. Photographs by the Author.

Detail from 1899 Map by John F. Fairchild Showing Location

of White Hotel. Source: Fairchild, John F., Atlas of Mount Vernon

and Pelham, Plate 21 (John F. Fairchild, 1899) (Lionel Pincus

and Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library).

*          *          *          *          *

"ROBBED AND CHASED AWAY.
-----
A FARMER FROM JACKSON, MICH., RUNS AGAINST A WESTCHESTER COUNTY GREEN-GOODS GANG.

Another victim of the gang of bunco steerers which has been operating in Pelham was found yesterday.  The man, who is an old farmer, and had travelled [sic] all the way from Jackson, Mich., was not permitted even to see the greengoods, but was robbed and then chased away.  The man says his name is Edward White, but this is believed to be fictitious.  He began a correspondence with the confidence men several weeks ago, and arranged to meet them in Yonkers.

According to the arrangement, White arrived there on Wednesday, and was met at the railroad station by two men, who escorted him to a trolley car and took him to a place which Chief of Police Foley of Mount Vernon says answers the description of the White Hotel in Pelham.  The farmer was taken to the third floor of the hotel.  There he sat down at a table, and while waiting for his companions to produce the greengoods he began to inspect the room, which was filled with gambling apparatus, all of which was strange to him.

When White turned around again to close the transaction he looked into the muzzles of two revolvers, which were being pointed at his head by the bunco men.

'Give us your money,' demanded one of them, 'or we will blow your brains out.'  The old farmer was horrified, and, sinking back into his chair, made no resistance, while the men went through his pockets and took out $250, all the money he had in his possession.

After depositing the roll in his pocket, one of the greengoods men said:  'You can go now, and don't you try any fresh games on us.  If you make any trouble you will never get back to your home in Michigan alive.'

White left the place, and was followed by the confidence men, who stood at the door with their revolvers levelled at his head until he had disappeared.  He took a car to Yonkers, where he reported the affair to the police.  He was informed that the Yonkers police had no jurisdiction in the case, and thereupon informed Chief Foley of Mount Vernon.  He said that a ticket from New-York to Buffalo was all that he had left.  This is the third affair of the kind reported from Pelham within a week.  The Town Board of Pelham held a meeting on Friday night, and it is likely that its members will take some action toward finding the guilty parties and causing their punishment."

Source:  ROBBED AND CHASED AWAY -- A FARMER FROM JACKSON, MICH., RUNS AGAINST A WESTCHESTER COUNTY GREENGOODS GANG, New-York Tribune, Vol. LIX, No. 19278, Aug. 27, 1899, p. 2, col. 4 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link). 

"A TEXAN ROBBED.
-----
Confidence Men Sprang a New Game on Mr. Lewis.

A special from Mount Vernon, N.Y., in the St. Louis Republic says:  Edward Lewis, a prominent merchant of Austin, Texas, reported to Chief of Policy Foley of the city that he had been robbed yesterday by bunco men of $1000 in the White Hotel in Pelham.  This is the place where Whitaker, an agent of the secret service, was nearly killed last Saturday while trailing a gang of green goods men.

Mr. Lewis left home recently for New York and had an uneventful trip until the train reached Newark, N. J.  There as he was about to light a fresh cigar some one placed a hand familiarly on his shoulder and said:  'Why hello, Lewis, old man how are you?'

Mr. Lewis turned and saw a fine looking man about 40 years old standing over him.  The man wore a silk hat and a white waistcoat.  A diamond stud glittered in his shirt bosom.  Lewis remarked that the stranger had the advantage of him, whereupon the well-dressed person recalled that he had met the merchant at the carnival in New Orleans.  He mentioned incidents of that event which Mr. Lewis remembered perfectly and the Texan began to consider himself lucky in meeting such an affable gentleman.

Meanwhile, as they were [illegible], the train had reached Jersey City.  The agreeable stranger insisted on taking his friend to his hotel to luncheon.  So he called [illegible] on the New York side and drove to a fashionable hotel, where the stranger did the honors, incidentally introducing a friend.  During the progress of the meal the two New Yorkers proposed, as their Texas friend must be weary after his long journey, that they go up to their 'club house' in the suburbs and recuperate for a day or two.  Mr. Lewis acquiesced, and after a roundabout journey the party arrived about dark at a quiet spot near Pelham, where a small hotel loomed up out of the shrubbery.  The strangers told the Texan this was the 'club house.'  After a hearty dinner and a smoke on the plaza, they went to a private room and sat down to a game of cards.

They had several drinks, and at midnight Mr. Lewis, with his roll somewhat larger as a result of the card game, went to his room in a good humored and contented frame of mind.  The next morning before Lewis had awakened the friend he had met on the train rushed into his room and called out 'Lewis, ther've been burglars in the house.  They went through my clothes last night and got my watch and pistol and $300.'

Lewis jumped up, reached for his waistcoat and found that his watch was safe.  Before he had time to look for his money his friend had hurried down the stairs.

The merchant then discovered that every dollar he had brought with him -- about $1000 -- was gone.  For the first time [it] dawned on him that he had been victimized and robbed by bunco steerers.

Mr. Lewis soon got his clothes on and rushed down stairs and found that both his transient friends had disappeared.  He appealed to the man he supposed was proprietor and another man there, and got no satisfaction.  He asked a woman who stood by where he could find the police.  As soon as he had spoken, he says, he was set upon and clubbed, the men saying that he had insulted the woman.  They chased him out into the street, Mr. Lewis running for his life.

The plundered merchant finally got back to New York and told business friends of his experience.  He came back this evening accompanied by detectives, but as yet the robbers have not been caught."

Source:  A TEXAN ROBBED -- Confidence Men Sprang a New Game on Mr. Lewis, The Laredo Times [Laredo, TX], Vol. XIX, No. 70, Sep. 2, 1899, p. 1, cols. 3-4 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  

"Texas Merchant Robbed.

Since the disclosure made on Wednesday of the operations of a band of greengoods men at the White Hotel in Pelham another affair has come to light in that village.  The victim, although not assaulted and beaten, as was Detective John Whittaker, who made a futile attempt to arrest the swindlers, was buncoed out of nearly $800.

Edward Lewis, a prominent merchant of Austin, Texas, left his home several days ago for New York city.  At Newark, N. J., when Mr. Lewis was sitting in the smoking car and was about to light a fresh cigar, some one tapped him on the shoulder in a familiar manner and struck up an acquaintance, on the ground of having met Lewis in New Orleans, recalling incidents of the carnival which Lewis remembered.

Lewis accepted the stranger's invitation to dine at the Astor House, and on reaching the hotel was introduced to another well-dressed man, who, the stranger said, was from New Orleans.

Then the first stranger suggested that they take a ride up to his country home in the suburbs.  They went, and after some drinks and a game of cards retired.  About 8 o'clock next morning one of the men knocked at Lewis' door and told him burglars had been in the house.  The stranger went for the police and did not return.  Lewis' money was gone.  He believes the drinks were drugged."

Source:  Texas Merchant Robbed, The Baltimore Sun, Vol. XXXV, No. 88, Aug. 26, 1899, p. 7, col. 6 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link). 

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Pelham Stood Alone in Westchester When It Voted to Go Dry in 1896

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"Oh, I suppose we will have to establish a 'dead line' up at

our country place at Travers Island, and everybody found

on the wrong side of that line will have to be shot."

-- Words of Superintendent of New York Athletic Club's 

Travers Island Facility in 1896 After Pelham Voted to Ban

the Sale of All Alcohol in Town.  Since a Portion of Travers

Island Is in New Rochelle, the Club Merely Moved its Bar

to the New Rochelle Side Though, Thankfully, It Never 

Had to Create the Proposed "Dead Line" to Enforce Local
Prohibition by Gunshot. . . . 

It was election day in Pelham, 1896.  What a day it was!  By 9 o'clock in the morning the ballot boxes already were stuffed nearly full.  Yet, "all day long carriages were dashing through the streets picking up and bringing in tardy or reluctant voters from the outlying districts."  A momentous issue was on the ballot.  It was an issue that "brought to the polls many voters who might not have been induced to leave their homes to assist in settling any matter of less moment."  It was whether liquor would continue to be sold within the town limits of the Town of Pelham.  

The members of the New York Athletic Club who frequented Travers Island were bemused by all the commotion and the seriousness of the ballot battle.  They knew that a portion of their facility on Travers Island was actually within the town limits of the then Town of New Rochelle that would not be affected by the vote.  They knew that even if the measure passed, all they would have to do would be to buy a New Rochelle liquor license and move the club bar to the New Rochelle side of the facility.  After the measure passed, that is exactly what they did.  See Thu., Aug. 11, 2005:  How Dry I Am: Pelham Goes Dry in the 1890s and Travers Island Is At the Center of a Storm.  

The Raines Law of 1896 was a revenue-raising statute that substantially increased the cost of liquor licenses throughout the State and included a provision to allow municipalities a "local option" to vote whether the municipality would or would not allow the sale of alcohol.  If such sales were allowed by a municipality, liquor licenses would continue to be required.  If not, no such licenses would be issued within that municipality.  Thus, the local option was also known as the "license or no license" question.  

In the March, 1896 Town elections, Pelham and many other towns in the region included a "license or no license" question on the local ballot.  Pelham was the only town in the County of Westchester to vote in favor of "no license" by a majority of eighteen votes, thus banning the sale of alcohol, except by physician's prescription.  The reasons underlying the vote in Pelham provide a fascinating glimpse of what troubled Pelham residents at the time.

Pelham had plenty of experience with saloons and liquor sales.  For many years, the saloons around Pelham Bridge and Bartow, before those sections were annexed by New York City in 1895, had been notorious for their rough clientele and for constantly attracting illegal prize fights.  Likewise the little settlement of Pelhamville had attracted its own share of saloons to the consternation of local residents.  By 1896, there were "four or five liquor stores" in Pelhamville that led to "an amount of drunkenness out of all proportion to the population, due in part to visits from countrymen living not too far away to drive or walk in for their dram."

To make matters worse, during the summer of 1895, the White Hotel, which stood on a very large lot on the southwest corner of Wolfs Lane and Third Street (which becomes Boulevard after crossing Wolfs Lane), began inviting baseball teams from from New York and Mount Vernon to use its baseball and pigeon-shooting grounds (and to seek refreshment within the hotel).  The teams were rowdy, loud, and were notorious for drunkenness and gambling.  

The residents of Pelhamville wanted something done.  Moreover, the residents of nearby Pelham Manor where there were no liquor stores, saloons, or hotels that served alcohol began to worry that their own little village would be at risk.  

In the town elections in March, 1896, town Republicans decided to make the local option issue of "no license" a major centerpiece of their election strategy.  To get local blood boiling, someone distributed a circular pointing out that unless Pelham voted to ban the sale of alcohol, under the new revenue-raising statute known as the Raines Law, new liquor licenses would cost $500 in New Rochelle, $350 in Mount Vernon, and only $100 in Pelham, suggesting that all manner of liquor sellers would flock to Pelham and peddle the devil's own elixir.  

The battle was surprisingly arduous.  The issue, of course, was perceived as a "moral" or "immoral" one, as the case may be.  When the ballots were counted, "no license" won by an eighteen-vote majority.  While that might suggest a Republican victory, it was not.  The Republican candidate for Town Supervisor, John M. Shinn (running for re-election), prevailed.  Democrats won the remaining town offices.  

The vote in Pelham horrified New York City clubmen.  The New York Athletic Club was not the only New York City club with a "summer" clubhouse.  Seeing the "no license" vote in the Town of Pelham, the clubmen created an organization with an Executive Committee known as the "Committee of Nine" to lobby the State Legislature to create an exception in "no license" jurisdictions for such "summer" clubhouses.  

The New York Athletic Club seemed to lord it over the other clubs a bit.  It had its backup plan -- a plan that it was eventually forced to use.  It simply moved its bar to a location on Travers Island within the Town of New Rochelle.

Detail from Map Published in 1899 Showing How Pelham

Border with New Rochelle Cut Through a Portion of the

Original Clubhouse of the New York Athletic Club on Travers

Island.  Source:  Fairchild, John F.,  Atlas of the City of

Mount Vernon and the Town of Pelham, Double Page Plate

No. 24 (Mount Vernon, NY:  John F. Fairchild, 1899).

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"PELHAM.

There was little talk of party politics about the Town House in Pelham, Westchester County, on Tuesday; but there has seldom been so much interest felt and displayed even in a Presidential election.  The tickets were severally entitled 'Republican' and 'Democratic,' but it is said that they were pretty badly mixed.  At any rate, the voters were mixed, for each candidate was weighed by each voter on some question of local management or town improvement.  There is a struggle about the admission of certain trolley companies, and there are diverse views as to the streets and avenues that the successful company should pass through, opinions being influenced, doubtless, to some extent, by improvement or injury to property, hoped or feared by certain landowners.  It is probable that the views of candidates on these and kindred topics were more eagerly canvassed than those on bimetallism or the McKinley tariff.

Then there was the great 'moral' question of license or no license, which came in for decision under the Raines law.  It was highly interesting and brought to the polls many voters who might not have been induced to leave their homes to assist in settling any matter of less moment.  By 9 o'clock in the morning the ballot-boxes seemed to be nearly full, and all day long carriages were dashing through the streets picking up and bringing in tardy or reluctant voters from the outlying districts.

The town of Pelham is peculiarly situated.  Since the division last year, in the formation of Greater New-York, it has lost City Island and the Sound shore population, which for years had dominated the inland portion of the town.  It now contains only one village -- Pelhamville -- and in this village there have been four or five liquor shops and an amount of drunkenness out of all proportion to the population, due in part to visits from countrymen living not too far away to drive or walk in for their dram.  The rest of the town is occupied by persons who live in homes surrounded by considerable ground, and who have selected their houses with a view to seclusion and quiet.  This quiet has become endangered by the extension of the trolley lines from Mount Vernon and the easy access thus given to excursionists to the woods and gardens of Pelham Manor, Pelham Heights and the adjacent country.  Last summer a hotel at First-st. and Wolf Lane [sic] invited guests from New-York and Mount Vernon to its baseball and pigeon-shooting grounds, and the noise, even on Sunday, became a serious annoyance to many residents.  It was thought well to put a stop to this and to everything like it.

Circulars were sent to all the voters explaining that under the provisions of the Raines law a license would cost in Mount Vernon $500 in New Rochelle $350, and iin Pelham only $100, thus opening the door to many nuisances.  The issue was made and the fight was furious, the result being a defeat for license by eighteen majority.

What was called the Democratic ticket was elected, with the exception of Supervisor."

Source:  PELHAM, New-York Daily Tribune, Apr. 2, 1896, Vol. LV, No. 18,036, p. 15, col. 4.  

"THE WESTCHESTER ELECTIONS.
-----
Democrats Gain and the Raines Law Is Said to Be the Reason.

The completed returns from the town elections in Westchester county, which were held on Tuesday in the towns of Bedford, Cortlandt, East Chester, Harrison, Mamaroneck, North Salem, Ossining, Rye, Scarsdale, and White Plains, Democratic Supervisors were elected; while in the towns of Greenburgh, Lewisboro, Mount Pleasant, New Castle, New Rochelle, North Castle, Pelham, Poundridge, Somers, and Yorktown the Republicans carried the day.  Inasmuch as there are five Republican Supervisors from the city of Yonkers and two Democrats, and one Republican is on the Board from Mount Vernon, the present complexion of the Board is sixteen Republicans to twelve Democrats.  The result shows a gain of two for the Democrats and  loss of two for the Republicans.

The city of Mount Vernon will elect its five Supervisors on May 19.  Yonkers elects its Supervisors in the fall.  

In the town of Harrison the Republican candidate, George T. Burling, is contesting the result of the election on the ground that the ballots were improperly prepared.  The case will be taken before the Supreme Court.

The Raines law was a considerable factor in the elections, and it had the effect which has been predicted by many politicians in all parts of the State.  In the small towns and villages in which the license fee will be practically unchanged, the law had but little influence on the voters.

In the larger towns the law was the leading issue, and the effect that it had on the voters may be fairly judged from the action of the citizens of White Plains.  In the last Gubernatorial election there Gov. Morton received 655 votes to Senator Hill's 588.  The town had been brought into the Republican column after a hard fight, but it was counted on as safe to give each year a Republican majority of from fifty to seventy-five.  The Raines law raised the license fee there from $75 to $200, and the saloon-keepers set to work to teach the Republicans a lesson.  They succeeded in winning over enough voters to their side to elect the Democratic ticket by an average pllurality of 100.

Al of the towns voted in favor of the proposition to grant liquor licenses except the town of Pelham in whih is located Pelham Manor, where many wealthy New York business and professional men reside.  There the proposition was rejected by a large majority, and as a result no saloon, grocery, or hotel license can be granted until after the election of 1898."

Source:  THE WESTCHESTER ELECTIONS -- Democrats Gain and the Raines Law Is Said to Be the Reason, The Sun [NY, NY], Apr. 2, 1896, Vol. LXIII, No. 215, p. 9, col. 3.  

"TO PROTECT THE CLUBS.
-----
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE RAINES LAW.
-----
ACTION TAKEN BY REPRESENTATIVES OF A NUMBER OF LEADING SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS.

The dissatisfaction of the leading social clubs of this city over the Raines Liquor Tax law in its application to those organizations was made manifest and distinct last evening at the headquarters of the Arion Society.  A special meeting had been called for representatives of the clubs to take action regarding the law.  The committee of nine, which had been appointed a week ago last Wednesday night to take preliminary steps, had sent out some fifty invitations to as many clubs to send representatives to the meeting.  

It was regarded last night as a sure sign that the leading clubs of the city were practically unanimous in their views, since thirty-five of those clubs were represented.  The members met in the main dining hall of the club.

The following clubs were represented:  The Arion Society, by Richard Katzenayer, president, and Edward M. Burghard; the Liedderkranz, by William Steinway; Manhattan Club, John von Glahn; Colon Cervantes, A Martinez; Columbia, C. Sichel; Heinebund, Hugo Jansen; New-York Athletic, T. S. Watson and Bartow S. Weeks; Lotos, F. F. Murray and D. B. Sickels; Schnorer, H. C. Schroeder; Press, Frederick Hemming; Holland, Furman T. Nutt; New-York, Carl Eglinger; Cercle Francaise de l'Harmonie, J. Weill; Fidelio, J. M. Klein; Central Turn Verein, W. Henneburg and J. W. Kaebel; 7th Regiment, W. C. Palmer; Harlem, James H. Taylor, and Union League, J. R. Van Wormer.  Other clubs represented were the Progress, Racquet, Riding, Sachem, Tremont, the Verein Frdundschaft, United Service, the Aschenbroedel Society, the Beethoven Maennerchor, the Century Association, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Democratic Club of the Twenty-First Ward, Engineers', Fordham, the German Press, the Harmonic and the New Manhattan Athletic.

In the absence from the city of Frank R. Lawrence, who had presided at the first meeting, Edward M. Burghard was made chairman.  J. H. Taylor, secretary of the Committee of Nine, was chosen secretary of the main body.  It was decided that the session should be held behind closed doors, so that reporters were excluded.

The session lasted about an hour and a half.  There was a ful and free discussion, and not a dissentient voice, according to the statements of members subsequently.  The opinion was unanimous that the Raines law was a menace to the privacy of club life and therefore threatened the best feature of its existence.  One of the speakers was particularly vehement in his denunciation of the 
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Continued on Seventh Page.

PLATT'S SPOILS IN DANGER
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Continued from First Page.

law as being drawn upon narrow lines which wholly ignored the club development of modern life in large centres of population.  He was vigorously applauded, especially in his reference to the opportunity afforded inspectors and policemen to invade a club at any hour.

The result of the conference was the adoption of a resolution instructing the Committee of Nine to prepare such an amendment to the Raines law as would meet the objections raised by the clubs.  One of the other objections stated was that regarding  the show of the tax certificate 'on the outer walls,' as one member put it.  The general spirit of the meeting was that the Raines law placed clubs on a common level, in the eyes of the law, with the ordinary grog shop.

The committee was instructed to pursue such a course as it considered necessary in framing the amendment and having it introduced into the Legislature.  The committee will hold a meeting at once to frame the desired amendment.  The meeting adjourned indefinitely.

John R. Van Wormer, of the Union League Club, and chairman of the Committee of Nine, speaking of the results of the meeting, said:  'Senatore Raines probably intended to make the large clubs pay a tax under the provisions of the bill, but he forgot the little clubs and coteries and the small table d'hote places, all of which will be disastrously affected by the operation of the law.  The action taken tonight is not a decisive one on the part of the clubmen here.  When the amendment is prepared it will be referred back, and the club will then have opportunity to approve or disapprove it.  It is not expected that the Committee of Nine will go to Albany to present the amendment, but it is hoped that the various clubs will themselves send representatives there to argue in favor of the amendment before the committees of the Assembly and Senate.  The clubs want privileges similar to hotels if practicable.'

William Steinway said:  'This is a good movement, to my mind.  The best interests of the best forms of club-life demand the conditions which we are seeking.  The possibility of interference from outside in the regular and orderly course of club-life is to be deprecated.'

The committee of nine consists of J. R. Van Wormer, chairman; E. M. Burghard, John Von Glahn, F. T. Murray, Bartow S. Weeks, H. C. Schroeder, J. H. Taylor, Aristides Martinez and Gustave Dorval.

Like the members of other clubs, and especially those hving country houses, the members of the New-York Athletic Club have not the kindest of feelings for the Raines bill.  The fact that some of the towns have already taken the privilege of the local option clause in the bill, and that others will follow suit, may in the end have the effect of sending some of the clubs, or rather the country houses of those clubs, to New-Jersey.  Hoboken sees a bright future before it.  The fact that the town of Pelham has decided in favor of no license, when announced yesterday, aused the liveliest sort of discussion among the members of the New-York Athletic Club, and there was some wild scurrying around in the afternoon to find out how the law would affect their house at Travers Island.  

John C. Gulick, a lawyer, and the secretary of the club, was seen at his office in the Vanderbilt Building.  Mr. Gulick had not been informed of the action taken by the town of Pelham, but he evinced little surprise when the information was imparted to him.  'Our club will obey the law,' said he,'as usual.  The action of the town of Pelham may, and then again it may not, affect us up at Travers Island.  As I remember, our country home is partly in the town of Pelham and partly in the town of New Rochelle.  But I cannot say with any degree of certainty whether the clubhouse is on the Pelham side or not.  I think we have a survey of the property up at the clubhouse in Fifty-fifth-st.'

Superintendent Duffy was seen at the clubhouse yesterday afternoon, and, as usual, the good-natured superintendent looked at the bright side of the question.  'Oh, I suppose we will have to establish a 'dead line' up at our country place at Travers Island, and everybody found on the wrong side of that ine will have to be shot,' said he, 'Seriously, though, the action taken by the town of Pelham will not inconvenience us to any appreciable extent.  The club will have to take out a license in the town of New-Rochelle.  It will cost us a little money, possibly, to conform to the new conditions, but it won't be much.  The dividing line between Pelham and New-Rochelle runs diagonally through Travers Island, and cuts the property in two.  I suppose that if any liquor is to be sold, the selling will have to take place on that side which is in the town of New-Rochelle.  Some of the other clubs will not be so fortunate.'"

Source:  TO PROTECT THE CLUBS -- PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE RAINES LAW -- ACTION TAKEN BY REPRESENTATIVES OF A NUMBER OF LEADING SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS, New-York Tribune, Apr. 3, 1896, Vol. LV, No. 18,037, p. 1, col. 4 & p. 7, col. 3.

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More Early References to 19th Century and Early 20th Century Baseball in Pelham

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It continues to amaze me how many brief references exist to baseball being played in the last half of the nineteenth century in Pelham.  The Town of Pelham was a tiny grouping of widely scattered settlements for much of that time.  The fact that there are so many references to baseball being played from the 1860s through the 1890s in such a small community certainly attests to the popularity of the National Pastime during that era.  

In addition to such 19th century references, there is one entertaining anecdote about a double header played in Pelham in 1904 that supports the same point.  The second game of the double header between the nationally-renowned Metropolitans of New York City and a Pelham baseball team was a nailbiter.  As the afternoon progressed, more than 7,000 spectators gathered to watch -- more than the entire population of the Town of Pelham at that time.  At the end of eight innings the score was tied.  In the top of the ninth inning it began to rain but the crowd would not let the players end the contest after the visitors went ahead by one run.  The rain grew worse as Pelham evened the score and the game remained tied at the end of nine innings.  The crowd insisted that play continue though everyone -- players and fans -- was drenched.  Play continued. . . . Read below to see what happened! 

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog collects four additional references to early baseball being played in Pelham.  Each item is followed by a citation and link to its source.  Together, today's items and all of those reflected in the thirty previous Historic Pelham Blog articles on the topic listed at the end of today's posting constitute an amazing archive reflecting the early years of the sport in the Town of Pelham during the latter half of the 19th century and the first few years of the 20th century.

Country Club of Pelham Announced Baseball Would be Played in May and June 1885

"--The Country Club, of Pelham, announce a variety of outdoor sports, including polo, trap shooting, baseball and lawn tennis, to take place during May and June."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, New Rochelle Pioneer, Apr. 25, 1885, p. 3, col. 6. 

City Island Baseball Club Scheduled to Play Newark, New Jersey Team in 1884

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND. . . .

The Belden Baseball nine will play a game with a club from Newark, N. J., to-morrow (Saturday.)"

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 18, 1884, Vol. XV, No. 774, p. 3, cols. 4-5.   

Baseball Played on Grounds of the White Hotel in 1897

"PELHAM 30 YEARS AGO
(Pelham Press, May 1, 1897) . . . 

"In a great slugging bee at the White Hotel grounds last Sunday [April 25, 1897] the Pelham A. C. [i.e., "Athletic Club"] defeated the Neptunes of New Rochelle 17 to 10."

Source:  PELHAM 30 YEARS AGO (Pelham Press, May 1, 1897), The Pelham Sun, May 6, 1937, p. 16, col. 1 (quoting Pelham Press published May 1, 1897).

NOTE:  The White Hotel stood on a very large lot on the southwest corner of Wolfs Lane and Third Street (which becomes Boulevard after crossing Wolfs Lane).  The map detail below shows the location of the White Hotel grounds referenced in the reference immediately above.  

Detail from 1899 Map by John F. Fairchild Showing

Location of White Hotel Grounds.  Note That Even Two Years

After the Baseball Game Referenced Above, There Still Was

Nothing on the Entire Block Except the Hotel and Outbuildings.

Source:  Fairchild, John F., Atlas of Mount Vernon and Pelham,

Plate 21 (John F. Fairchild, 1899) (Lionel Pincus and Princess

Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library).

Double Header Between the Pelham Fire Department and the Nationally-Renowned Metropolitans of New York City in 1904 Attracted 7,000 Fans

"PELHAM . . . 

The Pelham Fire Department kept up their winning streak Monday by taking the strong Metropolitans of New York into camp in a double header on Firemen's Field.  The morning game was a slaughtering match and four pitchers were hammered all over the field, but the visiting slab masters received the harshest treatment.  The afternoon contest was the kind to awaken enthusiasm in the crankiest of rooters.  The immense crowd from the celebration at the Wartburg School attracted by the loud applause flocked to the field and before the end of the tenth inning fully 7,000 people lined the grounds.  This is perhaps the largest crowd that ever witnessed a baseball game in this vicinity.  The 'Mets' put in their star twirler, and were willing to stake their lives on the result of the game.  Youchim, the conqueror of the Pastime A. C., occupied the box for the locals.  The spectators were kept in the highest pitch of excitement, the score being tied several times.  The opening of the ninth inning found the score dead locked:  9-9.  A dead ball, hit and an error filled the bases and Youchim hit the next batter forcing in a run.  The next two fanned and the last died, Youchim to Rohrs.  It was raining quite hard now but the spectators insisted upon the game being finished.  With the visitors one run to the good, two out and two strikes on Rohrs, he complied with the demands of the rooters for a home run by putting the ball over right fielder's head for the circuit.  Again the locals went out in the rain and again the visitors placed the long end of the score to their credit by bringing in a run; score 11-10.  And now Pelham.  Youchim singled, O'Flynn tripled to right scoring Youchim with the tieing run.  H. Dickinson drew a base on balls and Minard poked the ball over centre fielder's head scoring O'Flynn with the winning run.  The spectators, drenched to the skin, departed in the best of spirits declaring it to have been the best game seen on the local grounds in many a day.  Next Sunday the Westchester A. C. will journey to Pelham to call a halt to the list of victories. . . ."

Source:  PELHAM, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon], Jun. 1, 1904, p. 5, cols. 3-4.  

Undated Photograph (Ca. 1896) of the Pelham A.C. Jr. Baseball
Team. Although Difficult to See in This Low Resolution Version
of the Image, There Are Many Children Whose Eyes Can Be
Seen Peering, and Whose Fingers Extend, Through the Cracks
Between the Boards Behind the Team.  NOTE:  Click Image To Enlarge.

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I have written quite extensively regarding the history of baseball in Pelham and early baseball games played in the Town of Pelham.  Below is a listing, with links, of my previous postings on the topic of 19th century baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Apr. 06, 2015:  Early Baseball Game Played by Pelham Team in 1866.

Fri., Mar. 28, 2014:  Earliest Evidence Yet! Baseball Was Played in Pelham Only Months After the Civil War Ended. 

Thu., Mar. 20, 2014:  19th Century Baseball in Pelham - Newly-Discovered References.

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


Thu., Jan. 28, 2010:   News About Pelham Manor and Pelhamville in 1895 - Lighting Districts, Gas for the Village, Baseball and More.

Tue., Dec. 15, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Beldenites and the City Island Rivals in 1884.  

Mon., Dec. 14, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Shamrocks in 1889.  

Fri., Dec. 11, 2009:  Earliest Reference Yet to Baseball Played in Pelham.  

Thu., Dec. 10, 2009:  More 19th Century Baseball and Firefighting References. 

Wed., Dec. 9, 2009:  City Island Shamrocks Base Ball Club Changed its Name to the Minnefords in 1888.

Wed., Nov. 25, 2009:  Even More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Tue., Nov. 24, 2009:  Yet Another Reference to Early Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 23, 2009:  Additional Brief Accounts of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 19th Century.

Friday, November 20, 2009:  More Accounts of Early Baseball Played in Pelham.

Fri., Nov. 13, 2009:  1894 Account of Developments in Pelham Including a Reference to a Baseball Game Played that Year.

Thur., Nov. 12, 2009:  More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Wed., Sep. 30, 2009:   Score of June 1, 1887 Baseball Game Between the Country Club and The Knickerbocker Club.

Fri., Mar. 20, 2009:   Another Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Tue., Mar. 4, 2008:   Another Brief Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 26, 2007:  Box Score of a Baseball Game Played on Travers Island in Pelham Manor in July 1896.

Wed., Nov. 21, 2007:  Baseball on Travers Island During the Summer of 1897.

Fri., Jul. 20, 2007:  Account of Early Baseball in Pelham: Pelham vs. the New York Athletic Club on Travers Island in 1897.

Fri., Nov. 10, 2006: The Location of Another Early Baseball Field in Pelham.

Mon., Oct. 9, 2006:   Reminiscences of Val Miller Shed Light on Late 19th Century Baseball in Pelham and the Early Development of the Village of North Pelham.

Thu., Mar. 23, 2006:  Baseball Fields Opened on the Grounds of the Westchester Country Club in Pelham on April 4, 1884.  

Tue., Jan. 31, 2006:  Another Account of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 1880s Is Uncovered. 

Thu., Oct. 6, 2005:   Does This Photograph Show Members of the "Pelham Manor Junior Base Ball Team"?

Thu., Sep. 15, 2005:  Newspaper Item Published in 1942 Sheds Light on Baseball in 19th Century Pelham.  

Thu., Feb. 10, 2005:  New Discoveries Regarding Baseball in 19th Century Pelham. 

Bell, Blake A., Baseball in Late 19th Century Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 17, Apr. 23, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.

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