Early North Olean Crime

North Olean History - Early North Olean Crime

SOME EARLY NORTH OLEAN CRIME
“On April 14, 1881, it was reported that Mr. Rafferty, who had his lip bitten off and who was badly beaten by a friend over a week earlier was slowly recovering. It was also said “Those Oak Street folks have less lip, since the unfortunate affray took place.”
Thirty suits of Boy’s clothes were found in Homer’s barn near the Erie Depot early in June of 1881. They were probably stolen by tramps and left there. The owner could claim same by applying at John Wiley’s boarding house on First Street, proving property and paying for this notice.”

“A man named Willhelm Fetterly, who had been for a time employed by the United Pipe Line Company, was paid off, and with the four companions he picked up, commenced a tour of the saloons in the city. At about twelve o’clock on August 10, 1881, his newly formed acquaintances induced him to journey from the city to North Olean. When near O’Hara’s on Union Street, the gang seized him, and threw him down, and one of them filled Fetterly’s mouth with sand to prevent him from crying for assistance. Two held him down, while the fourth went through his pockets, abstracting there from $14. As soon as Fetterly was allowed to get away, he made the facts known. An attempt to telephone for officers from the city were made, but without effect, and the desperadoes escaped.
The ringleader of the gang was known as Gus George, a hardened character, who is said to have stabbed a young lady in Allegany some years ago and served a term in State Prison for the offense.
It was stated, “that an attempt should be made to clear the city of several such gangs, who were loafing about, doing nothing but some mean tricks akin to the one related above. The community should be relieved of their presence in some manner, and it occurs to us that it matters very little what method is employed to reach such an consummation.”

“On the morning of August 31, 1881, about 1 o’clock, a fracas that came near ending seriously, took place in Olean. A colored man by the name of Smith had been boarding at the house owned by I. J. Palmer on the corner of Union Street and Hinsdale Road (Union and Main Streets). On Tuesday night, August 29, he got beastly drunk and while in this condition went to the house and began throwing stones and calling the lady of the house by all the vile epithets in the vocabulary of the frequenters of dives. Finally forbearance arrived at that stage at which it ceases to be a virtue, and a messenger was sent for an officer.
John Wiley was found, and after making a survey of the field, he entered the house by the rear door in order to step out unexpectedly upon the scamp, and thus insure his capture. Smith was standing at the front door, making a noisy demonstration, when the barrier between him and the “strong arm of the law” suddenly swung back and he was standing face to face with John Wiley. As John appeared in view, Smith drew back and threw a stone about the size of a man’s double fist with great force directly at the officer’s head. Wiley dodged and Mr. Palmer, who was on hand, before Smith could do more mischief, seized the belligerent man. A lively scuffle ensued, which was only stopped by the use of the mace in the hands of Wiley. After Smith was hit three blows upon the head he gave up and pretended to be dead. He was placed in a wheelbarrow, with the intention of taking him to the lockup, but he had not been moved many feet when he again revived and attempted to escape. In this he was foiled, but he made a good fight and had to be severely choked ere he was subjugated. About this time Officer Schaffer appeared on the scene, and helped to escort this chap to the Bastille, where he was lodged without further trouble.
He was to be given a hearing that morning, and the probabilities were strongly in favor of his “going up” for a good term, for he had, heretofore, made himself a nuisance. Some weeks before, he stabbed a colored companion, and when drunk he was a bad man.
John Wiley said he has not had such a time since he can remember, and judging from the streams of perspiration, which was oozing from every pore, it was a self-evident fact. But when John says so, the boys have to come.”

“On February 16, 1883, Officer Shaffer arrested a woman from Eldred and a man named Coffee, near the Erie Depot for drunkenness and fighting and put them in the lockup. While there the strong-minded Coffee hit on a novel escape. The woman was confined in a cell and Coffee was in the hall. So he handed her paper and matches and told her to light them and cry fire, which she did, setting fire to the blanket on the bed, making a terrible stench and smoke. Becoming alarmed, they cried to some passersby, who called the policemen and they were relieved just in time to prevent the woman’s suffocating.”

“In August of 1883, two young ladies were boating on the mill dam above Dan Brown’s sawmill. There were two young men walking upon the bank, when one of the ladies invited the boys to come into the boat. The girls refused to land the boat, telling the boys to swim. One of the boys said that he would, and begun to disrobe. The girls dared him to strip and swim out to them, offering him a piece of cake if he did. He promptly peeled himself of everything in the shape of clothing. He then plunged boldly in the water, and reached the frail boat. Then the girl, who had done the talking, hit him on the head with an oar, and set up a cry like a marine monster. They young man made all haste to shore. The girl had no one else to blame for what she had considered an insult. If he had not swam out she would have given him the laugh.”

“Bate Dempsey, a bricklayer and violent hands laid upon him on a Tuesday afternoon on November 13, 1893. It was a case of force. “Bate” was more drunk than usual and failed to identify his friend John Wiley, whose hospitality, however, knew no bounds and Bate was accommodated to the cooler. Bate and Biddy McMann from Buffalo had a tete-a-tete. Bate was discharged the following morning on payment of $9.60.” Bate was Jack Dempsey’s father, one of the early residents of North Olean.

“On the morning after Christmas, Larry Connell found a quantity of slouch hats in his barn. An investigation proved that they had been stolen on Christmas Day from an Erie freight car. Soon after, in another barn a number of stiff hats were found, and later in the Acme yards, a thread case was found. The stuff all came from the same car, which was bound for Minnesota. Officer Wiley was in charge of the case and was sure that the thieves lived in the vicinity of the Erie Depot. It was a peculiar fact, and it was strange indeed that in spite of the transportation over the Erie road, of millions of dollars worth of valuable freight, not a single freight car on this line was ever locked. They were all fastened with a seal, which could easily be broken as a string.”

“In police court on January 4, 1897, Patrick Ducey and Edward Herron were sentenced to terms in the county jail. Ducey for ninety days and Herron for Herron for sixty days, for being drunk and disorderly. They were arrested on the complaints of Warren Williams of North Olean and Mattherw Thornbury of West State Street. Williams had rented a horse and buggy of Thornbury on Saturday afternoon, and took Ducey and Herron out riding. They visited several saloons Saturday evening and got pretty drunk. About 9:30 o’clock, they drove to Thornbury’s barn to return the rig. Ducey and Herron wanted to drive to East Olean but Williams refused. He said that they then struck him on the head knocking him insensible, after which they went through his pockets and took a small amount of money, and then drove off with the rig. When Williams woke up he notified Mr. Thornbury, and about midnight Ducey and Herron were arrested on State Street near Fourth.”

“It was Thursday, July 16, 1908, and it was payday for the Pennsylvania railroad workers, when two men named M. Subject and M. Mokrinski, employed by the railroad, went into Frank Kujawa’s saloon in North Olean at 3 o’clock in the afternoon to cash their paychecks. Frank Kujawa, after cashing Subject’s check for $36.40 and Mokrinski’s for $51.28, laid the checks between some bottles at the back of his bar instead of putting them in his cash drawer. Early that evening when he went to get the checks, he discovered that they were missing, and concluded that they must have been stolen. The following morning he notified the Exchange National Bank of the stolen checks and requested that payment be stopped.
Now it was about 10 o’clock that same evening that Rudolph Dotterweich, who was the proprietor of the Oak Café at the corner of Union and State Streets, cashed a check for $51.28 payable to M. Mokrinski. The next morning Dotterweich went to the Exchange Bank to deposit the check and it was then that he was informed that payment had been stopped. He knew that he had been duped and the bank officials immediately sent for Kujawa. After a description of the check cashing man was given by Mr. Dotterweich, Kujawa and Deputy Sheriff Oosterhoudt, who “happened” to be in the bank at the same time, knew that the man was M. Subject. The deputy sheriff took of for North Olean and arrested Mr. Subject on the charge of stealing the check.
Subject was to have a hearing before Justice Cook that same afternoon. The outcome is unknown.”

“In a bar room brawl at North Olean in the saloon of John Yonder shortly after 1 o’clock on the afternoon of Monday, April 28, 1913, J. Turock, a Pole, received a deep gash over his eye. His assailant, F. Padlo, had a couple of badly swollen eyes and a pair of thick lips from contact with someone’s fists. Both men were locked up at police headquarters.
The police received word of the scrape when someone called them from the Smith & Seely store at 1301 N. Union Street. Patrolman Anderson, who was the desk sergeant immediately telephoned Chief Lawler, who lived in North Olean and informed him of the ruckus. Anderson then telephoned Henry French, who was on the North Olean beat, and told him to procure the first automobile available and proceed immediately to Yonder’s saloon. This action resulted in the two Poles being taken to police headquarters in five minutes time.
From the jangled story wrested from Padlo, it seemed that Turock started the argument. It ended with Padlo being thrown to the floor with about ten of his countrymen on top of him. Padlo, in order to defend himself, grabbed a heavy beer mug, and the first one he hit was Turock.
The injured man was taken into the washroom of the police station where Dr. John Loughlen sewed up the wound. The police stated that Yonder claimed to have called the police station, but Office Anderson stated that he received no call from Yonder.
The following day Padlo pleaded not guilty before Justice Keating to assault in the third degree and was fined $50, which he paid. Turock, who was held as a material witness was released.”

“F. Kaminka was arrested on the morning of July 28, 1914, on a warrant sworn out by George Banka, a bartender for John Yonder at North Olean, which charged him with assault committed the previous evening. When arraigned before Judge Keating, the man was in an intoxicated condition and after pleading guilty to the charge he asked the judge when he would have his trial. He was immediately returned to the jail where he was kept until he sobered up. The following day he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 120 days in the Buffalo Penitentiary.”

“On Saturday evening, March 27, 1915, George Washer, who conducted the American Hotel in North Olean, reported to the police that he had been robbed of $750 in cash that was taken from the bar room of the hotel sometime between 8 and 9:30 p.m. Washer said that he had $600 in cash and $100 in checks in a till in the bar and $50 in the cash drawer. About 8 o’clock he went out to get lunch and locked the door on leaving. When he returned the money was mission. He reported the matter to the police at once.
The police took several suspects into custody, among them a man named Shaffer, who worked for Washer. All, however, were released when it was found that they couldn’t possibly have any connection with the crime. They were of the opinion that Washer might have mislaid his money. However, the police were ever keeping a sharp watch and hoped to have the matter cleared up soon.

Site Map
Back | Top of Page | Home
Disclaimer | Contact | Guestbook

This page has been visited

times.