John and Adolph Ukaninski Run In With the Cops

North Olean History - John and Adolph Ukaninski
Run In With The Cops

The first story is about John Ukaninski run in with the cops. I told Adolph about writing up the story and gave him a copy of it. He started to laugh and asked me if I had found the story about him yet. No, I said. He laughed again, but never revealed what the story was about. Well, as my research went on, I did find the story, but alas, Adolph had went to live with one of his daughters out of town where he has since passed away, so I never did get to share the story with him. I would have loved to see Adolph laugh again. (Their mother was a great aunt to my husband)

John Ukasinski Arrested For Shooting Crap

John Ukasinski, age 16, received a double penalty in court in September of 1916, when he was arraigned before Justice Keating on a charge of disorderly conduct. Erie Detective C. F. Price found Young Ukasinski and three other lads at the Erie Station about 8:30 the previous evening. Price said that the youngsters were shooting craps and causing considerable disturbance on the station platform. Three of the lads ran but Ukasinski was brought to the city jail.

The lad's mother appeared in court when he was arraigned by Justice Keating. Her attitude toward her son showed that she had taught him better than to roll the galloping dominoes. Justice Keating questioned the boy carefully and finally said, I going to fine you five dollars. Mrs. Ukasinski there upon capped the climax by cuffing her boy none too gently on the side of the face, paid the fine and led the whimpering youngster from the courtroom.
(Adolph told me that Justice Keating has sympathy toward the North Enders. He would tell them to stay after court and he then returned the fine they had just paid. Mrs. Ukasinski was a widow and $5 was a huge amount of money then, enough for a weeks groceries)

Adolph Ukasinski Is Shot by Policeman Sokolowski

It was a cold night in January of 1930 when Officer Joseph Sokolowski had to use his revolver in self-defense against two young men from North Olean, who attacked him at the corner of Pine and North Union Street. As a result Adolph Ukasinski, age 23, was in the Olean General Hospital with a ragged bullet wound below the knee in his right leg.

Between 6:15 and 6:30 that evening the officer approached Ukasinski and read a warrant for his arrest on a charge of disorderly conduct. While reading the warrant, Adolph Stanek came up to the policeman and stuck him in the face. The two young men were full of fight and attacked the officer, whom they knocked down and pounded. Sokolowski, gaining his feet reached for his gun, which was kicked from his hand. Once again they knocked him down and started beating him. After Sokolowski once again got up on his feet for the second time, and while reaching for his gun that was on the pavement, Ukasinski attempted to kick him in the face. The police shot and began tussling with Stanek. Using the butt of his gun, Sokolowski warded off the second assailant who later disappeared.

Seeing the Ukasinski was wounded, Sokolowski called a taxicab and rushed him to the hospital where Dr. Maurice Sheldon attended to him.

In the meantime the residents of that section swarmed around the policeman and it appeared that a mob scene was on the verge of breaking. It was quelled however, by Sokolowski, together with Policeman George Finger, who arrived from headquarters, and Samuel Lock, the Erie Railroad detective.

While the fight was going on, Detective Lock was arresting Edward Stanek, brother of Adolph, near the Erie Station for intoxication and disorderly conduct. Lock said that he did not hear the shot or see the fight until he came from behind the Erie ticket office.

Edward Stanek resisted and as a result his left eye was closed in a tussle with Lock. It was expected that Adolph Stanek would be arrested later that day and charged with resisting an officer.

As a result of this ruckus, the judge in court fined Edward and Adolph Stanek $10 each. Adolph Ukasinski, who had spent six weeks in the hospital, was fined $50. He was also given a suspended sentence of six months and had to report to Judge Keating one day a week. As for Officer Sokolowski, he no longer was the officer on the beat in North Olean, but down the line became Olean's Chief of Police.

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