Ruckus Near Washington Hall

North Olean History - Ruckus Near Washington Hall
Photo taken showing location of ruckus at Connell and Union streets in foreground. Photo courtesy Eugene Chap (taken in 1957)

I love this story—it is hilarious~Eileen

The Olean Cops placed seven North Olean youths and men under arrest early on a Monday morning in August 1922. The arrest was the result of an attack on Patrolman Edward Wittenburg late in the evening that previous Saturday. Those arrested were Stanley Kubiak, age 19; John Panus, age 24; Andrew Turock, age 20; and Walter Stomeroski, age 19, all of whom were released under bonds of $300 each. Joseph Stanek, age 22; Leo Jonak, age 18 and Loren Bishop, age 29 were released under cash bonds of $50 each.

According to the police, about 10 o’clock on Saturday, Andrew Turock and Andrew Rajski, age 24, who were said to be intoxicated, were loitering in North Union Street near the Erie Depot. Officer Wittenburg ordered them to leave the station and go home, which they refused to do and instead headed for the Washington Hall where Bishop was holding a dance. Wittenburg said that while patrolling his beat he came back down Union Street and there was Rajski lying in the middle of the road. He picked up Rajski and Officer Grandusky took him to the police station.

According to Wittenburg, he next went up to Washington Hall where the dance was in progress and he had no more than got there when Andrew Turock came up to him and begun hurling a torrent of abuse at him. Wittenburg stated that after placing Turock under arrest and he had no more then started up Union Street with the prisoner when a crowd of forty or fifty started to follow him urging that he release Turock. Turock broke loose just as they reached the corner of Connell and Union Streets and started to run across Union Street. Wittenburg gave chase and landed a couple of blows on the fleeing prisoner. The officer was following Turock for several yards down the road when Turock suddenly turned and both he and Wittenburg collided with a thud knocking both to the ground. It was then that the crowd, who had been following, piled onto Wittenberg taking his hat and club, which they hurled into a field nearby. Someone struck the officer a blow to the back of his head during the melee.

After Wittenburg returned to Union Street, he called for assistance. Officers Blakeslee, Randall and Grandusky headed for North Olean and they made a stop at Washington Hall where the dance was still in progress. Now according to the officers, Bishop ordered them in an insulting manner to turn around and beat it back to the police station. Bishop complained that he had lost fifty dollars on the dance so far and that the officers were not welcomed there. Then the officers placed Bishop under arrest.

While Wittenburg had been waiting for the officers to arrive in North Olean, he went in search for his hat and club. Panus told Wittenburg that he knew where they were and if he would drop things just as they were his articles would be restored to him. Wittenburg recovered the hat and club later.

On Monday morning the men pleaded not guilty before Judge Keating and were granted an adjournment until Thursday when they would have obtained council.

Rajski, who was the first one arrested, was locked up and charged with intoxication. Upon the payment of a $5 fine, he was released.

Judge Keating imposed a fine of $50 on Andrew Turock who was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting an officer. Stanley Kubiak, Walter Stomeroski, Joseph Stanek and Loren Bishop pleaded not guilty to charges of interfering with an officer. Their counsel asked for an adjournment of one week with permission to have the defendants tried by jury. The request was granted.

The six men claimed that they did not attack Wittenburg when he was pursuing Turock across North Union Street, after Turock, who was under arrest broke away. According to their story, they were running across the street after Wittenburg and Turock and when the two men fell to the ground they were not able to stop running and accidentally fell on them.

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