USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Hampden county, 1636-1936, Volume I > Part 32
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James Scutt Dwight, when but seventeen went to sea, and before he was twenty-five was made master of a vessel. He took command of the vessel "Cutwater" after the captain had been swept overboard during a heavy sea. He was master of the ships "Charger" and "Springfield," the latter having been named in honor of his native town. His friends presented him with a set of colors as a compliment. Among the sons of Springfield who have gone forth to win fame and fortune none had brighter prospects or was more highly esteemed than Captain Dwight. While on the voyage from Calcutta to New York he was crully murdered at midnight in his cabin on board the ship by the cook and steward, who were Malay Chinese.
The Spanish-American War
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CHAPTER XXVI
The Spanish-American War
The men of Springfield, and of Hampden County, have never been backward in responding to the colors when the call came to take up arms against the enemy.
Back in the very early days, when this region was little more than a succession of clearings in the virgin forest, the first settlers fought the hostile Indians who swooped down into the valley to dispute the right of those pioneers to establish their homes and till their land in peace. Springfield blood was shed in the Colonial wars, and when the roll of the drums came to announce the revolution of the Colonies against England, the men of the county were foremost in joining the ranks of the nondescript army that fought so bravely and finally emerged victorious. In the Civil War, too, Springfield, Holyoke, Westfield and other towns in the county filled their quotas with many to spare, and it was the 37th, in great measure composed of men from this valley, which played a prominent part along with a New York regiment in turning the Southerners away from Washington after their victory at Bull Run.
When the call came for men in this section to again take up arms against the enemy the response was just as immediate and just as enthusiastic as it had ever been in the musty years of the past.
The first company to leave Springfield for the war was H Com- pany, Naval Brigade. The navy was far better prepared than the army at this time, and it was the belief of military experts that the war would be fought largely on the sea, leaving the army forces to do little except garrison duty. On the sixteenth of April, 1898, Lieu- tenant J. K. Dexter, the commander of the brigade, arrived in Spring- field with official orders and immediately began to assemble his detail by the alarm list signal, telephone and special messenger. This detail went to New York, marching to the Union Station amidst a tre- mendous ovation.
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There was still a number of H Company men left under Lieu- tenant Henry S. Crossman, and they were designated for duty aboard the "Prairie," formerly the fast steamer "El Sud," of the Morgan line. This contingent assembled at the Armory on the afternoon and evening of April 23. Relatives, friends, well-wishers, wives and sweethearts gathered in thousands to see the "jackies" off, so-called because of their naval jackets. The boys of the company rolled their dunnage and gathered together their equipment, every bit as excited as the cheering crowds about them. It was 1:30 A. M. when the men, fully armed and dressed in regulation uniform, marched through the Main Street to the Union Station, but despite the lateness of the hour, it seemed as if every local citizen who could walk or ride was down in the cheering mobs which lined the streets and shouted them- selves hoarse.
Rockets, colored lights and flares lit up the night. Laughter and tears, shouted farewells, and good wishes followed the men as the train pulled out of the station. And it was these sons of Springfield, and also those of outlying towns attached to the company, who served their country on the high seas, some of them on the monitor "Lehigh" and some on the auxiliary cruiser previously mentioned. Part of their service included sinking a Spanish transport and a gunboat.
On the twenty-ninth of April the call came to this region for land troops and Colonel Embury P. Clark, of the 2d Regiment, was desig- nated as one of the six commanding officers to raise a regiment of volunteers. At that time there were three companies of army militia here, and the men of the militia were given the first chance to enlist in the volunteer regiment, the remainder to be made up by the enlist- ments of residents other than those already members. Applications for enlistment far exceeded the quota desired. Twice the required four companies could have been filled with ease. Officers actually took it upon themselves to dissuade citizens with families and other heavy responsibilities from entering the rolls, pointing out that there were plenty of single men with less obligations. Many of these men, eager to be of service, dropped their regular business to work day and night in the armory, where the personnel had trebled.
On May 3 the three companies formed in the big drill shed of the armory, their uniforms spick and span, their knapsacks packed and their overcoats rolled up on top of the knapsacks. As the sharp com-
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mand came from the officers and traveled down the line, the men wheeled and marched out in almost perfect precision.
There was not quite as enthusiastic a reception awaiting them as had been given the naval brigade some days before. It was a dis- mal, dreary morning with the rain falling at intervals, dampening to some extent the spirits of the awaiting populace and at the same time serving to bedraggle the fine uniforms. Then, too, the people had come to realize the seriousness of war, and the early eager anticipation of conflict had toned down to a rather grim, determined outlook. This realization came home to people here even before a single shot was fired in actual battle.
Still the demonstration was all that could be asked for in com- parison with any during a time of peace. Outside the armory hun- dreds of spectators had gathered and prominent among them were members of the E. K. Wilcox Post, the G. A. R., the Veterans' Corps and several other military and patriotic organizations, headed by the 2d Regiment Band, to provide an escort to the station.
Thousands of people massed in and about Court Square as the men marched down Main Street, then around the square in front of the city hall, where Mayor Dickinson and the city officials reviewed them. Perhaps the first shot of the Spanish-American War was fired a few minutes later, so far as Springfield was concerned, when men from the fire department headquarters on Pynchon Street saluted the boys with a shot from a small cannon !
The station was packed, but the cheering was more subdued. There were more tears than cheers, especially from the women, when the train pulled out of the station bound for the camp in South Fram- ingham. To have the men in the city, even if the atmosphere was martial, was one thing. To see them step into waiting cars, perhaps never to come back, was quite another.
The records of the war tell their own story of the bravery and soldierly bearing of these men of the county, both in battle and in the fever-producing climate of Cuba. It was these men who fought at El Caney, a battle where the infantry, without any appreciable artil- lery support, managed to seize a heavily fortified town, a feat in itself stupendous and unprecedented. It was these men of Springfield and other parts of Hampden County who were instrumental in bot- tling up the city of Santiago so that the Spaniards ultimately were
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forced to surrender. Only partially trained, in fact virtually rookies, they went into battle with all the coolness and bravery of veterans who had many times before advanced into a hail of bullets, and emerged with honor.
Some of the men died on the field of battle. Some submitted to the ravages of fever after lingering illness. Still others died later on the way home from the effects of wounds or the weakening of their resist- ance by hardships and disease in the field. About twenty-five men in these three companies answered the final muster.
Prominent among Springfield's dead heroes was Henry C. Bowen, major and surgeon of the 2d Regiment. He was the son of Charles W. Bowen, of Westfield, and studied in public schools in that city and later at Wilbraham Academy, finally completing his medical edu- cation at New York University. He enlisted while on the surgical staff of the Mercy Hospital, where he was headed for a brilliant medical career. Men still relate that when the regiment was in front of Santiago, in terrible physical condition because of the ravages of Cuban fever and poor diet, it was Bowen, who virtually alone and working hour after hour without rest, took care of over eight hun- dred sick and dying men to the best of his ability. Unable to procure medical supplies of any description for his men, and faced with insur- mountable odds, he was still responsible for their welfare and indi- rectly gave his life to the cause. The very disease that he fought against, Cuban malarial fever, finally overcame him and he died in the 2d Division Hospital near Santiago, every bit as much of a hero as the soldier killed in action on the field.
The death of Sergeant Richard, "Dickie," Bearse brought grief to hundreds of his friends back in Springfield, as well as to his com- rades. His patriotism was of the highest. He was rejected twice in physical examinations by the surgeons, but wheedled himself into the service by sheer, dogged persistence. Always good-natured and cheery, Bearse was a wonderful influence on the morale of the men in their hardships, although his own body was somewhat less equipped to meet the vicissitudes of rigorous campaign life. He died of the dread calentura, and his body was brought home and buried in the family plot at Oak Grove Cemetery. Hundreds of saddened resi- dents of the city followed the casket in the mournful funeral.
Others died facing the Spaniards on the field of battle. Robert Kelly was shot in the left cheek in front of Santiago, the bullet pass-
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ing through and lodging in the muscles on the other side. John Malone, of B Company, was fatally wounded at El Caney, and Arthur Packard, who had been employed in the "Homestead" office, was killed instantly in the same encounter. George A. Richmond, in Lieutenant Leyden's squad (later sheriff of Springfield), was shot through the head early in the battle, and was carried to an impro- vised field hospital nearby, where he suffered horrible agonies before death came, and Chaplain Fitzgerald, of the 22d, administered the last rites. The others who died, whether from fever or from enemy bullets, inscribed their names just as deeply on the scroll of honor as these men did.
Perhaps the strangest and most tragic casualty of all was that of Thomas C. Boone, who came to the front with K Company, but later transferred to the Signal Corps. Boone did not die on foreign fields, but in the Massachusetts General Hospital. An expert telegrapher, he was finally detailed to code and observation work. On July 2 he was aloft in a war balloon at San Juan at a height of about 2,700 feet, making observations of the Spanish lines along with Colonel Drew and Major Maxfield. As they floated over a creek the gas bag was pierced by jagged shrapnel from the enemy lines and fell. The basket lodged in the top of a tree and Boone was caught in the anchor with the iron hook stuck in his side. He hung suspended over the creek before he finally fell into the water, badly hurt. He might have recovered even then, but on a journey to a hospital by mule team, the vehicle overturned and the old wound was aggravated. Through an error on the part of some officer, he was accused of desertion, but the truth finally came out and he received an honorable discharge from the army before death from his wounds overtook him.
The Springfield contingent, after the armistice was made and the victory won, returned home on the "Mobile," appropriately called "the death ship" by the men. It had lain in the harbor of San- tiago under the worst of sanitary conditions, and was overcrowded with men who slept in any spot they could find, in the hold, or on the deck. The food was poor and meagre, and several were sick or had festering wounds. On this voyage Second Lieutenant Harry Vesper and Wagoner Paul Kingston, both of Springfield, passed away, and they were lowered over the side, their bodies draped in American flags. The "Mobile" was in actuality a "death ship" with a toll of
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nine men and one officer on the trip from Santiago to Montauk Point.
As the ship came into Montauk a group of Springfield newspaper- men tried to get near the "Mobile" in a small boat, but were ordered away, even though the ship had passed quarantine. The first Spring- field man to reach the regiment aboard was Dr. David Clark, a Spring- field surgeon, who for many years had been associated with the militia. Dr. Clark had spent many weary hours hidden under the wharf at Montauk, so that he could be inside the guard lines when the "Mobile" came in. He was immediately surrounded, and some of the men had tears in their eyes, so hungry were they for the sight of a face from home, and for news of their loved ones. The next day the men were allowed to disembark, and those who were able to walk down the gangplank put up a semblance of order and precision as they were transferred to a quarantine camp.
The return of the soldiers to Springfield was not a gay and glit- tering pageant, replete with parades, the ring of martial music and the roar of thousands. Like the day they had left, the morning was rainy and generally miserable. News had come home that most of those men who had marched so gallantly away were now wasted and emaciated from fever and hardships, weary of war, and looking only for rest and recovery, and were in no shape for a riotous and exhaust- ing welcome. Officials emphasized to the public that the less strain placed upon the men the better, and the Union Station was roped off and patroled by officers.
The crowd numbered about 10,000, and among them was Gov- ernor Wolcott. The welcome was subdued, so far as noise went, but it came from the hearts of the citizens.
On October 3, 1898, the men of the 2d Massachusetts Regiment were mustered out of the United States Army. The local companies marched to the station at first to receive the other companies from the Second who were to be mustered out in Springfield. The men were without rifles or equipment, and were dressed in nondescript uni- forms of militia blue and campaign khaki. Between the sporadic cheering from the crowds on the streets there was wonderment and stares. People had been accustomed to see soldiers on parade march- ing with precision and fire and many of them were a little disappointed at the rather sorry military bearing of the veterans. But to those who
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fought in Cuba under the worst conditions possible, pomp and glory were only empty manifestations, and it was their desire to forget it as soon as they could.
Many of the returned soldiers were members of clubs and secret societies of various nature around town, and banquet after banquet was given. Private Morris Grenowitz, of B Company, the only Hebrew in the Springfield contingent, was given a public reception by the Young Men's Hebrew Association, and presented a medal and a small amount of money. Many of the others received gold medals, rings or watches, including Private Peter Boyer and Private William Ferrier. A number of the veterans resided in West Springfield or Mittineague, and the residents there arranged a large celebration resembling an election night, with red fire and salutes, and plenty to eat and drink.
Perhaps the largest public celebration of them all was that held in the old city hall on November 3. The place was packed to the doors, and cheer after cheer resounded as the colors of the regiment were brought into view. The Governor gave a speech, as did many promi- nent citizens of Springfield.
Soon afterward there was an organized movement to send a dele- gation down to Cuba to bring back the bodies of those men who had died in the foreign land. The movement gained impetus, and a num- ber of meetings were held in Springfield, attended by delegates from nearby cities and towns. In January, 1899, the expedition left for Cuba, and after some delay, the bodies of the dead heroes were located with one exception. A thorough search failed to reveal the remains of Private R. Kelly, who was shot in action.
Justice and Law
Hampden-28
CHAPTER XXVII
Justice and Law
The present Hampden County Courthouse on Elm Street, facing Court Square, is the third building of its kind to be erected in the county. The first county courthouse was a plain structure, built about 1740, which stood in the path of Sanford Street, its front projecting into Main Street. For years it was the only public building in Spring- field, and was used by town and county jointly, not only for court pro- ceedings, but also for singing schools, conference meetings, and all other gatherings of a public nature. In August, 1812, Hampden County officially came into existence, and after nine years of agitation, another courthouse was built in Court Square, which served until the present structure was erected.
The architectural style is Florentine, as suggested by the buildings of northern Italy, and part of the tower follows closely the Palazzio Vecchio in Venice. The courthouse is constructed of Monson granite, a rugged looking and substantial material, and the entire building gives the impression of quiet solidity.
The new courthouse was not built in 1873 without a struggle. The cost was the subject of much grumbling and opposition from the smaller county towns, although over half the expense fell on Spring- field itself. The argument of the smaller towns was that they could not see the justification for erecting a building to beautify Springfield with part of the money coming from their own treasuries. It was further argued that the old courthouse served its purpose well enough, and there was no need of a change. Opposition also came from some of the members of the Hampden Bar Association, who declared that neither the site nor the building were satisfactory, and a distinguished judge, A. M. Copeland, was one of those who declared publicly that the site was poor and that the building had been constructed only with regard to the external appearance.
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THE CAMPANILE, MUNICIPAL GROUP, SPRINGFIELD
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JUSTICE AND LAW
Despite this opposition, the contract was made with Norcross Brothers for $142,000, and the courthouse was completed in Decem- ber of 1873. The dedication services were held the next year, and William G. Bates, the president of the old Hampden Bar Association, gave the dedication address. The courtroom on that April afternoon was well filled, and the members of the bar and their friends sat attentively as Mr. Bates proceeded with the address. It was a lengthy piece of oratory, and Mr. Bates, who was then over seventy, became exhausted and could not finish it, so E. B. Gillett finished it for him in fine style. There were galleries in the new courthouse at first, but these were taken out later when it was found that people entering them and moving into their seats caused a great deal of dis- turbance, which upset the routine of the court.
In the early days the court lasted only a month during various parts of the year, where today it sits practically all of the time. There were the October Civil Court, the March Civil Court and the June Civil Court to take care of cases of this nature. There were also the May Criminal Sessions and the December Criminal Sessions. Today the district courts are housed in a new building on Vernon Street, but at that time these were included in the regular courthouse, which is itself virtually a superior court in function.
Interwoven in every way with the county courthouse is the Hamp- den County Bar Association. This was permanently organized in 1864 under the presidency of W. G. Bates, although an association less formal in character had existed as far back as the very early years of the nineteenth century. The members of the bar had no entrance fee to pay then, and there was a strong bond of fraternity, due to the fact that there were fewer lawyers and the profession was more distinctly separated from the rest. The bar gathered often to pay tribute to distinguished visitors, to solace heartbroken widows of their deceased members with sympathy and money, and in a way acted as a sort of mutual benefit society.
The bar association was presided over for many years by William H. Brooks, who was one of the leading men in its progress.
The fundamental object of the bar association is to investigate and prohibit illegal practice of law. The grievance committee is probably one of the most potent functions of the association. To this committee any member within the bar can enter a complaint concern-
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ing unethical tactics by a fellow-lawyer, and the privilege for com- plaint is extended to any layman also. Some of the work done by the bar in cleaning its house was the elimination of so-called "ambu- lance chasers," or lawyers who arrived at the scenes of accidents or shortly afterward in hospitals and gained the representation of the client before the patient was aware of what he was doing. Another practice which the association is trying to eliminate is that of illegal collection agencies, and many of these have already been eliminated.
The Hampden County Courthouse has had its share of cases which have attracted nation-wide attention. Although there were many of a sensational nature, it is generally agreed that the trial of Bertram G. Spencer, in 1910, gained the widest publicity.
The events leading up to the famous trial of B. G. Spencer are in themselves extraordinary. In 1909 the people of Springfield were terrorized as reports came that some mysterious person prowling in the night was attacking women and breaking into homes with intent to rob. Conditions reached such a point that people would not ven- ture along some of the more isolated streets after dark, and windows were locked, despite warm weather, against the mysterious terror. Events came to a dramatic head when a school teacher was shot to death at her home on Round Hill. This woman had just settled in her home with two of her friends, ready for a quiet social evening, when a man suddenly appeared with a black mask over his face. The women ran screaming in terror from the room, and as they did so the man whipped out a revolver and fired, killing the school teacher.
By this time the city was thoroughly aroused, and all the forces of the police were employed to track down the murderer. Despite the vigilance and efficiency of the authorities, they were continually baf- fled by the apparent shrewdness of the mysterious killer, until one day the police were set on the trail of a man named Bertram G. Spencer, who was later captured.
On one of his housebreaking expeditions he had, in descending a ladder from an upper story, dropped a small locket. This locket was later found by an old man, who at first did not hand it in to the authorities. The son-in-law of this old man finally brought it down to the officials, explaining that it had been found on the scene of the robbery, and detectives immediately went to work to trace it.
An enlargement was made of the locket and the police discovered the letters "B. G. S." on it. A search of the "S" section of the city
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directory for any name having the initials B. G. S. resulted in a blank, but the West Springfield directory, then a separate unit, yielded the name of Bertram G. Spencer. There were in the locket two women's pictures and these were enlarged until they were clear and unmis- takable. These pictures were connected with Spencer and he was arrested.
The man was obviously guilty and confessed to having killed the school teacher. There was only one defense available, and that was on the grounds of insanity. Spencer was sent to Bridgewater for observation, and then returned to be tried in the Hampden County Courthouse. Every available seat was jammed, and crowds waited outside, almost rioting as they were prevented from entering. Cor- respondents from the big cities of the country were present to cover the trial, and well-known cartoonists sketched the prisoner and the other principals as the trial progressed.
A remarkable feature of the trial was that the prisoner almost fooled the alienists in feigning insanity. Now and then he would break violently into tantrums and fits, so that he had to be controlled by force. The trial stretched on for days, but Spencer was finally convicted of murder in the first degree and afterward executed.
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