USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Amherst > The history of the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, pt 2 > Part 4
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At an adjourned meeting held, March 5, 1889, Levi Stockbridge, E. F. Cook, A. R. Cushman, Flavel Gaylord, L. D. Hills, E. T. Sabin, J. W. Howland, D. W. Palmer and W. W. Hunt were appointed a committee, with power to contract for building a town hall, to adopt such plans as in their judgment should seem best for the needs of the town, the building, including heating, lighting and furniture all complete and ready for occu-
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF AMHERST, MASS.
pancy to cost not exceeding $40,000. At a special meeting held March 30, the town voted to purchase the " Palmer lot," adjoining the " Cooper lot," at a cost of $5,000. Thus for the very reasonable sum of $8,500 the town secured one of the best and most suitable building sites in the center of the village. Plans for a building, drawn by Architect H. S. McKay of Boston, were accepted by the committee. They provided for a building 123 feet long with an extreme depth of 76 feet. On the northwest corner was to be a large tower, on the northeast corner a tower somewhat smaller. The main entrance on Maple avenue would open into a vestibule 16 feet square, leading to a corridor to traverse the building north and south. The rooms on the west side of the building were designed for the use of the town officials and for rental, those on the east side for the public library and a police court-room. The main body of the hall was to be 68 x 56 feet, the stage 36 x 20 feet. Seats were to be placed for the accommodation of 675 persons on the floor and 196 in the gallery. The , building was to be of brick, with pink granite trimmings, the interior to be finished throughout in hard wood. Such, in brief, were the plans accepted for Amherst's first town hall.
At a special meeting held June 17, 1889, it was voted as the sense of the meeting that the town endorse the action of the building committee in making a contract with Mead, Mason & Co. of Boston to complete the town hall for $44,500, according to plans and specifications. At a meeting held Nov. 11, it was voted that for the purpose of erecting a town hall the selectmen be authorized to contract a loan not exceeding $50,000. The work of construction began in July, ISS9. The first payments were made from money in the treasury. In order to meet current expenses. the select- men obtained $15,000 from the First National bank on their personal notes ; they afterwards borrowed $20,000 from the state treasury at 33 per cent. interest to take up these obligations. Later on, four per cent. bonds were issued to the amount of $50,000 and placed on the market. They were sold at a sufficient premium to reduce the interest rate to 33 per cent. They bear date of Jan. 1, 1890, and are payable in ten years.
The building was completed in accordance with the contract and accepted by the committee Oct. 24, 1890. At a special meeting held Nov. 8, 1890, the building committee submitted their report to the town. Their expenditures were as follows : Mead, Mason & Co., on contract, $46,500 ; W. W. Hunt, heating apparatus, $2,562.59 ; Harwood Manufacturing company and Andrews Manufacturing company, seats, $1,644. 12 ; George Graves, stage curtains, fixtures, scenery, etc., $655 ; architect, $1,505 ; paint- ing walls and ceiling, $500; apparatus for lighting hall by electricity, $304.87 ; superintendence, $1, 166.10 ; total direct expense. $54,837.67 ; additional expenses, $1,368.34 ; total, including land, $64.323.39. The
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CRIMES AND ACCIDENTS.
town voted to accept the report of its building committee and also to accept the building. It was voted, also, to pay to the committee $4,600 from unappropriated money in the treasury to reimburse them for money raised on their personal notes to complete the payments on the building and to extend to the committee the thanks of the town for the care and fidelity they had shown in carrying the enterprise to a successful conclu- sion. The care of the building was left in the hands of the selectmen. The hall was formally opened to the public Nov. 19, at a ball given by Company K, 2d Reg't M. V. M.
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CHAPTER L.
CRIMES, ACCIDENTS, EPIDEMICS .- FATAL ACCIDENTS .- MURDERS .- BIRDIE DANAHEY .-- SMALL-POX IN AMHERST.
Amherst has been exceptionally free from the commission of serious crimes against either property or person. Three murders have been committed in the township limits, all of comparatively recent date. One was the deed of a tramp, the motive robbery; one by a half-witted young man, the motive jealousy ; one by an Italian laborer, the motive, probably, self-defence. Not one of the murderers was a native of Amherst or had residence here when the crime was committed. The court records of Amherst are free from cases of criminal assault. Buildings have been destroyed by incendiary fires, but the perpetrators of these crimes have escaped detection. Robberies and burglaries have been committed, but seldom has the crime been accompanied by violence or the property stolen been of any considerable value. Of suicides and accidents attended by fatal results the town has had its share. A complete list of these from the settlement of the town would be difficult to compile, but a fairly accurate record of events of this character has been made for the last fifty years. One of the most peculiar suicides of earlier years was that of Dr. Samuel Gamwell, an esteemed resident of the town, who killed himself May 22, 1814, by fixing a sword against the wall of a room in his residence at East Amherst, and pressing his body against it until the blade had penetrated his vitals. Aug. 22, 1842, Wells Woodbridge, son of Ezra Ingram, aged 10, was killed by the kick of a horse. A marble tablet by the side of the highway leading from East Amherst to the " City" marks the spot where the accident occurred.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF AMHERST, MASS.
Of deaths by accident, the larger number have been caused by drown- ing. May 21, IS48, Orry Dodge, a young man whose parents lived in Pelham, was drowned in a small pond situated on land belonging to Lucius Dickinson at South Amherst. The accident occurred on Sunday morning; while bathing in the pond with a number of companions he was seized with a cramp and sank for the last time before aid could reach him. Nov. 25, 1861, Elisha Crossman, a boy, while crossing a stream at North Amherst fell from the bridge and was drowned. April 26, 1862, Dexter Kellogg, a resident of Amherst, was drowned in Miller's river. Aug. 11, 1863, three women were drowned at " Factory Hollow " in North Amherst ; a fuller account of this tragedy is given in a later chapter of this work. Dec. 26, 1873, W. H. and S. T. Read, sons of H. L. Read, were drowned in Adams' pond. They were skating on the pond, and had gone to the assistance of another boy who had broken through the ice. Sept. 2, 1880, Charles B. Parsons, a boy, was drowned while bathing in L. E. Dickinson's mill-pond at North Amherst. Aug. 17, 1886, Charles G. Bowers and Miss Ida May Walker were drowned in Spofford lake at Chesterfield, N. H. A party of eleven persons had left Amherst the day before for a week's outing at the lake. The party were sailing on a catamaran when the accident occurred and all were thrown into the water, but only two were drowned. Mr. Bowers was struck by the boom of the boat and rendered insensible, while Miss Walker was caught in the rigging. July 3, 1887, Antonio Perletto, an Italian laborer employed in grading on the Mass. Central railway route, was drowned while bathing in Fort river. Aug. 25, 1896, Harold, son of Prof. Anson D. Morse, was drowned in Fort river at South Amherst. With three companions he was bathing in the river, when a raft on which they were playing was overturned and he, being unable to swim, was drowned.
Many fatalities have resulted from the accidental discharge of fire- arms. Oct. 5, 1850, Frederick Goodale, aged 17, shot and killed himself in the store of George Burnham at East Amherst. He had been hunting and was handling his gun in a careless fashion when it was discharged. Aug. 25, 1882, Merton J. Redding, a young man, was instantly killed by the discharge of a gun which he was holding while riding in a carriage. Sept. 17, 1892, John S. Davis, aged 13, son of James W. T. Davis, was killed by the accidental discharge of a rifle, while hunting with two of his boy companions in a lot to the north of Wildwood cemetery. He was alone at the time the accident occurred. Aug. 5, 1896, Henry D. Holt, aged 19, was killed by the discharge of a gun which he was placing in a boat, on the pond at North Hadley. The hammer caught and the charge of shot entered his breast.
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DEATHS BY ACCIDENT.
Several persons have been fatally injured in railway accidents. July 8, 1862, Thomas Darrigan, a fireman on the Amherst, Belchertown and Palmer railway, was killed at the Amherst depot while coupling cars. June 4, 1870, James Hardaker, while walking on the railway track near North Amherst "City," was struck by a freight train and had both feet cut off above the ankles. He died from his injuries, his body being found the following morning. Aug. 10, 1882, Rev. Henry B. Smith died as the result of injuries received some weeks previous while attempting to board a moving train. April 20, 1887, William Haley was struck by a train on the Connecticut River railroad, near Holyoke, and killed. Sept. 17, 1887, Nathan Olney was run over by a freight train near the New London Northern depot and killed. The freight train was standing still as Olney crawled beneath it, to escape from a passenger train approaching on the track on which he had stood, but started on the moment and he was crushed beneath the wheels. Dec. 24, 1889, John Diggan was run over by a freight train on the Central Massachusetts railway, receivng injuries which resulted in his death the following day. Jan. 3, 1891, a party of young people residing in Florence visited Amherst on a sleighride excursion. On their return trip, while crossing the tracks of the Central Massachusetts railway near " Sand-hill," the sleigh was struck by a locomotive and two of the excursionists were killed, Henry B. Learned, a freshman at the Agricultu- ral College and Miss Mabel R. Hinckley.
Many persons have died of injuries received from falls. Feb. 2, 1848, Catherine W. Baker died as ithe result of a fall. July 2, 1856, Oliver Nash of South Amherst, aged 70, fell from a load of hay, striking on his temple, dying almost instantly. Jan. 5, 1861, Hannah Dickinson died as the result of a fall. Dec. 30, 1861, Benjamin W. Allen, while threshing grain in his barn at East Amherst, fell from a scaffolding, striking on his head, causing instant death. Mr. Allen was 75 years of age. Feb. 21, 1862, John Williamson died from injuries received a few days previous, by falling on a stairway. March 4, 1865, James Dexter was killed by an accidental fall. June 19, 1890, Parnell Munson fell from the tracks of the New London Northern railway, at the bridge crossing College street, and died from the effects of the shock sustained. He was a passenger on the night freight train from New London, having with him a span of horses which he had bought in New York. The night was very dark, and it was supposed that Mr. Munson when he stepped from the train believed that it had reached the station. Mr. Munson had served the town as selectman and was a prominent man in the South parish. Nov. 4, 1893, John Primrose, a carpenter, died from the effects of a fall while engaged at work upon the large barn on the Agricultural College grounds.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF AMHERST, MASS.
Jan. 9, 1866, Mrs. Lyman Moody died from injuries received by being thrown from a wagon. June 23, 1867, Henry Flanders died at North Amherst from injuries received in being kicked by a horse, six days previous. Aug. 28, 1867, Patrick Stack was thrown from a wagon near the house of Horace Henderson ; the wheels passed over his neck, break- ing it and causing instant death. June 14, 1878, George E. Lamb, a resident of North Amherst, was kicked in the head and body by his horse, which he was holding at a railway crossing near Windsor Locks, Conn., receiving fatal injuries. Sept. 19, 1883, Francis F. Munson was thrown from a carriage and killed. June 20, 1892, Timothy Deady was thrown from a wagon while driving from Northampton to Amherst ; striking on his head, his neck was broken, causing instant death.
Feb. 7, 1846, Aaron Howard was killed by a falling tree while chopping wood on Kellogg's hill in Sunderland. He was alone at the time the accident occurred and the body was discovered by his son. It is supposed that the branch of a falling tree struck him on the head, causing instant death. Nov. 2, 1872, Charles E. Thayer was killed by a falling tree at South Amherst. He was hunting squirrels, with a party of friends. They cut down a tree which contained a squirrel's nest, and this in falling struck a dead tree which also fell, and striking Mr. Thayer caused fatal injuries. Dec. 14, 1868, Charles F. Hayward died from the results of an accident sustained two days before. He was working at a circular saw, when a board sprang back, striking him in the abdomen and inflicting fatal injuries. April 28, 1873, John D. Parsons, while at work in the paper mill of J. R. Cushman & Son at North Amherst, was caught in the shafting and killed. He was alone in the mill at the time the accident occurred. Mr. Parsons was a veteran of the civil war, having served in the 27th Mass. regiment.
March 20, 1876, Solon H. Bridgman died at his home in South Amherst from hydrophobia. He was one of three persons who had been bitten several weeks before by a rabid dog; the others escaped serious illness. March 20, 1891, Addison Carpenter died at the Mass. General Hospital in Boston from hydrophobia, contracted six weeks previous by the bite of a pet dog. Jan. 27, 1870, Mrs. Lucius Vale died at her home in South Amherst from injuries received by burns, her apron catching fire as she was lifting a kettle from the stove. Aug. 6, 1881, Patrick Danahey died from sunstroke. March 20, 1891, John Begley died from exposure to the cold, his body being found in a piece of woodland owned by W. A. Magill.
Nine persons have committed suicide in Amherst in the past fifty years. Of these five chose hanging as a means of self-destruction. July 1, 18.44, Martha Strong committed suicide by drowning. Sept. 17, 1860,
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SUICIDES AND MURDERS.
Addison Lovett of South Amherst hanged himself on account of domestic troubles. Dec. 31, 1873, Albert McElwain shot himself with a pistol ยท inflicting a mortal wound. March 21, 1882, Timothy Cribbin, an employee in one of the hat factories, who had resided in this country about seven years, committed suicide by shooting himself with a revolver. June 3, 1883, Mrs. Josephine E. Pickering committed suicide by cutting her throat with a knife. In the year 1884, there were three suicides by hanging. May 17, Edward P. Pomeroy, a well-known resident of South Amherst and selectman at the time, hanged himself in his bedroom while suffering from temporary insanity. July 30, Edwin P. Church committed suicide by hanging. He had been blind from infancy and had but recently been taken to the almshouse. Oct. 13, Alanson Chapin hanged himself at East Amherst. He was 86 years old, and his mind had been affected by the death of his sister, which occurred the week before. Aug. 15, 1893, Mary E. Danahey committed suicide by hanging. She had been despondent for some time and was probably insane.
The first murder committed in the town of Amherst was that of Moses B. Dickinson, a prosperous farmer who resided on Northampton street in a house situated near the site of the residence now occupied by Horace D. Dana. Mr. Dickinson's dead body was discovered in his house on the evening of Nov. 27, 1875, with his head frightfully mangled. Some three weeks previous to the commission of the crime Mr. Dickinson's wife had left him, owing to domestic troubles, and had gone to live with their oldest son, Lucius M. Dickinson, her husband being left alone in the house. Soon after her departure the neighbors noticed, at work about the place, a stranger whom Mr. Dickinson called "John." Nov. 17, W. W. Smith and a Mr. Rogers, the latter a tobacco-buyer, called upon Mr. Dick- inson and bought some tobacco which the latter delivered at the depot the following day. . "John " was present at the time, and while at the depot persuaded Mr. Dickinson, as it appeared against his will, to sell to the buyer another crop of tobacco. The money for the two crops, about $125, was paid to Mr. Dickinson in "John's " presence. On the night of Nov. 25, L. M. Dickinson and a younger brother went to their father's home to invite him to come and take supper with them. They were unable to gain admission to the house, but supposing that he had gone out they made no effort to force an entrance. Two days afterwards the neighbors began to suspect that something was wrong at the Dickinson house. They notified L. M. Dickinson, and the latter accompanied by James Graves visited the premises and broke open the door of the house. They found Mr. Dickinson's body lying on a lounge, with the head badly mutila- ted. His pocket-book was missing and nothing was to be found of " John." The selectmen at once offered a reward of $500 for the appre-
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF AMHERST, MASS.
hension of the murderer, the amount being afterwards increased to SI, 000.
In January, 1885, parties in Tennessee wrote to the postmaster at Amherst, inquiring if a crime similar to one described had been com- mitted in Amherst ; if so, whether a reward was offered for the arrest of the murderer. Correspondence elicited the fact that a tramp under arrest at Tazewell, Tenn. had confessed the commission of such a crime: he gave the name of Allen J. Adams. The evidence was submitted to District Attorney Bond, and Sheriff Clark and Detective Munyan went to Tazewell where they secured Adams and brought him back with them. To these officers Adams made a full confession. He stated that he killed Mr. Dick- inson with an axe, stole his pocket-book and walked to Northampton. Adams was arraigned before the district court, March 11, 1885, and on advice of his counsel pleaded not guilty. The counsel assigned him by the court were W. G. Bassett and J. B. O'Donnell. He was held for the grand jury, who brought in an indictment against him at the June term. The case was tried before the supreme court at Northampton. beginning Dec. 7. The defence offered was insanity. The jury brought in their verdict, Dec. 9, as guilty of murder in the first degree. Adams was sen- tenced to be hung in March, but on March 9 attempted to commit suicide by cutting himself with a pocket-knife. A reprieve was granted until April 16, when he was hanged at the jail in Northampton. The last previous execution in Hampshire county occurred in 1813, when a negro was hung for rape.
On Sunday, July 3, 1887, a party of Italians, engaged in grading on the line of the Massachusetts Central railway and living in a shanty stand- ing on land owned by Salmon Wakefield, engaged in a fight, in course of which Guiseppe Falbe shot and killed Leonard Turzo and wounded the latter's brother Pasquale. From the testimony elicited from witnesses of the deed it seemed -probable that it was committed in self-defence and Falbe made his escape.
The third murder committed in Amherst was the deed of a half-witted young man whose motive was jealousy. Sept. 19, 1890, a social dance was held at the house of Eugene Joslyn at North Amherst " City." Among those in attendance were John B. Davis of Ware, Eva May Holden, 16 years of age, and her escort James Hardaker. Miss Holden had formerly lived in Ware, and Davis had paid her nrany attentions which she had dis- couraged. During the evening he several times requested her to dance with him, but she refused. Davis left the house where the dance was held about 3-30 o'clock A. M., Hardaker and Miss Holden remaining about a half hour longer. As the two latter were riding homeward in a top-buggy. when on Pine street near the house of Edward Atkins they were accosted by Davis, who stepped from the bushes by the roadside and fired four shots
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SMALL-POX IN AMHERST.
from a revolver. The first shot struck Miss Holden in the left breast just below the heart, inflicting a wound from which she died almost instantly. One of the shots struck Mr. Hardaker in the abdomen. The following morning Deputy Sheriff William W. Smith and his son William H. arrested Davis at his work, he being employed at the time as a wood-chopper by a firm of local lumbermen. At the supreme court held in Northampton in April, 1891, he plead guilty to murder in the second degree and was sen- tenced to imprisonment for life.
Friday morning, April 6, 1887, Birdie Danahey, a bright little girl, six years old, living with her grandfather Patrick Danahey in the eastern part of the town, started for the school which she attended at East Amherst. She was seen at II A. M. in company with another young girl, Eva Train. near the house of Edmund Hastings, and again at 11-30 near the house of George C. Fitch. She did not return to her home in the afternoon, and her relatives becoming alarmed started a course of inquiries. The Train girl told many contradictory stories, among others one to the effect that a man and a woman had threatened to carry Birdie away. All day Saturday and Sunday a general search for her was carried on, the students from the two colleges joining with the townspeople in their efforts to unravel the mystery of her disappearance. There was a general belief that she had fallen or been pushed into Fort river, which was swollen by recent heavy rains, but although the river-banks were carefully searched for many miles no trace of the missing girl was found. Other persons have disappeared from Amherst in ways which at the time appeared mysterious, but investi- gation has generally shown that there was good and sufficient reason for their departure. The mystery of Birdie Danahey remains unsolved.
Amherst has suffered but little from epidemics of disease. The favored location of the town, its healthful climate and the lack of a tene- ment-house population have proved unfavorable to the spread of contagious disease. The town has twice been visited by small-pox, but in both instances it was confined to narrow limits and the resulting fatalities were few. In November, 1831, three cases of small-pox and from 16 to 20 cases of varioloid occurred among the students at the Mount Pleasant Institute. A daughter of Mrs. Holbrook, the nurse in attendance, visited her mother in the sick room and contracted the disease in a mild forn. Two colored women who were accidentally exposed to the disease at Mount Pleasant, had it in confluent form with fatal results. In the latter part of March and the first part of April, 1864, small-pox made its appear- ance among the colored residents in the " Bee Hive " which stood on the site now occupied by S.A. Phillips' store. The selectmen promptly took the matter in hand, fitted up a barn on land owned by A. P. Howe, near the Hadley line, for a pest-house, and removed the whole "swarm of bees" to these
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF AMHERST, MASS.
new quarters. There were many cases of the disease among the colored people, but only two proved fatal, two young girls dying in April. May 6. a resident of North Amherst was taken ill with the disease and removed to the pest-house. May 13, there was but one patient under treatment. In January, 1882, a student at Amherst College was attacked by varioloid : there was considerable excitement among the students and townspeople. and local physicians were overwhelmed by persons desirous of being vacci- nated, but no cases of small-pox resulted and the excitement gradually died away. In the spring of 1890, the residents of Amherst suffered severely from the "grippe " epidemic, which caused the death of many aged persons.
CHAPTER LI.
SCHEMES FOR ACQUIRING WEALTH .-- THE MULBERRY CRAZE .- MINING STOCK INVESTMENTS .- ASSESSMENT INSURANCE .- OLD BUSINESS FIRMS.
The residents of Amherst, while possessed of their fair share of New England shrewdness and business tact, have from time to time been victim- ized by schemes for gaining great wealth in ways apart from the ordinary. The amount of good money that has been permanently invested in enter- prises the sole return from which has been experience would make a welcome addition to the town's valuation list to-day. Among the crazes that have from time to time prevailed in the town. the greatest prominence must be given to the culture of mulberry trees and the raising of silk- worms in the '3os, and the investments in mining stocks, and certificates in assessment insurance companies, in the 'Sos.
About the year 1830, Timothy Smith, a farmer residing in South Amherst, began the business of raising white mulberry trees, hatching and feeding silk-worms, and selling the silk reeled from cocoons to silk manu- facturers. For a few years he followed the business in a small way with satisfactory results. Other persons in the town became interested in the business, and in a short time the " mulberry craze " took possession of the town and forced its way into neighboring communities. The farmers were the first to engage in the new enterprise, but business and professional men were soon attracted by the opportunities which it seemed to afford for
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