USA > New York > Onondaga County > Past and present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York : from prehistoric times to the beginning of 1908 > Part 67
USA > New York > Onondaga County > Syracuse > Past and present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York : from prehistoric times to the beginning of 1908 > Part 67
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The Chamber of Commerce in April and May. 1906. became the movers for a fund for relief at San Francisco of suffering caused by earthquake and fire. and Treasurer James M. Gilbert of the fund sent on seventeen thousand eighty-one dollars and thirty-seven cents raised here.
In July, 1907, oeeurred the break in the canal when the water of the city level ran out into the creek through the acqueduct bottom, and the canal was tied up for months, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage and loss by the cessation of canal traffic.
The largest estate ever administered in Onondaga was that of D. Edgar Crouse, estimated at four million dollars. When the will was offered for probate on February 1, 1893, contest was offered by Eulalia Kosterlitz, for Dorothea Edgarita Crouse, as the daughter of the descendant, finally resulting in a compromise by which half of the residuary estate was taken for the child and the remainder by the cousins as next heirs. The conclusion of the litigation was reached February 23. 1895. and the final distribution made April 30. 1896.
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In the courts. an important trial of 1895 was the suit of the Onondaga County Savings Bank to compel James Butler, Sr., County Clerk. to make a search under the law of 1892 which made the County Clerk's office a salaried
550
PAST AND PRESENT OF ONONDAGA COUNTY
.
office. The argument in the February, 1895, special term, resulted in a vie- tory for Mr. Butler. The General Term affirmed the judgment, but the Court of Appeals reversed both the lower courts, and Mr. Butler thus became the first salaried clerk under the new law, the office having been theretofore under the fee system.
The General Term was sneceeded by the Appellate Division in 1896, the last session of the General Term being held here on December 26, 1895. Upon January 1, 1893, the Municipal Court was established with Judges William G. Cady and Patrick J. Ryan, the present incumbents, as the first judges. The court had its first quarters in the Clinton Block, diagonally opposite the old Court House, was removed to the Nottingham building in Washington street, thenee to the Kirk Block, and into the new Court House upon its completion, January 1, 1907.
The chapter of recent crime and criminal trials in Onondaga county has been short but sensational. Probably no crime in the history of the county stirred more deeply than the deliberate murder of Detective James Harvey in Water street, less than a block to the west of the police station, upon the morning of July 31, 1893. Detective Harvey had arrested Lucius and Charles Wilson, notorious Western thieves and hold-up men, although this was not known at the time, and was taking them to the station, when the men broke away, Lucius leveling a large revolver aeross his arm and shooting Harvey in the head. A thrilling chase of Lueins resulted in his capture in North State street, and he paid the death penalty in the electrocution chamber at Auburn prison on May 14, 1894, his last words being that the man held in prison upon the charge of complicity in the murder was innocent. That man was Charles Wilson, Lucius' brother, who had been captured within a few weeks after the murder. Charles Wilson was convicted of murder in the second degree on September 23, 1594, and sentenced to Auburn Prison for life.
Upon the night of April 7. 1891, Antonio Glielmi shot Nicola Devita, through jealousy. The murder occurred on Clinton Square, then used as a publie market. where Glielmi kept a peanut stand. Glielmi was sent to prison for life. George Cottle of Skaneateles Junction, who had befriended Thomas O'Donnell, a tramp, was shot on the night of November 23, 1892. O'Donnell was convicted of murder in the second degree and sent to prison for life. Another sensational trial for murder, because it involved a suicide paet, was that of Ernest Hecht, who was found upon May 25, 1900, beside the body of Louise Foster, in a block in East Genesee street, unable to carry out . his part of the agreement. The trial resulted in an acquittal. Upon Decem- ber 5, 1904, Frederick Mason was tried for the murder of his father-in-law, con- ' victed of a lesser degree, and sentenced to Anburn Prison for twenty years.
Probably the wildest and most daring of erimes in Onondaga was Oliver Curtis Perry's attempted robbery of a New York Central train on February 21. 1892. Upon May 19 following he was sentenced to Auburn Prison for forty-nine years. Later he was declared insane and transferred to the Mattea- wan prison for the criminal insane. Another daring crime of the hold-up
-
551
PAST AND PRESENT OF ONONDAGA COUNTY
elass was the robbery of three thousand dollars from the Solvay Process Com- pany's paymaster upon the Split Rock highway, on May 13, 1892. For a long time there was a mystery as to the highwaymen, but good work in the Sheriff's office ran down Frank and Albert Mackinder for the crime, and they were each sentenced to fourteen years in prison on December 15, 1892.
Robert Fitzsimmons, at that time champion prize fighter of the world, was charged with manslaughter in the first degree in killing Cornelius Riordan in a glove contest at the Grand Opera Ilouse, November 16, 1894. The trial took place in the Court of Sessions in May, 1895, and resulted in an acquittal. Mareus Marks, alias Charles D. Bennett, charged with grand larceny in steal- ing a tray containing two thousand dollars worth of diamonds from Becker & Lathrop, furnished another sensational trial, which took place in the August Sessions in 1895, resulting in a disagreement of the jury.
Syracuse, which produced Michael Dorgan, one of the best base ball players in the old National League, has had many ups and down in base ball as well as other sporting history. The team of 1876 was the most famous when Doran caught Henry McCormick, the defeat of the Chicagoes, 2 to 0, giving the nine a great reputation, followed by the famous errorless game with the St. Louis Browns. In 1878 and 1879 Dorgan again played with Syracuse. Games were played successively at Lakeside Park, Newell Park in South Salina street, Star Park, Athletic Field and lastly at the new Star Park near the old Iron Pier. Two popular old athletic clubs were the Cycling and Athletic Clubs, con- solidated under the name of the Syraense Athletic Association August 18, 1892. The Dunfee building in Jefferson street, between Salina and Warren streets, was built especially for this club and athletic purposes, and the rooms opened to the publie on March 11, 1896. Upon the death of D. Edgar Crouse his hand- some stables passed into the hands of Charles M. Warner, and in 1899, when Frederick R. Hazard was president of the Syracuse Athletic Association, the club began its ocenpation of that building, maintaining the quarters until the dissolution of the club a few years later.
In boxing the city obtained some prestige by several bouts, such as the Ryan-McCoy affair at the Alhambra on September 8, 1897. In one affair at Maple Bay on April 4, 1893, Dan Donovan of Cleveland, was killed by a blow struck in a fistie contest.
The first automobile to be owned in Syracuse was that of T. D. Wilkin, which arrived on April 15, 1899.
A trotting and pacing racing revival began in 1897, when the Central New . York Horse Racing Circuit was formed on May 18. On June 26, 1897, the Kirk- wood Racing Association was incorporated, and on June 24, 1898, the Kirk Park Racing Association. Kirk Park was used for desultory meetings until the destruetion of the grand stands. With the increased interest in the State Fair and the arrangement of the second week in September for the fair, the Grand Circuit became a regular feature.
The prominence of Syracuse University in athletics in recent years has added materially to the interest of the city in base ball, foot ball, rowing and
552
PAST AND PRESENT OF ONONDAGA COUNTY
other sports. It was on June 28, 1904, that the University made its two great wins in the shell races at Poughkeepsie, and the crews' return the following day was made the occasion for a great reception.
The Anglers' Association of Onondaga, to protect and preserve the game fish of the county, was organized in the spring of 1890, chiefly through the efforts of John N. Babcock. On February 10, the first meeting of prominent fishermen and sportsmen was called at the Globe Hotel, and there the associa- tion began. The first consignment of fry for the waters of Onondaga was received April 30, 1896, and during the time the association has been engaged in the work a grand total of nearly twenty-two million of fish, including fry, fin- gerlings, yearlings and adults have been planted here. Of this number about twenty-one million five hundred thousand were food fish and five hundred thousand game fish. The association was incorporated in 1903. In 1908, when Dr. F. S. Honsinger was president, the plans were made for the building of a club house at South Bay.
CHAPTER LXIV.
POLITICS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
No history of reeent polites in Onondaga eould begin anywhere else than with the famous transposed ballots case, at once the most far-reaching event in State polities for a seore of years, for it furnished the argumentative theme in the following State election and was credited with many changes in party power throughont the state. It was concededly an accident by which the Republican ballots for several districts in two towns were changed or trans- posed. The election law with the blanket ballot was new and filled with possi- bilities to the lawyer mind looking for a test case. David B. Hill was Gov- . ernor and the Legislature was considered a close fight for supremaey between the principal parties. The Onondaga Board of Supervisors was more evenly divided in regard to party power than it had been before in many years or has been sinee. Acting as a board of canvassers the question came up before the board as to whether or not the transposed ballots should be counted. The Senator of the Onondaga-Cortland district, one Assemblyman and the office of Sheriff depended upon the result of that count. The ballots were assailed upon the theory that the transportation brought the title of another distriet upon the outside of the folded ballot making it possible to distinguish each ballot when cast, therefore destroying the seereey of the ballot and constituting a marked ballot.
The hold-up in the board of canvassers while the matter was being argued or politically "jockeyed" by both parties to the controversy, resulted in man- damus proceedings being started on November 17, 1891, by Rufus T. Peek, the
553
PAST AND PRESENT OF ONONDAGA COUNTY
Republican candidate for Senator. This brought the matter into eourt, and then began a case which in forty-two days went before many judges and ended in the Court of Appeals. Justice George N. Kennedy was the one before whom the writ of mandamus was returnable, the most sensational proceed- ings before him being the holding of a Democratic Supervisor guilty of con- tempt of court, ouly to have a pardon issue from Governor Hill in less than twenty-four hours. Upon December 1 Justice Morgan J. O'Brien was sent here to hold the term of the Supreme Court, and the cases being affirmed pro forma in the general term, were submitted to the Court of Appeals, which rendered a decision with a divided court giving certificates of election to John A. Nichols and P. J. Ryan, Democrats, on December 31, thus holding the trans- posed ballots void. Upon January 25, 1892, Philip S. Ryder, the Democratic candidate for Sheriff. began proceedings to oust John A. Hoxsie from the office, again bringing up the question of the legality of the transposed ballots. An extraordinary term of the Supreme Court was convened to try the case, but a settlement being reached upon August 1, 1892, between the ineumbent and aspirant, the trial was never heard.
Many events outside of the annual and perennial contests of factions in both parties, are of historie importance as marking epochs in loeal changes. In 1891 was held the Judicial Convention at which Justice Manrice L. Wright of Oswego was nominated on the one hundred and thirty-sixth ballot on October 2. The wing of the Democratic party ealling itself Simplicity Democrats cele- brated the anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson. for the first time here, by a banquet at Congress Hall on April 13. 1892. Carroll E. Smith was the first presidential postmaster in New York State to be removed by President Cleveland for "offensive partisanship." This was upon May 23, 1893, when Mr. Smith was editor of The Journal. the principal Republican organ at that time. His successor as postmaster was Milton H. Northrup, editor of the Courier. the principal Demoeratie organ. What was called the gerrymander of the city wards by the Democrats at Albany, went into effect January 1. 1893, when Syracuse wards were increased from fourteen to nineteen in num- ber.
In February, 1894, the city elections then taking place in the late win- ter. there was a Republican faction fight which achieved unusual propor- tions and stirred deeply party polities. There was a registration of twenty- two thousand five hundred and fifty-one, several mass meetings were held and questions of the regularity of the so-called Beldenites, then in control, were raised. There was a contest and bolting convention on February 7. and Jaeob Amos was nominated upon a Republican Independent ticket. as it was termed. being elected by a plurality of two hundred and twenty-eight.
In that same year. 1894, the Republican faetion fights reached another elimax when the Onondaga caneus contest took place, force being used to gain the building where the eaueus was held on August 24. The later '90s saw the practical disappearance of Republican faction differences.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ONONDAGA COUNTY
Under the state eensus of 1905 Onondaga lost one assemblyman in the legislature, the county being reduced from four to three distriets. The re- appointment was made on May 23, 1906, by the board of supervisors, and the distriets were thus made up:
First Assembly Distriet- - First, Second, Third and Ninth wards, Camillus, Cicero, Clay, Elbridge, Geddes, Lysander, Marcellus, Salina, Skaneateles, Otis- eo, Spafford and Van Buren. Aggregate population, fifty-six thousand five hun- dred and nine citizens.
Second Assembly District-Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Four- teenth, Eighteenth and Nineteenth wards, Fabius, Lafayette, Onondaga, Tully. Aggregate, fifty-six thousand, and twenty-nine.
Third Assembly District-Fourth. Fifth, Sixth, Seventh. Eighth, Fif- teenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth wards, De Witt, Manlius and Pompey. Aggregate. fifty-six thousand, three hundred and forty-two.
The growing up of a system by which the victors had the spoils in the shape of committee holdings with per diem charges that brought some super- visors' salaries much more than others probably did more than anything else to change the law as to salaries of supervisors from two hundred to five hun- dred dollars in 1906. At the same time there was a general renovation and modernization of the supervisors' law and a change from annual to monthly meetings. The change in salary did not take effeet until January, 1908, but the holding of monthly meetings began in April. 1906. In order that business might not wait and accumulate, and bills be met promptly, the county being given the benefit of the profits of quick payment, the change was made. With the change the clerk beeame disbursing agent, the office being kept open the year round, with commensurate increase in the clerk's salary.
Also the Legislature of 1906 created the office of County Purchasing Agent and Frank X. Wood of Onondaga was the first incumbent, being ap- pointed March 5, 1906.
Syraeuse was created a port of delivery by an act of Congress on May 18, 1896. President Cleveland signed the commission making John F. Nash the first surveyor of customs on June 6. and Mr. Nash entered upon his duties at once. Edward MeLaughlin was chosen deputy, and the United States Treasury Department sent to this eity Benjamin L. Peer, an expert, to instruct in the organization of the office and the details of delivering goods. The Solvay Process Company received the first consignment, a shipment of machin- ery, through the local office. In five months the office was ranked as the eleventh among the twenty-three internal ports of the country. Frederick A. Kuntzseh succeeded Surveyor Nash, and was appointed for a second term, but died in 1897, before his second term had expired. Ernest I. Edgeomb was named to fill out the unexpired term.
Prior to 1902 and from the beginning of the operation of the transfer tax law. inheritanees were assessed by appraisers appointed by the surrogate for
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ONONDAGA COUNTY
each case. Upon January 1, 1902, the change was made in the law which gave Onondaga an appraiser for all cases. January 9, George H. Bond was ap- pointed the first appraiser, being succeeded upon a change in the political com- plexion of the state comptroller's office by Willard A. Glen in Jannary, 1907.
In 1897 the law establishing a commissioner of jurors for Onondaga, in the hope of bringing in a better class of jurors to the courts, was enacted, and on April 26 Salem Hyde was named the first commissioner of jurors. He was succeeded by Augustus T. Armstrong, the present ineumbent.
The law increasing the number of wards from eight to eleven took effect on the third Tuesday in February, 1887. The change to fourteen wards was made on January 1, 1891, and the city took on its nineteen wards January 1, 1893.
In the registry of 1907 the thirty thousand voters mark was passed for the first time in the history of the city. In 1904, presidential year, the registry was twenty-nine thousand five hundred and twenty-two; in 1905, twenty- eight thousand two hundred and fifty-five, and in 1906, twenty-nine thousand two hundred and fifty-two.
Governor Frank S. Black signed the White eharter for second-class eities on April 1, 1598.
In fifty years Syracuse has had twenty-three Republican and seventeen Democratie mayors. and the pluralities accredited by official records and his- tories are as follows:
1857-C. F. Williston, D. 350
1858-William Winton, D. 191
1859-E. W. Leavenworth, R 600
1860-Amos Westeott, R 200
1861-Charles Andrews, R. 300
1863-D. Bookstaver, D. 200
1864-A. C. Powell, R 30
1865 -- W. D. Steward, D 100
1866-W. D. Steward, D 100
1867-W. D. Steward, D. 239
1868-Charles Andrews, R 127
1869-Charles P. Clark, R.
1870-Charles P. Clark, R. 350
1871-Francis E. Carroll, D 250
1872-Francis E. Carroll, D 191
1873-W. J. Wallace, R. 300
1874-Nathan F. Graves, D 381
1875-George P. Ilier. R 479
1876-J. J. Crouse, R 122
1877-J. J. Belden, R. 1,745
1878-J. J. Belden, R 2,923
1879-Irving G. Vann, R. 870
1880-Francis Hendricks, R. 1,782
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ONONDAGA COUNTY
1881 -- Francis Hendricks, R 1,783
1882-John Demong, D 69
1883-Thomas Ryan, D. 86
1884-Thomas Ryan, D 1,703
1885-Thomas Ryan, D. 119
1886-Willis B. Burns, R 1,912
1SS8-William B. Kirk, D 733
1890-William Cowie, R 803
1892-Jacob Amos. R. 1,219
1894-Jacob Amos, R. 223
1895-James K. McGuire, D. .3,166
1897-James K. McGuire, D. 1,223
1899-James K. McGuire, D 2,121
1901-Jay B. Kline, R 1.418
1903-Alan C. Fobes, R. 2,300
1905-Alan C. Fobes, R 6,006
1907-Alan C. Fobes. R. 2,326
It was on April 30, 1902, that the new city hall was opened to the public. and to January 1. 1908. there had been cight administrations in control of city affairs in the building, which was outgrown within a short time after its oceu- pation, but only four mayors. The history of this last city hall building dates back to Mayor Thomas Ryan's first administration in 1883, when competitive plans for a municipal building were submitted by local architects, but publie sentiment was opposed and the idea dropped. In February, 1888, Mayor William B. Kirk, in his inaugural address, advocated a new building and Senator Francis Hendricks took the matter up at Albany, the Legislature. that year passing the bill for a new city hall and central police station. The non-partisan city hall commission appointed by Mayor Kirk consisted of Henry J. Mowry, August Falker. Erastus F. Holden and John Dunn. Jr., to serve until the completion of the building without compensation, the mayor to be chairman ex-officio. For site and construction three hundred thousand dollars was appropriated. The size of the appropriation influenced the se- lection of the site of the old building, and in June, 1888, the commission chose Charles E. Colton as architect. The building. two hundred and four by seventy-eight feet, with the two departments separated by a heavy fire wall. and with a tower one hundred and sixty-five feet in height, was let by contract to the Hughes Brothers in the spring of 1889, for two hundred and eighty-eight thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars, work being begun in the fall of that year. In 1890 Mayor Kirk was succeeded by Mayor William Cowie, and Hendrick S. Holden succeeded his father upon the commission. The entire building was finished within the appropriation. The amount allowed for fur- niture by the common council of 1892 was twenty thousand dollars.
The tax rate of Syracuse for 1906 was seventeen dollars thirty-seven and eight-tenths eents upon each one thousand dollars, the average for five years
557
PAST AND PRESENT OF ONONDAGA COUNTY
being slightly more than that figure, seventeen dollars fifty-six and eight- tenths cents. In 1907 the rate was determined at seventeen dollars and four cents, and there was an increase in realty valuations for the year of three million two hundred and sixty-nine thousand one hundred and twenty-nine dollars, making the aggregate realty valuation for the city for 1907 eighty- four million fifty-six thousand two hundred and eighty dollars. Personal assessments for the year were placed at four million four hundred and sixty- six thousand two hundred and eighty dollars, and the franchise valuation at. six million seventy-nine thousand seven hundred and twenty-five dollars. This made the city's total assessed valuation ninety-four million six hundred and two thousand three hundred and twenty-nine dollars. The franchise valuations were placed in these wards: Eighth, two million five hundred and ten thousand dollars; Fourteenth, four million seven hundred and forty-one thousand and twenty-five dollars: Fifteenth, one million eighty-seven thous- and two hundred dollars. The complete assessed valuation by wards was as follows:
Real.
Personal.
Aggregate.
1
$2 260 175
$ 91 975
$2 352 150
2.
1 793 850
52 225
1 851 070
3.
2 052 145
24 950
2 077 095
4.
2 996 775
136 975
3 133 750
5.
3 604 060
292 100
3 896 160
6.
4 032 805
185 625
4 218 430
7.
2 791 310
135 650
2 926 960
S
6 381 175
577 600
7 210 275
9.
1 550 270
82 850
1 633 120
10
3 190 350
363 000
3 553 350
11
3 448 284
181 250
3 629 534
12
5 308 000
219 650
5 525 650
13
3 966 000
53 555
4 019 555
14.
20 008 015
1 483 775
26 232 815
15
4 310 000
93 700
5 490 900
16
3 696 450
81 850
3 778 300
17
4 942 855
220 725
5 163 580
18
2 803 890
66 850
2 870 740
19
4 921 915
116 975
5 058 890
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PAST AND PRESENT OF ONONDAGA COUNTY
The city tax budget for twenty-one years is as follows:
1
1887
$ 525 000
1888
537 000
1889
813 000
1890
722 000
1891
747 500
1892
763 500
1893
820 000
1894
884 000
1895
957,000
1896
1,064,000
1897
1,085,000
1898
1,245,200
1899
1,238,994
1900
1,752,509
1901
1,855,245
1902
1,552,701
1903
1,379,202
1904
1,642,387
1905
1,504,086
1906
1,579,667
1907
1,611,750
The police department has been progressive without being obtrusive except to that clement which makes such a department necessary. The things which count most today in police administration are all comparatively recent products. Changes in responsibility, methods of protection as well as detection, and the keeping to a higher standard of service are all recent notes of history. A police patrol wagon dates back to the summer of 1885, an automobile patrol went into service in 1906, the police elec- tric alarm system was introduced in May, 1890, at a cost of twelve thousand four hundred and fifty dollars, and the police pension bill took effect Jan- uary 1, 1893. The change to the White charter which went into effect January 1, 1900, abolished the old Board of Police Commissioners and the department came under the control of a Commissioner of Public Safety, the first Commissioner being Duncan W, Peck. Charles Listman became Com- missioner in the succeeding administration, and under him the three-squad system was established, the patrolmen being assigned to regular beats. Dur- ing Mayor Jay B. Kline's administration, 1902-1903, Captain Thomas W. Quig- ley acted as Chief of Detectives, and Chief of Police Charles R. Wright, who had held office since May 3, 1882. lost some of his former powers in the department. At the beginning of Mayor Alan C. Fobes' administration in 1904. there was a "shake-up" in the department. Ralph S. Bowen became Commissioner of Public Safety, Chief Wright was given charge of the work- ings of the department, Captain Quigley was assigned to duty as captain
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