Welcome back to One Century Ago, a collaboration between Patch and the .
Each week we bring you the front page of a local newspaper that covered the news in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow (North Tarrytown) one hundred years ago. This front page comes from the Tarrytown Press-Record. The Press-Record was published as a weekly from 1893 to 1946 and has been preserved by the on microfilm.
Friday, July 26, 1912:
Man Stabbed by Wife Denies Knowledge of Attacker
John Battaglio, a butcher from North Tarrytown, was taken to Tarrytown Hospital with a stab wound in his lower back. He denied any knowledge of who had attacked him, but his wife claimed that she had stabbed him.
When Battaglio was having the wound dressed at the hospital, his doctor questioned him about how he received the injury. Battaglio told an odd story, describing how he had been leading a cow down Broadway to take it to be butchered when he felt what he thought to be a punch in his back. He turned around and saw a man who he did not recognize. Instead of confronting this man, he claimed that he continued on his way with the cow. Only later did he realize that blood was flowing freely from the wound, and he hitched a lift to the hospital on a passing wagon.
The doctor immediately notified Chief of Police Bowles of this crime, and Chief Bowles ordered a search for the cow. The animal was found, this time being led by a man and a woman. The pair were taken to the police station for questioning, and the woman immediately identified herself as Battaglio’s wife. She also freely admitted that it was she who had stabbed her husband in the back, because “she did not think her husband was treating her right”.
However, despite this admission of guilt, Battaglio stuck to his original story and refused to make a complaint against his wife, meaning that no arrests were made. After Battaglio had spent a few days recovering in hospital, his wife came and took him back home.
Battle with Hold-Up Men
Frank Pinkard, 32, of North Tarrytown, was seriously injured while fighting two hold-up men in New York City, and was taken to hospital with a bullet wound in his back.
Pinkard had gone to call on a friend at No. 202 East 97th Street, but was held up in the dark stairway of the building by two men who robbed him of his watch and $3. The men then pushed the shocked Pinkard into the street and left him there.
Infuriated by this treatment, Pinkard ran to East 89th Street and called on two friends, William Bachil and John Tamich. The three men returned to the sight of the robbery, found the hold-up men still there, and confronted them. A fight ensued, but it did not go well for Pinkard and his friends: Bachil was knocked unconscious, Tamich was thrown to the floor, and Pinkard was shot in the back. When the police arrive at the scene, the hold-up men had disappeared.
Death Sentences
A total of 6,061 prisoners (including 136 female prisoners) were held in jails across New York State on July 22, 1912, compared to 5,953 the previous year.
Four of these prisoners were the subject of an article titled “Four Slayers Must Die” in the Press-Record, which stated that four men were sentenced to death after failed attempts at having their sentences commuted. John W. Collins, Joseph Ferrone, John Maruszewski, and James Williams were all separately convicted of murder.
It was thought that New York State had spent approximately $65,000 in carrying out executions since 1890, and 155 criminals had been put to death in that time. The newspaper quickly stated that it was important to remember that while this was a large number, the number of violent homicides was far greater, with an estimated 2,400 murder cases between 1890 and 1912 in New York State alone.
Italian Man Dies in Hospital
Tony Soriano, 27, suffered a shocking accident while at work on the John D. Rockefeller place, and died in Tarrytown Hospital a few hours later. The unfortunate man fell into a stone crusher and was mortally injured. The funeral service was held at , and Mr. Soriano’s remains were buried at .
Boy Contracts Meningitis
Joseph Carney, 9, died at the home of his parents at Beekman Avenue shortly after contracting spinal meningitis. The young boy had been perfectly healthy only a week before, but declined rapidly once he contracted the disease. It was unknown exactly how he caught meningitis, but he had been swimming outdoors almost every day, which may have put him at risk.
The Press-Record also suggested that Joseph “had probably been hit on the head”, although it seems there was no particular evidence for that. The burial took place at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Elmsford to Remain a Village
Elmsford Village held a vote in the rooms of the Live Oak Engine Company when taxpayers were invited to have their say in whether the village corporation should remain or be dissolved.
While the vote was carried out in a very quiet and orderly fashion, it was watched with keen interest by onlookers, and there was a good turnout by residents of Elmsford. The local women took an active part as well, and about 50 of them cast ballots. The results clearly showed a strong desire for continuation as a village, with 112 votes cast in favour and 45 votes cast against.
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