Holyoke, Mass

[Adapted from the Berkshire Eagle, 11 Feb 1940, from an article by Roger B. Linscott. This story is rather amusing, well worth a read.]

While Pittsfield’s firemen were whipping up their petition for a 56 hour week the other day, a somewhat similar move was causing raised eye-brows and reddened faces across the hills in Holyoke.  For some time now, the constabulary of that city has been on the war-path for an eight-hour day, despite anguished protests from the Holyoke Taxpayers Association.  Confident that the public prefers lower taxes to contented cops, the association recently went to the trouble of sending out 2800 stamped postcards asking for an opinion from local citizens.  The voting, as it turned out, was a bit heavier than expected.  Some 5000 cards were returned.

Naturally enough, the surplus ballots were scrutinized with considerable care—and with embarrassing results.  Where the taxpayers’ cards had inadvertently misspelled “necessary,” the ballot-stuffers had crossed that orthographic hurdle correctly.  What’s more, the fraudulent cards spelled out “Massachusetts,” while the Taxpayer’s Association had saved a few pennies by abbreviating.  And it didn’t take much checking to discover that approximately 100 per cent of the 3000-odd bogus ballots were enthusiastic in praise of the 40-hour week.

At last report, the Holyoke Taxpayers’ Association had lodged a formal protest with postal authorities, the Board of Aldermen had gone right ahead and given the 40-hour ordinance its first reading by unanimous vote, and Mayor Toepfert, who filed the biggest budget in Holyoke history last week, was telling one and all that he intends to slap a very firm veto on the measure the moment it reaches his desk.

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[Adapted from the Springfield Republican, 11 Feb 1922]

Holyoke, February 10.—Henry L. Dragon of 154 Oak street, manager of the shoe department of the McAuslan & Wakelin store of this city, died this afternoon at the House of Providence, following an operation.  Mr. Dragon had been in ill health for some time.  Mr. Dragon came to this city last June from Northampton, where he was the manager of Mandel’s shoe shore.  He was born in Canada and his parents came to the United States when he was a boy.  He lived in Holyoke during the early part of his life but in recent years had lived in Northampton.  He was a member of numerous fraternal organizations, among them the Northampton Lodge of Elks, the Moose, Circle Rochambeau and St. John the Baptist society.  He leaves his widow, a daughter Cecile and a son, eo.  The funeral will be held from the home, Monday morning to be followed by a requiem high mass in Perpetual Help church.

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[Adapted from the Springfield Republican, 11 February 1922.]

Northampton, February 10.—the state patrol, through the interventions of Patrolman Landberg as a plain clothes man, brought two defendants into district court today to answer charges of breaking, entering and larceny in the night time at the stores of Ellbert Aldrich of Granby.  The defendants were Arthur Lempkey of Holyoke and John Honsky of Granby.  In connection with the same case, Stanley Sysmiski of Holyoke was charged with receiving stolen good.  All waived examination and were held in bonds of $500 each for the grand jury.  Andre appeared for them.  The two men charged with larceny are accused of breaking into the Aldrich store August 11 and stealing 58 packages of crackerjack, 78 packages of chewing gum, 32 cakes of chocolate and other merchandise of a similar character.

Use of more than 2 per cent of cereal in the manufacture of sausage brought John Anundewicz,  who sold the sausage, into court, the complainant being Inspector Arnold Perham.  The defendant was fined $25, and the fine was suspended.  The complainant told the court that the sausage that had been inspected contained nearly 6 per cent of cracker crumbs.  Margaret Shlado of Pine Grove, who as to appear in court to answer to a charge of larceny of a hat from Sarah Cohn defaulted.  Julia Vaughn, charged with participation in this theft appeared in juvenile court and was committed to Lancaster school.

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