Walter Underwood: An Unknown Chapter

Although I never met my great-grandfather Walter Underwood, I always had a feeling that I knew him. This was mostly thanks to the many stories that his daughter, my great-aunt Elsie, included in her manuscript. However, even the ancestors you think you know can surprise you.

Walter Underwood had worked as a bobby, or police constable, in England. In the United States he sometimes was gone all night searching for a criminal. Everything I have ever heard portrays him as a fine, upstanding citizen. Yet it seems that shortly before his immigration to the U.S. he had his own brush with the law.

I found this series of articles in the British NewspaperArchive, detailing the episode. Never before had I heard anything about it, and I suspect that he and his wife Flora were inclined to try to forget it. However, it is interesting not only in itself, but also in the timing. This was just over a year before the young family departed for America, and I can’t help but think that perhaps it had something to do with Flora’s willingness to leave England and begin a new life elsewhere. Even though he was acquitted, the vindictiveness of the trial must have been a strain, and one not easily forgotten. I have seen small-town politics at work, and I have seen how a person can come to be ostracized by a community to the point that the only bearable choice is to move away.

Since I cannot add any information to the articles, I will simply present them as they appeared.

Sat 12 Apr 1902, Essex Newsman, p. 2

An Ex-Policeman Charged With Stealing a Bicycle

 On Thursday, at Great Bardfield, Walter Underwood, lately a constable stationed at that place, was charged before the Rev. W. E. L. Lampet, J.P., with stealing a bicycle, the property of Mr. Frank Adams, of the Mount Cycle Works, Great Bardfield. The accused was remanded until the Bench on Monday next. Bail was opposed by the police.

Sat 19 Apr 1902, Essex Newsman, p. 3

Ex-Policeman, the Bike, and the Brace

 At Great Bardfield, on Monday, before the Rev. W. E. L. Lampet, in the chair, Capt. J. N. Harrison, Joseph Smith, and A. W. Ruggles Brise, Esqrs., Walter Underwood, late a police-constable stationed at Bardfield, was charged with stealing a bicycle, the property of Mr. Frank Adams, of Great Bardfield.--Mr. Elliot F. Baker appeared for the accused.--Frank Turner Adams, cycle agent, said: On the 19th of March I was in a cottage in Brook-street, where I keep bicycles. Underwood was there with my brother Ben. Underwood looked at a bicycle which was not finished. I said I had a machine like that, but on looking for it I found it was missing. Underwood said, “You may have sold it, or got it put by somewhere.” On the 9th of April the bicycle was shown to me by P.s. Stock. I value the machine at £9.--Police-sergeant Stock said: On the evening of the 9th inst., on receiving certain information, I had an interview with the accused, and went to a shed in his occupation. He unlocked the shed and I saw something covered up, in a corner. Accused said it was rubbish. I looked and found the bicycle wheels produced, and underneath the other parts produced. Accused said, “This is a nice thing; someone must have put it there while I was away.”

   A second charge against the accused was that of stealing a carpenter’s brace, value 5s., the property of Edward Carder.--Police-sergeant Stock stated: At the interview with the accused I said, “Two or three robberies have taken place since you have been stationed here, and you are suspected. Some boards and a carpenter’s brace have been stolen from the cottage that Carder is building near the chapel.” Accused replied, “I know nothing about them.” Just inside the shed, among some tools, I found the brace. Underwood said, “I borrowed that of a man in this road.” I asked his name, and the accused said, “I cannot think of it now.” Carder identified the brace in the presence of the accused.

   The accused reserved his defence, and was committed for trial at the Adjourned Quarter Session. Bail in two sureties of £40 each and himself in £20 was allowed.

   Underwood is a young married man, and he only resigned the Essex police on April 5.

Fri 30 May 1902, Chelmsford Chronicle, p. 5

At the Quarter Session

 A case which excited more than common interest was that in which Walter Underwood, a young man who had been in the Essex Constabulary but had resigned, was charged, on one count, with stealing a carpenter’s brace, and, on another, with stealing a bicycle at Great Bardfield. The carpenter’s brace was alleged to have been the property of Edward Carder, and to have been stolen on the 8th Feb. last, and the bicycle, the property of Frank Turner Adams, was alleged to have been stolen on the 19th of March. The defence urged was that the brace had been the property of the accused for some years, and that the bicycle was planted upon him by some person who placed it in his shed, in pieces, while he was away on a holiday. Captain Showers, the Chief Constable, gave the accused a good character, and he was found not guilty and discharged.

Fri 30 May 1902, Chelmsford Chronicle, p. 7

Ex-Policeman Charged

 Walter Underwood, 25, a fitter, on bail, a smart handsome man, was charged with stealing a brace, the property of Edward Carder, at Great Bardfield, on Feb. 8; and with stealing a bicycle, the property of Frank Turner Adams, at Great Bardfield, on March 19.--Mr. Warburton prosecuted; and Mr. Jones defended.--Mr. Warburton stated that the prisoner was in the Essex Police Force, but retired on April 5th.--The prosecutor said he was a cycle maker, and had built a number of machines and placed them in an upstair room of a cottage. The prisoner was friendly with him, and was teaching witness’s brother photography. He missed the bicycle.--P.s. Stock deposed that he went to the prisoner’s house, and on looking into a shed where the accused said there was some rubbish he found the missing bicycle. The prisoner exclaimed, “This is a nice thing; someone must have put it there while I was away.” --Cross-examined, witness said he intimated to the accused that he did not think the bicycle was stolen at all.--The prisoner, on oath, stated that he joined the police force on Jan. 11, 1897, and was stationed at Chelmsford, Southend, and Bardfield. He resigned voluntarily, as he wished to take a restaurant at Bardfield, together with a newspaper agency. He also purposed starting a photographer’s business. He went away for two days’ holiday early in April, and on coming back the bicycle was found in his shed. P.s. Stock told him in the presence of his wife that he did not think “this” would have happened had the prisoner stopped at home. The shed was a common one, with a padlock on the door, and a footpath passed close by. He denied most emphatically stealing the bicycle or going into the prosecutor’s shop except when the prosecutor was there.--P.s. Stock stated that he did not use the remark attributed to him by the prisoner.--The prisoner’s wife deposed that there was no bicycle in the shed when she and her husband went away in April.--Captain Showers, chief constable of Essex, said the prisoner bore an exemplary character while in the Police Force.--Mr. Jones, in his speech, suggested that some other person took the bicycle, and, to get rid of any evidence, put it in the prisoner’s shed while the accused was away. The prisoner had also, about this time, complained to P.s. Stock that he had missed some coal from the shed.--The prisoner was found not guilty on the charge of stealing the bicycle.--The indictment for stealing a brace was proceeded with.--Mr. Warburton said the brace was found in the prisoner's possession.--The accused, on oath, said he bought the brace at a rummage sale at Maldon nine years ago. He always had a lot of tools.—Prisoner’s wife stated that her husband possessed the brace in question long before they went to Bardfield.--Other relatives deposed that they believed the brace to be the one they had seen the prisoner use. --Mr. Jones, in addressing the jury, said that in his 13 years’ experience he did not think he had seen a case conducted with greater vindictiveness that this one.--The prisoner was found not guilty of this charge also, and he was discharged.

Incidentally, the July 4^th edition of the Chelmsford Chronicle of that year records that the license for the Engineers Arms in Latchingdon was transferred to Walter Underwood on June 28. I can only presume that this is my Walter Underwood, based on the statement above that “he wished to take a restaurant at Bardfield.”

Sources:

“An Ex-Policeman Charged With Stealing a Bicycle.” Essex Newsman [Chelmsford] 12 Apr 1902: 2. British Newspaper Archive. Web. Accessed 26 Dec 2012.

“At the Quarter Session” Chelmsford Chronicle 30 May 1902: 5. British Newspaper Archive. Web. Accessed 6 Nov 2012.

“Ex-Policeman Charged” Chelmsford Chronicle 30 May 1902: 7. British Newspaper Archive. Web. Accessed 26 Dec 2012.

“Ex-Policeman, the Bike, and the Brace” Essex Newsman [Chelmsford] 19 Apr 1902: 3. British Newspaper Archive. Web. Accessed 26 Dec 2012.

“Petty Sessions: Latchingdon, June 28.” Chelmsford Chronicle 4 July 1902: 2. British Newspaper Archive. Web. Accessed 26 Dec 2012.

A Little Netarts News

Last weekend I finally had an opportunity to spend a little bit of time at the Tillamook Library and go through a few historical issues of the local paper, the Headlight Herald, on microfilm. The purpose of my visit was to find obituaries or death notices for two of my family members who had resided in Tillamook county: “Aunt Sadie,” the sister of my great-grandfather, and “Uncle Alvy,” her second husband. Someday I will go back and look for more references to them and to my great-grandparents, but on this trip my time was limited. Since the newspaper is unindexed, I decided to stick to events for which I already had a definite date.

My results were not obituaries, but rather news briefs in “Netarts News,” the section devoted to the comings and goings of residents and visitors within the town of Netarts. Each community had its own section, and the tradition continues today (somewhat modified) in the Headlight Herald’s “Fencepost” columns. I printed out three of these “Netarts News” articles, and because they contain references not only to Aunt Sadie and Uncle Alvy but also to a number of other people, it seemed a good idea to share my results.

My first inclination was to retype and post the entire articles so that search engines could help find your ancestor’s name and you could see the reference with little trouble. However, in such a recent date as 1949 I believe I run afoul of copyright law. Therefore I will have to be satisfied with a list of names, and if you find a name of interest, you can either contact me or go to Tillamook yourself to see the article firsthand.

Unfortunately, I was in a bit of a rush when I found these articles, and neglected to note the page number. If you are at the Tillamook Library or Pioneer Museum looking through the microfilm for these specific articles, they should still be fairly easy to find. Just look for the “Netarts News” heading. It is always grouped with some of the other local news columns.

But enough preamble—you want to see the lists of names.

The first article I printed out, found in the 3 Mar 1949 issue, contains the nearest thing to an obituary that I have found for “Uncle Alvy,” whose real name was Walter Alvah MASON.  It mentions by name his wife, Sadie; his daughter Norma BURD; his “foster son,” Wallace KING; his “foster daughter,” Ilean NEILSON; and his sister Mrs. Laura HALE. A few paragraphs later, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest CROSS, Mrs. SCHOENBORN, and Mr. and Mrs. Frank CROSS are identified as coming into town for the funeral.

Other names found in the 3 Mar 1949 “Netarts News” are:

B. ALWINGER and son Leonard

Mr. and Mrs. Jack ARPS of Helena, Montana

Mrs. Betty BOTCHECK and daughter Martha

Mr. and Mrs. Austin BOWEN and Birdie

Mr. and Mrs. James BROWN

Miss Donna CORNETT

Mr. and Mrs. Ted CORNETT

Joan EARL

Mr. and Mrs. Clarence EDNER

Mr. and Mrs. Robert EDNER and their daughter Lynda of Portland

Harvey EVERHART of Aurora

P. D. GENY of Willamina

Mr. and Mrs. George HANSON of Portland

Mr. and Mrs. James HILFERTY

Mrs. JAGER of Portland

Mr. and Mrs. J. F. “Monte” JAGER

Mr. and Mrs. John JEANS and daughter Mary Sue of Palo Alto, California

Mr. and Mrs. Carl JENSEN of Gervais

Mr. and Mrs. Homer JOHNSON

Mr. and Mrs. Al KRENZ

Mr. and Mrs. Ed LAURS

Miss Carol LOOP

Mr. and Mrs. Ben MALKSON

Miss Sharon MALLOTT

Mr. and Mrs. MILLER and son Howard of Portland

Mr. and Mrs. C. J. OWEN of Portland

Mr. and Mrs. Laurance RICE

Mr. and Mrs. W. H. SOUSA

The second article is from the 3 Nov 1949 edition of the Headlight Herald, and reports the news that Sadie MASON is in the hospital. Actually, she had passed away on 1 Nov, two days before the release of this issue. However, as the Headlight Herald was, and continues to be, a weekly newspaper, the deadlines for columns arrive a few days before the release of the paper and therefore cannot be up to the minute. No longer residing in Netarts since the death of her husband, Sadie is identified as “sister of Walter UNDERWOOD.”

Other names found in the 3 Nov 1949 “Netarts News” are:

Mr. and Mrs. B. ALWINGER

Austin BOWEN

Mr. and Mrs. George COFFMAN

Donna CORNETT

Mr. and Mrs. John CORNETT

Ted CORNETT

David, small son of Mr. and Mrs. C. DeVRIE

Mrs. A. D. FISHER

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne GLENN and son Stanley

Mr. and Mrs. Earl GROSHONG

Mrs. ISHAIA (of Oregon City?)

Mrs. JACK (of Oregon City?)

Mrs. Nellie JOHNSON of Oregon City

Dee LUCKY

Jack MADISON

Jim MEANS of Portland

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald SALING and children

The following week, 10 Nov 1949, brought us the third and final article that I printed out, and which reports the death of Sadie MASON. Unfortunately, when setting the microfilm reader for printing I cropped too closely in and only part of the article is visible. My list of names on this one will be incomplete. Two of the names (noted in parentheses) are found in the paragraph that I cut off.

Other names found in the 10 Nov 1949 “Netarts News” are:

Mrs. COOK

Mr. and Mrs. Ernest CROSS

Mr. and Mrs. Clare EDNER (incomplete)

Mrs. Harry GROSHONG (incomplete)

B.C. KING

Mr. and Mrs. R. C. KING

Ernest PALINSKA and brother of Stanford, Conn.

Mrs. PALINSKA and baby

Mrs. Laura POLLOCK of Portland

Mrs. Caroline WELLMAN

If your ancestor is included in one of the above lists of names, the reference could be as mundane as “So-and-so was visiting such-and-such a place last week” or “So-and-so was a guest at this party.” It could also be as genealogically helpful as “So-and-so, who used to live in Netarts with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. This-name when they were doing this business, and now lives in such-and-such a place, was visiting These People.”

Sources:

“Netarts News.” Headlight Herald [Tillamook] 3 Mar 1949. Microfilm.

“Netarts News.” Headlight Herald [Tillamook] 3 Nov 1949. Microfilm.

“Netarts News.” Headlight Herald [Tillamook] 10 Nov 1949. Microfilm.