Peaceful Days In North Olean ???

Formerly the location of John Yonder's Restaurant in April 1913. That was before these boys' time when this photo was taken in the 1940's
PEACEFUL DAYS IN NORTH OLEAN

Upon the arrival of the many new emigrants to North Olean, there seemed to be a little bit of discord among them. Fists would fly as well as colorful names and accusations that resulted in the next day over the fence conversations. Below are just a few of those incidents.

Lets start back in 1909 when some Polish boys stole from Frolish's meat cart on October 4th. (Frolish had a meat market in the 1300 block of N. Union St.) Then on October 19th, George Sequor went before Justice Shaffer to defend himself against the complaint of a young woman who alleged that the George had handled her roughly during the evening while attending a dance.

Daniel Convey, Joe Safety, Charles McMahon, Edward and George McDonald were arrested for Halloween night mischief at North Olean. Each paid a fine of one dollar and costs. A Russian Pole, John Parkert, was arraigned on the charge of taking fifty cents from the pocket of a fellow countryman in Mike Stein's saloon in North Olean. He was charged with petit larceny at his hearing that evening.

It was on Saturday night, January 1, 1910, that a number of Poles at North Olean became mixed up in a regular riot, during a New Year's festivity. The police were called out in force to quell the disturbance. The combatants, causing one man head injuries, used fists and clubs as their weapons. Six of the fighters were arrested and arraigned in police court charged with disorderly conduct. The well-known Polish attorney Georgeski Lundyski, (George M. Lundy, a North Olean attorney) appeared for the defendants, all of whom pleaded guilty. The names of the guilty were not furnished and if anyone was interested in knowing who they were, Mr. Lundyski would furnish that information. On the day of the hearing the six Poles failed to appear in court and therefore they forfeited the money.

On the evening of January 29, 1911, Patrolmen French and Marron were summoned to North Olean six o'clock. There was a riot in progress among the Poles across the Erie tracks, beyond the Polish clubhouse, Washington Hall. The police came upon the two men who were involved in the fray, one of them looking as though he had been wrestling with a buzz saw. The other was more or less suffered a good pounding and cuts. Both were taken to the police station where they were attended too, and also spent the night. The following morning they pleaded not guilty to the charge of disturbing the peace. That same afternoon, Police Chief Shaffer's courtroom was filled with Poles and the justice was trying to talk that language, but without any success. Since there was not an interpreter on hand, and it was thought that it would be impossible for the Justice to succeed in figuring out who hit whom and why, Mattie Verde was fined $25 and the other man was let go. Actually not even their names could not be understood nor spelled correctly.

On a Sunday morning in June of 1911, Patrolman French was called to a Polish home at North Olean. Joseph Suchora, who was cut up quite severely about the head, claimed to have been assaulted by Mathias Votek, who had pounded him on the head with a shoe. When the policeman attempted to arrest Votek, who was in a state of undress, refused to put his clothes on. The officer gave him a few minutes in which to comply with his demand to dress, but Votek still refused to dress and was taken to the police station in a pair of underdrawers. Thus he remained in this state of undress until later in the day when he clothes were brought to him. When he appeared before Justice Shaffer on Monday he was sentenced to four months in the county jail at Little Valley without an opportunity to pay a fine. Through an interpreter the fact was brought out that Votek had been arrested before on the charge of fighting.

There was trouble in Poland" early one evening in February of 1912, resulting in a broken head and a billiard cue was in the police court on an exhibit "C" the next day. It appeared that the difficulty had been brewing for sometime, and about 6 p.m. that evening it came to a climax. John Kolata related to the police that he was assaulted by Fred Soplop, Frank Czajkowski, Charles and Mike Marowski, who he claimed hit him over the head with a billiard cue.
The affair was said to have started in Frank Kujawa's saloon, and ended up in Bielinski's saloon on Union Street. (Bielinski's saloon was located where the St. Stephen's parking lot is now located.) The billiard cue that was used was broken into four pieces and taken to police headquarters. Kolata's head was so badly cut that Dr. John Loughlen found it necessary to take several stitches to close the wound.
Sheriff Oosterhoudt took the four men who assaulted Kolata to Little Valley where they were indicted by the grand jury and bench warrants were issued for their arrest. They were charged with assault in the second degree and were held without bail. In April the four were allowed to plead guilty. Soplop was fined $50 and the others fined $30, but they were given until July to pay their fines and in the meantime placed on probation.

In a bar room brawl at North Olean in the saloon of John Yonder shortly after one o'clock in the afternoon on a Monday in April of 1913, Jacob Turock, a Pole, received a deep gash over his eye. His assailant, Frank Padlo, had a couple of badly swollen eyes and a pair of thick lips from contact with someone's fists. Both men were locked up at police headquarters.
The police received word of the scrape when someone called them from the Smith & Seeley store at 1301 N. Union Street. Patrolman Anderson immediately telephoned Chief Lawler, who lived in North Olean and informed him of the ruckus. Next he telephoned Henry French, who was on the North Olean beat, and told him to get in the first available automobile and get to Yonder's saloon immediately. Thus in five minutes times two Poles were taken to police headquarters.
From the jangled story wrested from Padlo, it seemed that Turock started the argument. It ended with Padlo being thrown to the floor with about ten of his countrymen on top of him. Padlo, in order to defend himself, grabbed a heavy beer mug, and the first one he hit was Turock.
The injured man was taken into the washroom of the police station where Dr. John Loughlen sewed up the wound. The police stated that Yonder claimed to have called the police station, but Officer Anderson stated that he received no call from Yonder.
Frank Padlo pleaded not guilty before Justice Keating the following day, to assault in the third degree and was fined $50, which he paid. Turock, who was being held as a material witness, was released.

All in all as the years went by, the entire North Olean commotion came to an end and everyone lived happily ever after. I know, I have lived in North Olean the last seventy-eight years.

Copyright 2007 Eileen McCartan Smith

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