Crime and Justice

Ben Brotherson’s Bank Scheme

February 1, 2023 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

Around 1800, Philip and Catharine Brotherson arrived in Blue Corners on the western edge of Charlton in Saratoga County. Over the next 40 years, their five children grew to maturity, the last being Benjamin Kissam Brotherson, born in 1819.

At the age of sixteen, Benjamin was hired as a clerk for the dry goods merchant James Winne in Albany, New York. During his time in Albany, he was known as an upstanding young man of good moral character. Three years later, in 1838, he moved to the city of New York and took a job at Union Bank, where he would work for the next twenty years. [Read more…] about Ben Brotherson’s Bank Scheme

The Most Negative Sales Pitch Ever: An Adirondack Story

January 27, 2023 by Lawrence P. Gooley Leave a Comment

A little more than a century ago, a horrendous description of an Adirondack village appeared in newspapers, including the Mail and Express published in New York City. At issue was the placement of a yet-to-be-built tubercular sanitarium. Feelings ran so high at the time, you’d swear they were selecting the next Supreme Court justice. But taking sides is nothing new, as proved by use of the written word back then to describe one of the candidate locations. As you’ll see, it’s hard to believe they were talking about the same place. [Read more…] about The Most Negative Sales Pitch Ever: An Adirondack Story

Forest Rangers Spend Time Policing; Rescue Man From Newburgh

January 24, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Spend Time Policing; Rescue Man From Newburgh

Smugglers & The Law: Prohibition In Northern New York

January 19, 2023 by John Warren 6 Comments

Dennis Warren left his job as a coal shoveler on the New York Central Railroad in Albany to ship out to the First World War. His transport ship had a close call with a German submarine on the way over, but got there in time to take part in what one of the bloodiest military campaigns in American history.

For Americans after the war, the Argonne would mean what Normandy meant just 25 years later – sacrifice. Sadly, that sacrifice in the Argonne Forest was never repaid to Dennis Warren, who met the death of a smuggler – running from an officious and invasive law on a treacherous mountain road near Port Henry on Lake Champlain.

According to the newsman who reported his death at the age of 29, “Canadian Ale was spread across the road.” [Read more…] about Smugglers & The Law: Prohibition In Northern New York

Documents Reveal More About Peter John Lee Kidnapping Case

January 12, 2023 by David Fiske Leave a Comment

Information about the 1836 kidnapping of Peter John Lee was related in a recent article on the New York Almanack, “NY-CT Border Disputes & The Kidnapping of Freedom-Seeker Peter John Lee.”

Lee, an African American, was lured out of Connecticut, where he resided, to Rye in Westchester County, New York. Additional aspects of this incident can be gleaned from historical documents. [Read more…] about Documents Reveal More About Peter John Lee Kidnapping Case

Northville Vigilantes & The Murder at Johnnycake Hollow

December 18, 2022 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

It is strange how a seemingly innocent event can set into motion something that grows to engulf a whole town and change forever the lives of untold numbers of people.

In this case, the event was a man, who in hopes of bettering himself brought his family to live in the hamlet of Johnnycake Hollow in rural Fulton County. [Read more…] about Northville Vigilantes & The Murder at Johnnycake Hollow

Post-Incarceration Humanities Grants Available

December 13, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The application for the 2023 Post-Incarceration Humanities Partnership (P-IHP) grant program is now live.

Humanities New York offers this annual grant opportunity for New York State-based, tax-exempt, non-profit organizations that currently serve formerly incarcerated individuals and/or their families. [Read more…] about Post-Incarceration Humanities Grants Available

Adirondack Advocates, Officials, Seek Reuse of State Prison

December 13, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Leaders of Adirondack environmental organizations joined with local elected officials Tuesday to urge Governor Kathy Hochul not to mothball the former Moriah Shock Incarceration Facility in Essex County, NY, as is planned by December 31, but instead to reuse it to bolster conservation and boost employment.

The leaders said there were several possible options that would bring new life to the structure. Reuse would help a small Adirondack community recover from the job losses and lost business opportunities associated with the closure of a state institution, they said. They also pointed to several recent state initiatives that would benefit from an additional state building in the Adirondacks, from which to offer training and housing. [Read more…] about Adirondack Advocates, Officials, Seek Reuse of State Prison

Hunters Caught Poaching Deer In Western New York State

December 7, 2022 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) have been unusually busy tracking and ticketing whitetail deer poachers across New York State recently, according to a Department of Environmental Conservation press release issued Wednesday.

On the night of October 28th, ECOs organized a spotlighting enforcement detail to combat poaching activities in DEC Regions 8 and 9. During the detail in the lower Finger Lakes region and Southern Tier, Officers watched for vehicles operating spotlights for poaching. [Read more…] about Hunters Caught Poaching Deer In Western New York State

ATV Drivers Caught Riding on Forest Preserve Land

December 6, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

According to a press release issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, on December 1, 2022 Forest Ranger Praczkajlo said he followed ATV (all terrain vehicle) tracks in the town of Franklin in Franklin County and determined the operators were riding their ATVs illegally on Forest Preserve land in the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about ATV Drivers Caught Riding on Forest Preserve Land