1914-12-19a

In mid-December 1914, the Hamilton Times, the Hamilton Herald and the Hamilton Spectator, including a special section in the Saturday papers for a host of Christmas features.
    For the Christmas number of the Spectator published on December 1914, the popular columnist Richard Butler, loving referred to as the Old Muse, turned the first part of his Saturday Musings to the subject of what Christmas was like in the time of his youth in 1850 :
    "How slowly Christmas comes to the young! They can hardly wait for its advent; but the time will come to them, as it has to the rest of us who have advanced in years, when the days and weeks and months will fly with electric speed, and no sooner will one Christmas pass than they will be making preparations for the coming one. Like a ship passing in the night, they glide by never to return. But here we are, right on the eve of Christmas, and hardly a sign of winter to remind us that Jack Frost and Santa are to pay their annual visits on runners and not on wheels. Instead of Canada being the Lady of the Snows, as Kipling once said, we are enjoying weather suitable to a reasonably mild winter resort. We are told somewhere in the good book that the wind is tempered to the shorn lamb; and may not this account for the mild weather that spares the coal bin to the unfortunate who has not a savings bank account to fall back upon, now that the pay envelopes from the factory are few and far between? (When this article was written atmospheric conditions were much milder than they are at present.) When Hamilton was just emerging from its infantile days, say sixty years ago, the winter began earlier, and at Christmas time the young people enjoyed sleigh rides to the merry jingle of sleigh bells. Out in the country, the churches and the Good Templars’ associations held their annual tea meetings and socials and invited their city cousins to partake of the feasts of reason and the flow of soul, but to be sure and not forget the quarter or half-dollar that was an essential sesame at the door. Young men did not have much money in those days, as wages were small, but they always managed to save up a little so as to chip in their share for a couple of seats in the bed of straw for their best girls and themselves. And then, muffled in blankets and buffalo robes, they defied old Jack Frost, and went skimming along the well-beaten snow roads to Ancaster or some one of the suburbs of the Ambitious City. Ah ! those were times never to come again to those who participated in them sixty years ago! Those were the happy days, when young people married early in life and became the staid citizens of the Hamilton of the future. Old maids and old bachelors were an unknown quantity, for every young man wanted a home of his own, with the girl he loved best to keep house for the both of them. The return of those days would be a blessing, and there would be fewer blasé young men and frivolous girls."

1914-12-24aggge

Christmas eve, 1914 had arrived.

          Throughout the wintry morning and afternoon of December 24, 1914, an ever-moving line of autos and horse-drawn slowly moved forward towards the front door of the Sherman avenue north police station.

          The distribution of such a bounty of items to help many families residing east of Wentworth street was underway.

          What began as a modest idea had grown into something that the originators never envisioned :

          “When Sergt, Hawkins first installed the box in the entrance of the station asking for contribution to make Christmas brighter for a few who otherwise might not be able to celebrate the day, he expected that perhaps forty or fifty dollars might be raised.

          “As the idea grew and publicity was given to the plan, donations of money, food, toys, clothing and vegetables began to pour in, and before long a corpse of policemen and helpers were required to handle the offerings.

          “With the generosity of the friends and donors made manifest, the plans of the workers grew apace; the acorn had verily become a sturdy oak.”¹

               ¹ “Christmas Cheer for City’s Poor : East End Police Are Making Distribution Today : Over 300 Families to Receive Baskets : And Santa Claus Will Call on 900 Kiddies”

          Hamilton Spectator. December 24, 1914.

          A Spectator reporter visited the east end police station the night before the scheduled distribution of the Christmas baskets and recorded what he saw:

          “The police station on Sherman avenue was a hive of bustling activity last evening, when the men of the station and their wives, who have added materially to the good work, were making up the final baskets for today’s distribution.

          “Every spare foot of space in the station was crowded with baskets. In several rooms long tables had been placed, and these were packed closely with well-filled baskets.”¹

               Each of the 300 Food baskets contained the following provisions : sugar, butter, cake, canned fruit, oranges, vegetables, apples, potatoes and a large roast of beef.

          The distribution began at 9 a.m. and continued until the supper hour.

          A happy little incident occurred during the day, when the policemen brought in bouquets of roses which they presented to the ladies who had worked so hard on the project for several weeks.

          On Christmas day, the work of the east end police and volunteers continued. All the baskets had been distributed, but there were still many toys left.

Many children, from the youngest upwards, visited the station in hopes of receiving a gift. They were not disappointed as the workers, including Hamilton Mayor Allan, were kept busy:

“The mayor became a real Santa and put in some of the busiest hours he has spent this year. There were so many little folk – and big ones too for that matter – to be looked after that the distribution took quite a long while. But eventually all departed, smiling and happy.”¹

¹ _“Mayor Allan Put in a Busy Holiday : Attended Many Distributions of Christmas Cheer.”

Hamilton Spectator.   December 26, 1914

1914-12-18yses

“The Santa Claus fund, which is being raised and handled by the members of the east end police division, was greatly augmented this morning by several handsome donations.”

          Hamilton Spectator      December 18, 1914

          With Christmas just a week away, the donations for relief for families in need in east end Hamilton just kept coming in :

          “ A check for 425 from John R. Beckett, 35 Aikman avenue, a well-known baker; a donation of 22 dozen pairs of stockings by the Chipman-Holton company, and $25 worth of bread tickets by J. Hollis, the Cannon street east end baker.

          “The bread tickets and the stockings are being used in connection with the Christmas cheer baskets which are to be delivered to the various families on the police list the day before Christmas, while the cash is being used to secure food supplies, etc. for the same families”¹

               ¹ “Santa Claus Fund Growing : Police Acknowledge Many Generous Gifts : Food and Clothing Will Be Distributed”

          Hamilton Spectator. December 18, 1914.

          The above-mentioned donations were just a small part of what had been received by the Hamilton east end police. So much had been received, and so much was still arriving, that the police had to make an updated arrangement to store everything until it was time for distribution:

          “Daily donations of clothes are being received from various parts of the city, and so heavy has the demand grown on the police that arrangments are being made to make the Sherman avenue station the main distribution point for all this.

          “Up to the present, private houses have been used as distribution centers, but it has been decided to make the station the main depot. For this purpose, several of the ladies’ organizations in connection with east end churches have gotten together and are making arrangements for two ladies from each society to take a day in turn at the station looking after the people as they report there.

          “The police round up the cases, which are investigated by some of the officers and by ladies who are spending a lot of time at that work, after which the people concerned call at the station for their relief.”¹        

               The distribution of the donations, and the need for assistance to do so was described in the Spectator as follows:

          “The east end police have 515 kiddies on their relief list and 264 families.

          “These are being supplied with clothes, boots, stockings etc., while each family will receive a well-filled basket for Christmas day. The kiddies will receive, in addition to clothes and food, toys and other Christmas cheer, all of which have been donated by east end citizens.

          “It is the intention of the police to deliver the Xmas Cheer baskets on Thursday afternoon of next week. Many automobile owners have volunteered their services for the afternoon, and the police would be pleased to learn of others owning automobiles or rigs who would be willing to assist in the delivery of baskets.”¹

               (To Be Continued!!)

1914-12-22agga

“The regular Christmas rush of mail matter began in earnest at the post office yesterday”

          December 22, 1914

          Three days before Christmas Day, 1914, downtown was a busy place, and one of the busiest was the big building at John and King streets, the Hamilton Post Office.

          The spectator sent a reporter to talk with the postmaster and tour the facility in order to give readers a sense of the hum of intense work being done there :

          Postmaster Adam Brown said the amount of mail handled was equal to that of last year. About thirty extra men and a number of wagons and rigs have been provided to cope with the big pile of incoming and outgoing mail. “Everything is running smoothly and there will be no delay or confusion.” ”¹

               ¹ “Christmas Rush at the Post Office “Letters and Parcels Come From Far and Near : Much Correspondence For Old Santa Claus”

          Hamilton Spectator. December 22, 1914.

          “For the employees of the post office department, this week will be more or less of a nightmare.

          “At first, the letters and parcels begin to come in from all parts of the Dominion and from Great Britain as well. Then the next few days, the matter will be narrowed down to nearby provinces, then in Ontario itself, and the last few days around the Day of Giving, all the letters are confined to the city limits.

          “For the post office employees who are forced to work at night, a hot supper will be provided by the department, Mr. Brown announced today.

          “How busy Santa Claus must already be is indicated by the correspondence that awaits him at the local dead letter office where there are letters addressed to Santa, at the north pole and other places where the rural delivery service does not yet cover.

          “If, however, Father Christmas does happen one of these days to slip out from behind the radiator – for there is no chimney in the dead letter office – he will be scarcely human if he does not have a laugh or two in his long beard when he goes through his mail.

          “That many of these letters actually do reach Santa Claus and that the little senders not infrequently get what they ask for is a matter which the Postmaster could undoubtedly shed some light on if he wished to.” ¹

1914-12-26

“The police morality squad has ignited another fuse – and many are destined to be burned or singed in the forthcoming explosion, according to statements made by officials this morning.”

          Hamilton Spectator.   December 18, 1914.

          Readers of the Hamilton Spectator would surely have widened their eyes, and interest, in a story which appeared on December 18, 1914 in the manner quoted above.

          A young lady, Vera Hamburg, had arrested quietly in several days before the article appeared on an unspecified charge.

While in custody, Miss Hamburg made some statements to the police:

“She is alleged to have given the minions of the law some highly interesting information.

“As a result of this little chat, Deputy Chief Whatley last evening invited Mrs. Olive Lowrey, 20 years of age, 146 James street north, and Annie Murphy, 20 years of age, 52 Vine street, to call at his office.

“They called, gave needed information and were arrested on nominal charges of vagrancy. Later in the evening, the Hamburg girl and the two arrested last night were remanded until tomorrow.” ¹

¹ “Police Take Action in the Hamburg Case : Court Cases to Follow Drugging of Girl : Two Women Placed Under Arrest Last Night : Several Summonses Issued by the Police Today”

Hamilton Spectator. December 18, 1914.

The circumstances of Vera Hamburg were made public for the first time as follows :

“The drugging of Miss Hamburg in a Chinese restaurant brought about a police investigation. An official of the department told the Spectator today that it had been learned that this restaurant was a resort where young men and young girls could meet and arrange engagements.

“The police probed still further, and learned, they claim, that taxicabs were called to the restaurant at all hours of the day and night, and that many merry joy rides were arranged in the restaurant. Two hotels outside the city are alleged to have been the objective points of many of these joy rides.” ¹

Although summonses had been issued, the names of those hotelkeepers and taxi cab owners, were not made public. The police said that some of the summonses had yet to be served and they did not want those charged to first learn of their situation through the newspapers.

The charges were made public. The taxi-cab owners were charged “with allowing unseemly conduct in their vehicles, this being an infraction of the cab bylaw.”¹ As for the hotel proprietors they were “charged with a breach of the hotel act, namely, that they allowed young men and young women to register at their hotels and man and wife, when they knew that they were not wedded.”¹

The original charge that Miss Hamburg faced was the charge of vagrancy but that charge was withdrawn, possibly as a result of the information that she gave the police. Also, Miss Hamburg’s father, a resident of the United States, had communicated with Police Magistrate Jelfs via a long-distance telephone communication. The father had asked if the charge against his daughter would be withdrawn if he came to Hamilton and took her home with me. Magistrate Jelfs agreed to that with the proviso that Miss Hamburg could not leave the city until her duty as a material witness in the upcoming cases against the taxi cab owners and hotel-keepers were completed.

There was more than the usual interest in the proceedings of Hamilton Police court on Saturday December 19, 1914 when Olive Lowery and Annie Murphy appeared to face their vagrancy charges;

“Both were in tears, giving way before the words of the magistrate. The two girls were attired in expensive furs of the latest pattern.

“Both girls pleaded guilty to patronizing fast resorts and associating with strange men. On Monday, along with Vera Hamburg, they will testify against two hotelmen and several taxicab company proprietors.

“The police hope to secure through this case, the removal of the worst dens of iniquity that has existed here.”²

² “Police Promise Big Sensation Monday : Hotelmen, Taxicab Men and Others Will Be Charges With Committing Offences Against Morality, and Girls Will Give Evidence”

Hamilton Herald.  December 19, 1914.

Magistrate Jelfs decided to drop the charges against Olive Lowery and Annie Murphy, as he had done with Vera Hamburg. The girls were allowed to go with their husbands on condition that they return to court to give testimony in the cases against the taxicab owners and hotel proprietors involved in the matter.

The Hamilton Police Court room was packed to the doors on Monday December 21, 1914:

“”Men stood on tables in the corridor to catch a stray word. Only one of the promised charges was dealt with. Otto Obernesser, proprietor of the Melbourne hotel, Dundas, was charged with ‘allowing notorious and well-known bad characters to be in the premises of his hotel.’ ”³

³ “Girls Told Court of Their Escapades : Otto Obernesser, Melbourne Hotel, Dundas, Accused of ‘Allowing Well Known Bad Characters’ To be in His Hotel,’ Pleaded Not Guilty.”

Hamilton Herald.   December 21, 1914.

The Spectator reporter also at the police court that morning commented on the crowding and on the arrival of Vera Hamburg into the court room:

“The court room was jammed to the eaves with men and boys sensationally inclined, and when the Hamburg woman was brought in from the women’s detention room she had to run the gauntlet of a hundred penetrating stares.”⁴

⁴ “Joy Rides to Dundas Told Of By Women : Hotelman From There Is Prosecuted By Police”

Hamilton Spectator.  December 21, 1914.

The Hamilton Herald carried a transcript of much of the pertinent testimony, with the witnesses questioned by Crown Attorney Washington for the prosecution and Attorney C. W. Bell for the defense :

“ ‘I know the Melbourne hotel very well. The last time I was there was a couple of months ago. I first went there less than a year ago,’ said Vera Hamburg, the first witness, evidently having difficulty with her dates.

“ Mr. Washington – ‘How did you happen to go there? Were you invited?’

“Witness was told she need not answer this.

“Mr. Washington – ‘How often have you been there?

“Witness – ‘Two or three times I have been in his rooms.’

“Mr. Washington – ‘Whose rooms?’

“Witness – ‘Mr. Obernesser’s”

“Mr. Bell – “You mean in Mr. Obernesser’s rented rooms, don’t you?’

“Witness – ‘Yes.’

“Mr. Washington – ‘Did you go alone or with a party?’

“Witness – ‘In a party of five or six. Sometimes we started from Moore’s café, sometimes from hotels.”

“Moore’s café is on King William street.

“Mr. Bell didn’t think it was important ‘where’ she started from, but the magistrate ruled that everything must come out which could be brought out.

“Mr. Washington – ‘What did you do and where did you go when you got to the hotel?’

“Witness – ‘We went into the parlor.’

“Mr. Washington – ‘What was going on in the parlor?’

“Witness – ‘Drinking.’

“Mr. Washington – ‘What happened next ?’

“Witness – ‘I can’t tell what happened very clearly, but I remember Mr. Obernsesser rented rooms to me two or three times. She added that she had been there with men and that they didn’t register.’

“Mr. Washington – ‘Did you ever stay overnight?’

“Witness – ‘No. It is a couple of months since I was there.’

“Mr. Washington – ‘Were you not there a week ago?’

“Witness – ‘No; but I was pretty near there. I have not been there since Mr. Obernsesser and I had an argument.’

“The witness with her costly furs wrapped closely about her, and her pale face showing no trace of emotion then stepped down from the box.

“Annie Murphy, another girl, who claimed to have been with Vera Hamburg, when the latter was turned out of the hotel two months ago, then took the stand.

“Mr. Washington – ‘When were you there last?’

“Witness – ‘Last Saturday night, with a party of five. There were two of us girls, two men and the driver of the car. We sat in the parlor, played the piano, had drinks.

“Mr. Washington – ‘And then?’

“Witness – ‘We hired rooms, I don’t remember who did it. None of us stayed overnight.

“Mr. Washington – ‘How long is it since you had a room out there?’

“Witness – ‘Six weeks ago.’

“Mr. Bell – ‘What did you have to drink? Were you able to take care of yourself.’

“Witness – ‘I only had a couple of John Collins.

“Mr. Bell – ‘Do you wear a wedding ring?’

“Witness – ‘Yes.’

“Olive Lowery, dressed in the very latest fashion, then took the stand. She smiled as she took the witness box.

“Mr. Washington – ‘Were you ever out to this hotel?’

“Witness – ‘Oh yes. I have been out there in motor cars, playing the piano, having drinks and renting rooms. I was there two weeks ago for the last time.’

“Mr. Bell – ‘Do you wear a wedding ring?’

“Witness (smiling) –‘Oh, sometimes.’

“Mr. Bell – ‘Did you ever wear it out there?’

“Witness – ‘Rather not.’

“Mr. Bell – ‘Have you been talking over this evidence with Deputy Chief Whatley?’

“Witness – ‘Yes.’

“Magistrate – ‘I object; you seem to bring out the impression that the deputy frightened her to saying this.’

“Mr. Bell – ‘That was not a fair way, to get her in a corner and scare her.’

“F. R. Martin took Mr. Washington’s place at this point.

“Mr. Martin to witness – ‘Were you scared?’

“Witness – ‘He threatened me; yes.”

“This phase of the case was then terminated.” ³

Deputy Chief Whatley would later vehemently deny that he threatened or intimidated Miss Murphy in any way:

“Deputy Chief Whatley, the man behind the police crusade against immorality, declares that the witnesses in the Obernesser case were not only not threatened, but exceptionally well treated, and they said so themselves.

“ ‘I was very careful with these witnesses when they called on me, and at no time were they intimidated They told their stories freely and willingly, and when the interview was at an end, I asked them if they thought they had not been treated fairly. They replied that they thought they had been treated very well. The statement was made in the presence of two constables,’ said the deputy chief. The constables were Chamberlain and Crocker.”

^4.1 “Well Treated : Deputy Chief Denies that the Witnesses Were Threatened.

Hamilton Spectator. December 22, 1914

The next witness was Chief Clark of the Dundas Police department. Chief Clark testified that he had been making a careful study of the taxicab traffic in Dundas.

Chief Clark said that he had become suspicious when cabs were seen waiting outside the hotels long after midnight:

“Two weeks ago, he waited until a party came out of the Melbourne hotel at nearly one o’clock. One of the girls was so ‘full’ she had to be helped. The number of the cab was 1612. ‘It was a busy night for Dundas,’ he said.”³

The final witness of the day was Constable Chamberlain of the Hamilton Police department who told of watching taxicabs, loaded with men and women, leave Moore’s café on King William street. The numbers of some of these cabs were the same as those given by the Dundas police chief.

At this point, Vera Hamburg’s father appeared in the police court. He promised to look after his daughter and was granted permission to take her with him back to the family home in Schenectady, New York State.

Before Magistrate Jelfs dismissed Vera from the court room, he had some words to wisdom for her:

“ ‘And let me give you some good advice. If you ever have a hankering for any more of these so-called good times, don’t come to Canada, and particularly do not come to Hamilton, Ontario. If you do, I’ll put you in a reformatory.’

“Vera threaded her way through the throng of back benchers and left the court room. It’s her last day in Hamilton – the city where she has had an eventful, if not an envious, career.”⁴

At the police court on December 24, 1914, Otto Obernesser, proprietor of the Melbourne hotel in Dundas, plead guilty of the charge “of allowing notoriously bad characters to be on his hotel premises.”⁵

^{5 “}Police to Continue The Clean Up Work : Deputy Chief Whatley Stated That Case Disposed Of Today Was Only the Beginning of Crusade Against Vice in This City”

Hamilton Herald     December 24, 1914

The guilty plea was registered but the magistrate indicated that the fine would not be imposed until the day after Christmas.

On December 26, 1914, Obernesser was again at the Hamilton police court where a fine of thirty dollars was imposed on him.

After court, Deputy Chief Whatley told one of the reporters that the case against Obernesser was a test case, and that there would be more charges against others to be laid in the new year.

 

1914-12-17aggga

“On the central market this morning, there was little sign of activity.”

          Hamilton Spectator.   December 17, 1914.

Christmas day was still a little over a week away on Thursday December 17, 1914.

While Thursday market days were usually quieter than Saturday market days, still, the scene on the Hamilton market square was unusually quiet :

“As has been the case for some weeks past, few farmers thought it worthwhile to come in for the Thursday market, and conditions were not much better on the meat market.

“On Saturday, however, a big pre-Christmas market is looked for with large offerings of  Christmas beef and poultry and all else needed to make a delectable Christmas table.”¹

^{1 “}Are Awaiting For Xmas Market : Large Attendance Is Looked For on Saturday.”

Hamilton Spectator.   December 17, 1914.

On market days, all three Hamilton daily newspapers dispatched reporters to the market square to gather information on what was currently being offered for sale there and what the up-to-date prices were being commanded.

For the afternoon edition of the Hamilton Spectator, December 17, 1914, the prices were listed under the following headings : Meats, Vegetables, Fruit, Grain Hay and Straw, Dairy and Poultry and Hides.

The reporter shared the following observation on the state of prices that day :

“It is expected that poultry and meat prices will be somewhat cheaper than last year. Vegetables, butter, eggs, etc., are said to be no dearer now than they were at this time last year.”¹

On the market day of Saturday December 19, 1914, the Herald reporter focused attention on the lack of poultry being sold :

“Although everyone was looking for a big poultry market, the offerings were very limited. The price of turkeys was steady, but geese and ducks have dropped about a cent. In all probability the opening market of next week will see wagons loaded with poultry, and as the price is lower this year, the buying will undoubtedly be brisk. The demand for the feathered family was very slight this morning, probably due to the inclement weather.” ²

² “Poultry Scarce : But It Will Likely Be Abundant on Tuesday”

Hamilton Herald.  December 19, 1914.

The last Hamilton market day before Christmas was a mixed bag. Many, if not most of the usual features were present but the weather conditions had impacted the ability of many farmers to make it into the city :
"While it contained everything needed for the Christmas table the central market was in the nature of a disappointment this morning. Snow drifts, which made the roads impassable in the outlying districts, kept many farmers away, and the varied and extraordinary activity of other years was strangely missing."
1 "Market Today Had the Glamor of Yuletide : Christmas Beef and Turkeys in Abundance : And All the Other Trimmings For Holiday Dinner : Snowdrifts Kept Some of the Farmers Away"
Hamilton Spectator. December 24, 1914.
The Spectator who had inspected the conditions, and the prices, on the final market day before Christmas noted some prices in particular:
"Poultry which has been comparatively cheap hitherto, took a sudden upward jump this morning, and perched alongside such unheard of luxuries as new laid eggs and hot house grapes.
"It must not be supposed from this that the birds were scarce for they weren't - just dear. There were plenty of turkeys, great big fat fellows, fat and plump, and just the kind to inspire hopeful anticipation in the heart of a small boy."
While the prices had taken an upward leap, sales of poultry were still strong:
"Everybody, of course - or nearly everybody - carried home a bird of some kind, perhaps two.
"One small boy staggered along after his mother with his arms tightly clasped around a turkey big enough to eat him on the spot had it been alive. Another struggled with a market basket, which he continued to fall over at intervals, upsetting the contents each time."
Item that only appeared on Hamilton Market Square just before Christmas were Christmas trees :
"On the north side of the market were great piles of fragrant Christmas trees, which are shortly to delight young Hamilton. There were baby trees and eight-foot trees and whopping big trees intended for large parties or the department stores.
"Holly and mistletoe were also for sale adding to the Yuletide glamor."

 

1914-12-19agaa

The Hamilton Street Railway company was viewed with some hostility generally by Hamiltonians in 1914. The service was not always dependable, and the memory of the bitter street railway strike had not diminished in general attitudes.

          The electric trolley cars themselves were often dangerous to those not actually on them. Such was the case on Friday December 18, 1914:

          “Miss Minnie Keen, a domestic employed at 125 South Wentworth street, escaped serious injury about 8:30 last evening by the smallest margin.

          “Crossing King street, at Hughson street, she was knocked down by a street car going east and dragged for half a block. That she did not fall under the wheels of the car was due to the presence of mind of the motorman.

          “She was taken to the city hospital, where it is said, she suffered considerably from shock and minor bruises.”¹

               ¹ “Knocked Down By Car.”

          Hamilton Herald December 19, 1914.