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Tracking down members of my family tree has led me to several strange, but fascinating stories. What follows is a sad and nearly tragic look at an incident that, in part, grew out of a great change taking place in the United States, thanks to automobiles.
At the center is a farmer whose once peaceful existence was shattered after his once remote rural location was no longer remote or so rural, with strangers passing by on a nearby road, even in the middle of the night.
The farmer's name was Edwin "Ted" Slocombe, though it is misspelled in some of the accounts that follow. The first story contains several errors corrected in the second article.
Slocombe is of interest on this website because the following incident involves two daughters of Anne Major O'Hara, whose husband, Michael, was instrumental in promoting the use of automobiles in the Camillus (NY) area where the following took place:
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Syracuse Journal, September 9, 1919
Enraged because of continued thefts from his grape arbors, Theodore Slocum, 70 years old, owner of an extensive vineyard at Camillus near the Marcellus underpass, shot and seriously wounded Anna Althausen, young and popular Camillus girl, Tuesday morning. [Actually, about midnight.]
Assistant District Attorney James J Barrett, Sheriff Ten Eyck, Criminal Deputy Sheriff Hoffmire went to Camillus shortly after noon to obtain affidavits in the case.
According to the story told Tuesday morning, the Althausen girl with Lucy O’Hara, Loretta O’Hara, John Quinn and Dan Quinlan were driving along the Camillus-Marcellus road. As they passed Slocombe’s house they saw the aged man and to taunt him called out, “Guess we’ll get some grapes.” [Not true, apparently.]
They stopped the car down the road a short distance below Slocombe’s place and got out, leaving the engine running. They went up on the bank along the roadside. A few minutes later Slocombe came toward them. After some words, he started back toward the house.
Suddenly when about 15 feet away from the Althausen girl, he opened fire with a gun, which is described as a rifle with a sawed off barrel. The young men in the party believed that he was trying to frighten them and called to the girls, “Don’t be afraid; they are only blanks.”
Crouching behind the car in the road until the firing was over, the Althausen girl was found to have been hit by a .32 caliber bullet, tearing a large hole in her scalp.
Others in the party placed her in the automobile and hurried her to the garage kept by the father of the two O’Hara girls in the party. A physician was called and after probing for some time the bullet was extracted.
Miss Althausen was taken to the O’Hara home, where she is said to be in a serious condition. |
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Public sentiment was decidedly against Slocombe, so much so that Onondaga County Sheriff Edward G. Ten Eyck feared mob violence. Slocombe was arrested on a charge of assault in the second degree. He said he believed he had a right to shoot to protect hi own property. The weapon used was a six-chambered, .32 caliber revolver.
Miss Althausen was a stenographer in the offices of Syracuse Attorney Reuben Jeffery Jr. She was well-known and prominent in the social affairs. Her popularity prompted a crowd of people to plot revenge on Slocombe, but cooler heads would prevail.
This is how the Syracuse Journal (September 10, 1919) reported the young woman's wound:
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"Dr. F. G. Cregg, attending physician, calls her wound not serious, unless infection sets in. The bullet cut a jagged gash, three-fourths of an inch in depth, across the back and top of her head. Slight concussion of the brain resulted, and a nervous shock left the victim in an exhausted state. Medical aid had been secured before the loss of blood became a serious factor.
"Painful probing did not locate the bullet and it was not for some minutes until the physician was cutting the hair from around the wound that the leaden pellet, coiled with strands of hair, was found embedded in the flesh. The wound would have been a fatal one had the bullet struck a few inches lower on the back of the head."
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This wasn't the first time Slocombe had fired his gun at trespassers he believed were there to steal his grapes. The man reportedly had no use for automobiles and declared people “had no right scaring horses and people on the roads of the country.”
He told police, "I am sorry the bullet hit her ... I shot four or five times at them. I shot the gun off once the night before. I have been bothered considerably. I don’t know what I can do. I work all day and then have to stay up all night to guard my crops."
The five young people decided on Sunday night to take a ride to the Marcellus underpass, and did it in two automobiles. When they neared the Slocombe property, they stopped the cars, got out, and headed for the grape vines. Slocombe apparently was hiding behind the vines, and began firing. He was held without bail.
The case was settled seven months later. Slocombe was given a one-year's suspended sentence. Judge Joseph D. Stenn of Madison County told Slocombe he was fortunate he hadn't faced a more serious charge.
Anna Althausen was a native of Germany who grew up in Camillus. She recovered from her wound and in 1922 married Herbert William Mapstone of Syracuse. Shortly after their wedding they moved to Rochester. Based on what I found online, it appears they had two children, William and Dagmar, and remained in the Rochester area.
As for Slocombe ... in addition to variations on his name, he was described as 70 years old in one story, 60 years of age in another story. His brother, Sidney Slocombe, was a former president [mayor] of nearby Marcellus and also director of a bank in that village.
In 1905, Slocombe had actually done some work for Michael J. O'Hara, father of two of the other girls who went to the Slocombe vineyard on the night in question. O'Hara and one of his brothers had a business at the time and were removing stumps on some property they had purchased and hired Slocombe to handle the dynamite that was used.
Slocombe's second wife died in December 1930. He survived her, but for how long I do not know. I found no obituary for him.
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