During their tenure as policemen in the city of Gloversville, both Fred and Louis Sperber were frequently mentioned in the local newspapers in Fulton County, New York for a wide assortment of arrests, court cases and other police activities.
Many of the arrests and investigations by the brothers were made in all hours of the day and night by the Sperber brothers. I have found about 940 newspaper articles that mention the Sperber brothers as policeman. [1]
All of the articles were found in local newspapers from Fulton County, New York that were published between 1880 and 1920.
Table One: Fulton County Newspapers in the Late 1800’s and early 1900’s
Virtually all of the news stories are from three local newspapers:
- The Daily Leader (1888-1900) ;
- The Gloversville Daily Leader (1900-1903); and the
- The Johnstown Daily Republican (1890-1912)
See tips for accessing the original news articles in the digital archived versions of the newspaper
I have provided many of these newspaper articles in a story about the two brothers. The following are additional newspaper accounts of their activities. Some of the stories are rather mundane. Other news stories tell a tale that you just can’t make up. Many of the stories are written in a style that is absent from modern day newspaper reporting. The authors of the news articles in the late 1800’s add humor and a unique style of writing to an otherwise story about an unfortunate soul or incident. The plethora of Sperber policeman stories would provide a fertile base for a good television series.
The following are samples of those stories that I found in my research.
“Having been fired out of the saloon on South Main Street last night Ed Hoyt made considerable noise and was arrested by Officer Sperber for disorderly conduct.” [2]
“… a good season of the year for vacations and consequently sent him to Johnstown to remain fifteen days.”
“Conrad admitted he was full and Justice Kennedy fined him $3 and costs.”
“Officer Sperber arrested Thomas Devine last evening for disorderly conduct.”
” ‘Doc’ Stevens, who recently escaped from the county poorhouse, was gathered in by Officer Sperber last night.”
“He drank whiskey in Gloversville, but refused to tell where… .”
“Michael Hughs was arrested by Officer Sperber for public intoxication.”
“John Lane dropped in from Caroga Saturday and made himself obnoxious to the people of this city by filling himself too full of liquid poison.”
“Not being able to produce the money he went to jail. He is a farmer hailing from Cherry Valley and says he left a team at Fort Plain when he came here yesterday.”
“He was beastly drunk and had to be carted to the cooler. …He also undertook to whip Officer Sperber, but ran up against a snag. … Donnie is an old sport in hard luck truly.”
“The man was laboring under the delusion that some one was chasing him with knives and razors and was trying to kill him.”
“Wesley Garlock was arrested by Officer Sperber last night on complaint of Libbie Garlock for assault and battery.”
“Officer Sperber last night took in Charles Carnrick for disorderly conduct. He ‘jugged” him.” [3]
“On the informal ballot Nelson Taylor, Charles Johnson, Fred Sperber, Godfrey Gniwodda, C.L. Clark and W.H. Nichols received the largest number of votes…
“Officer Clark donned the blue this morning and appeared on the streets as a full-fledged “copper”.
“At half past seven Chief Taylor and Officer Sperber started for Johnstown and shortly after nine returned with the prisoner in a closed hacked iron to the officer.”
“Officer Sperber testified seeing two go down the railroad tracks…”
Source: The daily leader., May 08, 1891, Page 5
Source: The daily leader., May 19, 1891, Page 5
“After a long and tedious drive they found the horse tied to a tree, unprotected and unfed. The young woman was found in the vicinity of Lockwood in company with a Johnstown man.
“He made a break for the door and Officer Sperber stopped him, but Murphy seemed to have superhuman strength and it took the united efforts of four men to hold him.”
“Shortly after 1 o’clock a pet cat belonging in the house jumped upon Mr. Fort’s face. The feline was flung to the floor, but repeated its actions. This fully awakened George…he saw a man step out the back door… when the door of an out-house near by quickly opened and a big burly fellow grabbed him by the arms…
“Hoyt had been sober for a long time, but yesterday whiskey got the best of him, and he meandered up the street in a very limp condition.”
“Officer Sperber arrested Will Denmark … on a warrant charging him with stealing a black and tan dog… .”
“… some of the dusky sons of Ham.”
“…assault in the third degree upon Chas A. Canfield last night in Coats’ meat market.”
“… sent to the Johnstown jail for twenty days.”
“He was arrested by Officer Sperber out in the country… .”
“He is old enough to know better… .
” Frank A. Peris, an Italian, who conducts a saloon … and his bartender, James Etta, another Italian, were arrested last night by Officers Sperber and Wilson… . ”
“The man was not found that day and the warrant was left with Officer Sperber, who arrested him to-day.”
“The recorder sentenced him to 90 days in the Albany penitentiary, with the understanding that if he ever showed up in this city again he would send him for 10 years, if he had the power.”
” ‘Say, mister, where’s the policemen?’ … ‘There’s a crazy man up on our hill killing folks. He’s got a knife and two clubs, and I want a policemen’s.’ “
“…proceeded to enjoy himself by being disorderly and driving around the streets in a fast manner.”
“…and in the voice of thunder said, “You are my prisoner”, marching him to the recorder’s court forthwith.
“Officer Sperber shows the effects of hard struggle.”
“The police docket showed a full house this morning. There were all kinds of characters represented.”
“… it required five men to handle him.”
“A pretty big price for a small lot of old clothes and a dull razor.”
“Well James, you are here again, I see.”
“He came into the courtroom and made a nuisance of himself and was locked up.”
“The bicycle was found yesterday in the Cayadutta creek, near Hill street bridge, by a boy named Cronin, and was taken to Chief Sperber’s residence on South Broad street.”
…it bit its last bite by biting the dust. Officer Sperber officiated at the execution.”
“… evidently having had all he cared of runaway life.”
“William Carlin, a tanner, … was brutally assaulted about 11:30 last night… and two men who are suspected of commiting the crime were captured after some very good work on the part of Office Louis Sperber and Captain Johnson.”
Source: The Gloversville daily leader., March 07, 1903, Page 8
“Charles Morrison, an old offender, was returning from something besides a five o’clock tea… .”
“…drinking out of a bottle in a grocery store and making herself very conspicuous in other ways.”
“One of the most brutal and unprovoked crimes that has been committed in Gloversville for a long time… Andy prompt action on the part of the police force, two men who are charged with murderously assaulting and robbing a friend. “
Source: The Johnstown daily Republican. volume, February 04, 1903, Page 6
The warrants were placed in possession of Officer Louis Sperber and between 2 and 3 o’clock this morning Sperber and Officers Halbert and Nichols proceeded to Skiff’s home on Mill street, woke him up and placed him under arrest.”
“Bully Sheridan was arrested Saturday by Officer Louis Sperber …with assault in the third degree.”
The following newspaper article reports on the arrest of a gentlemen that was over served and basically could not manage his horse and carriage in Gloversville. He was arrested and was required to pay a $10.00 fine which is equivalent to $364.00 in contemporary times.
“Market, in the meantime, had slowly staggered down the avenue until he reached the railroad crossing, and going down the track a short distance laid down on the grass. Here he was found by Officer Quackenbush and Sperber.”
Sources
Featured Image: An example of the heading mast of The Gloversville Daily Leader newspaper. Virtually of the news article associated with the Sperber brothers are found in this newspaper. The daily Leader was published between 1887 and 1898.It was created and published by Shaul & collins in Gloversville. It was a daily newspaper )except for Sundays). Its succeedinhg titles were The Gloversville Daily Leader and was published between 1889 and 1907.
[1] Online copies of the Newspaper can be accessed at: NYS Historic Newspapers, https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/
If you are interested in newspapers articles specifically related to the Sperbers, you can start your search at the following page. The search will be based on search results in 9 publications that existed within Fulton country during their time period : https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=p&p=countybrowser&county=Fulton&e=——-en-20–1-byDA-txt-txIN-Sperber—-1993—Fulton–
[2] Fired Out: To throw, toss, or hurl something out (of something or some place). In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between “fire” and “out.”, The Free Dictionary, https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/fired+out
[3] Jugged: A verb -to imprison, to incarcerate, jug v.1, Green’s Dictionary of Slang, https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/y5nxyjq