Yester-Heroes

At this time, badges were the only tangible item owned by the department carried by the marshal or watchmen. The only other property owned by the Police Department was possibly some office furniture and the holding cells in the basement of the City Hall. The Annual Report for the city does not even mention firearms owned as police department property until 1874 when “8 revolvers” were accounted for.

some tidbits of information focusing on the early days of Nashua’s fire department.

The city charter gave the mayor and aldermen full and exclusive power to appoint a city marshal and assistants, constables, and all other police officers. As first organized, the city had police officers, constables and watchmen. All had the power to arrest. Constables had additional powers to serve civil processes and to collect taxes. It was not unusual for one man to serve in all three positions. None of them was a full-time job, and appointments were often politically driven. 

The Nashua Telegraph of the previous day predicted fair and cooler weather for Sunday. A fire started on one of the lower wooden timbers of a railroad bridge over the Nashua River near Temple Street. It is unknown what started the fire. It might have been sparks from a passing train.  It might have come from a group of young men who were known to congregate in the area to while away the time with games of chance and cigarette smoking.