Stories from the History of Nashua’s Police and Fire-Rescue Departments.
As the end of the second decade of the 20th century approached, more and more automobile traffic clogged Nashua’s streets prompting a plethora of new traffic laws. Among some of the first to be enacted were the following:
- All vehicles, motorized or horse-drawn, are to travel on the right side of the street as nearest to the curb as possible.
- Every driver, in slowing or stopping or changing direction shall provide the proper hand signal.
- Ample warning must be given when backing.
- All vehicles must be parked parallel to the right-side curb except on the west side of Main St. between the Ayer Block and the watering trough south of Pearl St. where all vehicles must be backed into the curb and parked at a 45 – degree angle to the curb.
- It shall be the duty of any person operating a vehicle equipped with headlights to dim said headlights upon approaching electric street railcar or another automobile.
- No horse or motorized vehicles shall be driven on the sidewalk except to cross said sidewalk to access another vehicle-access way.
- No motor vehicle operator shall intentionally permit an unreasonable amount of smoke to escape from said motor vehicle, nor allow said vehicle to emit excessive noise by removing or altering the vehicle’s muffler.
- No person shall drive or conduct a vehicle in such condition to spill or scatter its load along any public street.
Except as otherwise stated in the laws of the State of NH, any person violating any of the above stated rules and regulations shall be liable for a penalty of not less than one dollar nor more than five dollars.
These ordinances passed October 26, 1915, approved October 31, 1915, and the laws took effect January 1, 1916
On March 29, 1916, Irving Goodwin, Chief of Police for the town of Milford, NH, turns in his resignation effective April 6. Asked if he was going to accept the open position as City Marshal in Nashua, Goodwin was non-committal. In the meantime, a Frank Downer of the Boston and Maine Railroad was supposedly offered the job as well. On March 31, 1916, Irving Goodwin was named Nashua’s City Marshal replacing the highly unfavored Daniel Healy. Goodwin would be the longest-serving Police Chief in the department’s history and ironically, come to the most ignominious end of any Nashua Chief.
The Advent of the NPD Fleet
Since 1905, the Police Commissioners had been requesting funds for a Patrol Wagon. In 1916, the request was finally granted and the Patrol Service was established with two drivers for same. For 1916, the wagon, manned by either J. Frank Jefts or Arthur Poulin, made 933 runs totaling 1,961 miles, conveying 843 prisoners.
In this same report, the Police Commissioners requested funds to purchase a “low priced touring car” as an adjunct to the patrol wagon. The justification for the car was so “the patrol wagon could be saved for much longer service and the cost of maintenance would be considerably reduced.” The Commissioners stated, “the patrol car could be used in place of the patrol wagon for securing evidence, investigating cases, and locating witnesses.” The car was finally purchased, probably a Ford Model T.
In 1917, the salaries for the Police Dept. were raised substantially: City Marshal – $1,900 per annum, Assistant Marshal – $1,500 per annum, Captain – $1,350 per annum, Inspector – $3.25 per diem, Sergeant – $3.50 per diem, Patrol Driver – $3.25 per diem, Matron – $1.50 per diem (Salary for Patrolmen and Special Patrolmen is N/A.) Clerk of Police Commission receives $150 per annum salary. All others receive $100 per annum
Friendly Fire
From our, “Everyone Screws-Up Now and Then” files… On April 10, 1917, at around 9 a.m. Judge Frank Clancy joined Police Chief Irving Goodwin in Goodwin’s inner office. The judge had joined the chief to admire the silver loving- cup that Commissioner Flather had presented to the force. The two then started discussing firearms and the chief showed the judge one of the department’s service revolvers. The chief then produced an old .32 caliber Smith and Wesson pistol and while handling the gun, it inexplicably fired, the slug going through a finger on the chief’s left hand and through the flesh of Judge Clancy’s left hand just above the thumb. The chief stated that he didn’t know the gun was loaded. The judge was treated by Dr. Shea. The chief was brought to a local hospital where it is said he may lose a finger. A search of the office failed to produce the .32 slug.
What’s In A Name?
On July 2, 1917, at a meeting of the Police Commission, the long-standing titles of “City Marshal” and “Deputy or Assistant Marshal” are stricken from the Nashua Police lexicon in favor of the more modern, “Chief of Police” and “Deputy Chief of Police.” The title of City Marshal and Deputy Marshal had been adopted when the city was incorporated in 1853. The terms were used in Nashua as early as the 1830’s. Prior to that time, and as far back as 1675, the term “Constable” was more commonly used. And it seems the terms “Patrolman” and “Special Officers” had found a secure place in the department’s nomenclature.
Author’s Note: According to Wilbur Miller, Professor of History at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, in his section of the book, “To Protect and Serve: A History of the Police Force and It’s Place in History”, the modern police forces of the United States are products of the nineteen-century with terms like constables, sheriffs and nightwatchmen carrying over into the 20th century. Regardless of what the officer was called, there were several schools of thought relative to what the main function of a police force should be and how they should go about it. At one end of the spectrum was the smartly uniformed and heavily armed police officer who was more like a military officer. They would “sweep the streets at night seeking the disorderly and the criminal.” (This would explain the idea behind Nashua, early in its history, having so many more police patrols at night versus the day.) At the other end of the spectrum was the police force who moved about the populace in plain clothes, better able to catch law-breakers “in the act.”
1918
The year 1918 saw some interesting updates for the Nashua Police Department. To wit:
- The term “Patrol Driver” was changed to “Chauffeur” possibly to be consistent with the same term used in the fire service to refer to the driver/pump-operator of a fire truck.
- A Lung-Motor was purchased. This was a device invented in 1914 to resuscitate people from drowning, gas poisoning, electric shock, etc. Cost, $150.00
- A Colt pistol was purchased for $2.70. (Author’s Note: This gun today sells for between $1,000 to $1,500.)
- Services are provided from the Pinkerton Detective Agency for $351.26 (Unknown what these services were)
- A Detectifone made by Vibro-Sono Co. was purchased for $78.40, advertised in 1917 as a highly sensitive listening device.
- The department’s existing motorcycle was traded for a new one and a side car was purchased from the George Higgins Company for $57.00. (Unknown what brand of motorcycle it was. It is assumed that the George Higgens company was based in Nashua yet no record could be found of it.)
- Three new police patrol boxes were installed
During this period there were 960 arrests; most for public intoxication, 47 for “overspeeding” an automobile, one DWI, and two arrests for “larceny of poultry.”
Two Nashua Police Officers were assigned the role of “Traffic Squad” to regulate traffic on Nashua’s streets. In the days before automated traffic lights, traffic cops were tasked with keeping traffic moving in an orderly fashion.
Another Walk-Out
The Police Commission revoked the vacations and clothing allowances afforded the inspectors, sergeants and patrolman. Since the US was in the throes of WWI, this may have had something to do with it. However, apparently there was no reason given and no newspaper story to back up the commission’s decision. Officers requested a meeting with the commission which was not held. On October 1, 1918, twenty-four officers refused to accept their duty assignment and went home. The officers were summarily discharged from the force, and didn’t get any support from the Nashua Telegraph or the general public. Former Police Commissioner Harry Gregg, then living in New York, wrote a scathing letter to the 24 officers which was published in its entirety in the Telegraph. Basically, he told the officers that they were unpatriotic and should be ashamed of themselves, seeing that many young men were headed overseas to face WWI in Europe, guaranteeing worse conditions than could be found in Nashua.
To replace the missing officers, thirty-five National Guardsmen were dispatched to the city and sworn in as Special Officers until new men could be hired. Vacation benefits were not returned until 1920 and one day off in eight was not granted until 1928. Prior to 1928, men received one day off in fifteen.
Also in October 1918, 7,644 Nashua citizens are sick with the flu. A multitude of commercial establishments including banks, theaters, churches, and such, closed to help stem the spread of the disease. It would be 100 years before this level of sickness struck the US again.
Excerpted from “Nashua’s Finest: The History of Law Enforcement in Nashua NH”
Yester-Heroes author Gary Ledoux grew up in Nashua’s Crown Hill area, attending Nashua schools and graduating from Nashua High in 1970. He attended NH Vo-Tech for a time, then moved to Amherst, then Manchester, and Weare. He served as a volunteer on the Amherst Fire Dept from 1974 to 1977. A career in the automotive business took him to Florida and then to southern California. After 48 years, he retired in 2017, moving back to Florida with his wife, Rachel, and two dogs. He has published seven books, including two about Nashua history, and has been a contributing editor or contributor to 10 different magazines. Gary can be reached at mayorclum@yahoo.com
