Warm Weather brings Fighting

This story was published by The Ypsilanti Daily Press on Wednesday, March 23, 1938. Early spring weather brought thoughts of love and fishing to youths in this area Tuesday, and resulted in two fights. One here involved six men on the banks of the Huron River and one in Milan 28 men near the railroad tracks. Hospitals received three from the local fracas, and one from Milan. Police said the fight here started when Cyril E. Kennedy, 11 South Grove Street, disturbed three men who were fishing on the river bank near the water works, and when told to go away, refused. The trio, Emerson Golden, 19, Elijah Thompson, 17, and Kenneth Walker, 21, then knocked Kennedy on the head with a piece of pipe. At this juncture, Edward and Thomas Riley jumped into the fray to aid Kennedy, and were hit over the heads and dumped into the river for their pains. Police who pulled the Rileys out of the river called an ambulance for them and for Kennedy and took the fishermen to the station but did not hold them. They said the three who were taken to the hospital precipitated the battle. Stitches were taken in the scalps of the Riley’s , and with Kennedy they were later discharged from Beyer. Burt Bolster, 22, Dundee, was treated at Mercy Hospital, Monroe, for a fractured jaw he clamed he sustained in a free for all fist fight among 28 young men in Milan Tuesday evening. Bolster told sheriff’s officers he was having an argument with another man over a girl when four cars drove up and and youths jumped out and began fighting. Deputy Sheriff Charles Blanck was called but they drove away before he could question them.

House Struck by Lightning Burns

This story was published by The Ypsilanti Daily Press on Wednesday, March 23, 1938. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Brace and infant son, located at the corner of Bemis and Crane Roads burned to the ground about 11:30 Tuesday night after it had been struck by lightning. Loss which was estimated at $2,000 was not covered by insurance. Mr. and Mrs. Grace and son were visiting at the home of her patents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Estermeyer, Ypsilanti, when the tragedy occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Victor Grace, who live east of the Albert Grace home, heard the bolt and travelled three miles to report the fire as telephone wires in that area had been affected by the storm. The house had been a street car which had been converted into living quarters. Neighbors and a group of people at at party at the Oaklawn School rushed to the fire but were too late to save the building or its contents. The pet dag, “Babe” and four pigs in a pen at the north of the house were saved. Mr. Mrs. Grace are staying at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Estermeyer at present. They may rebuild in the summer.

Killed by Train at the Knapp Crossing

This story was published by The Daily Ypsilanti Press on Wednesday, February 13, 1913. The commonplace but no less sad tragedy of a man meeting a lonely death of the railroad tracks was repeated Tuesday night just about a mile and a half west of the city at Knapp’s crossing. It was train No. 6, due to reach Ypsilanti at 6:25 that struck the man. He was brought on the train to the baggage room and from there conveyed to Jay Moore’s undertaking establishment. The coroner Dr. Clark, of Ann Arbor, came and by means of letters in the victim’s pockets his identity was established. He was a marine fire man, Charles Stieber by name, and his home is in Cheboygan, Wisconsin, where his mother resides. Whether he has a family besides his mother is not known. She has been advised of his death by telegraph. The young man was twenty-two years old and rather shabbily dressed, though the body was so shattered by its impact with the train that it was difficult to judge the cloths. An inquest to fix the responsibility for the accident will be held in Justice Stedtmiller’s office next Wednesday night.

Students Arrested with Beer

Five young men were arrested on the morning of Wednesday, February 7, 1923, after their car skidded into a water hydrant at 2:00 a.m. and officers found three cases of beer in the car. The young men said they were students at the University of Michigan, and gave their names as, Ronald Selway of Seattle, Washington, James Hoover of Debols, Pa., Max Van Sandt from Oklahoma City, Okla.: Sheldon Brown from Dubols, Pa.: Lawrence Howe of Clearfield, Pa.. Two of the students said they were seniors and expected to graduate in June. The other three students were freshmen. All of the young men were members of a fraternity at the University, and one was a member of the Michiganensian. That afternoon the five were arraigned before Justice Stadtmiller on a charge of unlawfully transporting and having in their possession 63 pints of beer. “According to the story told Justice Stadtmiller, the boys had gone to Wyandotte where they purchased drinks. Two of them, both freshmen, became intoxicated, but the other three were not. One of the boys, Ronald Selway, a senior from Seattle, Washington, took all responsibility for having the booze in the car, stating that he purchased it for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, 1408 Washtenaw Avenue, the inference being that possibly it was for J-Hop consumption. He declared that he did not tell the rest of the boys that he had secured the liquor, or that it was in the machine, and that they accordingly knew nothing of its presence. The boys corroborated his story. Selway himself does not drink, he told officers, and he was not drunk when arrested,” reported The Daily Ypsilanti Press of Thursday, February 8, 1923. The five waived examination and were bound over to the March term of the circuit court. Bail was set at $2,000, which none were able to give. All were taken to the jail at Ann Arbor.

Vorce Home is Burned

This story was published by The Daily Ypsilanti Press of February 1, 1913. The horrors attendant upon a fire in the country were experienced Friday afternoon by Fred Vorce when his country home near the county line three miles east of Ypsilanti burned to the ground. It took littlemore than an hour for this substantial structure built when big timbers were liberally used to become ashes. It was about five o’clock in the afternoon when flames burst from the furnace room. Earlier in the day Perry Vorce had cleaned the carbide lighting plant in the furnace room and refilled the tank. This he had done on many former occasions, but in some way the gas seems to have escaped. Fred Vorce went down later into the furnace room and detected a peculiar odor which he could not identify. Twenty minutes later, shortly after his wife had returned home, there was a terrific burst of flames from the furnace room. R. Vorce owns a chemical fire extinguisher and he quickly set this into operation, but it made no headway in quelling the fire which had begun large. The word quickly spread abroad tha the homestead was burning and farmers from miles around made their way to the scene. All helped in saving the furniture and this was entirely accomplished except in the case of the two rooms above and the contents of the cellar. The wind blew violently and it seemed doubtful at times if the barns could be saved. The horses and cows were brought out, but no attempt was made to remove the 400 bushels of beans stored there. However the fire was so valiantly fought that it was confined to the one house. The house which was destroyed was the old Vorce homestead into which Fred Vorce moved with his bride about two years ago. The parents, Mr. and Mrs. Perry Vorce, who are wealthy farmers, immediately opened their home across the way to the son and his wife, and the furniture was taken there at once. The insurance, which amounted to but $1200 would not go far toward replacing the homestead.

Milton Hightower: The Clever Burglar

On the morning of Sunday, January 28, 1923, Roy Lindsey, who lived in an apartment at 102 South Washington Street, Ypsilanti, Heard someone at the back door of the house. Lindsey took hold of a pistol, and went to investigate. In the back hallway, between the two apartments, Lindsey found Milton Hightower who had just entered the house. Lindsey held Hightower at the point of his pistol, a D. L. Davis called the police. Ypsilanti Chief of Police John Connors received the call asking him to send a man to the house. Connors later said he did not know the reason for the call, and if he had, he would have gone himself. Instead, he sent Officer William Morey to the house. “When the officer arrived Hightower was apparently drunk. During the time he was held by Mr. Lindsey he had pleaded to be allowed to go, stating that he was employed at an Ann Arbor fraternity and would have to be there for work later in the morning. Lindsey also thought he might be drunk and refused to consider allowing him to go,” reported The Daily Ypsilanti Press of Monday, January 29, 1923. When Morey arrived, he thought Hightower was drunk and failed to handcuff him. “As they left the house Morey slipped on the ice sidewalk and at the same instant Hightower tripped him and ran. Officer Morey threw his club at the fleeing man, hitting him on the back of the head and damaging only the club, which bounded high in the air. Morey also shot, but was unable to hit Hightower, who must carry a potent rabbit’s foot,” noted The Ypsilanti Record of Thursday, February 1, 1923. Chief Connors was informed of what had happened, and arrived on the scene soon after. Connors and Morey searched the neighborhood, but could not find Hightower. Chief Connors did learn Hightower was employed at the Chi Psi house at 620 South State Street in Ann Arbor. As police entered the front door of the house, Hightower, without a word to anyone, calmly walked out the back door of the kitchen. At this time Hightower was on parole from Jackson prison, on a charge of burglary. He had two more reports to make at the prison before his parole ended. He had been sentenced in 1917 to 5 to 15 years in prison for a robbery in Detroit. He had been paroled in 1920. Nothing more was heard of Hightower until April, when Chief Connors received a tip that Hightower was returning to Ypsilanti. When Connors was sure he knew where Hightower was to be found, on the evening of Saturday, April 15, 1923, he summoned officers Lawrence, Morey and Washtenaw County Deputy Sheriff Dick Elliott. The men surrounded the building, on the south side of Michigan Avenue between Huron and Washington Streets. “As he (Connors) went up the stairway, Hightower went to the door to see who was coming, and recognizing the chief, rushed back in, barricaded the door and was about to jump out of a two story window when the chief broke through the door. Seeing Mr. Elliott standing below the window Hightower turned back in the room to face the chief, and realizing that escape was cut off, he surrendered with trouble,” reported The Daily Ypsilanti Press of Monday, April 16, 1923. Hightower was arraigned on the afternoon of Monday, April 16, 1923, and asked for an examination which was set for April 24, 1923. He said he was too drunk on the day he entered the Davis house to know what he was doing. Bail was set at $5,000 which he was unable to secure. At the examination his case turned over for trial at the circuit court in the May term. Hightower was most likely returned to the prison at Jackson, to complete the previous sentence.

Farmer shot by man attempting to steal to steal traps

This story was published by The Daily Ypsilanti Press on Monday, January 8, 1933. Leroy Fulton, Cherry Hill, was shot Saturday afternoon by Erwin Herrin, no address, when Fulton caught Herrin in the act of stealing his traps, according to Trooper Paul Frederick of the state police. Fulton, who was not seriously injured, was treated for shotgun wounds at Eloise Hospital, and Herrin was apprehended in Dearborn, by Sergeant Bruce McGlone and Trooper Frederick. According to the trooper’s statement, Fulton surprised Herrin on his Cherry Hill farm, and was struck over the head when he attempted to stop the theft. Fulton says that Herrin then pointed his shotgun at him and ordered to hold up his hands, first shooting into the ground. Fulton claims that Herrin then ordered him to run for the house and threatened to shoot as soon as he was on his way. Although Fulton thought the threat was just ‘talk’, he started for the house and when he turned, Herrin fired the shots striking Fulton in the back. Fulton was saved from serious injury by his heavy clothing. Trooper Frederick received the complaint and traced Herrin, who admits he is a floater, to Dearborn. The trooper then communicated with Sergeant McGlone and the two offers arrested Herrin and confined him to the Dearborn Township jail. Herrin is to be arraigned before Justice Mokersky, Inkster, today.