Bridget & The Perry House

[camgarsky4]

Among the many gems that JJ (new acronym for Jennings Journals ) provides evolves around some rumors and observations about Bridget's living accommodations and a possible intimate relationship before she worked for the Borden's. Might not mean much directly with case, but I love all the 'fill in the gap' info. Makes those folks seem so much more real which does help process the events of the crime better.

This issue is referenced on pgs. 35 & 71 in JJ. Benjamin Cowgill and Charles Bernard were the interviewees.

The question I have for the editors or Kat (possessor of the Fall River City Directory ), is based on the editors "biographical note" below Cowgill's interview notations. It mentions that Cowgill was the proprietor of the "Perry House", located at 98 Pleasant St. This is a Fall River address. Additionally, the notations for both Cowgill & Bernard reference the Perry House as where Bridget lived, worked and potentially had a relationship with Jim Scanlan. So one might presume that the Perry House on Pleasant St., Fall River is one and the same referenced in the notations.

However in Bridget's PH testimony (below), she identifies the Perry House, Newport, RI as her first place of work in the U.S.

My presumption is that the notations are memories of the interviewees back to when Bridget lived in Newport. Does that mean that Mr. Cowgill just liked the name "Perry House' and had one in Fall River and Newport?

Bridget PH testimony. The line of questioning was where she had lived and worked before the Borden's.
Q. Did you ever live anywhere else than in Pennsylvania and Fall River?
A. In Newport I worked twelve months.
Q. In whose family there?
A. A hotel.
Q. What hotel?
A. The Perry house.
Q. That was when you first came to this country?
A. Yes Sir.
Q. How long did you stay there?
A. Twelve months.

By the way, read those interviews.....there is more for us to discuss and chew on in this thread.

[Stefani]

From Glossary A of the JJ:

COWGILL, BENJAMIN 1840 - 1896: born in Sheffield, England, son of John (1816-1893) and Sarah (née Rangdale) Cowgill (1815-1893). He formerly lived in Lynn, Massachusetts, before coming to Fall River in 1878. He kept a boarding house in the N.B. Borden homestead at 46 Second Street called the Borden House. He was also the proprietor of the Perry House, located at 98 Pleasant Street. Cowgill was twice married. In 1863, he was wed to Miss Sarah Jagger (1839-1902) of Bradford, England. The couple had ten children, all born in England: Mary Eva (b.1866, later Mrs. Walter Smith); William (1868-1949); Susannah Elizabeth (1869-1898); John (b.1871); Clara (1872-1872); Thomas Rangdale (1874-1955); Maude May (1875-1939, later Mrs. William Benson); George Arthur (b.1877); Ernest (1880-1957); and Walter (1881-1923). The couple divorced in 1884. That same year, Cowgill married Mrs. Mary (née Hardy) Marshall (1841-1913), after both had been granted divorces from their former spouses five months before. In order to avoid complications, they remarried on January 6, 1896, just eleven days before the death of Benjamin Cowgill on January 17, at age fifty-six, of Bright’s disease in Fall River. His will was contested as it was written just fifteen days before his death, leaving some children out of proceeds of the estate, valued at over $14,000. He is buried with his second wife in Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River.

From the 1888 FR City Directory:

8936139.jpg

From The 1893 FR City Directory:

9012255.jpg

And from the Fall River Daily Herald, 24 February, 1896:

clip_92411586.jpg

Bridget's testimony of working at a Perry House in Newport could still be correct as there was indeed a Perry House there in 1888. From the Newport City Directory, 1888:

14781319.jpg

Cowgill was interviewed for the case. He claims Bridget worked there. How much credence should we give to what he says, I think, is the question we might consider.

[camgarsky4]

Thanks Steph! Fantastic documentation. I'm so jealous.

A few follow up observations:
1) Cowgill's credibility is enhanced a bit since his wife and 'maggie' matched Bridget's photo to their recollections of her. Daughter disagreed.
2) Appears that after 1888, Cowgill's Pleasant St. "Perry House" had been sold, closed or left off directory based on the 1892 version.
3) Agree that since there was a Perry House in Newport in 1888, it is extremely likely that Bridget's testimony is accurate.

Getting these 'facts' to reconcile will take a bit of thought.

Thanks again! I am absolutely enjoying JJ!!

[Stefani]

What do you make of Scanlan story (p. 34 says he is a tailor)? A good Irish name. Turn to page 167 and 168. Note the date: January 1892. Scanlon.

Is this Jennings trying to determine if Bridget was involved in the daylight robbery with her friend "Scanlon"?

This and the story of the daylight robbery scene on page 13 and 14, gives one pause.

[camgarsky4]

Oh my....that is intriguing. I completely missed the James Scanlan reference. It definitely adds a whole new potential direction to the Borden burglary. If the stolen list is all inclusive, then only taking a couple rings sounds pretty similar to breaking into a desk and taking a few random things. In both instances, there was not house-wide pilfering. The article suggests that Ready saw/heard the burglar and tried to snatch him. This might also match up with a daylight robbery MO.

I suppose it could be Jennings noting because of Scanlan. The notation "header" of IDENTITY might suggest he included because a couple examples that folks are often mis-identified and use it as a counter to Bence, et al identifying Lizzie? The 2nd article excludes Scanlan, but is another mistaken identify story.

During her testimony, Bridget indicated her former (or current ?) beau was from out of town. Newport would certainly qualify.

[camgarsky4]

There are a couple of notations in Jennings Journals that raise an eyebrow on the slight possibility of Bridget's beau being involved in house burglaries.
The Borden burglary occurred Jun '91 and the article below is dated Jan '92. They mention a number of similar burglaries between these two dates.

Jennings Journal Pg 35 Charles Bernard (1868-1904)
Charles told Jennings......"Her (Bridget) fellow was Jim Scanlan (tailor). He came from Newport - She used to sleep with Scanlan at Perry House - Thought she was in family way when she left."

Jennings Journal Pg 167-168 Topic: Identity Jennings references F.R. News Jan 7, 1892
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
The trial of the case against Martin Ready, charged with breaking and entering in the night item the house by May and larceny of two rings, the property of May's daughter, was completed yesterday and Ready was discharged. One of the rings found in the possession of James Scanlon was identified by Miss May as one of the rings taken from her room. ......later in the article Referencing Scanlon. "It is thought that he (Scanlon) is the thief who has been operating in a majority of the cases reported from the GLOBE recently. He will be tried Tuesday."

Would a newspaper search for articles about home burglaries between June '91 and Jan '92 be plausible? Might be interesting to see if we can draw any parallels to the Borden burglary and whether we think this James Scanlon could be the Jim Scanlan whom Bernard references.

[KGDevil]

There are a couple of notations in Jennings Journals that raise an eyebrow on the slight possibility of Bridget's beau being involved in house burglaries.
The Borden burglary occurred Jun '91 and the article below is dated Jan '92. They mention a number of similar burglaries between these two dates.

Jennings Journal Pg 35 Charles Bernard (1868-1904)
Charles told Jennings......"Her (Bridget) fellow was Jim Scanlan (tailor). He came from Newport - She used to sleep with Scanlan at Perry House - Thought she was in family way when she left."

Jennings Journal Pg 167-168 Topic: Identity Jennings references F.R. News Jan 7, 1892
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
The trial of the case against Martin Ready, charged with breaking and entering in the night item the house by May and larceny of two rings, the property of May's daughter, was completed yesterday and Ready was discharged. One of the rings found in the possession of James Scanlon was identified by Miss May as one of the rings taken from her room. ......later in the article Referencing Scanlon. "It is thought that he (Scanlon) is the thief who has been operating in a majority of the cases reported from the GLOBE recently. He will be tried Tuesday."

Would a newspaper search for articles about home burglaries between June '91 and Jan '92 be plausible? Might be interesting to see if we can draw any parallels to the Borden burglary and whether we think this James Scanlon could be the Jim Scanlan whom Bernard references.

Did you mean to put the date for the articles as F.R. News January 7, 1893? I found the articles about Martin Ready and Scanlon but they are from January of 1893. I can check out what can be found about Scanlon.

[KGDevil]

This article from January 11, 1893 details James Scanlon's crimes.

[camgarsky4]

I think we can focus on James Scanlan (vs Scanlon).

Likely not connected, but the type of random stuff taken does match with the Borden burglary. That said, he seems to hit attics and that wasn't part of the Borden report.

Charles Bernard mentioned Bridget knowing Scanlan since their time in Newport. Are you able to search the Newport newspaper for any signs of Mr. Scanlan's activities from the late 1880's? I know this is scratching at something that will likely get us nowhere, but it is fascinating all the same.

I love the head and sub-headlines these papers write up. They are enticing and draw the reader in.

[KGDevil]

I think we can focus on James Scanlan (vs Scanlon).

Likely not connected, but the type of random stuff taken does match with the Borden burglary. That said, he seems to hit attics and that wasn't part of the Borden report.

Charles Bernard mentioned Bridget knowing Scanlan since their time in Newport. Are you able to search the Newport newspaper for any signs of Mr. Scanlan's activities from the late 1880's? I know this is scratching at something that will likely get us nowhere, but it is fascinating all the same.

I love the head and sub-headlines these papers write up. They are enticing and draw the reader in.

I can search for both spellings. People's names are misspelled in a variety of ways pretty frequently. The year of birth fluctuates, especially as people get older and try to make themselves younger. James Scanlon, the thief, is also spelled James Scanlan in some of the newspaper accounts. Focusing on one spelling would miss some of the info.

I can look around and see what I can find for Bridget's alleged beau. I agree that the MO for the 1893 Scanlon robberies doesn't really mesh well with the daylight robberies. I love old newspapers in general. The way they describe Mr. Scanlon/Scanlan is pretty entertaining in itself. "A gentleman of leisure" who was "never known to soil his hands with honest labor." I thought old Jim arguing that the hat was really his was a hoot.

[KGDevil]

Yes, I'd say we can safely rule out the 1893 thief because he was too young. He was "scarcely 21 years" in 1893.

[camgarsky4]

KGDevil -- to your point, with James Scanlan (convicted burglar) being 21 years old in Jan 1893, then he would have been around 19 years old in June 1891 at the time of the Borden burglary. If he had been Bridget's beau back to Newport, that would put him around 17 years old at that point. Bridget would have been 22 years old. Not an impossible age gap, but unlikely all things considered.

Steph was interested in this potential connection back to Bridget. Seems like we can cross this particular burglar off the list of likely Borden home burglars. That leaves me back with Lizzie (and I think Emma also) being the culprits of that particular episode.

[CagneyBT]

Is it possible that the notation in the Jennings Journals was erroneously recorded as “Jim Scanlan” and is actually someone named “Tim Scanlan?”

There’s no tailor named James Scanlon/Scanlan listed as living in either Fall River or Rhode Island in the city directories.

However, the 1890 Fall River directory lists a tailor named Timothy Scannell boarding at 98 Pleasant St., the address of Cowgill’s Perry House. (the 1890 directory would have been compiled in 1889).

The surnames “Scannell” and “Scanlan/Scanlon” share the same origin.
(From irishsurnames.com: Variants of the name Scannell include Scanel, Scannel, Scanlon, Scanlan and several others. This name is derived from the Gaelic O'Scannail sept that was located in County Sligo and adjacent Counties in the north-western part of Ireland).

Charles Bernard may have known Timothy Scannell as “Tim Scanlon/Scanlan”.

I searched city directories and the census for any tailor by this name in either Massachusetts or Rhode Island; the two I found, one on Rogers St., Boston and one in Cambridge, were much older men.

I happened to locate these military records for a Pvt. Timothy Scannell:

Timothy Scannell, age 26, (estimated birth year 1852), enlisted in the U.S. Army in Jan. 1878 in Boston, MA; occupation: tailor, b. Cork, Ireland, eyes: gray, hair: brown, complexion: fair, five’10”, assigned to the 22nd Infantry, Co. D., discharged Dec. 30, 1883.

He re-enlisted in May, 1887 at Ft. Adams, (Fort Adams in Newport?) birthplace Cork, Ireland, age 34, occupation soldier, eyes: gray, hair: brown, complexion: fair, 5’10”, regiment 4 Arty (artillary?), Co. E, discharged January 23, 1889 at Ft. Adams, R.I. for disability, “a Pvt.” “Char. See roll.”

If this Timothy Scannell was Bridget’s beau, they may have met in Newport, c. 1886, before Bridget left for South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Perhaps they reunited in Fall River at the Perry House on Pleasant Street in 1889.

Other listings for Scannell include:
1874: Brockton city directory: Timothy Scannell, tailor, boards James Sexton’s.
1886: Gloucester city directory: Timothy Scannell, tailor, boards at Hamilton House.
The 1890 listing for Scannell is the only reference to him in the Fall River city directory.

If he left Fall River, he may have relocated to California. There’s an intriguing entry in the 1920 census for Los Angeles: “Timothy Scannell, tailor, boarder, single, age 65, b. Ireland, immigrated 1873, nat. 1878.”

[camgarsky4]

Cagney - nice creative research and thinking to give this lead some life. Based on your information, I think its perfectly possible that the Jim Scanlon mentioned as Bridget's Newport boyfriend was the Tim Scannell you've identified. Obviously no way we can ever definitively know, but you've created a clear possibility.

Kat taught me a while back that the Emery's also ended up in Los Angeles.....maybe they were compadres!

[CagneyBT]

Much thanks for the feedback, Camgarsky

As you know, there was a theory that Bridget's supposed beau murdered the Bordens. That story broke in 1899 and was promptly debunked.

mohara.PNG

But Bridget was questioned at trial regarding any male visitors or gentleman callers at the Borden house. It sounds like the defense may have at least considered the possibility.

[camgarsky4]

To do their job, they should have (and did) thrown up as many smoke screens as possible. But to date, a legitimate (to my estimation) motive for Bridget or a beau has never been offered up.

I've mentioned this little wonderment before, but I do think it is possible that Bridget had a little to sip on her Wednesday night outing.....that resulted in her headache and nausea Thursday morning. So very odd to me that the defense never asked for the name of the person she went for a walk with, especially at the preliminary hearing. I suppose Knowlton might have asked at the inquest. But another missed opportunity to create the idea of alternative culprits.

[Kat]

Dan Emery worked in Oakland, CA., the San Francisco area, as an “elevator construction foreman,” per Rebello’s article in the Hatchet, c.1910.

Dan Emery finally ended up in south Florida running a hotel or apartments. Len was researching at the same time as I, while we were all working on the Hatchet Issue dealing with the family connections (Mason/Emery/Morse)…

[Kat]

Has anyone seen a census page where someone was crossed out? I hadn’t. Was searching my computer’s past files for research on Dan Emery in Florida in a census…he is there but not there? My notes say this is 1930.
Any help here? Thanks! Also, can you ascertain the address?

[CagneyBT]

HI Kat!

I checked with some genealogy sites, and there could be a few reasons the names are crossed out. It’s possible the Emerys were not home at the time the census was taken or the enumerator listed them as living at that residence but the Emerys had already moved.

As nearly as I can make out, the address reads, "No. 121 20 Ave S. (South), Pinellas Co., St. Petersburg."

The Pinellas Genealogy Society didn’t have the 1930 city directory, but I found the Emery’s listings for 1918 & 1920:

1918: Emery Daniel L (Lydia E), foreman St Petersburg Novelty Co, h 88 7th av N St Petersburg
1920: Emery Daniel L (Lydia), real est, h 126 E 7th av N St Petersburg

Hope this helps!

[Kat]

That’s it! Real estate! Thanks!
Len wrote, in his Hatchet article:

[camgarsky4]

Screenshot 2023-11-14 001904.png

This is No. 121 20 Ave S. St. Petersburg today. Not bad if this is where they lived. I can go by there in next couple days and see if it feels like a 80+ year old house.

[Kat]

Yes thanks but that was crossed out and the rest of the entry was blank. I think the recorder made a mistake, and I also think it says there’s a second page on my incomplete entry.
But wow that was fast!
How about 126 E. 7 Ave N.?

[camgarsky4]

That address would be in a very cool, bungalowish neighborhood with a key west flavor. I found 122 and 124, then #'s jump to 144. The space in between looks like a fenced back/side yard for #144.

[Kat]

Oh well, good sleuthing anyway, thanks!