This scrapbook was originally the ledger of Charles' brother, Henry L. Frailey, for the Lancaster Home Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Henry may have also used it as journal for personal records and scrapbook.
Charles R. Frailey turned this ledger into a scrapbook in the 1890s with newspaper articles of noteworthy events and stories that related to crime and justice in Lancaster County. More importantly, the edges of the pages of the scrapbook contain notes, quotations and signatures, many of which relate to the various stories he collected.
Frailey's notes in the margins of the scrapbook provide an enormous amount of first-hand opinions and information about Lancaster events that are not captured in newspaper articles or in other official documents. The scrapbook provides a look at crime and crime prevention in the 1890s in Lancaster through the eyes of a former Police Chief. It is an important part of the history of the Lancaster City Bureau of Police.
This scrapbook and ledger also contain sketches of historic houses in Lancaster and a list of surviving members of the Lancaster Fencibles, 1898.
Admin/Biographical History
Charles R. Frailey was born in Lancaster in 1825. He married Sarah A. Baer in 1850, raised a family in Lancaster, and was a member of Friendship Fire Company. He was employed as a clerk and scrivener and taught penmanship. In 1865, Charles was elected city alderman and became the City of Lancaster's first Chief of Police.
In 1865, Mayor George Sanderson established the Lancaster City Police force. A man named Charles Frailey was the first Chief of Police. Officer Frailey oversaw 21-night policemen who successfully restored order. https://www.epsagents.com/security-guards/armed-unarmed-security-guards-lancaster-pa/
Lancaster City Archives Collection (Records of Arrests; Police Dockets; Police Logs)
Notes
A few of the stories contained in the Frailey Scrapbook:
Murder of David Buckwalter Landis: Landis was president of Lancaster's Conestoga National Bank. The murderer, Ralph W. Wireback, was the tenant of a house that was owned by Landis. As part of the lease agreement, Wireback was allowed to occupy the house until Landis sold it. When Landis did sell the house and attempted to dispossess Wireback, Wireback sent his family away from the house and boarded it shut. A final confrontation between the tenant and the landlord on April 7, 1898 resulted in the murder. On August 24th, 1899, Wireback was found guilty of 1st degree murder and sentenced to death. His execution was set for June 7, 1893.
William E. Martin's escape: Although the LCPD began to use patrol wagons in 1892, officers often escorted criminals to the local prison on foot. This proved to be disastrous in the case of William E. Martin. On October 27, 1898, Martin haplessly attempted to sell a team of horses he had stolen to a city constable and was promptly arrested. As he was being taken to jail, Martin managed to overpower Constable Jacobs on East Walnut Street, and, threatening the constable with his (Constable Jacob's) own gun, he bolted.
Burglary at Lime Rock: A burglary was committed on December 9, 1898 in Lime Rock, a settlement at the intersection of the Reading and Columbia Railroads between Manheim and Lititz. The burglars entered the home of Albert Longnecker and demanded that he surrender his valuables to them. Longnecker, despite being rather elderly, attempted to fend off the intruders, but he along with his four other family members were bound. While the burglars rummaged through the house, one of the female family members wrestled free and ran to one of their neighbor's homes. She rang a bell which caused the burglars to flee, taking with them only $3 that they had found in the Longneckers' coat pockets.
In 1899, a bill was passed "to fix, regulate, and establish the fees to be charged and received by constables of this commonwealth." These fees covered such services as levying fines, serving executions, executing search warrants, etc.
In July 1882, George "Tid" Brimmer, who is associated with the infamous Buzzard Gang, allegedly set the Lancaster County Almshouse on fire on the same afternoon that the gang burned the barn of Samuel Ranck. The Almshouse had burned down three times previously, and was later rebuilt and burned down once again in 1900.
An article entitled "Changes of 40 Years: What an Old City Report Showed" from February 20, 1900 details how the LCPD transformed since 1860: "From one High Constable and four Ward Constables and night-watchmen, at an expense of $2,674, we now have a Chief of Police, 2 Sergeants, 18 policemen, and three patrol drivers and a turnkey, costing $19,820, supplemented with police patrol, patrol call boxes, police station house, etc…improvements scarcely dreamed of 40 years ago…"
James Burns, who was convicted of complicity in the Jacobs-Kendig revenue stamp counterfeiting conspiracy, was freed from the Eastern Penitentiary in 1900 after serving a period of one year and six months.
Access Conditions / Restrictions
This scrapbook may be used by appointment--contact Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
This scrapbook may be photographed without flash. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 1 Papers of James Buchanan, Series 6 Miscellaneous Materials
Description
James Buchanan Family Papers, Part 1, Papers of James Buchanan, Series 6 is arranged into three subseries of miscellaneous materials.
Subseries 1 is sheet music dedicated to James Buchanan, including the Wheatland Polka, The Schottisch, and Buchanan's Union Grand March.
Subseries 2 is published and print materials, including newspaper cartoons and illustrations, pamphlets for the 1824 election of John Quincy Adams, a tourist card, and meeting minutes.
Subseries 3 includes government documents, an act to alter and amend the several acts imposing tariffs, commercial treaties, supplementary acts, a document signed by Secretary of State William L. Marcy, a passport signed by James Buchanan, land grants, and other government documents, including some in French, Spanish, English, and German.
Admin/Biographical History
James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791 to James Buchanan and Elizabeth Speer. He was the second child born out of ten children, and he would go on to outlive all but one of his siblings. Most popularly remembered as Pennsylvania's only President and as a lifelong bachelor, Buchanan committed a lifetime to politics. In 1821, he left his law practice and embarked on his political career after having been voted into the U.S. House of Representatives. He would remain in the House for five consecutive terms before serving as the U.S. Minister to Russia, a Senator in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Secretary of State, the U.S. Minister to Great Britain, and finally, the 15th President of the United States. He died in his bedchamber at Wheatland at 8:30 AM on June 1, 1868. He was 77 years old. [https://www.lancasterhistory.org/about-wheatland, accessed 10/24/2019]
James Buchanan Papers, Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections http://archives.dickinson.edu/collection-descriptions/james-buchanan-papers
James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston Papers, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/collections/james-buchanan-and-harriet-lane-johnston-papers/
James Buchanan Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/b/Buchanan0091.html
James Buchanan Papers, Penn State University Libraries, https://libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1458.htm
Related Item Notes
James Buchanan Family Papers
James Buchanan Collection, MG0096
Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm
Photograph collections
Curatorial collections
Wheatland Mansion
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please use digital images and transcriptions when available.
Original documents may be used by appointment. Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org at least two weeks prior to visit.
Copyright
Images have been provided for research purposes only.
LancasterHistory retains the rights to the digital images and content presented. The doctrine of fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. Any images and data downloaded, printed or photocopied for these purposes should provide a citation. All other uses beyond those allowed by fair use require written permission.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory. Some items are photocopies from other collections--researchers must obtain permission for reproduction and publication from the owner of the original material. Persons wishing to publish any material from this site must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Please contact archives@lancasterhistory.org for a high-resolution image and permission to publish.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Description Level
Series
Custodial History
The James Buchanan Family Papers were collected by the James Buchanan Foundation for the Preservation of Wheatland. This collection was relocated from the Wheatland mansion to the LancasterHistory archives in the Spring of 2009. Digitization of the James Buchanan Family Papers was funded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, PHMC Appl ID # 201808013051, 2019-2020.
