Alexander Trout Loses Two Fingers

New York, 1895

Woodhaven and Ozone Park News

While Alexender Trout was feeding wood to a buzz saw in Brown Bro.'s wood yard at Ozone Park on Tuesday, his hand slipped and struck the saw. Two of his fingers were cut off.

A bulldog owned by Leonard Rouff, of Ozone Park attacked Charles Marusack on Tuesday and severely bit the youth. The dog jumped at Marusack three times, and each time its teeth went deep into the youth's hand,

Paul Demperlein was fined $3 on Friday by Justice Lott for an assault upon Mrs. Pander, Demperlein's wife was also charged with assisting her husband to whip Mrs. Pander. She was discharged, there not being sufficient evidence to hold her.

Cyrus E. Smith, superintendent of schools embracing Union Free school No. 7, was reappointed for the ensuing year by the board of education at their meeting Friday night. The superintendent receives a salary of $1,600 a year. He celebrated his appointment by entertaining a number of his friends.

Scarlet fever prevails at Ozone Park. Several cases have been reported. The places infected are the flats of Mr. Tuttle, Mr. Kelly, and Mr. Upham, and the house of Thomas Riker. All of these cases are under close watch and the health officer is taking every precaution to check the spread of the disease.

George Van Brunt, an oyster planter, asked Justice Lott, of Woodhaven, for a warrant for the arrest of Alexander Craft, William H. Pearsall and Herbert Craft, who are also oystermen. Van Brunt charged them with malicious mischief. The three men went out for a good time. They wound up at the Stump, on Jamaica Bay, where Van Brunt has a small cottage. All three were armed with shot-guns. They amused themselves by shooting at Van Brunt's cottage. When they heard that a warrant for their arrest had been issued, they went to Van Brunt and said they were sorry for the amount of damage they had done and offered to settle for any amount agreeable to the owner of the building. Van Brunt accepted the offer, and discontinued the proceedings.

There are prospects for a road and fence war between the owners the Napier property and the highway commissioners. Recently Oakley avenue was declared a public highway, a commission having met and awarded damages to the owners of abutting property. The proposed line extended through a fence on the Napier estate that was apparently overlooked, and when the road was opened a week ago there stood the fence barring the way to the railroad depot. The fence was removed and the road opened. The owners of the property have since caused the fence to be replaced and also gave it a heavy coating of tar. It has not yet been removed, and when it is there is likely to be a stronger one put up and a guard placed over it. There is certain to be a lively squabble before the road to the depot is cleared.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, April 19, 1895, p. 8.