The Hangman's Ropemaker: Jacob Bupp, the Alderman (Part One: 1889)

"A hearing was held yesterday before Alderman Jacob Bupp, of the Eleventh Ward, Allegheny...."

~ "For Dynamiting Fish," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 3 August 1889, page 12

*This blog post is one in a series of blogs on my famous ancestor, Jacob Bupp, the Hangman's Ropemaker- click the page tab above labeled "The Hangman's Ropemaker" for more information and the blog series*

Note: This particular chapter in Jacob's life will be divided into three parts.  This is Part One.  Part Two focuses on his very chaotic year of 1890 of both alderman duties and hangings, and Part Three discusses the duties of 1891 and the scandal that forced him from office.

Whether he was capitalizing on his fame as a ropemaker, especially with the recent fame of the national papers running his name and address during the Chicago Anarchists heyday, or whether he decided that since he already was both a judge and a constable, alderman should be next remains to be seen.

Whatever the situation, Jacob Bupp ran for alderman of the Eleventh Ward of Allegheny City in February of 1889.  He won that election,  receiving 204 votes.  He ran against a man named Robert Wilson, who only received 187 votes.

Aldermen were elected by popular vote and were given the power in minor infractions, such as assault and battery cases, local ordinance violations, forgeries, perjuries, riots and unlawful assemblies.  As city officials, they also held the power to notarize documents.  Basically, they operated as a small scale judicial system run by the city.

Jacob received his commission as alderman on 16 April 1889 from the registrar's office.  There were several accounts in the newspapers as to trials and suits brought up before Jacob during his tenure as alderman, as well as other documents.  The following list are just the events that took place within the first year, which was also the first year that the city directories listed his occupation as an alderman instead of either laborer or ropemaker.

On 2 August 1889, he fined Larry O'Toole and James Gallagher $50 and costs for violating of fish laws by dynamiting the waters of the Ohio River near McKee's Rocks to kill fish.  Fish Warden Hague entered the charges in the suit.  The very next day, O'Toole also posted bail for stealing 20 sticks of dynamite and tools from W.E. Howley, a contractor in Wood's Run.  It can be assumed the dynamite stolen was the dynamite used in the fishing incident.

On 7 August 1889, it was reported that Jacob Bupp had given George Mason a warrant for a Miss Maud Weizer,  who had apparently struck Mason on head with an iron for asking her to walk with him.  Miss Weizer was charged with aggravated assault and battery.

On 13 August 1889, Edward Leek posted bail for charges of assault and battery and selling liquor without a license.  The man who filed the charges against him was Gustav Wueski.  Jacob Bupp was the Alderman on record, although Leek filed a cross suit before Alderman Foley.

On 22 August 1889 he was the alderman on record when O. A. Meggs filed charges of aggravated assault and battery against John Kerins.  According to the information given, Kerins struck Meggs across the head with a stove lid.

On 30 August 1889, Bridget Kelley filed charges of malicious mischief when part of her fence was knocked down, allowing a number of fowl to escape her property.  Warrents were issued for Mary Reese and Mary O'Toole. whom Kelley alleged did the deed.

On 2 September 1889, Doctor William J. Langfitt appeared before him to file a Physician's Affidavit for the pension case of John D. Wood of Company K of the 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, who had rheumatism so bad from being in the trenches at the Siege of Petersburg (Virginia) at the end of the Civil War that it was hard for him to continue to work.  *This little bit of information was particularly interesting to me because a couple of generations later, John D. Wood's grandson married Jacob Bupp's great-granddaughter and became my paternal grandparents.*

Jacob Bupp's affirmation and signature on the Medical Evidence Affidavit of Physician William J. Langfitt in the claim of John. D. Wood, claim number 718416, for original pension, filed by W. H. Lockhart, attorney, September 13, 1889; Photocopy provided by NARA in the pension file for John D. Woods and held by the author

On 25 September 1889, John McKelvy was to have a hearing before Jacob Bupp on a charge of aggravated assault and battery.  A Mrs. Wilson brought up the charges, alleging that McKelvy had beaten her seven year old son for no apparent reason.

On 9 Dec 1889, Jacob Bupp presided over a hearing between Norman King, the son and administrator of the late Lewis King of Etna, and Robert Humphreys and Joseph Ackerman of Etna.  King had sued Humphreys and Ackerman for conspiracy in depreciating the sale value of his father's home.  Humphreys had been Lewis King's son-in-law and was hoping to sell the house to Ackerman by pushing out all other bidders.  Ackerman and Humphreys were ordered held for $500 bail each by Bupp.  This case was declared a very interesting case by the newspapers that reported on it.

On 19 December 1889, Charles Call and Edward Miller were brought before Jacob Bupp on charges of assault and battery after beating a young boy by the name of John Carson. John's father Ezra had brought the charges against Call and Miller, and no cause was given for the beating.

Click here for Jacob Bupp, The Alderman (Part Two: 1890)!

Sources Used and Referenced
"Allegheny's Chosen Ones," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 24 February 1889, Page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"Allegheny Etiquette," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 7 August 1889, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accesssed 3 October 2017).

"A Suit for Conspiracy," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 10 December 1889, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 October 2017).

"A Terrible Beating," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 19 December 1889, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 October 2017).

"Fishing with Dynamite," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 3 August 1899, page 11; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"For Dynamiting Fish," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 3 August 1889, page 12; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"For Stealing Tools and Dynamite," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 3 August 1889, page 9; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 October 2017).

J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1889/1890 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher and Thurston, 1889), 196; digital image, University of Pennsylvania, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 17 August 2016).

"Local Items, Limited," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 14 August 1889, page 5; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 August 2017).

"Local Items, Limited," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 September 1889, page 7; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 3 October 2017).

"Looking After Her Fences," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 1 September 1889, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 July 2019).

"Making Nine Ropes," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

Medical Evidence Affidavit of Physician William J. Langfitt in the claim of John. D. Wood, claim number 718416, for original pension, filed by W. H. Lockhart, attorney, September 13, 1889; Photocopy provided by NARA in the pension file for John D. Woods; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C. 

"More Election Returns," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 21 February 1889, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 July 2019).

Potter, Chris. "Have Pittsburgh city councilors ever been called 'aldermen'?"  Pittsburgh City Paper, You Had To Ask, 4 January 2007 (https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/have-pittsburgh-city-councilors-ever-been-called-aldermen-i-used-to-see-alderman-signs-on-an-old-building/Content?oid=1334642 : accessed 6 July 2019).

"Received Their Commissions," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 17 April 1889, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 October 2017).

"Struck with a Stove Lid," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 23 August 1889, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 3 October 2017).