The Hangman's Ropemaker: Constable Bupp

"Constable Jacob Rupp of the Eleventh ward, Allegheny, sometime since appointed J. J. Hays one of his deputies."

~ "Court Brevities," Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 23 March 1876, page 4.  The "Rupp" was likely a typo.

*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*

Since he had already been elected as a judge, and apparently was starting to become a popular gentleman in the area, likely due to his burgeoning rope-making business and the success of his hangman's ropes, Jacob Bupp decided in 1873 to run for constable of the Eleventh Ward of Allegheny City.

In those days, a constable in Allegheny City maintained the peace, executed warrants, and policed crowds.  They served the court system by delivering summons, complaints, subpoenas and orders of eviction and protection.  They also were the only law enforcement officials allowed to be on duty at polling places on Election Day.... coincidentally they were also elected to their positions.

According to the opinion of the editors in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review article "The Philadelphia Constable," there had been a number of questionable practices of constables.  Some constables were elected and never carried out their duties as constable.  Some collected exorbitant fees for their services from those who elected them.  Some accepted bribes for the appointment of deputy constabularies, who then often were as corrupt as those they bribed.  As stated in the same opinion piece:

"Apparently, many constables run for election without any intention of practicing.  They may run merely for the satisfaction of winning in a public election, for the prestige of holding the title of constable, or because they just happen to be available when a ward leader needs someone to fill out the long ballot." (page 511)

It is not known if any of the above were true in Jacob's case.

What is known is that Jacob was nominated by the Republican Party in Allegheny City and endorsed by them for constable after winning the Republican primary for the position in the days leading up to the general election.  On 9 Dec 1873, he was elected constable of the Eleventh Ward of Allegheny City with 107 votes.  His competitor was M. Beard, who only had 27 votes.

Constables were usually paid on a fee system, so they also could have full time jobs, such as Jacob  did with his ropemaking.  However, the directory listings for Jacob Bupp in both 1874 and 1875 in the Pittsburgh and Allegheny City Directories list him as a constable, and living on the same lot his son had purchased in 1871, in what is now the Shadeland neighborhood.  While there is no evidence of any hangings having been carried out with Jacob's ropes during this period, he could have been still making ropes for any of the multitude of other uses during this time.  It is possible to also surmise that he was indeed working as a constable full time, although no evidence seems to exist to either prove or disprove this theory.

*Edit made 6 June 2019*:  Further research having been done, it is now known that Jacob Bupp was likely the manufacturer of ropes for two separate hangings while in office.  The two events were the hanging of Ernest Ortwein, done on 23 February 1875, and the hangings of William Murray and Frederick Myers, who were hanged on 6 January 1876.

Constables did not have a limit to how many deputies they could have, however in Allegheny County, an appointment of a deputy constable had to be affirmed by an order of the court.  Constable Bupp had one such deputy that created quite a scandal.

Bupp had appointed a man by the name of J. J. Hays as one of his deputies.  One of the court's judges, Judge Kirkpatrick, had refused the commission of deputy constable Hays on multiple occasions, as Hays had apparently had a recent run-in with the law, having been suspected in the murder of a local girl.  Hays had also been brought up a few months prior on charges for perjury for making false claims in another trial that had been brought up in front of Judge Kirkpatrick, as well on several charges of assault and battery the previous year.

On 21 March 1873, Hays applied to another one of the court judges, Judge White, for approval and White approved it, but upon learning Kirkpatrick had refused to sign off on the commission, White withdrew his approval, and Hays was summoned to the court to give up his commission.

It is unknown if Hays gave up his commission.  He was found not guilty of perjury, but ordered to pay half of the court costs in another case he was involved in.  He ultimately skipped town, and by the end of 1876 found himself having been extradited back to Pittsburgh from Ohio, and was jailed for skipping out on his bondsman.

It is not clear when Jacob finished his term as constable, but given that typically a constable was elected for six years, it can be assumed he completed an entire term, which would mean he was done in late 1879 or 1880.  However, directory listings for him for the years 1876, 1878 and 1879 list him as a ropemaker and laborer (he was missing from the 1877 directory).   This could mean that either he had given up his commission after 1876 or he was no longer working full time as a constable but rather was using it to supplement his rope-making income.

In any case, it appears his constabulary days were limited to a single term.

Jacob continued to reside in the Wood's Run/Shadeland neighborhood in the Eleventh Ward of Allegheny City, but what is curious is his enumeration listing for the 1880 census, where he, Caroline, and their daughters Kate and Lizzie are enumerated in the Tenth Ward, which lay just to the east of the Eleventh Ward per the city maps from the time.  Why he was there remains a mystery, but he is enumerated as being a fifty-eight year old laborer born in Pennsylvania, whose parents were also born in Pennsylvania.  Caroline is listed as his wife and housekeeper, aged fifty and born in France.  Both daughters are listed as "at home."  By 1882, he was back living on Shady Avenue, presumably in the family home, so why he was briefly in the Tenth Ward is still a confusion.

Perhaps it had something to do with debt.  In March of 1877,  a sheriff's sale notice appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for the lots owned by Jacob and William H. Bupp.  Another notice appeared in September of the same year, and by 1 December 1879, the Wood's Run Savings Fund and Loan Association held a deed of indenture on the properties.  While William appeared to continue to live on his lot, Jacob had apparently moved out, temporarily.  The Bupp family appeared to reacquire the property, however no deed has yet been located to prove this.

Sources Referenced:
"A Constable Sues for Damages", The Pittsburgh Commercial Daily (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). 14 March 1876, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 13 May 2019).

"Allegheny", Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). 9 February 1876, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 13 May 2019).

"Allegheny City Election," The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 10 December 1873, page 1. Jacob Bupp elected constable of the Eleventh Ward with 107 votes; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 May 2019).

"Allegheny City Primaries," Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 8 December 1873, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 May 2019).

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 273: 505-506, Deed of indenture from Grantor Fred J Melaney and wife Sarah to Grantee William H. Bupp, dated 14 June 1871; FHL microfilm 1509878.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed book 400: 221-223, William H. and Elizabeth Bupp deed of indenture to Woods Run Savings Fund and Loan Association, 1 Dec 1879; FHL microfilm 8092439.

"Allegheny Elections," election results, Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 10 December 1873, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "1880 United States Federal Census," database online with images, Ancestry.com Operation, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 August 2016), Entry for Jacob Bupp and family, Year: 1880, Census Place: Allegheny Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1088, Family History Film: 1255088, Page: 82D, Enumeration District: 027, and Image: 0162.

Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny: From Official Records, Private Plans and Actual Records (Philadelphia: G. M. Hopkins, 1882), plates 35 and 36; online images, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 15 May 2019).

"Brevities", Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). 19 Dec 1876, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 13 May 2019).

"Court Brevities," Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 23 March 1876, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 13 May 2019).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1874/1875 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1874), 112, "Bupp Jacob, police, Shady av, 11th wd, A"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 17 August 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1875/1876 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1875), 111, Bupp Jacob, constable, Cliff, 11th wd, A"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 17 August 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1876-1877 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1876), 111, "Bupp Jacob, rope maker, McClure av, 11th wd, A"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 17 August 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1878/1879 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1878), 126, "Bupp Jacob, lab, McClure av, 11th wd, A"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 17 August 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1879-1880 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1879), 139, "Bupp Jacob, rope mkr, McClure av, 11th wd, A"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 17 August 2016).

Editors, "The Philadelphia Constable," University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 104 (1956), online archive, Penn Law (https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7472&context=penn_law_review : accessed 13 May 2019), 508-542.

Joint State Government Commission, "Overview of the Constabulary: History," Constables in Pennsylvania: Proposed Statutory Reforms (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, April 2014), 5; JSGC Public Website (http://jsg.legis.state.pa.us/resources/documents/ftp/publications/2014-369-Constable%20Report%206.03.14.pdf : accessed 13 May 2019).

"Quarter Sessions - Judge Kirkpatrick", The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). 21 March 1876, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 13 May 2019).

"Sheriff Sales," notice of auction, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 24 March 1877, Page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016). 

"Sheriff's Sales," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 September 1877, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 21 September 2017).

"Troubles of a Deputy Constable," The Pittsburgh Commercial (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 23 March 1876, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016).

"What the Heck are Constables and Does Pittsburgh Need Them?," Popular Pittsburgh, 10 June 2016 (https://popularpittsburgh.com : accessed 13 May 2019).

The Hangman's Ropemaker: The Homes in Butcher's Run and Wood's Run

*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*

On 1 May 1866, Jacob Bupp purchased land from Henry and Dorothea Rosenfelder in a new subdivision that was laid out in Ross Township. The deed was recorded as stating that the land was “lot no eight in a plan of subdivision laid out by John C. Fleiner of the Daniel McKeever farm...containing four acres and ninety one perches and it being part of the same farm which Daniel Morganstern and wife by their deed of Oct 8th, 1863 recorded.” Daniel Morganstern’s farm was on the border of Ross Township along Perrysville Plank Road. It was bought for $2500, which equated to over $41500 in 2016 currency.

The area in which Jacob Bupp owned his land was known as Butcher’s Run, as a creek by the same name ran through the area before heading down towards Allegheny City. The creek, also known as Saw Mill Run, gained notoriety in 1874 when it flooded a part of Allegheny City around what is now known as Spring Garden Avenue.

There was a rope-walk in the area, situated on Butcher’s Run Plank Road, and it is likely that Jacob worked there. However, since he was not living in Allegheny City or what was considered surrounding area at the time, as Ross Township was a distance away, he was not listed in the city directories for the time he lived there.

This is likely the home in which son John was born, though a birth date for the boy is not known.

For the Bupp family, the area was also the place for a sad memory. A local paper ran this news story one summer day:

"Fatal Accident: Saturday afternoon, a little son of Mr. Jacob Bopp, residing on Butcher's Run, near the rope-walk, was killed by pulling over on himself a harrow which was placed on a wheelbarrow standing in front of his father's house. The child was immediately taken from under the harrow, when it was found that one of the teeth had entered his heart. An inquest was held, and a verdict rendered as above."

It is not known which of Jacob and Caroline’s children was the one fatally killed on 15 June 1867, as the boy was not named in the article and no evidence can be found of his name. Family lore and a biography done on one of their sons-in-law list a son named Charles, who likely died young, so it is probable that Charles was the youngster’s name. Unfortunately, coroner's reports from that era are difficult to find.

On 2 November 1867, a few months after the death of their young son, Jacob and Caroline Bupp sold the land in Ross Township to Jacob Baeckert for $3400, or a little more than $59000 in 2016 currency. Where they moved next is a mystery, but the assumption is that they stayed in Allegheny County. By 1867, the Spring Garden Valley area was being absorbed into Allegheny City, so it is possible that the Bupps were wanting to stay out of the city.

The 1870 Federal Census enumerated the family in McClure Township, but listed their post office as being in Dixmont, two townships away. McClure Township was just south of where Jacob Bupp had just sold land, and the area in which Jacob was enumerated was known as Pleasant Valley, which was just outside the city limits of Allegheny City. Other men enumerated around him were rich landowners, so it is possible that Jacob worked for one of them as a gardener, for this is the only time he is listed as having such an occupation. There is also the possibility that he was raising hemp for ropemaking, as he continued to ply his trade as well.

Jacob was enumerated as a male citizen of age 21 or over who had $200 worth of personal estate and no real estate. Caroline was listed as having an occupation of keeping house and born in France. Son William, who was twenty at the time, worked as a laborer, while daughters Emma, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary attended school in the previous year. Son John was too young to go to school at age 3, and a daughter, Ella, had just been born in April of that year. It appears that Ella was the last of the nine known children born to Jacob and Caroline.

On 14 June 1871, Jacob’s eldest son William bought two lots of land in F. J. Melaney's subdivision of lots in Wood's Run, in what was soon to become the 11th Ward of Allegheny City, as Allegheny City had annexed a great deal of land by the end of the 1870s. According to the deed, the land was comprised of acreage "beginning at a pin on Cliff Street where it intersects with land belonging to John B. Bond, thence along the line of said Bond's land northward by 134 feet more or less to the land owned by John Seiling, thence along said Seiling's land westward by 50 feet 8 inches more of less between lots nos 12 and 13 southward 134 feet and by 43 feet more or less to the place of beginning." It was purchased for $500, or a little over $10300 in 2017 funds.

Jacob and family occupied one of the lots, as William and his family later occupied the second lot. The lot, which was in the vicinity of Shady Avenue in the soon to be created Eleventh Ward of Allegheny City, changed street names a couple of times over the next eight years, as the area came to be built up and street names were created and then changed as more and more areas of Allegheny City came to be populated. The lot however, remained in the same place, though its address changed from Cliff Street to McClure Avenue and then back to Shady Avenue. When the city of Allegheny was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1906, the street was again changed to Shadeland Avenue.

Sources Referenced and Used

"1870 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 August 2016), Entry for Jacob Bupp and family, Year: 1870, Census Place: McClure Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M593_1294, Page: 131A, Image: 337018, and Family History Library Film: 552793.

Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 197: 339-340, Deed of indenture from Grantor Henry Rosenfelder and wife Dorothea to Grantee Jacob Bupp, recorded 1 May 1866; FHL microfilm 1498045.

Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Deed book 223: 599-600, Deed of Indenture from Grantors Jacob and Caroline Bupp to Grantee Jacob Beckert, dated 2 Nov 1867; FHL microfilm 15095329.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 273: 505-506, Deed of indenture from Grantor Fred J Melaney and wife Sarah to Grantee William H. Bupp, dated 14 June 1871; FHL microfilm 1509878.

Beers, F. W. and Beers, S. N. Map of Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania : from actual surveys (Philadelphia: Smith, Gallupp and Hewitt, 1862); digital image, Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division (https://www.loc.gov/item/2012592151/ : accessed 20 February 2018), viewed the farm of D. Morganstern, which would become eventually the subdivison in which Bupp bought a lot.

"Fatal Accident," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 17 June 1867, 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 September 2017).

“The Gazette says Pleasant Valley is a nice place. Was the writer ever there?," opinion, Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 1 December 1868, page 8; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 February 2018).

Mellon, Steve. "Butcher’s Run Flood devastates O’Hara Street in 1874," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Digs, 11 March 2013 (https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/thedigs/ : accessed 20 February 2018), information on Butcher's Run.

Miles, Lisa. Resurrecting Allegheny City: The Land, Structures & People of Pittsburgh's North Side. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: L. A. Miles, 2007.