Break-in at Libbie's Apt. NY

[Gary]

I came across a document in Libbie's personal letters where a person mentions how sorry he was to hear that her New York apartment had been burglarized and that many of Custer's artifacts had been stolen. (Maybe that's when General Custer's Pocketwatch disappeared!)
Does anyone have further information in regards to the break-in?

[dogsoldier]

I don't know about the break in, but if this is the 18th Street apartment, it is no longer there. It is all high-rise apartment buildings, but across the street are homes that look like the old-time homes that probably used to be on both sides of the street. They are all attached. At the corner is a Civil War era bar called Pete's Tavern. I work just a couple of blocks away from here.

[Gary]

Thanks for the reply!
I will try and get an address for Libbie's apartment at the time of the break-in.
I have contacted the New York City Police Museum about the break-in and they tell me their records do not go back that far.
If I should get to New York City, I would like to see this neighborhood!

Thanks, again

[markland]

Gary, if you have a date, the Brooklyn Eagle, which is on-line at www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/eagle/ may have something about the robbery.

Best of wishes,

Billy

[Gary]

The date of the "break-in letter" was1884 I'll see if I can narrow it down a little more.
Thanks so much for the information!

[Gary]

oop's,,,,,,,,
I found my copy of the break-in letter! It is dated Sept. 18, 1884.
It was written by Fred Sprink, whom represented the "Gen, Geo. A. Custer POST No. 40"
POST No. 40 was located in Chicago, Ill.
The membership of POST No. 40 had Mr. Sprink write the letter to express their sympathy for Mrs. Custer. on this matter.

[George Armstrong Custer]

That's an interesting news archive, Billy, and one I didn't know of before. I found some intereresting reporting on Girard's testimony before the RCOI. You could spend hours browsing an archive like that!

As to the supposed 'burglary', it comes as no surprise to me that the date of this alleged incident has now been altered from 1878 to 1884. The 1884 incident, of course, was the fire in Libbie's apartment block at Third Avenue and 18th Street. Libbie, sharing the apartment at the time with Maggie Calhoun, was prevented by the firemen from re-entering the apartment for some time. When the women eventually were allowed back in they found, according to Leckie, 'money and treasured items missing.' Frost is more specific: 'A purse was missing that contained a small sum of money. Maggie discovered missing a gold watch and chain that had belonged to her brother Tom and which he had given to her just before his last expedition.' The firemen were clearly in the frame for the theft, though Frost remarks that 'both women refused any comment as to who they suspected might have done the stealing.'

Ciao,
GAC

[Gary]

That's good information!
Keep it coming!!!!

[Gary]

Would you care to share with us, which Frost book this information came from?

gac said:

That's an interesting news archive, Billy, and one I didn't know of before. I found some intereresting reporting on Girard's testimony before the RCOI. You could spend hours browsing an archive like that!

As to the supposed 'burglary', it comes as no surprise to me that the date of this alleged incident has now been altered from 1878 to 1884. The 1884 incident, of course, was the fire in Libbie's apartment block at Third Avenue and 18th Street. Libbie, sharing the apartment at the time with Maggie Calhoun, was prevented by the firemen from re-entering the apartment for some time. When the women eventually were allowed back in they found, according to Leckie, 'money and treasured items missing.' Frost is more specific: 'A purse was missing that contained a small sum of money. Maggie discovered missing a gold watch and chain that had belonged to her brother Tom and which he had given to her just before his last expedition.' The firemen were clearly in the frame for the theft, though Frost remarks that 'both women refused any comment as to who they suspected might have done the stealing.'

Ciao,
GAC

[George Armstrong Custer]

Why not - it's General Custer's Libbie, Superior Publishing, 1976, p. 256.

Ciao,
GAC

[markland]

gac said:

That's an interesting news archive, Billy, and one I didn't know of before. I found some intereresting reporting on Girard's testimony before the RCOI. You could spend hours browsing an archive like that!

As to the supposed 'burglary', it comes as no surprise to me that the date of this alleged incident has now been altered from 1878 to 1884. The 1884 incident, of course, was the fire in Libbie's apartment block at Third Avenue and 18th Street. Libbie, sharing the apartment at the time with Maggie Calhoun, was prevented by the firemen from re-entering the apartment for some time. When the women eventually were allowed back in they found, according to Leckie, 'money and treasured items missing.' Frost is more specific: 'A purse was missing that contained a small sum of money. Maggie discovered missing a gold watch and chain that had belonged to her brother Tom and which he had given to her just before his last expedition.' The firemen were clearly in the frame for the theft, though Frost remarks that 'both women refused any comment as to who they suspected might have done the stealing.'

Ciao,
GAC

GAC, my pleasure! The more eyes that view archival/secondary source material, the likelier chance that relevance (or truth) may be found-just a modern twist on the old-fashioned brain-storming techniques.

And if you liked the Brooklyn Eagle, you will love this one (if you already have it, my apologies):

www.cdpheritage.org/collection/chnc.cfm

By the way, the app is the same one that the Eagle uses but the last time I was there, it did not play nice with Firefox so Internet Explorer is my recommendation. I will try it later today to see if the situation has changed. At one time, the Eagle would not work with Firefox but yesterday it worked with Firefox like a charm.

Yesterday while going through the Eagle, using Custer as the keyword, on the last page in 1902, I spotted a conveyance for land located in the Margaret Custer Calhoun subdivision. Do you know if Margaret made any investments in NYC land/properties? Just curious.

Best of wishes, and stay, your insight and information are always a pleasure to read.

Billy

[Gary]

Now that's interesting!!!!
After the fire and robbery of Libbies apartment at 3 rd Ave. & 18th street in N.Y. City, 1894, Maggie Calhoun, General George Custer's sister, reported that her brother Tom Custer's watch was missing!
I admit it doesn't get us any closer to solving the Generals pocketwatch mystery, but still, "very interesting".

[Gary]

Here is yet another acount of a watch that General Custer's sister had!

One of the original burial party members was William Taylor who composed a book, With Custer On The Little Bighorn. In a section titled “Relics of the Battle” with no other explanation he states: “Mrs. James Calhoun (General Custer's sister) had the good fortune to obtain possession of her husband’s watch through the efforts of her brother-in-law Lt. Calhoun, who purchased it from some Indians in the Dept. of the Platte.

[Gary]

Here is an interesting site that I just found that tells of Custer's sister Maggie and her husband Jimmi Calhoun.

www.electricscotland.com/webclans/minibios/c/calhoun_james.htm

[Rabble]

Selected parts of the New York Times article of September 8 1884 regarding the fire at the Rutherford Stuyvesant Flat House SE 18th St and 3rd Ave. The fire was believed to have been started by a match thrown down a shaft about 4.15 am September 7th.
Losses: Mrs Custer $700........"Mrs Custer laments the loss or
partial destruction of many articles which were mementoes of the
General. Mrs Calhoun lost a gold watch presented to her by her
brother. It was stolen by some one who entered the apartment after the family left it". ......"It is believed that the fellow snatched up the property in a great hurry as, in a case in plain view was solid silverware worth several thousand dollars"......."a small Morroco purse which was empty"

Regards
Ron