Just before midnight on Saturday, Jan. 27, 1912, Andover Police Officer Napier was attacked by 25 to 30 men. The following Friday, the Andover Townsman's publisher and editor, John N. Cole, a former speaker of the House in Massachusetts, wrote about the attack in an editorial titled "Apprehend and Punish."
Cole said that a small-sized riot followed the arrival of the last trolley from Lawrence in Elm Square the previous Saturday night, and that a group of Andover men accustomed to come from Lawrence on that last car, "much the worse for liquor and in moods not at all helpful to peace and quiet," have harassed passengers and then people on the streets. Further, Cole said, the police "have warned them, admonished them, have been patient and courteous to them, but the limit of patience seems to have been reached on Saturday night, with the result a conflict, rather serious in its results, took place."
Later in the editorial, Cole said mentioned that at the beginning of his career there were some citizens who felt, "Officer Napier was rather officious, but we are of the opinion that later events have proven that he is settled down into a very efficient, courageous, watchful police officer."
On the page following the editorial a story was headlined, "Officer Napier Assaulted," and subtitled, "Made Object of Brutal Attack by Crowd of Loafers Last Saturday Night." The story said the rowdies were "mostly young Scotchmen, presumably belonging in Abbot Village... [and] the trouble was the outcome of the usual weekly carousals in Lawrence." It described how the police had made repeated efforts to stop the trouble and made numerous arrests and said, "these weekly disturbers of the peace have been fined in the local court, but when allowed to go simply repeated the performance. The only result of the arrests has appeared to be the gradual growth of hatred for the police officers and a desire for vengeance of some kind." The story indicated that most of the enmity was aimed at Officer Napier, who never dealt with the offenders "in any kid-glove fashion."
Along with Officer Napier, Officer Morse was on duty, and both reported there was noise and shouting when the trolley stopped, and when Napier directed the men to move along, one stepped forward and spit in his face, and when Napier arrested him the entire crowd set upon Napier, "striking terrible blows with their fists."
The officers defended themselves "lustily" with their clubs, but Napier was hit in the eye by one assailant and had his nose broken by another, and the attack continued for several minutes, until Napier's club was taken from him. He then used his fists to defend himself, leaving his gun holstered. In the end, Napier had two broken ribs and numerous bruises [William Dalton] to accompany his broken nose. He went home and didn't return to duty for several days. (Officer Napier's first name is never mentioned, but a street directory lists a James Napier at 91 Elm St.)
The story is not followed-up in the Townsman, even though minor police matters appear as well as Abbot Village news, which includes a meeting of the Abbot Village Checkers Club. The Townsman was giving significant coverage to the Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, a seminal event in union history. It seems odd that, in spite of the National Guard presence in Lawrence, a city on the edge of anarchy, young men from Andover, perhaps mill workers themselves, were allowed to come and go, carousing at will.
Although hardly known as a location in Andover today, Abbot Village, in its time, was as familiar a name as Ballard Vale.
Abbot Village was named after a family that, in 1814, started a factory near the intersection of Essex Street and Red Spring Road. In 1837, the factory was purchased by two Smith brothers and John Dove, who moved their existing mill from Frye Village (now called Shawsheen) to the Abbot factory and soon expanded.
Abbot Village was structured around the growing Smith and Dove mills, the remains of which are still there, including the oldest building in Dundee Park. The Indian Ridge School on Cuba Street was called the "Abbot Village School" by some, and Brechin Terrace was built as employee housing by Smith and Dove in 1905.
Although not officially defined, Abbot Village included lower Essex Street, Cuba Street, part of Red Spring Road, Brechin Terrace, part of Shawsheen Road and Stevens Street to the point where it bumped into Marland Village.
Smith and Dove grew to almost 400 employees, many of whom were enticed to leave their native Scotland to work in the mill.
Abbot Village Hall, which no longer exists, served as a community center and home for many organizations, including the aforementioned Checkers Club, the Indian Ridge Mother's Club, and the Andover Cricket Club. Smith and Dove built and maintained the old Cricket Field, which no longer exists but was next to the railroad tracks near St. Augustine Cemetery, and the company sponsored several athletic teams.
Three months before the "small riot," my mother was born in Abbot Village at the home of her grandfather, Farquhar MacKenzie. He'd emigrated from Brechin, Scotland, in 1888, where the owners and many of the employees of the Smith and Dove had lived.
MacKenzie owned a butcher shop in the structure that was also his home, a large, white house, which still exists and sits close to Red Spring Road across the street from the old Smith and Dove factory. He was 59 at the time of the incident and was known to be a good, hard-working person, as were most people who lived in Abbot Village, for the village was a substantive place.
The story of the attack on Officer Napier by people described as "Scotchmen presumably belonging in Abbot Village" and further described as carousing "loafers" must have been swallowed hard in Abbot Village.
I have no knowledge as to how the problem of Jan. 27, 1912, was solved, but I suspect the people of Abbot Village, including the owners of Smith and Dove, addressed the matter, whatever the facts were.
Bill Dalton writes a weekly column for the Andover Townsman. His email address is billdalton@andovertownie.com.
