House Burned, OtherFires, False Alarms, Etc.
Four calls to fires, four false alarms, window breaking, and wholesale light breaking on Nichols Street added up the toll of Hallowe’en damage in Norwood this year. From shortly after 7.30 p.m. until after midnight the Norwood police book notations record the tale of destruction by Hallowe’en pranksters, or more accurately, hoodlums.
At 7:33 p.m., there was an« alarm for a grass fire in the rear of the Cloverleaf Bowling Alleys. All out was sounded at 7:56 p.m.
At 7:59 p.m., there was an alarm for a fire in a shack on Concord Avenue. All out was sounded at 8:45 p.m.
At 8:28 p.m., a false alarm was rung in from Cypress and Lincoln streets.
At 9 p.m., boys were reported breaking windows in a house on Philbrick Street.
At 9:10 p.m., a resident of 123 Fisher Street reported someone was shooting a gun off near his home.
At 9:35 p.m., boys were reported breaking street lights on Myrtle Street.
At 9:58 p.m., a false alarm was rung in from Pleasant and Cross Streets.
At 10 p.m., a false alarm was rung in from the car shops on Lenox Street.
At 10:08 p.m., a false alarm was rung in from Nichols and Oak Road.
, At 10:45 p.m., police had a call to remove a barrel from the corner of Winter and Nichols Streets.
At 10:46 p.m. an alarm was rung in for a fire in an unfinished house at the corner of Everett Street and Route I. This was the most serious incident of the night. The house was ablaze when firemen arrived and was thoroughly destroyed. The fact that peat caught from the blaze gave firemen more worries. The necessity of rerouting traffic in the area called for police attention and thereby diverted some officers from Hallowe’en guard duty in other parts of town.
At 11:05 p.m., a call reported a group of hoys breaking street lights on Guild Street near the bridge.
At 11’28 p.m., an alarm was sounded for a brush fire on Nichols Street near the high school
At 12:34 a.m., it was reported that a stone had been thrown through the plate glass window of the Republican headquarters on Guild Street.
At 2:50 a.m., police found that all street lights were out on Nichols Street from Winter Street to the high school because lights had been broken. A broken lantern was found on Saunders Road.
Store proprietors on the main street on Wednesday morning found their store windows a mess of markings
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Such was hallowe’en according to the police book.
The Hallowe’en parties in the schools were labeled eminently successful affairs, with youngsters and young people in grade schools and the High School enjoying them. Grade schools had parties sponsored by the Parent Teacher Associations, and a party at St. Catherine’s School was coordinated with the town program.
The Women’s Community Committee sponsored a dance for the Junior High School, and the teachers sponsored the High School dance. The town furnished refreshments and super-visions for most of the parties.
Hallowe’en damage came up for discussion in selectmen’s meeting last night. The General Manager reported on the success of parties. He said he was sorry that reports of damages and parties had been tied together as a dozen hoodlums could have been responsible for all the damage done while 2500 had attended parties and conducted themselves properly.
Selectman Clement A. Riley contended that Norwood kids alone should not be blamed for the damage, saying that he felt sure that out of towners contributed to a good part of it.
Selectman Sture Nelson spoke out against the damage done in writing on store windows on the main street. He said a stone through a window did not bother him, but what did concern him was the legends soaped on the windows. He said they were intolerable in view of the fact that we were fighting a war for tolerance, freedom and democracy.
He said there were fine people in town with sons in the service and it must have broken., their hearts to find property defaced as it was by the window dressing vandals on Hallowe’en. Other selectmen joined him in condemning the acts.
(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)