1895 - The New Year Arrives

As the year 1894 neared its end, many of the church in downtown Hamilton were open :

“Watch night services were held in most of the churches from 10 to 12 in all of the Methodist churches. The program in most of them included prayer, hymns and brief addresses. In St. Paul’s  A.M.E. church, the attendance was large and the service very interesting. At the James Street Baptist Church, the service lasted from 9 p.m., but was considerably relieved by the distribution of refreshments by the young ladies and the exchange of social courtesies.”¹

¹ “Greeting the New Year.”

Hamilton Times.   January 02, 1895.

          Hamiltonians attending those services surely would have heard the noise of the arrival of 1895 while still in their places of worship.

          For those not interesting in sitting quietly in a church pew, they were gathered in very large numbers, particularly from Gore Park and the King and James street corner north to the City Hall;

          “The advent of the new year was welcomed by many people in many different ways throughout the city. At midnight on Monday a large crowd assembled at the corner of King and James streets, and as the bell if the City Hall clock struck the hour of twelve, the young men cheered, old men shook hands with each other, the girls giggled and in various expressions echoed the remark of the maiden  who said, ‘Ain’t it great fun to be out,’ and last but not by any means least the small-boy-fish-horn combination rendered the night hideous with discordant noises. Around the Gore, the scene a few minutes after twelve was exceedingly pretty. The trees and buildings on each side were brilliantly lit up by colored fire”²

                The noise which filled the air immediately after the stroke of midnight came from many sources :

“Hundreds of packages of firecrackers were exploded in the roadways and even on the sidewalks, rockets were discharged, and from the side streets came the sound of revolvers being fired off by householders who desired to join in the general celebration. The ringing of the church bells and the music of the bugle band and the Salvation Army added to the clamor, and for a little while it seemed as if bedlam had been let loose in the center of the city.”¹

Street processions led by brass bands added to the fun:

. The ringing of the church bells and the music of the bugle band and the Salvation Army added to the clamor, and for a little while it seemed as if bedlam had been let loose in the center of the city. The Salvation Army parade was the largest since the visit of Gen. Booth’s son last summer. The order to ‘Fall in,’ was obeyed by small boys and young men about until one red-shirted soldier put it “The procession was a lulu.’

“As soon as the excitement generally had subsided, it was surprising how quickly the people dispersed, and by 1 a.m., the streets had assumed their usual quiet appearance.”¹

The Times reported two incidents which were the result of gunfire. The first involved a man walking along a city street:

“An amusing incident, which might have had serious consequences, occurred in the west end. A citizen was plodding along the sidewalk thinking of ‘all the comforts of home’ and forgetting for a moment that a new year was about to be born. Suddenly, just as a neighboring clock struck the first stroke of midnight, the front door of a house within a few feet of him was jerked open and a revolver was discharged, the bullet passing a foot or so from the astonished pedestrian’s nose. Naturally he made several pointed objections to such revolver practice, but was mollified on the marksman and the marksman’s family explaining that they were merely welcoming the new year.”¹

The second incident was not in the west end but in north end of the City :

 “Shortly after twelve o’clock on Monday night, Mrs. Turner, No. 65 Murray street west, heard a number of shots fired on the street near her home. She went to a front window, and while closing the shutter a stray shot from a revolver struck the shutter, glanced off and pierced her wrist. The bullet – a large one – was almost spent, and the wound was not serious.

“Her husband immediately ran out and saw three men hurrying east on Murray street. He followed them as far as James street, where he lost sight of them in the crowd. He is very angry about the matter and reported it to the police. He said he would pay $50 to have the names of the shooters.”²

² “A Narrow Escape : Mrs. Turner of Murray Street, Shot by a Reckless Man.”

Hamilton Times.   January 02, 1895.

1895 would be a tumultuous year in Hamilton’s history. The year started off with a bang, or rather a lot of bangs.