Crime and Justice

Now and Then

This page deals with crime and justice in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown, from the 1600’s to the 1900’s. We have also added a hypothesis of what we think the 21st century will bring. We hope you can learn a little bit more about the towns.

This is a picture of a jail cell.

Time Period: 1600’s - 1700’s

If a person was guilty of a crime in the 1600 - 1700’s, such as burglary or being a loyalist, some possible punishments would be: stocks- used for public humiliation, people were tarred and feathered, and some were even whipped. If a person was guilty of murder, they would either receive one of the punishments above or they would be hanged.

A punishment that is not mentioned above was a scolding brittle, which was used in the 1700’s. It was a punishment for someone who committed the act of treason.

Time period: 1800’s

The two major crimes committed in the 1800’s were horse stealing, and robberies. These crimes were rare, even though they were major. Most robberies committed were mostly small, not very serious, like food robberies and unimportant possessions of others, but the major robbery committed, was horse stealing. This was a major crime because horses meant to people then what cars mean to us now, and it was the only means of transportation. The penalties for such crimes were being thrown in jail or having your hands cut off in some cases. The maximum penalty, back then, for a serious crime, was Death!

This, of course, all happened during the 1800’s, which was also when the first police station opened in what is now the VFW hall on Main St., in Tarrytown.

This is a picture of a police officer patrolling Main St. in the late 1800’s.

Time period: 1900’s

All the crimes in the towns have decreased, due probably to the stricter law enforcement and harsher punishments included in our society. Punishments such as life sentences and death sentences, are still given today, as opposed to the 1800’s.

Time period: 2,000’s

We hypothesize that crime, in the future, will decrease in our town even more due to law enforcement and new technology, which will probably enhance human ability to provide law and order.

This is a picture of an electric chair from Sing Sing.

List of Judges in Sleepy Hollow

Name - Sworn in on:

Lent, Smith ---------------1895, December 7

Platt, Wiliam P.----------1901, November 30

Young, Frank L.---------1916, January 4

Bleakley, William F.----1922, January 2

Otto Walter G.C.--------1928, January 3

Close, Fredrick P.-------1928, December 27

Coyle, John B.----------- 1931, January 2

Otto, Walter G.C.-------1934, October 26

Nolan, Gerald------------1934, December 31

Coyne, Frank H.-------- 1937, December 17

Schmidt, Fredrick G.-- 1943, December 27

Produced by: Rachel, Shannon, and Luis

Crime and Justice Bibliography

Hutchinson, Lucille. The Centennial History of North Tarrytown.

Cambridge, Maryland: Western Publishing Company , 1974.

Griffin. Westchester County and It’s People

New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co. 1964.

Fuller, Eliziabeth Green. Westchester County.

Norfolk, Virginia: Donning Company 1982.

Beeler’s Crime and Criminology Page

Http://www2.uic.edu/~sbeele1/

We would like to thank the Historical Society, Grove St., Tarrytown, NY

THANKS!!