Obituaries (June 5)

Benjamin B. Smith

Utica Saturday Globe, February 1914

 

Benjamin B. Smith

1836 - 1914

Norwich [Chenango Co., NY]:  Following an illness of three weeks, Benjamin A. Smith died at the home of his son, Harry B. Smith, on South Broad street, last Wednesday morning, aged 77.  The cause of death was heart failure.  The deceased was the son of Malachi and Miranda Smith and was born in the town of New Berlin [Chenango Co., NY] October 6, 1836.  His father was one of the pioneer residents of the county, coming here from Rhode Island.  His mother also came from a pioneer family.  In 1860 Mr Smith married Miss Emma Smith, of Norwich.  For many years they made their home upon their farm several miles east of Norwich on the South New Berlin road.  Mrs. Smith died about four years ago and for the past year or more Mr. Smith made his home with his son, besides whom he is survived by one sister, Mrs. Mary Sumner, of Norwich.  Funeral services will be held from the residence, 61 South Broad street, Saturday afternoon, Rev. H.W. Foreman, rector of Emmanuel Church of Norwich ad Rev. Almon A. Jaynes, of Syracuse, officiating. Burial will be made in the Quarter Cemetery east of Norwich on the road to South New Berlin.

 

Rev. Normand Smith Boardman
[Source unknown] Feb. 21, 1942

Rev. Normand Smith Boardman, 93 years old, former rector of Christ church, Guilford [Chenango Co., NY], died Saturday at his home, 19 State road, Port Dickinson [Broome Co., NY].  Rev. Mr. Boardman was well known in Norwich where he often supplied at Emmanuel church.  He was rector at the Guilford church from 1917 to 1926, when he retired.  He is survived by his widow, Ada T. Boardman; four daughters, Misses Lila and Ruth Boardman, Mrs. LaRue Skillman, all of Port Dickinson, and Mrs. R.H. Lewis of Binghamton; a son, W. Harold Boardman of Elmira; seven grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.  A family prayer service was held at the home of his daughter, Mrs. LaRue Skillman, 680 Chenango street, Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.  Funeral services at the Trinity Memorial Episcopal church, Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. Bishop Edward Huntington Coley, Rev. Wilson E. Tanner and Rev. Walter M. Higley officiating. Burial in Spring Forest cemetery [Binghamton, Broome Co., NY]

 

Fred J. Day

[Source unknown] May 20, 1945

 

Fred J. Day

1865 - 1945

 

Fred J. Day, committed from Chenango county in 1908 to the Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminal insane, died at that institution Sunday afternoon, aged about 80 years.  During the 37 years Day had been incarcerated, he had made many vain attempts to gain his freedom.  Between 50 and 60 times Day instituted habeas corpus proceedings for his release but each time the application was denied.  Information of Day's death was received in Norwich Sunday afternoon by Cyrus M. Higley, president of the Chenango County National Bank & Trust Company, and as a committee over Day's person and estate.  Mr. Higley was named in this post in 1939, following the death of James S. Flanagan, who had served in such capacity several years.  Day's body will be brought to Norwich, probably Tuesday, and will be given in charge of the William Breese company.  Services are to be held at the Breese Funeral Home at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon with burial in Mt. Hope cemetery [Norwich, Chenango Co., NY].  Day's nearest relatives are two sisters-in-law, Mrs. E.B. Day of Norwich and Mrs. Charles Day of Oxford, and two nephews, Homer B. Day of Norwich and Corporal Winton Day, who is in Italy. According to legal records Day was first committed to the institution of Matteawan, March 22, 1908, following a series of happenings and which came to a climax on Decoration Day in 1907, when Day, in an effort to avoid arrest, shot and wounded former Sheriff Neil D. Lewis at the Day farm home at Lyon Brook, near Haynes.  Lewis was a Norwich police office at that time and had accompanied Deputy Sheriff and Turnkey Leon M. Walworth to the Day farm for the purpose of taking Day into custody.  Four or five years previous to this circumstance, Day's wife was found dead on her bed with a revolver beside her. As a result of that episode, Day was committed to the Binghamton State Hospital.  His counsel in those proceedings was the late William H . Sullivan.  Day escaped from the Binghamton institution on more than one occasion, and about a year prior to the time the man shot Lewis, Walworth and Lewis had captured him and returned him to the state institution.  He escaped from Binghamton again and while enjoying his freedom was reported to have shot at a neighbor's hired man.  Armed with a warrant, charging Day with assault, Deputy Walworth and Officer Lewis drove to the Day home between 2 and 3 o'clock on the afternoon of Decoration Day, 1907.  The late William E. Beardsley was sheriff of Chenango county at that time.  Day was alone at the farm and when he saw the officers approach he barricaded himself in the house.  Deputy Walworth called out to the man, "We have a warrant for you."  Day refused to emerge from the dwelling and soon opened fire on the officers.  About  15 shots were exchanged between Day, Walworth and Lewis, before one charge brushed Walworth's left shoulder and another hit Lewis in the left chest and side.  Lewis dropped to the ground, and Walworth turned his attention to aiding his companion.  He placed him in the sheriff's wagon and started at breakneck speed for Norwich.  Walworth stopped at the first farm house, and warned the members to keep a close watch over the Day home.  He also telephoned to the late Charles H. Latham in Norwich and the latter hurried toward Lyon Brook in an automobile to bring Walworth and Lewis to Norwich.  Although Day was shot four times he managed to elude capture for three or four days before he gave himself up to relatives and was then taken into custody on the assault count.  He was arraigned before the late justice George A. Thomas on June 7,  1907.  It was several months later before legal obstacles were overcome and Day was adjudged insane and committed to the Matteawan State  Hospital for the Criminal Insane.  The exact date of his commitment in the institution is given as March 22, 1908.  Day was 42 years old at the time he was sent to Matteawan and he has been an inmate of that institution all those years.  The man made no end of attempts to gain his release from Matteawan.  At times he appeared rational, and on one occasion when Lewis was sheriff he visited the institution at which time Day recognized the former police officer as the man he had wounded  Former County Judge Hubert L. Brown was district attorney of Chenango county at the time Day was committed to Matteawan

Day Funeral Held, May 23, 1945

Services for Fred J. Day, who died at Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminal Insane were held at the Breese Funeral Home at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon with Rev. Harold S. Knight officiating.  Burial was made in Mt. Hope.  Acting as bearers were Homer B. Day, Edward Day, Benjamin Phetteplace and W.B. Phetteplace.