Category: Primary Sources

Court Records of Louis “Kid Blink” Balletti

In 1905, Louis “Kid Blink” Balletti was arrested on suspicion of murder. (He was later acquitted.) Recently my friend Liv visited New York and visited the municipal archives to search for the records about his case. Here is what she found:

Complainant: Citizens of the State of New York
Defendant: Louis Balletti
Residence: 1 Roosevelt
Sex: M
Age: 24
Color: W
Nativity: U.S.
Nature of Complaint: Homicide
Date of Complaint: Thursday, June 1, 1905
Officer: Rooney
Precinct: 2nd St.
Date of Arrest: June 1
Disposition of Case: Transfer to Coroner

This information was on microfilm, so unfortunately a picture of the full document is not available. However, a fragment can be seen here (Kid Blink is the second line):

Most of the information in this document is things we already knew, but it does confirm a lot of things, such as that this trial did happen, that Kid Blink was 24 in June of 1905, and also that the “Kid Blink” mentioned in the papers was the same Louis Balletti who we know lived at 1 Roosevelt St.

Who was Charles E. Chapin?

Last night I encountered the following bit of information about the man who edited the Evening World during the time of the strike:

In 1898 Pulitzer hired Charles E. Chapin to run the Evening World. As editor, Chapin embraced the sensational, showing little empathy for the victims of the mayhem featured in his paper. Only once, after the September 1901 assassination of President William McKinley, did the World take a solemn tone, and this was near the beginning of Chapin’s tenure. From then on, the editor took a no-holds-barred approach to the news. He reveled, for example, in accounts of the 1904 General Slocum steamboat fire on the East River, which cost 1,000 lives, and, six years later, rejoiced at getting an exclusive photograph of the assassination attempt on Mayor William Jay Gaynor. He had little tolerance for timid editors or writers, firing those who ran afoul of his iron rule, and the paper’s staff loathed him. In 1918, however, fate caught up with Chapin, when, facing financial insolvency and mental instability, he murdered his wife. Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to commit suicide, he instead became the ironic figure of disdain in his own newspaper’s headlines. The acerbic editor ended his days incarcerated at Sing Sing, editing the prison newspaper and planting roses; he died in 1930.

Chronicling America

I mentioned this to some friends, and they – especially my friend Liv – were just as intrigued as I was and started doing research. So below are some sources if you want to know more.

A memoir Chapin wrote in prison
The paper Chapin edited in prison
American Heritage piece about him
New York Post article
City of Smoke
Revolvy

Annual Feast of the Newsboys

Caption from musicalcuriosity:

Friday, December 1st, 1899- The Sun

The boys gathered in the school room at the Duane Street Lodging House, and were than brought in 200 at a time in to the dining room. I’ll include a transcription under the cut. The dinner was paid for by William Waldorf Astor. Dinners were also held at all the city’s prisons. 

“The ‘strikers’ and the ‘scabs’ of recent memory sat down together in peace and harmony and all, with a common impulse, reached way over their plates loaded with turkey and vegetables and grabbed their pumpkin pies.

‘That’s a regular trick of the newsies,’ explained the superintendent. ‘They always eat pie first.’“

Comment from historyofchildhood:

The eating of pies first was a popular tradition among the newsboys.  It was in fact so important that missing them could result in total chaos.  In 1902 a similar banquet was hosted on Christmas by the Salvation Army.  Towards the end it was discovered that “There was a shortage of mince pie for a time, and the youngsters thought that they were being overlooked.”  They started throwing whatever food they could get their hands on saying “they did not want turkey, but wanted more pie.”  They were only settled when a Miss Sickles appeared with her arms full of plates of pie.

The scene was described in an article in the New York Tribune Dec. 26, 1905 and discussed in Stephen Nissenbaum’s The Battle for Christmas.

Contract between the World and Journal, September 1, 1899

During the newsboy strike there were rumors that the former rivals of the New York World and New York Journal had come to an agreement to stick together to break the strike, including a significant financial incentive to keep the agreement. This document, dated just one month after the end of the strike, seems to corroborate those rumors.

Source

Transcription under cut

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT as discussed by MR. SEITZ AND MR. CARVALHO

For and in consideration of One Dollar to each in hand, paid on this first day of September, 1899, and for the mutual benefit of the parties hereinafter referred to, we AGREE to enter into the following covenants for a period of five (5) years from the date of the signing of the agreement: –

1. That the retail or face price of the newspapers known as the NEW YORK WORLD and the NEW YORK JOURNAL shall be two (2) cents on week-days and five (5) cents on Sundays; and that the price to City or Local dealers be One Dollar and Forty cents ($1.40) per hundred and to Country dealers be $1.25 per hundred papers; and that the price for the Sunday Edition be four (4) cents to City or Local dealer and for and one-half (4 ½) cents to Country dealers; the understanding being that the prices to both City and Country dealers are subject to change by mutual consent of the parties to this agreement.

2. The the retail or face price of the papers know as the NEW YORK WORLD, Evening Edition, and the NEW YORK EVENING JOURNAL be one (1) cent, and that the price to newsdealers and newsboys both City and Country shall be six tenths (6/10) of one (1) cent; the understanding being that the prices to both City and Country dealers are subject to change by mutual consent of the parties to this agreement.

3. That some arrangement as to the taking back of returns or unsold papers be mutually made by the parties to this agreement or their representatives.

4. That there be a uniformity of advertising rates and discounts between the papers owned by the parties to this agreement, except as to the classifications known as “Help” and “Situations”.

5. That all extravagant circulation expense and advertising promotion be limited, and limitations to be agreed upon by the parties to this agreement or their representatives.

6. That the size of the NEW YORK WORLD and the NEW YORK JOURNAL be limited in the Morning Week-day editions to 96 or 98 columns, unless there be 42 or more columns of paid advertising when the papers may be increased to 112 columns, and unless there be 52 or more columns or [sic] advertising when they may be increased to 128 or 126 columns.

7. That the size of the NEW YORK WORLD, Evening Edition, be limited to 64 columns on 24 columns of advertising; to 80 columns on 34 columns of advertising; to 96 columns on 44 columns of advertising, and so on in this ratio; and that the size of the NEW YORK EVENING JOURNAL be limited to 70 columns on 30 columns of advertising; to 84 columns on 40 columns of advertising; to 98 columns on 50 columns of advertising, and so on in this ratio.

8. That the size of the NEW YORK WORLD, Sunday Edition, and the NEW YORK JOURNAL, Sunday Edition, be regulated by a number of columns of advertising to be decided by the parties to this agreement or their representatives.

9. That neither of the parties to this agreement shall endeavor to take away the employes of any other of the parties to this agreement by offering higher salaries or special inducements to said employes.

The essence of this agreement being to the establishement of mutual and friendly relations beneficial to the parties to this agreement, it is herewith further AGREED that all hostilities between said parties, editorial, legal or otherwise cease; that such litigations as exist between said parties be dropped, and that the parties to this agreement shall not intentionally injure the business of each other, but shall work to-gether harmoniously. And the said parties of the first part in the instance of the said parties of the second part applying for an Associated Press franchise for the paper known as the NEW YORK EVENING JOURNAL shall give their (the parties of the first part) consent to the NEW YORK EVENING JOURNAL having the said Associated Press franchise.

AND IT IS FURTHER MUTUALLY AND SPECIFICALLY AGREED that the said Joseph Pulitzer and the The Press Publishing Company, parties of the first part, shall pay to William R. Hearst, and the Star Company and the NEW YORK EVENING JOURNAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, parties of the second part, the sum of Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.) as liquidated damages in the instance of the said parties of the first part abrogating this contract; and the said William R. Hearst, the Star Company and the NEW YORK EVENING JOURNAL PUBLISHING COMPANY shall pay the sum of Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.) as liquidated damages in the instance of the parties of the second part abrogating this contract.

IT IS FURTHER MUTUALLY AND SPECIFICALLY AGREED, owing to the possibilities of minor violations of certain clauses of this contract which the parties to said contract may not be able to avoid, that the said parties or their representatives shall confer after any violation, when the parties in fault shall give good and reasonable explanation to said other parties; but that the contract shall not be declared void for said violation unless it be shown that it is or was the intention of the offending parties by said violation or violations to bring about an abrogation of this contract.

AND IT IS FURTHER AGREED that any changes in this contract may be made by the parties to this contract by mutual consent.

Memo from Seitz to Pulitzer, July 27, 1899

A memo from the New York World’s business manager Don Carlos Seitz to Joseph Pulitzer, dated July 27, 1899, concerning the newsboy strike 

Source

JULY 27th, 1899.

MEMO FOR MR. PULITZER ON THE NEWSBOYS’ STRIKE.

As I wired you this afternoon, the strike broke completely so far as the downtown district is concerned at three o’clock. The leaders came in to me and threw up their hands. I made no promises, made no bribes. You ask how many newspapers are handled by the newsboys, I should think 60%, 50% of them quit selling. They enjoyed a [sic] amazing amount of public support and the long and interesting articles in various newspapers encouraged them. I took the Publishers’ Association to task and tried to get that interesting organization to suppress the stuff and succeeded in a measure but late. THE SUN suddenly got some sense and daylight after I saw the reporter and told him that they would come next and should be wiped out if he gave in to the boys. Los would not see him, but I make it a rule to see everybody, especially in times of trouble. THE HERALD, after promises to stay temper THE TELEGRAM’S articles and to say nothing itself, broke loose yesterday and to-day with great offensiveness. I find the Telegram has been helping the boys and feeing some of the leaders, THE DAILY NEWS, MAIL & EXPRESS, and TRIBUNE also made many contributions, small, but encouraging, quite forgetting their obligations to the Publishers’ Association. Los was so disgusted with their treatment that he has send a letter of withdrawal. If he withdraws, it is of no particular use to us and the individual Geranium treaty comes up as a matter of great importance, but I am not going to throw the association over without further consideration. It came in very handily when the GERANIUM tried to cut the price XXXX when we attacked their franchise, and it seems to me better to scare them to death and make it over again; but perhaps it will go to pieces. I shall collect the evidence and have an extremely bad afternoon with the gentlemen.

The loss in circulation due to the strike has been colossal and we shall not know the worst of it until the returns come in. They have averaged 35% in the City on a reduced out-put of about 125,000. Ordinarily, they would reach 15 or 16 percent. The paper was completely obliterated in Newark where 4200 go; in Yonkers where we send 1799 and in Troy xxxx where we send 400. We will now start these points, our hands being free in the city.

When I got your telegram last evening, relative to making a statement, I prepared the enclosed, but upon second thought will not use it, my notion being that public sympathy is such a volatile factor that it would not be good policy to engender a further assault by the combined press of the town: When the boys get back to their familiar posts, their customers will go with them and the thing will be over. A good paper and a good run of news must do the rest.

We had ten pages to-day on the latter editions, and will have the same to-morrow. It is really remarkable the success these boys have had; our policy of putting men out was not helpful, yet it was the only thing that could be done. We had to have representation and the absolute disappearance of the paper was appalling.

The strike started in Long Island City were a dishonest Journal driver stuffed sample copies in his bundles and sold his surplus, then refused to pay back the boys when they complained. They tipped his wagon over and drove him out of the town and fired by their success decided to make a stand against the WORLD and Geranium for 50 cents per hundred. The news travelled [sic] over here and a young fellow named Maurice Morris Cohen, who sells about 300 Worlds a day in City Hall Park got hold of the the [sic] boys and got them to strike without any formal demand, pulling the little fellows away from the windows and the newspapers did the rest. It began Thursday morning and had very little effect but long stories printe [sic] Frida [sic] morning and the energies of the TELEGRAM and NEWS brought on disaster. We began putting out people immediately, but found it hard to gather them and difficult to get police protection owing to the absence of 1400 policemen in Brooklyn. These did not get back until Monday night and since then we have made rapid headway in representation but poor in sales, owing to the prejudice of the public to buying of grown men. Then, as rapidly as possible, we began replacing the men with boys, we taking the Geranium circulation force in hand and using it for all it was worth, leaving Los free to manage Horace and his other troubles.

I advised a number of the large advertisers not to advertise in the Evening paper during the trouble, but to use the Morning and hold back. Have just telephoned all of them that the strike is off and that normal conditions can be expected.

Respectfully submitted,
Don C Seitz

Memo from Seitz to Pulitzer, July 26, 1899

A telegram from the New York World’s business manager Don Carlos Seitz to Joseph Pulitzer, dated July 26, 1899, concerning the newsboy strike 

Source

Transcription under cut

Strike broken. Much work required to restore curate and rehabilitate paper with public shall have strong ten page paper for several days regardless of potash.

Seitz

Memo from Seitz to Pulitzer, July 24, 1899

A telegram from the New York World’s business manager Don Carlos Seitz to Joseph Pulitzer, dated July 24, 1899, concerning the newsboy strike

Source

69B GS JY 45Paid
New-York, July 24, 1899
Joseph Pulitzer,

Chatwold,

Bar-Harbor.

Situation serious but improving| geranium firm will not cut| dealers beginning to take junior again three forty four special men put out today| damage to cuate loquacious| much rioting| police have taken up matter actively. Los has persuaded gus-h [sic] to end geraniums policy of incitement.

Seitz..721Pm.

Code translation courtesy of Colombia University:

“Situation serious but improving. Morning Journal firm, will not cut [price]. Dealers beginning to take Evening World again. 344 special men put out today. Damage to circulation $80,000. Much rioting. Police have taken up matter actively. Carvalho has persuaded William Randolph Hearst to end Morning Journal’s policy of incitement.”

Memo from Seitz to Pulitzer, July 22, 1899

A memo from the New York World’s business manager Don Seitz to Joseph Pulitzer, dated July 22, 1899, concerning the newsboy strike

Source

jULY [sic] 22nd, 1899.

MEMO FOR MR. PULITZER ON THE NEWSBOYS ‘ STRIKE

The newsboy’s [sic] strike has grown into an extensive and menacing affair, encouraged by the other newspapers and back, Los believes, by street railway people. It is proving a serious problem. Practically all the boys in New York and in many of the adjacent towns have quit selling. Incendiary circulars are being distributed and the boys so fare have sent two Journal men to the Manhattan Hospital and have scared three World men so that they have disappeared from their posts. A call is out for a Mass Meeting of the boys in front of the Pulitzer Building and we have just been compelled to ask the police for assistance in the matter.

I have just been over to see Los in a long conference in the matter and we have determined to hire as many men as possible for Monday to man selling points in a sufficient force to overwhelm any assault that may be made upon them and to force a representation of the paper upon the streets. We ran out but 281,000 yesterday, a drop certainly of 60,000 while the returns will probably be very large. Los did not state their losses, but said that they were very, very heavy. He did not show any signs of weakening, however, but on my way out I met Gush and a group of newsboys who ran away from him with cheerful smiles and calling out “Goodbye, Mr. Gush”.

Several of the papers, notably the COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER in the Publishers’ Association have been printing aspersions on THE WORLD and THE JOURNAL growing out of the strike. As these are members of the Publishers’ Association, Los was very indignant and wanted us to join him in “pulling them out” of the Association. I said I preferred to scare them badly and get their co-operation in the end. I had consulted with them this morning and found that none of the Business Offices’ people knew anything about the editorial fellows’ doings – something not unusual – and they will take steps to repress their reporters and editors. Los proposed further:- “If it were not for the fighting and bickering, the World and Geranium should get together and form a Publishers’ Association of their own. We could accomplish a great many things in the point of economy if we would only do this”. I did not commit myself except to agree with him as to the economic outcome of such an arrangement, but said that it was almost impossible to secure the keeping of any contract with his Mr. Brisbanes and our several gentlemen “going off” without consulting anybody. He said“that [sic] is true”. He said further, “I have repressed the awfullest lot of things about THE WORLD you ever saw and I do my best to stop it” but admitted that he had not fully succeeded. We had both heard rumors that the Morning newsdealers were only waiting for the success of the Evening strike to attack the Morning World and Journal for a 50 cents per hundred basis. He said “This is very serious. If they strike for this additional tenth, I see but one way to met meet it and that is to go up to two cents and charge them 1 and ½ cents per copy. You will recall that the Morning World at two cents barely paid its way and that we relied upon the Evening and Sunday for our large profits. You know, as well as I do, that the Morning paper at 60 cents per hundred is not profitable and cannot be made so. You can save a couple of thousands by economies perhaps here and there but you cannot make the Morning paper pay by itself”. This is farther than he has ever gone with me on the subject and it interested me a great deal. His direct propositionto [sic] have a treaty and his evident willingness to go to two cents. I made no comment except to agree with him a s [sic] to the financial difficulty of making money on the indicated basis.

In the end, we agreed to get our men together Sunday and have them get to work Monday morning. He has had several requests from advertisers for allowance on their bills on account of the strike; so have we. This seemed to be a menace also and I agreed that it would be better to spend largely for a few days and break the thing up than to let it drag along and lose from $500 to $1000. a day from our advertisers.

[a handwritten sentence I cannot read]

Respectfully submitted,

Don C. Seitz

Louis “Kid Blink” Balletti in the Census Records

My friend Em, who is far better at searching census records than I am, recently found Kid Blink and his family in the 1900, 1905 and 1910 censuses. Below are the lines related to Kid Blink and the people he was living with at the time and some interesting facts found in them.

(Note: The names in these records are not quite consistent. I have used the spellings on their gravestone in this analysis since supposedly somebody in the family would have spellchecked those.)

1900 census:

  • Kid Blink’s birthday is listed as July 1881, meaning he would have turned 18 either during or just before the strike of 1899
  • Agostina and Bartolomeo (Kid Blink’s parents) immigrated to America from Italy in 1880, only one year before Kid Blink was born
  • Agostina had 10 children, but only 4 were still alive in 1900
  • Neither Agostina nor Bartolomeo were citizens
  • Kid Blink’s occupation is listed as “driver”, and he and all his working-age family had been consistently employed all year
  • All four Balletti children could read and write, but neither of their parents could
  • Agostina did not speak English

1905 census:

  • Bartolomeo, formerly a labourer, is now a housekeeper. It is possible he was injured and had to change professions.
  • The family is now living with their uncle (Bartolomeo’s brother) and cousin (that uncle’s son)
  • The uncle came to America seven years before the Ballettis, and is a citizen, but the Ballettis are still not
  • Kid Blink is once again listed as a coach driver

1910 census:

  • In 1910, Kid Blink was living with his brother James and their cousin Joseph, who had moved from Italy only a few years earlier, wasn’t a citizen, and did not speak English
  • All three men were unmarried
  • Joseph did odd jobs as a labourer and was out of work for much of the previous year (though not on April 15)
  • Kid Blink was employed as a bartender in a saloon, and James was a driver for “paper box” (if you know what that means please tell me)
  • Both James and Joseph supposedly have 15 farm animals. Again, I have no idea what that means.