Juicy Family Secrets Revealed

I've slowed down in my family tree quest a bit, but sometimes when I have a chunk of time, I log on and randomly pick a name to research.  This afternoon, I picked Alonzo Hatch (Grandpa Kennedy's maternal grandfather) again.  

Alonzo is a fun one to look for because there is SO much out there on him.  Today, I decided to look for proof of his being arrested.  He is sited in many places for his opera singing, and I had noticed that a few of these sites talked of his arrest and quoted the New York Times.  I figured this was the best place to start.  There are TONS of newspaper clippings about Alonzo.  Most are about his stage appearances.  However, I did find an arrest.  The crazy thing is, it's NOT the arrest I was looking for as the dates didn't match up.  It looks as though our great great grandfather was arrested TWICE!  I had to do some digging in different newspapers to find the one I was looking for to be sure.  Luckily I found the articles for both.  It seems that Alonzo was quite famous in his day and made a nice chunk of change for his talent.  Unfortunately, he didn't save well ;).  


Here is the transcription from the first arrest in April, 1906.  It is from the Brooklyn Standard Union Newspaper.  Alonzo's age is different than what I have, however, I have this arrest from several sources as being our Alonzo.  He approached the wrong person on this night:

Alonzo HATCH, 45 years old, a broken down actor who lives at 2222 
Fulton street, spoted [sic] a benevolent looking gray-haired man 
standing at the corner of Ralph avenue and Halsey street about 8 
o'clock last night. He approached the stranger and asked him for five 
cents to get a drink.
"Do you think you could get a drink on Sunday if you had a nickel?" 
asked the old man.
"It would be a cinch," replied HATCH. "The captain of this precinct, 
O'REILLY, is a dub and the saloons are wide open."
"Is that so," said the white-haired man. "Well, allow me to introduce 
myself. I am the dub you speak of . You're a panhandler and you're 
under arrest."
In court this morning HATCH admitted that he had been begging. 
Magistrate VOORHEES gave him two days in jail to sober up.

The second arrest occurred 2 months before his death.  The judge recognized him and let him off.  This is the transcription from the New York Times in October, 1909:

ONCE NOTED SINGER A BEGGER

Magistrate Recognizes Alonzo Hatch, Who once Received $1000 a Night.

In an old man whom Detective England had picked up in the Grand Central Station for begging and brought to the night court, Magistrate House last night recognized Alonzo Hatch, who, the Magistrate told the reporters later, had once been a great singer, appearing under Col. Mapelson in this city twenty years ago and receiving as much as $1000 a night for a concert.

"I was once a great man," said Hatch, after he had given his name and his address as 242 Third Avenue.

Magistrate House was deeply sympathetic, and permitted Hatch to go home, after telling the old man how sorry he was for him.

I wish I had started this research earlier.  I would have loved to talk to Grandpa about this.  I wonder if he knew, or if his mom even knew.  She was quite young, only 10 years old when he died.