WHERE: Cobleskill
WHEN: Saturday, October 4 @ 7pm
CONTACT: Jeff O'Connor
PHONE: (518) 823-4307
EMAIL: colonialny@turningpoint1777.com
Turning Point 1777 presents a free walking tour Saturday, October 4 at 7pm. Author and historian Jeff O’Connor will recount the circumstances surrounding the November 27, 1900 murder of Cobleskill Nightwatchman Matthew Wilson. The tour will also explore how Cobleskill’s turn of the 20th century business district appeared. The tour meets at the public parking lot at the corner of Union and Main Streets Cobleskill, next to Mart Cleaners. No reservations are needed. Tour is about a one-mile loop, approx. 1.5 hrs. Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight. Inquiries can be made at colonialny@turningpoint1777.com or through Facebook.com/turningpoint1777
The tour narrative is based on research for historian Jeff O’Connor’s current book project about
Wilson’s murder by a gang of safe-crackers. O’Connor states “Wilson’s tragic death captured the public’s
attention far and wide as his killers were pursued and brought to justice.” Wilson was survived by his widow Anna and daughter Mary, whose lives will also be discussed.
According to O’Connor, Officer Wilson’s murder “seemed inevitable as the railroad that brought Gilded Age prosperity to Cobleskill also brought tramps looking for work and an increasingly dangerous sub-culture that traveled with them - flim-flamming safe-crackers known as Yeggmen.” The Pinkerton Detective Agency eventually captured five of the six Yeggmen who were responsible for Wilson’s murder. How they were brought to justice and the details of the murder brought out in their trials provide an investigative element that helps round out the narrative.
A unique angle to Matthew Wilson’s story is his canine partner. “Together, they were a formidable team,” states O’Connor. “Brave, effective, and very popular, they were soon looked upon as heroes. Their exploits alone would be worthy of notice.” For years, the K-9 unit of the Cobleskill Police Department was named Wilson to honor the slain officer’s dog, mainly because, historian O’Connor says, “no one knew what Wilson called his dog. I’m happy to say his name is now known, along with much more about his life - all on the tour.”
Jeff O’Connor is an accomplished historian and author who has a deep connection to the Schoharie County historical community. He and his wife Pam team up as Turning Point 1777 to provide guided walking and driving tours in Schoharie County, authentic historic flag reproductions, and publications. For more information, please visit www.turningpoint1777.com or Facebook.com/turningpoint1777
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