This is the second post that will give an overview of newspaper articles where people with the Buggy name are mentioned. They come from a number of states and cover decades from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Shamokin, Pennsylvania – 1917 Annie Buggy, 23, maiden name Compolo, murdered her step daughter Eleanor Buggy, 3, on 27 February 1917 in Shamokin, Pennsylvania. She had been married to James J. Buggy for four weeks when he ordered her to leave their home. He is said to have “upbraided his wife and gave her until last evening to leave his home and warned her not to return.” Then, “in a jealous rage” the mother took her three year old step daughter into the mountains west of Shamokin and cut her throat. The child’s body was found by her father James and his cousin, Michael Buggy. James Buggy had four children with his previous wife who died giving birth to Eleanor.[1]
Brooklyn, New York – 1887 John Buggy, 14 years old, of 103 John Street, stole $20 from a child’s bank in the apartment of Mary Carrougher in the same building. He was found with $6 in his pocket after spending $14. He was arrested later the same day of the robbery.[2]
Kansas – 1899 The Sun newspaper of New York picked up on a story reported in the Topeka Daily Capital newspaper of about a William Buggy of Mount Hope, Kansas who was due to be married to a Mary Bredy of Norwich, Kansas. Buggy received his marriage license on 18 July 1899 but when Ms. Bredy passed away before the marriage ceremony he returned it to the Probate Court with a request for a refund of the $2.50 he had paid. He was informed that there was no provision in the law for a refund of the money and that the only way he could “get value received for the license was to have the name of another girl filled into the license in place of that of Mary Bredy”.[3]
New Haven, CT – 1884 The estate of James Buggy was sold by public auction by Daniel E. McMahon, administrator of the estate. It was purchased by John McMahon, of Bridgeport, CT, for $2700.[4]
Chicago, IL – 1884 James Buggy was arrested on the charge of stealing from Fink’s Saloon, 30 West Madison Street. When Charles Willi, bartender, opening up for work on 22 May he found Buggy lying in a “drunken stupor” in the backyard. His pockets were filled with cigars and there was a broken pane in a rear window. Apparently this was not the cause of his arrest as the articles states that later in the day Buggy returned to the saloon and tried to purchase drink with “pieces…which the bartender recognized as having been stolen from the money drawer.” He was then arrested. [5]
[1] Author Unknown, Kills Step-daughter in The Washington Times, 28 February 1917, p.1; Chronicling America http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov accessed 4 April 2011
[2] Author Unknown, Broke The Bank in The Brooklyn Eagle, 6 May 1887, p.5; Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org accessed 9 April 2011
[3] Author Unknown, The Law As To Mr. Buggy’s Marriage License in The Sun, 14 September 1899, p.6; Chronicling America http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov accessed 5 April 2011
[4] Author Unknown, State Correspondence in The New Haven Evening Register, 2 July 1884, p.4; America’s Historical Newspapers http://www.newsbank.com accessed 11 April 2011
[5] Author Unknown, Burglar and Simpleton in The Daily Inter Ocean, 23 May 1881, p.8; America’s Historical Newspapers http://www.newsbank.com accessed 11 April 2011
Buggy Name History 