Cemetery Chronicles: A Pioneer Pennsylvania State Trooper

Posted on June 5, 2024 by The Dunmorean

“We must teach our children not merely the importance of making a living, but also how to live and make a life.” (Colonel Lynn G. Adams, address to Berwick Kiwanis Club, 1934)

Born in Hop Bottom, PA., in 1880 to Simon and Nina Adams, Lynn G. Adams was raised and educated in Scranton. Following his years at Scranton High School, Adams served in the United States Army during the Spanish American War. His service from 1898 to 1903 included 30 months in the Philippine Islands.

***Lynn Adams (Photo courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Police)***

After his wartime service, Adams returned to Scranton. He attended Scranton Business College and worked for the Erie Railroad. In November, 1905, he traveled to Philadelphia and took the examination for the newly-formed Pennsylvania State Police. With his military experience, Adams easily passed the exam. One month later he became one of the original members of the Pennsylvania State Police.

Adams remained with the State Police and moved through the ranks of the organization until he was called to serve in World War I. With the American Expeditionary Force in France from 1917 to 1919, Adams served as Provost Marshall. Following his military service, Adams resumed his duties with the State Police.

Adams worked on criminal cases locally, statewide, and nationally during his career. Of note was the 1920 kidnapping case of Norristown, PA toddler, Blakely Coughlin. Coughlin was abducted from his home on June 2, 1920. Coughlin’s parents paid a ransom for their child, but sadly, Blakely was dead at the hands of kidnapper August Pasquale.

The investigative work of Lynn Adams and his team identified the kidnapper. Although Coughlin’s body was never found, Adams definitively established that the child was dead. Adams experience with the Coughlin case allowed him to be enlisted to aid another family of a missing child years later. Adams was asked to aid in the investigation of the kidnapping of the 20-month-old son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Ann Morrow Lindbergh.

During his career Adams held the positions of Superintendent of Police from 1920 to 1937 and Commissioner of Motor Police from 1939 to 1943. Under his tenure, the first trooper training school was instituted along with a teletype system connecting law enforcement officials. He also introduced a questionnaire for future troopers to determine their mental and physical fitness for their positions within the State Police.

Adams also lectured extensively throughout Pennsylvania to social, fraternal, religious and youth groups about crime, its prevention and the duties of the State Police. Retiring in 1943 with the rank of Colonel, Adams holds the record for the lengthiest tenure by a head of the Pennsylvania State Police, serving almost 22 years. He is the only person in State Police history to hold the title of Superintendent and Commissioner.

Colonel Lynn G. Adams died at the age of 85 on December 2, 1965. Upon his passing, flags at Pennsylvania State Police barracks were lowered to half-mast throughout Pennsylvania. Adams was laid to rest in Section Twenty-One of the Dunmore Cemetery.

Cemetery Chronicles: Colonel Ezra Ripple

Posted on May 1, 2024 by The Dunmorean

The front-page news of November 17, 1909, reported that Colonel Ezra Ripple suffered a severe stroke the previous day while at his postmaster’s desk and his condition was critical. Considered to be “Scranton’s Best Loved Citizen” the news of Ripple’s condition touched many in the area.

The son of Silas and Elizabeth Ripple, Ezra was born on February 14, 1842, in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania. The Ripple family moved to Scranton in 1857. Ezra was educated in local public schools and later at Wyoming Seminary. He then worked in his father’s tavern until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.

Ripple served with three units during the Civil War, including Company I, 13^th Infantry Militia, Company H, 30^th Infantry Militia and Company K, 52nd PA Infantry.

It was during his term with the 52nd that he was captured by Confederate forces and became a prisoner at the Confederacy’s most notorious prison, Andersonville Prison in Georgia. Following his time at Andersonville, Ripple was sent to Florence Prison in South Carolina.

After the Civil War Ezra Ripple returned home to recover from the debilitating effects of life as a prisoner of war. He then worked in the crockery business of Colonel Frederick Hitchcock and later as a bookkeeper for Congressman William Connell. Ripple remained with Connell for over 40 years.

In April 1874 Ripple wed local school teacher Sarah Hackett. The couple enjoyed 35 years of marriage, and five children were born to their union.

During his lifetime, Ripple held the positions of County Treasurer, Mayor of Scranton, and Postmaster. As a proud veteran, he also lectured extensively in the late 1890’s about his time in Confederate Prisoner of War camps. It was during these lectures that Ripple recalled memories of his capture and incarceration – memories that haunted him for the rest of his life.

When death came to Ezra Ripple on November 19,1909, the flags in Scranton were lowered to half-staff. A special meeting of the Ezra Griffin Grand Army of the Republic Post was held that evening at its Linden Street meeting hall.

According to The Scranton Times “Every veteran of the Civil War, no matter how old or disabled by age and affliction that could hobble along climbed the long flight of stairs to attend the meeting with his fellows and mourn the death of their comrade. Tears rolled down their cheeks as they spoke of the Grim Reapers harvest.”

Ripple’s body lay in state at his home on Vine Street, Scranton. The Scranton Times reported “an endless stream of sorrow-stricken people viewed the remains. There were old Grand Army veterans, poor people and wealthy ones, and black and white folks, for in life, race, creed, or position held no niche in the Colonel’s temperament.”

On November 22, 1909, Ezra Ripple was laid to rest in Section 19 of the Dunmore Cemetery.

Cemetery Chronicles: Charles E. Hamilton

Posted on April 3, 2024 by The Dunmorean

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.”

William Shakespeare, As You Like It

From the 1870’s to 1930’s theatrical productions were a staple of life in the Lackawanna Valley. Offering a brief respite to life lived in the shadow of the mills and mines, theatricals were often performed before packed houses. Before the advent of modern advertising techniques, these shows were publicized by the posting of “bills” promoting future events.

One man, buried in the Dunmore Cemetery, devoted over four decades to advertising and publicity of stage shows throughout the region.

Wilkes-Barre born Charles E. Hamilton began his theatrical career in his teenage years traveling with P.T. Barnum’s Circus. Following his time with the circus, Hamilton returned briefly to Wilkes Barre and worked in a variety of positions ranging from chief stage carpenter to bill poster in the local theaters.

By the late 1880’s Hamilton again traveled the country with burlesque shows. Returning to Scranton in the 1890’s he worked for Frothingham’s Theater in Scranton as an advertising agent and treasurer. Before the close of 1895 he was employed by the Jacques Theater in Waterbury, Connecticut, as an advertising agent and treasurer. The following year Hamilton was the advertising agent for the Wallingford Opera House in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Charles E. Hamilton’s gravestone at Dunmore Cemetery looks like it is being consumed by a tree. Columnist Julie Esty says she likes it though — “Like with our cemetery tours, it shows that you don’t need to have a big mausoleum or a big name to have done cool things in life and played an important part of this valley.”

At the start of the Spanish American War, Hamilton returned to Scranton and mustered into military service in April 1898 with Company B of the 13^th Pennsylvania National Guard. He mustered out with the unit in March 1899. Following his military service he was affiliated with the General Gobin Camp, United Spanish American War Veterans for the remainder of his life.

After the war, Hamilton returned to the theaters of the Lackawanna Valley. He acted in a variety of managerial and advertising positions for several local theaters. He also worked as an advertising agent for various theatrical and minstrel acts that were traveling the country at the time.

In 1906 his experience with advertising took him in a new direction. With the organization of the National Alliance of Bill Posters and Billers Local 39 in Scranton, Hamilton was selected as Treasurer of the Local. Similar to his theatrical career, Hamilton worked his way through the ranks of this Union. In 1912 he attained the position of Vice President of the International Alliance of Bill Posters and Billers of America.

During his career Hamilton worked with some of the great thespians and performers of the time. He counted theater magnate Sylvester Poli, William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill), Marie Wainwright, Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, Robert Mantell, John Drew, John McCullough, Lillian Russell, and George M. Cohan as coworkers. He also considered many of them friends.

In October 1927, Hamilton was stricken ill. He died on November 8 of acute endocarditis. He was buried with military honors in Section 17, Spanish American War section of the Dunmore Cemetery.