Too Late: The Walter Stenstrom Story

Southwick's Board of Selectmen held a special town meeting in Consolidated School's auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on December 20, 1950. Articles up for vote included authorizing the board to purchase roughly 10 acres of land on College Highway from the heirs of the late Walter Stenstrom to expand the town's cemetery.

Walter's mother, Johanna Marie ("Maria"), his younger sister, Margit, and his older brother, Edward, had no use for the property since they lived in New York.

Back on September 15, Edward visited Walter's home. Not finding his brother in the house, he checked the barn outback and saw his brother's body hanging from the rafters. The medical examiner estimated that Walter had been dead for about six hours. He ruled the cause of death as suicide by hanging. Walter was only 47.

The vote to expand the cemetery passed. (The sale did not include Walter's house and barn.)

In 1949, Walter's wife, Sophie Rose (Simcak), filed for divorce. Sophie claimed that Walter struck her repeatedly whenever she disturbed his sleep. Testifying in court, Sophie recounted a time when their houseguests had to intervene after Walter went after her with a kitchen knife. A judge finalized their divorce on November 16.

Walter and Sophie were married in Rye, New York, on November 20, 1937. In 1943, they purchased real estate on College Highway in Southwick, Massachusetts, from the estates of Sophie's aunt and uncle, Julia and Ignac Simcak. (Julia and Ignac both died inside their College Highway home. She died on June 22, 1939. Ignac passed on May 15, 1943. Sophie's mother's name was also Julia. She married Ignac's brother, Simon.)

Walter's father died following a mysterious automobile accident in White Plains, New York, on January 21, 1926. Authorities opened an inquest on his death; however, the results of the inquest are unclear. When the commissioner of motor vehicles refused to release reports about the accident to Johanna Marie, citing confidentiality, she sued. In December 1928, the Court of Appeals ruled that automobile accident reports were public property. (The department's policy was to withhold accident reports to help prevent ambulance chasing.)

Johanna Marie died on June 21, 1953, while visiting her son Edward at his apartment at 50 Fountain Place in New Rochelle, New York.

On October 20, 1953, Margit, distraught over the death of her mother, jumped out the third-floor bedroom window of Edward's apartment, 3-A. Margit's husband had briefly left the bedroom to get a cup of coffee. Edward went into the bedroom to see if his sister wanted some coffee, but the room was empty. Noticing that the window was open, he looked down and saw his sister lying unconscious near the curb on the street below. He called for help. Two patrolmen arrived and rendered first aid until an ambulance arrived, but her injuries were too severe, and she died about 90 minutes later. Besides Margit's brother and husband, her daughter, Carol Ann, and Edward's wife were also in the apartment. (Carol Ann Beer was born on September 10, 1942.)

Mount Vernon Trust Company

Margit's husband, John W. Beer Jr., was the chief clerk at the Mount Vernon Trust Company, where her brother Walter used to work. John found himself in hot water on December 9, 1942, when he surrendered to authorities to answer grand larceny charges for embezzlement. By this time, John had worked for the bank for about 17 years. Authorities accused him of stealing $33,103.45 from the bank over seven years. However, they only charged him with stealing $500 from the Stockholders Protective Committee of the Commonwealth Hotel Construction Corporation's account on March 30, 1942. John admitted to taking the money and tried pleading guilty before the case went to the grand jury. John told investigators that he lost the money gambling. At his arraignment on December 10, the judge set bail at $35,000. The grand jury returned an 18-count indictment against him on January 12, 1943, for six specific embezzlements totaling $4,934.38. One of the six was $808, which he stole on September 28, 1941.

On March 30, 1943, a judge sentenced him to two years and three months to five years in the notorious Sing Sing Prison for the $808 embezzlement, and he dismissed the remaining 17 counts as part of a plea deal. The judge had completed a firsthand investigation of the case. In tracing the money, he kept hitting dead ends. At its conclusion, he expressed his skepticism that the stolen money went entirely to gambling. The judge was perplexed because John lived frugally and did not drink; he also was not a womanizer and did not appear to have any other bad habits.

On February 15, 1935, the Massachusetts Racing Commission approved an application by the Boston Kennel Club to change locations from Boston Garden to about 12 leased acres on Simon Simcak's farm in Southwick to conduct dog races on a track not less than 3-16 of a mile but not more than 5-16 of a mile in circumference. The proposed location change included an initial spectator capacity of 9,000, of which 3,000 would be seated in the stands, and parking for 2,000 to 3,000 automobiles. The suggested general admission charge would be a minimum of forty cents to a maximum of one dollar. Seven to ten races would be held nightly between seven and midnight, except Sundays, from June 15 to August 17. (There were also plans to bring a dog track to Memorial Avenue in West Springfield.)

The organizers and the racing commission received backlash from Southwick residents, who only learned about the plan after the Commonwealth's approval of the location change had been made public. Southwick Select Board Chairman A. F. Johnson indicated that Southwick officials received no notice or petition on bringing dog racing to the town.

Some news outlets gave their readers the impression that the racing commission supported the change. However, in defending itself, the racing commission said the approval was merely a routine procedure, and it would not grant any dog track permits without first studying each proposal and considering the local community's concerns.

A dismal turnout of about 50 Southwickians attended an open forum meeting held by local churches on February 28, where they protested against the proposed dog track. In attendance was the president of the Civic Improvement League of Southwick, who said gambling went against the association's ideals. Also present was a West Springfield church pastor, who said betting was a moral nuisance that would force local churches to shutter. The deacon of the Swedish Congregational Church and the pastor of the Methodist Church in Southwick both declared that their parishioners were opposed to the track.

In March, some of Southwick's most prominent residents spoke out against the track, including Loring Hosley, vice president of the Indian Motorcycle Company, J. Whitney Root, one of the town's biggest taxpayers, and Mineola Miller, owner of Miller's Beach. (See Miller's Beach Chronology.)  

At a town meeting on March 4, an article on the ballot read: "Shall the town go on record as being opposed to the licensing of dog and horse racing in the town of Southwick?" Even though there was strong opposition to allowing dog racing in Southwick, voters voted the question down 172 to 104. Several folks believed that including horse racing in the article prevented the measure from passing. Proponents of permitting dog races cited increased tax revenue for the town, thus lowering property taxes for residents (about $4 per year by some estimates). But, their main reason was the jobs it would create, something desperately needed during the Great Depression.

The controversy surrounding the dog racing escalated. Massachusetts legislators from the greater Springfield area proposed a couple of amendments regarding dog racing in the Baystate; one would severely limit the number of race days to make it unprofitable, and one would ban it outright by repealing existing racing laws. 

Sing Sing Prison

Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes

Working Titles: A Few Hours Too Late, Troubled, Apartment 3-A

Walter and his family were born in Sweden. Walter's father was a gardener for a private family. He arrived in America in 1911; his wife and children arrived in 1913.

John and Margit married on August 24, 1935.

In 1940, Walter worked as a bank teller in Mount Vernon, New York.

There is conflicting information about John Beer's bail. However, $35,000 appears to be correct. (The judge may have reduced it to $20,000 following a plea agreement.)

Lawrence Johnson and his wife purchased Walter's home in early 1951.

Walter was an ordinary seaman. He arrived in America aboard the steamship Edith on September 10, 1921.

The Stenstroms once lived at 515 South Second Avenue in Mount Vernon, New York.

Walter and Sophie had about a 14-year age gap between them.

Ignac Simcak died in his College Highway home on May 15, 1943. He had been ill for several weeks. Born in Czechoslovakia, he lived in Southwick for about 45 years.

Ignac's wife was also named Julia. She died inside their College Highway home on June 22, 1939. She lived in Southwick for about 46 years. Her maiden name was Waversak.

Simon T. Simcak died on July 17, 1944. He came to America around the turn of the century and lived in either Springfield or Westfield before settling in Southwick around 1910. His wife was named Julia.

They purchased land from the estate of Ignac Simcak for $3,500. At the same time, they also bought a large farm from the estate of her aunt, Julia Simcak, wife of Ignac, for $200 with a $2,500 mortgage to Westfield Co-operative Bank.

John Beers' brother, Charles J., was employed by the Mount Vernon Trust Company. He died in July 1937 when the small coupe he was riding in with friends slammed into the rear of a trailer truck that had stopped for a red light. (Charles fell asleep while driving his car with a companion in 1935. The vehicle jumped a curb and slammed into a tree, badly damaging the car and causing minor injuries to Charles and his companion.)

John Beer Sr. was born on January 11, 1911. There was a John Beer Jr. born on January 11, 1965. Someone murdered the younger John in 2004. The two Johns do not seem to be related

One of the Bedrooms in Apartment #3A (as it appears today).

 

 

 

 

 

The Bathroom (as it appears today) in Apartment #3A

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